Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Film Trailer Coursework Links
Link to Roles Within the group
Link to Pre-production Log
Link to Initial ideas blast
Link to SWOT Analysis for idea 1
Link to SWOT Analysis for idea 2
Link to SWOT Analysis for idea 3
Link to Research into trailers part 1
Link to Research into trailers part 2
Link to Research into trailers part 3
Link to Research into trailers conclusion
UK Legal Frameworks (BBFC)
Advertising Industry - Codes of practice
Link to list or resources needed for production
Link to information on narrative, genre and audience
Link to Film Synopsis
Link to bibliography
Link to Character Analysis of antagonist
Link to Character Analysis of male protagonist
Link to Character Analysis of female protagonist
Link to Call Sheet
Link to first draft story board
Link to Second draft story board
Link to Final Draft story board for filming
Link to Linking our campaign choice to the OCR brief
Link to Dual Column Script
Link to Over Voice Script
Link to Props needed
Link to Footage Log
Link to Production Schedule
Link to Test Photographs Of Our Actors
Link to Profile For The Target Audience Member
Link to Audience Analysis For Film/Trailer
Link to Location Photos
Link to Editing PrintScreens
Link to Floor Plans
Friday, 27 November 2009
Photoshop practice for magazine covers
Thomas Allison 0051
Workshops have continued in media as I have practiced to create a professional magazine cover ready for the coursework which is presented to the left based on FHM. My creativity skills have improved as the more i practice my skills the less mistakes I make allowing me to test new ideas as my knowledge expands.
To begin with I studied a previous edition of FHM to learn the presentation of the codes and conventions and how FHM attract their target audience. To begin with the title is always the same font and usually the same colour making it symbolic and recognisable to the reader helping give it a shelf selling impact. The positioning of this Title is important because you read a magazine like you read a book as it is the first thing you read on the top left. The things I have learnt from research into magazines (all genres) is that the front cover is used to sell the magazine. This is done by (and used in mine) leaving catchy subtitles revealing interesting articles within the magazine such as "Ultimate gaming guide inside!". The top right of the magazine is a subtite about "Call Of Duty 6" which gives a review about the game, this is usful to have on the front cover of my FHM magazine as this game is the most popular game of the year selling the highest quantity ever on the release date. As the media is a buisiness and we must sell copies of our magazine this is a brilliant selling point highlighting it in the top right with a different colour to the background. The main image joint background is of"Bianca Gascoigne" posing wearing a tight corset pushing her breasts up increasing their size which appeals to the target audience. Another important point that adds to the appealing factor of the main picture is the angle that the photo was taken at. The picture is focused using a midshot allowing us to see her body and facial expression which is a serious sexual pose as if to tempt the target audience. The main technique used here is that the camera is looking down on the girl which helps emphasis the body parts and makes her inferior to the male target audience giving them power of the magazine and the girl. As with other other magazines the price and date of the issue presented is displayed in small print usually near the barcode however I have chosen to place it on the top left ontop of the title. The reason for my presentation of the price being small is because I want my target audience to see the main display of the magazine first and be tempted into buying it (this is done by the slogans and the main display picture) and then they have to scan the front cover to find the price afterwards instead of finding the price first which helps change the outcome of the sale. Some of my other chosen slogans are displayed because it is what my target audience are more likely to be into, for example "20 top rated games of 2009".
My idea of this magazine cover not only comes from studying previous issues, it comes from Media theorists who give their own explanations on why media forms protray there information in the way they do. Louis Althusser theory relates to the magazine cover as he stated that the texts are used to reinforce the target audiences opinion and position them as the magazines ideal reader. Althusser saw ideologies as a represented diagesis and the power was through the ideas. His theory suggested the main ideologies come from people of higher social positions in society and that people will accept these views and live by them. Another part of his theory was Interpellation which basically says that the media calls out to the target audience, this had a big impact on my magazine and alot of magazines that exist use this technique esspecially in the magazine industry on the front cover. It does this by saying "Hey, you there!", on my magazine this is done by slogans and statements that will attract the audience to buy the magazine, "Win ps3 and much more!".
Another theorist which influenced my ideas and may be explains alot of magazines is Michel Foucault who stated that identities are formed from the information available to people in popular groups or discourses. His theory subs into "Models of Power" and fluid identities. He stated that the practices we couciously undertake to fit in our culture or society. This is split into consumerism, polotics, fashion, rituals and customs and relgion. Focusing on magazines this would suit fashion more as we have the choice to follow and engage with the fashion through choice. "Technologies of the self" is how we place ourselves in society and what we chose to do. To conclude he suggests that the power is placed in the hands of the individual (post-structuralist) and we use the magazines for advice and how fit in with society.
Another theorist named Judith Butler came up with the Queer Theory which states that the way we live and how we performe is a fiction which can be changed. Basically codes and conventions can be changed to form new identites however when creating my magazine i did not changed any codes and conventions, i followed the already put forward ideologies which are used by "FHM".
To begin with I studied a previous edition of FHM to learn the presentation of the codes and conventions and how FHM attract their target audience. To begin with the title is always the same font and usually the same colour making it symbolic and recognisable to the reader helping give it a shelf selling impact. The positioning of this Title is important because you read a magazine like you read a book as it is the first thing you read on the top left. The things I have learnt from research into magazines (all genres) is that the front cover is used to sell the magazine. This is done by (and used in mine) leaving catchy subtitles revealing interesting articles within the magazine such as "Ultimate gaming guide inside!". The top right of the magazine is a subtite about "Call Of Duty 6" which gives a review about the game, this is usful to have on the front cover of my FHM magazine as this game is the most popular game of the year selling the highest quantity ever on the release date. As the media is a buisiness and we must sell copies of our magazine this is a brilliant selling point highlighting it in the top right with a different colour to the background. The main image joint background is of"Bianca Gascoigne" posing wearing a tight corset pushing her breasts up increasing their size which appeals to the target audience. Another important point that adds to the appealing factor of the main picture is the angle that the photo was taken at. The picture is focused using a midshot allowing us to see her body and facial expression which is a serious sexual pose as if to tempt the target audience. The main technique used here is that the camera is looking down on the girl which helps emphasis the body parts and makes her inferior to the male target audience giving them power of the magazine and the girl. As with other other magazines the price and date of the issue presented is displayed in small print usually near the barcode however I have chosen to place it on the top left ontop of the title. The reason for my presentation of the price being small is because I want my target audience to see the main display of the magazine first and be tempted into buying it (this is done by the slogans and the main display picture) and then they have to scan the front cover to find the price afterwards instead of finding the price first which helps change the outcome of the sale. Some of my other chosen slogans are displayed because it is what my target audience are more likely to be into, for example "20 top rated games of 2009".
My idea of this magazine cover not only comes from studying previous issues, it comes from Media theorists who give their own explanations on why media forms protray there information in the way they do. Louis Althusser theory relates to the magazine cover as he stated that the texts are used to reinforce the target audiences opinion and position them as the magazines ideal reader. Althusser saw ideologies as a represented diagesis and the power was through the ideas. His theory suggested the main ideologies come from people of higher social positions in society and that people will accept these views and live by them. Another part of his theory was Interpellation which basically says that the media calls out to the target audience, this had a big impact on my magazine and alot of magazines that exist use this technique esspecially in the magazine industry on the front cover. It does this by saying "Hey, you there!", on my magazine this is done by slogans and statements that will attract the audience to buy the magazine, "Win ps3 and much more!".
Another theorist which influenced my ideas and may be explains alot of magazines is Michel Foucault who stated that identities are formed from the information available to people in popular groups or discourses. His theory subs into "Models of Power" and fluid identities. He stated that the practices we couciously undertake to fit in our culture or society. This is split into consumerism, polotics, fashion, rituals and customs and relgion. Focusing on magazines this would suit fashion more as we have the choice to follow and engage with the fashion through choice. "Technologies of the self" is how we place ourselves in society and what we chose to do. To conclude he suggests that the power is placed in the hands of the individual (post-structuralist) and we use the magazines for advice and how fit in with society.
Another theorist named Judith Butler came up with the Queer Theory which states that the way we live and how we performe is a fiction which can be changed. Basically codes and conventions can be changed to form new identites however when creating my magazine i did not changed any codes and conventions, i followed the already put forward ideologies which are used by "FHM".
Saturday, 21 November 2009
Evaluation of Film Websites
Thomas Allison 0051
- Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
- This website is displayed like an "Indiana Jones" adventure. Firstly at the top left of the screen is the title of hte film with its recognisable logo using the same codes and conventions as in all of the Steven Spielberg films. The adventure like font with the warm sandy oranage colour scheme reveals its genre and makes "Indiana Jones" recognisable to all. The background of the website is a brown sandy artifact displaying the codes and conventions of a mystery with the glowing crystal skull at hte tope, which is what the film is about. The main display of the website is in an ancient tablet relic with artifacts and symbols forming the boarder. All of these elements within give away the films genre (action/adventure). Within the scrill reveals all the add ons within the film such as "Own it today on DVD and Blu-ray disk". Also for the younger generation in the biggest part of the scroll is the game advertised "Lego Indiana Jones". Other elements include sound tracks and documentries for the film lovers. To get the fans involved this website includes Web 2.0 generated content, allowing the audience to have their own account which allows them to be updated with upcoming news.
- Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince
- The Harry Potter Website consists of many codes and conventions revealed to the audience giving the genre in detail. The sci-fi and fantasy displayed clearly as we know that there is evil due to the colour scheme chosen which is dark and gloomy. The background is of London which is a major hint to the storyline as the magic world joins the "muggles" world. The backgroud follows the codes and conventions mentioned above and the outer edge of it is featured giving it an eye effect. The main image infront of the background is of Harry, Ron and Harmiony who are the protagonists with Harry infront. All holding their wands pulling a serious pose as if to say to the audience that this film is going to be serious and full of action. As the film has already been released it advertises at the bottom DVD and Blu-ray. Another feature of the website giving it a magical fantasy effect is the options menu which appears where ever the mouse is displayaed on the screen. This includes "sound tracks" and "about the film".
- The Twilight Sage, New Moon
- This page as with all of the others I have studied reveal the codes and conventions to portray the films genre which is fantasy. The background consists of a woodland which is faded giving it a mysterious effect. At the tope of the page is the title in a recognisable font as to the previous film, the main thing displayed under the title is the release date which is important as the media is a buisness and it is all about making money. In the centre of the page is the three protagonists. Each side of the page is a symbol for the vampires and a symbol for the wolfs showing the rivalty and hinting what the films about.
- The Hangover
- The Hangover compared to other films such as Batman and Harry Potter is a smaller unknown film. As with the other websites studied the background which is merged with the protagonists is of a desert landscape with a rundown car with a lion in it. The protagonists are sitting around it, confused and fed up. This image makes the viewer wonder whats going on. The title "The Hangover" automatically informs the viewer that there was a party and makes them want to know the consequences, all this information gives the codes and conventions of a comedy which is important to tell the viewer. The options bar includes "video" and "downloads", add ons which help promote the film. Towards the bottom is the credits with the most important factor at the tope being the instituion "Warner Bros Pictures".
- Batman The Dark Knight
- This website uses Flash to make images move which is very effective making the website more professional and noticable. The colour scheme reveals the codes and conventions of Batman and an adventure film. The site is instantly recognisable as Batman due to the well known logo centred on the site. Presented at the top left is the DVD and Blu-Ray selection to let the viewer know it has been released, the media industry is a buisness and making money is all that matters to them. Towards the bottom of the screen is the credits as with all "Warner Bros" films stating producers and companys Also there is an option for fans to sign up for news updates which will help the company make more sales.
- Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
- This website is displayed like an "Indiana Jones" adventure. Firstly at the top left of the screen is the title of hte film with its recognisable logo using the same codes and conventions as in all of the Steven Spielberg films. The adventure like font with the warm sandy oranage colour scheme reveals its genre and makes "Indiana Jones" recognisable to all. The background of the website is a brown sandy artifact displaying the codes and conventions of a mystery with the glowing crystal skull at hte tope, which is what the film is about. The main display of the website is in an ancient tablet relic with artifacts and symbols forming the boarder. All of these elements within give away the films genre (action/adventure). Within the scrill reveals all the add ons within the film such as "Own it today on DVD and Blu-ray disk". Also for the younger generation in the biggest part of the scroll is the game advertised "Lego Indiana Jones". Other elements include sound tracks and documentries for the film lovers. To get the fans involved this website includes Web 2.0 generated content, allowing the audience to have their own account which allows them to be updated with upcoming news.
- Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince
- The Harry Potter Website consists of many codes and conventions revealed to the audience giving the genre in detail. The sci-fi and fantasy displayed clearly as we know that there is evil due to the colour scheme chosen which is dark and gloomy. The background is of London which is a major hint to the storyline as the magic world joins the "muggles" world. The backgroud follows the codes and conventions mentioned above and the outer edge of it is featured giving it an eye effect. The main image infront of the background is of Harry, Ron and Harmiony who are the protagonists with Harry infront. All holding their wands pulling a serious pose as if to say to the audience that this film is going to be serious and full of action. As the film has already been released it advertises at the bottom DVD and Blu-ray. Another feature of the website giving it a magical fantasy effect is the options menu which appears where ever the mouse is displayaed on the screen. This includes "sound tracks" and "about the film".
- The Twilight Sage, New Moon
- This page as with all of the others I have studied reveal the codes and conventions to portray the films genre which is fantasy. The background consists of a woodland which is faded giving it a mysterious effect. At the tope of the page is the title in a recognisable font as to the previous film, the main thing displayed under the title is the release date which is important as the media is a buisness and it is all about making money. In the centre of the page is the three protagonists. Each side of the page is a symbol for the vampires and a symbol for the wolfs showing the rivalty and hinting what the films about.
- The Hangover
- The Hangover compared to other films such as Batman and Harry Potter is a smaller unknown film. As with the other websites studied the background which is merged with the protagonists is of a desert landscape with a rundown car with a lion in it. The protagonists are sitting around it, confused and fed up. This image makes the viewer wonder whats going on. The title "The Hangover" automatically informs the viewer that there was a party and makes them want to know the consequences, all this information gives the codes and conventions of a comedy which is important to tell the viewer. The options bar includes "video" and "downloads", add ons which help promote the film. Towards the bottom is the credits with the most important factor at the tope being the instituion "Warner Bros Pictures".
- Batman The Dark Knight
- This website uses Flash to make images move which is very effective making the website more professional and noticable. The colour scheme reveals the codes and conventions of Batman and an adventure film. The site is instantly recognisable as Batman due to the well known logo centred on the site. Presented at the top left is the DVD and Blu-Ray selection to let the viewer know it has been released, the media industry is a buisness and making money is all that matters to them. Towards the bottom of the screen is the credits as with all "Warner Bros" films stating producers and companys Also there is an option for fans to sign up for news updates which will help the company make more sales.
Creativity continued
Thomas Allison 0051
During lessons I have once again been given the opportunity to practice my creativity via the use of Photoshop. These past couple of lessons involved the same images as last time but creating them as if designed for an internet page. This involved creating texts and using the images needed to create the separate pages which would appear on the page and saving them without confusion.
My development then continued as I converted these images to Dreamweaver, an internet based program functioning the bringing together of a web page. This lesson consisted of a workshop as I had not used this program before. There was quite a lot to remember. The first part of the lesson was important as setting the system up to the right sizes and creating a save point was important for the web page to work. My first problem occurred when linking the pages together, I had missed a link somewhere and so my web page did not work. Practicing this now and making the mistakes now will make it easier when coming to make my web page during the coursework. In the end I managed to create a linking web page and my knowledge of Photoshop and Dreamweaver has expanded a lot.
During lessons I have once again been given the opportunity to practice my creativity via the use of Photoshop. These past couple of lessons involved the same images as last time but creating them as if designed for an internet page. This involved creating texts and using the images needed to create the separate pages which would appear on the page and saving them without confusion.
My development then continued as I converted these images to Dreamweaver, an internet based program functioning the bringing together of a web page. This lesson consisted of a workshop as I had not used this program before. There was quite a lot to remember. The first part of the lesson was important as setting the system up to the right sizes and creating a save point was important for the web page to work. My first problem occurred when linking the pages together, I had missed a link somewhere and so my web page did not work. Practicing this now and making the mistakes now will make it easier when coming to make my web page during the coursework. In the end I managed to create a linking web page and my knowledge of Photoshop and Dreamweaver has expanded a lot.
Friday, 13 November 2009
Creativity Devolopment Continued
Thomas Allison 0051
Continuing on with my creative development, over the past few lessons I have managed to expand my knowledge of new media technologies. For example my A2 coursework evaluative work will be displayed on Blogger, Web 2.0 generated website. This involved creating an account and linking it with other class members including my lecturer. Now I can continuously develop my work and evaluate it using an electronic format keeping my work organised and chronologically ordered. Over my upcoming lessons I will continue to post blogs on here with the use of Blogger (newly learnt media technology) which I will be able to view and refer back to as my A2 coursework continues.
My creativity has developed with new media technologies using Photo Shop. I have been able to practice cutting out pictures and merging pictures together. This will help me create a more professional look on my Magazine cover during my A2 coursework. It is very important I practice using this new media technology as I have never used it before and the more I practice now the easier and faster it will be for me to experiment later on when designing the magazine. Other skills I have developed using Photo Shop includes changing colour and contrasts, creating a shadow for my image giving it a more realistic effect and adding text. Linking layers proved to be very useful when creating these images so they become attached and allowing my work to become more organised. My A2 coursework will need to be as professional as possible for when I compare it to real world practices so experimenting with the scale and leading is very important making my work as realistic as possible.
Continuing on with my creative development, over the past few lessons I have managed to expand my knowledge of new media technologies. For example my A2 coursework evaluative work will be displayed on Blogger, Web 2.0 generated website. This involved creating an account and linking it with other class members including my lecturer. Now I can continuously develop my work and evaluate it using an electronic format keeping my work organised and chronologically ordered. Over my upcoming lessons I will continue to post blogs on here with the use of Blogger (newly learnt media technology) which I will be able to view and refer back to as my A2 coursework continues.
My creativity has developed with new media technologies using Photo Shop. I have been able to practice cutting out pictures and merging pictures together. This will help me create a more professional look on my Magazine cover during my A2 coursework. It is very important I practice using this new media technology as I have never used it before and the more I practice now the easier and faster it will be for me to experiment later on when designing the magazine. Other skills I have developed using Photo Shop includes changing colour and contrasts, creating a shadow for my image giving it a more realistic effect and adding text. Linking layers proved to be very useful when creating these images so they become attached and allowing my work to become more organised. My A2 coursework will need to be as professional as possible for when I compare it to real world practices so experimenting with the scale and leading is very important making my work as realistic as possible.
How has my creativity developed through using digital technology to complete my coursework productions?
Thomas Allison 0051
In a sense my creativity has widened over my AS educational year but professionally has narrowed itself because of now knowing what is capable in my coursework and what will look more professional within my editing work. For example my skills using the editing equipment had improved a lot, knowing all the different edits and transitions however the majority of these elements did not suit or would not benefit my trailers in the coursework. My creativity has improved mainly from the use of research using the internet (major digital technology) during the pre production stage of the coursework. My creativity is still an experiment from which I am still learning. The editing equipment which has assisted by my creativity for example the computer itself, the keyboard and screen has allowed me to experiment and helped me apply the codes and conventions of the media to my work to display my genre and make it clear to how I want the audience to feel. For example during ‘The Break In’ I wanted the audience to feel tense and create a sense of mystery to what was coming next. Windows movie maker is the editing software I used which improved my creativity a lot, especially as I was given the job as ‘editor’. This involved a lot of experimenting with shots. I moved a lot of shots around and deleted inappropriate shots. That is a great advantage of these new media technologies, being given the technology to move things around easily and reduce time wasting. This helped my creativity a lot due to easy formatting. However my creativity was limited when creating the credits due to font sizes being limited to certain sizes.
The internet assisted me when looking into films and camera angles and general research. I accomplished this mainly on YouTube, this is where my group also published our products allowing us to be producers ourselves with an audience. On YouTube we were also allowed to submit our electronic evaluations explaining why our work turned out how it did. Web 2.0 had the most impact on my creativity as that is where most of my creativity took place. Email was an advantage as my group was able to send video clips and the trailer itself to each other in order to gain opinions on where it could be improved without the need to be in the same room as each other. Web 2.0 allowed me to display my work and allow me to edit my work to different people on the internet. Overall Web 2.0 is a great advantage
When using the camera on the filming date my creativity skills increased due to experimenting and trying out new ideas to give a bigger impact on the audience. From this I tried new camera angles such as hand held cameras and slower panning shots to increase the tension of the film this is shown at the beginning of my second AS project “The Break In”. Also my creativity in this specific project improved via the use of sound. Our first idea at the beginning of the clip was to use silence to create an awkward tension however we used a gradual build up of a drone noise which increased the tension even more and provided a nice peak for the action to kick in. I learned more creativity skills from my lecturer when creating this drone noise in the sound department experimenting with the noise levels.
In a sense my creativity has widened over my AS educational year but professionally has narrowed itself because of now knowing what is capable in my coursework and what will look more professional within my editing work. For example my skills using the editing equipment had improved a lot, knowing all the different edits and transitions however the majority of these elements did not suit or would not benefit my trailers in the coursework. My creativity has improved mainly from the use of research using the internet (major digital technology) during the pre production stage of the coursework. My creativity is still an experiment from which I am still learning. The editing equipment which has assisted by my creativity for example the computer itself, the keyboard and screen has allowed me to experiment and helped me apply the codes and conventions of the media to my work to display my genre and make it clear to how I want the audience to feel. For example during ‘The Break In’ I wanted the audience to feel tense and create a sense of mystery to what was coming next. Windows movie maker is the editing software I used which improved my creativity a lot, especially as I was given the job as ‘editor’. This involved a lot of experimenting with shots. I moved a lot of shots around and deleted inappropriate shots. That is a great advantage of these new media technologies, being given the technology to move things around easily and reduce time wasting. This helped my creativity a lot due to easy formatting. However my creativity was limited when creating the credits due to font sizes being limited to certain sizes.
The internet assisted me when looking into films and camera angles and general research. I accomplished this mainly on YouTube, this is where my group also published our products allowing us to be producers ourselves with an audience. On YouTube we were also allowed to submit our electronic evaluations explaining why our work turned out how it did. Web 2.0 had the most impact on my creativity as that is where most of my creativity took place. Email was an advantage as my group was able to send video clips and the trailer itself to each other in order to gain opinions on where it could be improved without the need to be in the same room as each other. Web 2.0 allowed me to display my work and allow me to edit my work to different people on the internet. Overall Web 2.0 is a great advantage
When using the camera on the filming date my creativity skills increased due to experimenting and trying out new ideas to give a bigger impact on the audience. From this I tried new camera angles such as hand held cameras and slower panning shots to increase the tension of the film this is shown at the beginning of my second AS project “The Break In”. Also my creativity in this specific project improved via the use of sound. Our first idea at the beginning of the clip was to use silence to create an awkward tension however we used a gradual build up of a drone noise which increased the tension even more and provided a nice peak for the action to kick in. I learned more creativity skills from my lecturer when creating this drone noise in the sound department experimenting with the noise levels.
Friday, 23 October 2009
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