Evaluation Task 4: How did you use media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?

Evaluation Task 3: What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Evaluation Task 2: How effective is the combination of your main product and main ancillary texts?

For my trailer, poster and magazine cover, I wanted to create each product to link with each other in order for the audience to acknowledge the connection which is an indication that all products have been created for the film itself. However, despite the similarities created, not all of the products completely link into one another and this is because I wanted to add a twist onto each of them so they differed slightly.

The obvious indication that all three products link to each other is from the constant introduction of my main character Callie Shepherd (played by Poppy McNulty-Ho), she appears in all of the campaigns for the film as she plays the lead. Therefore, to follow with the typical narrative conventions, I did attempt to include other characters but kept it simple by ensuring that the main character has the most screen-time, as well as only including her in the poster and magazine. The character itself also helps with the romance drama convention for the products as I created a character that conveyed independence and mystery. This is shown through the trailer as in many of the locations she visits, she is alone and I used this as an advantage to capture an image of the actress at one of the scenes to use for the poster. Therefore, I was able to easily make the link between the two products as the scene is included in the trailer, not only this but within my poster, I have included screenshots from the trailer itself. I included the screenshots to create enigma codes on my character as from the poster, not a lot is revealed about the film or the female character. Moreover, I wanted to include the mystery so it became a part of my character’s persona as she is presented to be independent and not a stereotypical character that would be seen in the genre as the main lead. As for the magazine, nothing is revealed about the storyline although the film is featured and the main character takes the focus as she is presented in a more feminine way unlike her representation in the trailer. The only difference as mentioned previously is from the magazine cover and this is because I wanted the audience to see the character in a different light which is why I intentionally altered her style for the central image. It allows the audience to draw attention to the different side of the character that they are being introduced to, this is because throughout the trailer, Callie is dressed in darker clothing with a minimal amount of makeup. Therefore, I wanted to contrast that image with the magazine cover as it enables the audience to feel that they apart of the development of Callie.

As you can see, the intertitles and fonts on all of my ancillary tasks are similar to one another despite the different colour palettes chosen. I decided to follow the conventions of the romance drama genre when it came to the fonts as the majority of films from the genre keep them very simplistic, this is in order for the main focus to be set on the images/trailer. The font I chose is plain yet sophisticated, both tasks follow the same black font as I thought it was fitting and allowed the audience to acknowledge the tasks but also to focus on what is being shown. The colour black connotes power and elegance which is a part of the characterisation that I have tried to develop through Callie, therefore I wanted to include subtle hints that she is unlike other characters seen in romance drama genres. Therefore, once again the magazine is differed in comparison as I had to follow the conventions of the ‘The Filmmaker’ magazine. I also created the colour palette of the cover to be connected with the appearance of the character from the image, therefore the titles are co-ordinated between a red berry shade and white. This aspect follows the genre conventions of the film as the shade of red connotes femininity and romance, however the twist is that there is no romance aspect within my own film. Furthermore, in all three products, I wanted to create a reflective atmosphere which is what I achieved through the serious toned images and videos. Within my trailer, I wanted to make the conflict a significant role which is why it is situated in the traditional chronological order at the beginning in order for the audience to develop a clear and coherent understanding of what is going on. Then, for the poster I wanted to include aspects of fun through the screenshots however the whole scene with the character on the beach in the trailer is deemed to be reflective and thoughtful as she reminisces. The magazine cover could be argued to be the liveliest out of the three as it includes the most colour but despite this, the seriousness is still conveyed through the close up shot of the female character. The central image is conventional to the magazine cover as they feature close up shots of the actress/actor for that particular issue. Therefore I wanted to recreate the same atmosphere and tone that the ‘Filmmaker’ does in order for the audience to acknowledge the sophistication and professionalism which may attract them to discover more about the film.

As a whole, all three of my products have been created as a part of the marketing process for the film itself. The order for release I would put them as would be the film poster, trailer and then magazine cover. This is because I ultimately want the audience to be engaged through these three different platforms in order for them to be more motivated to watch the film. 

Evaluation Task 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My film is called ‘One Life’, it is chosen from the inspiration of the films that were associated with self-discovery as that is the main topic of my film. I decided to choose these issues as I wanted to create a plot that is relatable for those between teenagers and young adults who are struggling with their own lives. I followed the typical conventions of a theatrical trailer by including the basic features such as institution and production companies, inter-titles, character introduction etc. I followed the conventions in order to achieve the trailer that I wanted to create; moreover I also had to include features of the romance drama genre to ensure that the trailer linked with the plot. My main inspiration for my trailer was from the existing film ‘Eat, Pray, Love.’ The film is based around a middle aged woman who wishes to discover herself through travelling to different countries and attempting to do activities and events she has never done before. The types of conventions that I followed from the romance drama genre, specifically from ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ was the linear narrative itself as my trailer is based around a young female character who wants to discover herself after struggling with her mental issues. The narrative for many romance dramas follow Todorov’s theory of equilibrium and disequilibrium, this is because the film always begins with the original state (equilibrium), discovers a disruption and then continues the rest of the film trying to resolve the problem. I was also inspired through the locations that the genre includes, it is mainly varied and especially with the plot of my film, I travelled to different locations in and around of London to capture different shots. Furthermore, with the use of the inter-titles in my trailer, I was inspired by a range of different films such as ‘Safe Haven’ and ‘The Light Between Oceans.’ I was mainly attracted to the fonts from these films as they all follow the conventions of a typical romance drama and have simple titles. This is as the main focus set on the trailers and even film posters is based around the scenes and images that are being presented to the audience. Therefore, by including such a simple font, it allows the attention to be drawn towards what is being show yet it still ensures that the audience acknowledge the inter-titles.

As mentioned previously, the main inspiration from the narrative came from ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ as I created my trailer to be based around self-discovery which was similar to the film. However, as the ages of the target audience were different, I also was inspired by another existing film ‘Blue is The Warmest Color.’ This is as despite the difference of the discovery that the female character wants to make in this film is based around her sexuality. However, the actresses were young and the issues mentioned are relevant in society for the future generation which is what I wanted to portray through my plot and trailer. The main characters in the film are also very alternative and do not conform to the stereotypes of typical teenage girls which is why I wanted to mirror their personalities into my character. This is achieved through the mise en scene as I purposely made my character be shown dressed in darker colours and the main aim was not to sexually objectify her as I didn’t want to draw away any attention from the plot. My aim was to create a complex character that would allow the audience to question her motives throughout the trailer so that they would become intrigued enough to want to continue watching. Furthermore, as touched upon, location was very important for my film especially from the inspiration I was taking from previous films. I attempted to try and film in different locations in and out of London as I wanted a selection of different shots from a variety of places, although not all of the footage I gathered was used, it was a fun experience for me to experiment with shots in different places.

All of the camerawork, editing, pace and sound for my trailer was influenced by the genre conventions, this is because it allowed me to have a reference when working. These aspects were the hardest for me as I wasn’t used to working individually when it came to filming however with the examples I was able to achieve the look for my trailer that I wanted. The pace is very short and snappy especially through the montage shots as they were showing the various locations, such as the point of view shots in Camden. The pace was so fast in order for the audience to acknowledge what they had seen so far and what was yet to come. This also relates to the sound, I wanted the whole trailer to be in line with the scenes and sound therefore I aligned them so they synced with one another. The sound was created by myself through the software GarageBand, it was a first experience but extremely fun, it allowed me to be in control of the music and how I introduced the different sounds to the audience. I previously had the sound throughout the entire trailer but after experimenting, I decided to incorporate parts of the diegetic sound from the shots. The sounds of the track and the diegetic sound adds emphasis onto what is going on in the scene which is why I thought it was a good effect to include. It was inspired by the film trailer ‘The Shallows’ which is a completely different genre to mine but in the trailer, the sound is emphasised and sharpened to increase tension. I then gained inspiration from this technique and recreated within my trailer so that the effect was to add importance on the scenes that were unfolding.

I had touched upon briefly on the ancillary tasks which were the film poster and the magazine cover, both link into my trailer as they all include my main character and I have kept all of my final products as simplistic as possible. Therefore, the products fit into the conventions of their media forms as I used examples from other posters and magazines in order to help me make a decision for my own. For the poster, I immediately drew inspiration from ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ but the image was very simple and I didn’t want to recreate just one image. Thus, resulting in why I decided to edit screenshots from the trailer onto my poster in order to attract the audience and ensure that the poster isn’t as plain as it was prior to editing it. Although, I did continue to take parts of it to help me structure my poster as I was uncertain on the placement of the title, taglines and social media information etc. So, I used the ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ poster as an outline for my own, this was also done for the magazine cover. I researched into different magazine companies and decided that ‘The Filmmaker’ was the best fit for my film although I did have uncertainties and attempted different covers such as ‘Sight & Sound’ but in the end I decided on the original company. The specific issue that I was heavily influenced by was the Summer 2012. Volume 4 #4 issue, it is the central image that caught my attention due to the close up of the woman. The majority of romance drama film magazines consist of the main character positioned directly in front of the camera and looking glamorous to indicate the sophistication of the company. Moreover, the main aim is to make the appearance of the actress seem a lot more different than it is presented in the trailer so it allows the audience to feel an intimacy with the actress as they seem her in a different setting. The magazine also has a fair ratio of photography to text as despite the fact that the central image takes up the majority of the cover, they have still included taglines and pugs to go around it. I decided to do the same for my cover and followed their colour palette as they fit the central image with the typography that they had included which is what I also did, the overall effect was that two synced with one another so the cover looked more professional. 

Final: Film Poster

Final: Trailer

Final: Magazine cover

Here is my improved version of my magazine cover as I had received feedback from the previous one that suggested I change some of the taglines as they weren't fitting to the magazine cover. Therefore, I altered the taglines so they were more suitable and relevant as mentioned before to link to the cover and also to connect within my productions.

Trailer draft 3

This is the second draft of my trailer, I have already completed audience feedback where I was advised to make my inter-titles longer and keep the music until the end titles which is what I aim to do for the final trailer. 

Magazine cover draft #3

Since my last magazine draft covers, I have re-shot the pictures as the previous images did not fit with the company that I wanted to use. Therefore, I recreated the images again but this time I changed my actresses look and style in order for her to fill the role on the magazine. I prefer the images I have taken since the last draft a lot more as they look more professional and the actress doesn't look like the character she plays. The main aim for me was to make my actress look different as I wanted the audience to see her in a different form and situation then they do in the trailer. There are a few adjustments I may and I also do want to hear feedback from this draft as it is slowly becoming more finalised so I am aware of how to improve. 

Institution Research #2

Prior to filming, I had created a post about the original institution company that I wanted to use however when it came down to tracking down actual footage of the logo, I struggled to. This is because the logo was set with many other companies as an image when I first discovered it which then made it harder for me to find an image or video of the logo by itself. Moreover, once the filming had started to come to an end, I realised that I would need to change the company originally picked which why I then chose DNA Films. However, once I had downloaded the video of the logo, the quality of the video wasn't as good as I had expected and it appeared blurry. Therefore, I had to change the distribution company again and have finally settled for Vertigo Films. The company has distributed films such as 'Spring Breakers', 'The Diary of a Teenage Girl' and 'Sparkle.' These films all fit into my target audience as they are based around the younger generation and their lives. 

I chose this company as I felt it was fitting to my film and although my film may be romance drama, it involves a self-discovery and help in spirituality that I think is fitting with the previous films that they have distributed. They mainly share films of the action genre but 'Sparkle' (2007) is a romance/comedy and I think among the rest of the films, the difference in genre stands out. Moreover, I believe that my film would contribute to the other romance/drama films as mentioned and give the company a different choice for the audience to watch from. 

Social media feedback

For each of the drafts that I had created for my ancillary tasks, I had uploaded them onto different social media platforms in order to get improvements for them. I used platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp and Twitter. These were all intentionally used as most of my target audience constantly use social media therefore I knew the best way to interact with them would be through the platforms they use. The feedback received really benefitted my tasks as I was able to follow the improvements that the audience had set to create the final product that would attract them to watch the film. 

Trailer draft 2

This is the second draft of my trailer, there are still improvements to be made such as the beginning inter-titles that when I first downloaded were not as blurry as they seem once it is put along with the trailer. I also need to insert more footage on the conflict at the beginning and finally come to an ending to the trailer. Once again, I'll let you know when I have any more updates on filming. 

Magazine drafts 2

The magazine drafts is something I have struggled with as I had taken pictures since not having any previously, however they are not fitting to the specific magazine I have chosen. Thus, for my second drafts I have replaced an image from the previous actress that was on my cover and suited the colour scheme to the image. Although, it isn't the final product, it is the magazine I am considering following with. Through my indecisiveness, I started to try out other magazine covers to see if they would suit the style I was attempting. I tried magazine covers such as 'Little White Lies' which is not fitting towards my genre but it was really fun getting to play around with the different filters. The last magazine cover I recreated was 'Sight & Sound' which is the magazine I am contemplating using if I do not use Filmmaker. Overall, by creating different magazine covers, it gave me a better idea of the kind of photo I need to replace these drafts with and also gave me better insight into the type of magazines my film fits. Therefore, my main improvements for the next drafts is to take a more fitting image of my actress that fits into the genre of the magazine I have chosen. 

Film poster computer drafts 2

This is the second computer draft of my poster, I have made minor changes since the first one and took on aboard the improvements that were given to me. The problems that were made aware to me were issues with the positioning of the screenshots around the character's head and the placement of the titles. Therefore, for this draft I managed to erase the edges of the screenshots so it appears to go behind the character's head. I also changed the positioning of the titles so that the tag line of the film is central and seen immediately by the audience. I was originally planning to create a second draft from another location however I am more reluctant as the images I have taken do not really fit into the story of the film. 

I wasn't sure with the positioning of the first changed draft shown so I decided to play around with the fonts and composition with two other drafts. Personally, my favourite is the last one as I like the positioning of each of the titles and the main title of the film is shown significantly in comparison to the other texts. The change in font also helps as it is a very simplistic but connects with my trailer as my inter-titles is very similar to this font. I hope to get feedback on the new drafts to see whether or not my target audience think that I have achieved my improvements and what is still yet to be done. 

Magazine cover draft 1

As I do not yet have an image for my magazine draft, I decided to use an image that I wanted to replicate and create an online draft that would be similar to my final piece. Although, I selected the colour theme from the outfit of the actress which will differ to suit the colours that my actress will be wearing. I am recreating an issue of the 'FilmMaker' as the covers and simplistic yet still present the actress in a bold way through the use of the close up shots. I will be including my own close up of my actress as I think it's an intimate reading of the character and allows the audience to familiarise themselves with her. Furthermore, the only change aside from the colour scheme that I will be making is the background to the magazine cover. They tend to have simple coloured backgrounds and as demonstrated in my draft but I want to include scenery or an effect to the background so it doesn't seem so dull.

Trailer draft 1

The feedback for my trailer from the target audience was primarily issues with the inter-titles. I have not yet included the production and distribution logos in my trailer which is what I need to do moving forward, as well as the fact that I need to include inter-titles alongside the footage to connect the story. As well as the fact that it was suggested that I could include a voice over of the main character telling her story to the audience as it fits into my genre of film very well. Moreover, I also need to collect more extra footage as the ending of my trailer has not yet been included. Therefore, currently the sound does not match up with the trailer due to the fact that there is no ending and there is a lack of footage on other locations. I hope that once I complete all of these improvements, the trailer will be of better quality and more coherent within the story line. 

Film poster computer draft 1

To improve my film poster, I have been advised to perhaps have the main character to not be looking directly into the camera. This fits into my own personal preference as I do not plan to have this as my final poster piece. This is because after my main inspiration from 'Eat, Pray, Love', I am planning to follow through a more simplistic poster that perhaps suggests more of an adventure. Moreover, it was also suggested that I move the tagline upwards so it is central and can be seen more visibly. All of this feedback and my own personal thoughts will help me to create a better piece as I am planning to create a draft two possibly with a different location as mentioned. 

Filming update #9 and sound update #3

I have gone back to my track that I last created on GarageBand as I hadn't progressed with it because I started focusing on filming. I still have yet to add more footage to my trailer but so far, I have a outline of what my trailer is about. Therefore, despite not being exactly accurate, I put the track over my trailer to see whether or not it matches with the shots. The track does match the trailer but I have had to cut back certain shots that are too long and then overlap with the next beat that doesn't really match. For now, I will not be revisiting GarageBand as I am going to get more footage and see whether or not I can adjust the shots around before attempting to readjust the sound. Moreover, using GarageBand has been a really fun experience once I got the hang of it and has made it a lot easier for me when creating my track. Initially, at the beginning I did want to have vocals throughout the trailer so I was hesitant when I was introduced to the software but eventually when I began to create this track, I decided to carry on with it as it allows me to control the flow of the trailer. It is a lot easier to choose certain instruments and beats in the order I want to represent the mood of the trailer so I can control the highs and lows without having to switch from one song to another. 

Updated: film poster planning draft 2

While filming, I have taken a few pictures potentially for my film poster. When going to my last destination to film at, I took a few pictures as from my poster planning, it was one of my two ideas. I have included the pictures I took however I have yet to decide whether or not I will be using them. This is because the pictures didn't come out entirely how I wanted them to but if I did use them, then I would edit over them with screenshots from the trailer itself and have all the images blended into one. I am going to try and see if this plan works but for the mean time, I am also going to be taking various different photos to use to ensure I have a variety to choose from. 

My main aim when taking these images was to have the shot of the sea in the background as I thought it was a calming visual and made the audience question who the character is and what they are doing. But, I see now that in order for it to attract the audience, it has to have more of an excitement to it to intrigue them. Thus, resulting in why I want to edit the images and see whether or not I can create something that will interest the audience. Out of the two, I prefer the landscape image as more of the background can be seen and identified to the audience, it also allows more room for me to edit around and include text. These images were created by the second plan from my two original ideas, I have yet to recreate the first plan and I am unsure whether I will continue it as I have since thought of different ideas. As always, I will update you when I begin editing the image and when I take some more pictures in different locations, I also hope to start taking pictures for my magazine as well. 

Filming update #8

I have started editing again since I filmed over the holidays so I have more shots to include. Since the last update, I now have a beginning to the trailer as previously it had started with the montage of shots. I am still trying to work out which edits to use between the shots especially as there are still some shots missing which then makes the sequence of events not clear. However, I hope to film more over the weekend especially my closing shots so the trailer links together and makes sense, as I am unsure on whether or not the motive of the film is understandable, especially with the change in the beginning as the story line wasn't originally meant to follow through like this. But I am hoping that the new footage will help the trailer to make sense :) 

Locations

As I have previously shown throughout my planning the many different locations that I have planned to film at, therefore once filming had actually began, I decided to collect different pictures of where I filmed to show that I had indeed completed the task of going to the location. 

The first location I filmed at was Camden Market, it was full of so many people and so many diversities. There were so many food stalls and stalls in general selling unique items so it fit really well into the mood of my trailer. Markets were a key place to film at in my trailer and within my film therefore I was glad to have gone to one of the most popular ones, especially to capture the atmosphere of the surroundings. 

Another place I filmed at was the Diwali Festival in Trafalgar Square, this is really exciting as I had never been before. Inspired by the film, 'Eat Pray Love' where she is interested by the various countries religions that she visits. One of them happened to be Hinduism as she visits India which is happens to be my religion therefore it was no trouble attending the festival and being apart of the activities that occurred. I wanted to include this into my trailer as it helps to indicate the new faith that my character takes as she discovers herself.




This was an unintentional location to include as it was apart of my own footage that I had taken when we visited The Seven Sisters. But the location was so quiet and calming that I thought it would be fitting to include. I was able to capture the views and it is shown to suggest the clarity that my character is trying to discover as she begins her journey. 

This  location of the Bump Roller Disco was actually meant to be included but the footage did not come out as planned as roller skating is a lot harder than it looks. Therefore, I wasn't able to get any acceptable footage so none of it was included in my trailer. 

But I did take pictures of the experience with the intention that I would be able to include them somehow. The intention was to include my character rollerskating as a part of my poster image but as it did not go to plan, I have had to change my previous idea. Despite, not including the footage it was a fun experience for me but not something I would do again. 

While being at Southbank, we also attended the Winter Festival which again links in with my previous footage of Camden Market. It also fits in as my trailer towards the end changes from day footage to night footage. Especially, during the holiday season I was able to capture the festivities from the stalls to the crowds of people who we are celebrating. It is suitable for my trailer as all these different markets help to build the story on how my character is beginning the journey she is taking by herself.

Continuing on with the festivities of the holiday, I also have footage from Winter Wonderland. This is a fun place to include as the character throughout the trailer is developing into who she wants to be yet at the same she is embracing the holidays. It shows an aspect of the type of person she is as the audience see her enjoying herself and not caring, that to me is what I want her journey to be about. 

This location is being shown at the beginning of my trailer and it introduces my character. It is significant as you see her current situation and the reasons for her actions. The storyline has changed through the feedback I was given so these scenes have not been included in my storyboard. However, it is the beginning scene and enables the audience to begin to develop an understanding of the main female character, such as the subject she is taking in university. 

Characters

 My characters

This is my main female character Callie Shepherd, played by Poppy McNulty-Ho. I have included these images that were taken during filming, so that the planning from the poster and magazine covers are able to piece together now that the face of the character is revealed. I thought Poppy was fitting to Callie as I wanted my character to be unique and different while she struggles with her mental issues. She has issues yet she is a strong character and I have been inspired by Julia Roberts' character Elizabeth Gilbert. From being inspired, I have included aspects of Roberts' character into my own but in the way that the younger audience can still relate. This is why I decided to include an aspect of mental illness and the issues surrounding the character of Callie. This is as the audience will be able to relate from their own experiences whether it is on the same severity or not. 

Another one of my actresses is Isabella Costa, who plays a close friend of Callies. She is seen throughout the shots of when the two are out and about. I have included her in these shots to show that the character is going through these changes but she does have the reassurance of her closest friends around her. Isabella is the only friend to be edited thus far in my editing, however there are a few friends that will be included soon through the new shots. The friends of Callie are not shown in greater detail but they do play an important role as mentioned previously in the trailer as they support the character. As also mentioned, there are some more friends that aren't shown but I will update them into the character list when they are included in the new draft.

Filming update #7

Throughout the holidays, I have been able to film however the main course of my clips which are featured towards the end, I have not been able to film due to the fact that both weekends of the holidays were occupied due to Christmas and New Years. Therefore, the trip to Brighton to film the end of my trailer will have to be done on the first weekend back. There are a still a couple more locations I need to visit but I am excited to see how all of the shots come together when I edit them soon.