Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
EVALUATION
In what ways does your media product use, develop and challenge forms of real media products?
For my media coursework I chose to create a package that would advertise a horror film- this included a teaser trailer, a poster and a magazine front cover.
My teaser trailer- which I created with another person in my class- contains a number of codes and conventions of a real teaser trailer.
The first convention that the trailer follows is the length. Approximately teaser trailers are between 30seconds to 1minute long, this is so they do not give much of the plot away, by only showing a short preview of the film attracts the audience in, making them want to see more. In order to do so the trailer has to create enigmas- giving a sense of mystery and making the audience ask questions. This is one reason why people enjoy watching horror because it intrigues them, wanting to solve a puzzle that will be unravelled throughout the film. My trailer does this by giving little of the narrative away and little identification of the characters. The trailer shows short clips, in order to give the audience an idea of the plot but without giving too much away. My partner and I decided that we would not give too much of the character’s identity away and we did this by not showing their face within the trailer and showing part of their eyes or the back of them. This was done so that enigma codes were created and so the audience would have to watch the film if they were to find out. The trailer also creates a sense of mystery by not letting the audience know who exactly the villain is. The voice over of the male character helps explain that there is something ‘not right’ going on and the phase ‘she’s here’ suggests that it could be the young girl that died at the beginning back to haunt her killer. There is also the element of the doll, which is shown in the trailer in the form of quick flashes. The doll is supposed to represent the young that died as you see her drop the doll as she was taken. The reason that a doll was chosen as prop within the trailer was because from my research they can be quite common within horror films, for example clowns or ventriloquists dummies tend to be used and are very effective towards the audience, especially if they are used as a villain.
What the trailer does not make that obvious is that the young girl has been kidnapped and murdered, which would does not make the trailer as effective as I would have hoped, as this is what causes the other events within the trailer. By making this more clearer would have helped the audience understand the narrative a little more, as from getting audience feedback it is not clear what happens at the beginning of the trailer.
To try and overcome this I placed text within the trailer to help the story along, it is also very common the have this within a horror teaser trailer, as it can help the to create enigma codes and can cause tension toward the audience. The text helps to identify that there has been a murder and that the male in the black is the murderer. It helps to understand that there has been a role reversal and now someone/something is after the killer. Not much more is explained within the trailer as you don’t want to give too much away, the short clips of scenes and characters are the only other indication of what might happen who id doing it.
Within the clips I have used a range of shot types and movements that from my research are generally found within horror trailers. Throughout the trailer I have used many close up shots, this shot is used to show the eyes of the character at the beginning to show that someone is watching, creating an enigma as you cannot see the whole face. A close up is used to show the prop of the doll, this is used to create a scary effect towards the audience as I believe the face of the doll looks quite sinister. A close up shot was not used to show the emotion of the victim which is most commonly used within horror genre, as it allows the audience to relate to the pain that the victim is feeling. The reason the this was not used within the trailer was because we decided to show the fear of the victim through the sound and used the camera to create action codes of what was happening to the victim.
A tracking shot was used at the beginning of the trailer and was also used as an establishing shot to set the scene. Tracking shots are used to follow the action and the characters movement within a scene, this is to create the effect that the audience are apart of the scene and can make them feel physical effects that the character is feeling e.g. scared, adrenaline rush. However in the trailer this is not used and the tracking shot is used to follow the male character who is following the mother and the young girl. The effect that is given here is to make the audience feel that they are too following the two characters, and along with the sound used it creates the effect that ‘something bad’ is going to happen. The shot can also be seen as a point of view of the male character again this is common within horror to show that the victim is being watched.
A high angle shot is also used within the trailer which is again commonly used within the horror genre. It used to make the victim look vulnerable and this is the reason why it used in the trailer. The shot is used to show the male character in the shower, making it look like that someone is watching above him, it also shows the role reversal as he is now the victim. The shower scene links with voyeurism- when the audience sees something that they shouldn't-this is a reason that I found in to why people watch horror.
Mid and long shots were used to show the action within the film, so the audience can see what is happening. These shots are always used within trailer so the audience can understand the drama within the film. An over the shoulder shot was also used so the audience can see what the character is doing. It used within our trailer to show what a character is drawing, what the shot does not reveal is who is drawing and why-again creating enigma codes. This over the shoulder shot also created the camera composition of rule of thirds. The rule of third is also shown in the scene where the male character sees the drawings on his wall, the composition shows a lot of negative space which can suggest that the character is lonely and isolated
A rolling shot is used at the end of the trailer to show a sense of disorientation, the camera moves around in a circle giving the effect that the character is confused and scared. Along with the scream it can also suggest that the character has gone insane and what ever is happening to him is driving him crazy- this is also common within horror, either showing it about the villain or the victim as I found in my research that it can happen to both characters.
Diegetic and non diegetic sounds are both used throughout the trailer. At the beginning of the trailer music is linked with the ambient sound of the scene. This was to create the effect that the audience feels like they are there-linking with the ambient sound- and the non diegetic music placed over the top is to create a mysterious effect that something is going to happen. I saw this being used within the film trailer of ‘Thirty Days Of Night’, hearing the sound of glass breaking and destruction whilst playing music over the top to create the scene and the speed of the action- making the action seem more real.
Heavy beating was used at the end of our trailer to show that the character is scared and the camera shows that the character is hiding- verifying that he is scared.
A voice over is used of the character’s voice over a number of scenes, this is used to explain what is happening to the character and to help the audience understand the narrative. Again this used within most if not all trailer, to help the audience connect with the character and to help the relate to their fear and pain- linking to the reasons why we watch horror films, to feel emotion.
The use of a scream and the sound of a heartbeat were used to create tension and to build up anxiety towards the audience. I think that the voice over and the heartbeat work well together as the heartbeat starts to get louder as the dialogue goes along and you start to hear what is happening to the male, it increases the tension of the dialogue.
There is a change of music of two of the scenes when the camera shows the characters running (when the speed of the action increases) the music is quicker to match the scene and then comes to a stop with the use of one loud beat as the scene ends. This is to show the change in the narrative and change in action, it is used to help build up suspense towards the audience.
The colours used within the trailer are typical of a real media product, the text used is on a black background and is in the colours red or white. From my research these were the only colours used within horror trailers, Red is used to signify blood and violence, which links with the blood used within the shower scene. Black represents the night and evilness, which links with the scene at night surrounded by tree and white is a pure colour which can represent the victim, In this case this is not true as the victim was once the killer, the white can suggest overcoming of evil by the young girl getting her revenge.
The male character is dressed head to toe in black, this suggests him to be the villain as it is common foe the antagonist to wear dark colours so it disguises their identity. The young girl is dressed in a skirt and top, to contrast with the male characters outfit- as this makes her seem innocent. However, her clothing is also quite dark which can suggest that she has a hidden agenda- linking to when she becomes the villain.
Most of the scenes are set during the day, which can be seen to challenge real media products as most horror trailers will show scenes set at night or in the dark. One scene in the trailer is at night and the reason why there weren’t anymore than this was because it was difficult to see the footage due to the lack of technology and that we couldn't’t make the scene bright enough whilst filming in the dark. Some scenes in the trailer would have been more effective if the were darker, for example the face of the doll or the eyes of the male character. We chose to have most of the scenes set during the day, as it is not expected that something terrible would happen as mostly happens at night, therefore the audience will not expect it and it does not follow stereotypes.The narrative and structure of the trailer does not completely follow Todrovs theory of the structure of a trailer/film. According to the theory the narrative goes as follows: equilibrium, disruption, recognition, attempt to repair, and equilibrium again. Most trailers will show the first four and will not show the last equilibrium as that will give away the end and will not attract an audience. My trailer however, show the first three. The beginning shows an equilibrium yet the audience knows that not all is good and the trailer quickly shows disruption when the young girl gets taken. There is then recognition, as the voice over explains and then the trailer shows more disruption. There are no scenes that show that there is an attempt to repair like most horror trailers will show. The reason that we chose not to show this was to create more suspense and mystery, as the audience will have to watch the film in order to find out how the male character deals with is situation.
The institution at the beginning of the trailer follows real media texts as it is the first image scene within the trailer, however, in some trailers that I researched the trailer showed a couple of scenes first before revealing the institution. The reason that the institution shows a picture of London is because it is well known and significant place- like the logo for Columbia pictures shows the statue of liberty (a well known landmark). The picture is facing down on London, to make it seem powerful and 'high up', as again from my research i found that most intuitions feature their logs up in the sky and in the clouds. The picture is dark so that it relates with the genre of the film, it also allows the lights of London to be shown which are mostly in the colour of gold, suggesting wealth and power- again this colour was evident in most move institution logos. The colour is also used in the name of the institution 'CBMA Productions'.
Me and my partner created two magazine front covers between the two of us. We named it Motion Picture magazine as we felt that it worked nicely and followed the names of other movie magazines for example Film Magazine.
The masthead is placed at the top of the page as it is on most if not all magazines. The reason why it is placed there is because it is the first thing that the reader will see and will know what magazine they have picked up. On both magazines it is in the largest font as it is important and is in the same text style. The size of the text on the cover of the magazine will represent its importance and relevance against other texts on the page. This is so that it recognisable to readers that they are the same magazine just different issues. Also from my research magazines have to follow the same house style which is why the font is always the same and generally the same size, the only thing that changes in the colour of the masthead.
From looking at film and empire magazine the common colour for the masthead is red and white. We decided to go against this and use the colours grey and gold.
For the magazine that features the young girl we decided on the colour grey, this is because it can represent sadness, which would be shown at the beginning of the film when the girl gets kidnapped, this emotion is not shown however in the trailer. Red was originally used on the cover, but we felt that it was not as effective because of the other colours used on the page.
On the cover that features the girl I have used a range of puffs and plugs that advertise other articles within the magazine. I have used a range of font styles and sizes to make the page look more interesting towards the audience. Real media products that I have looked at include many puffs and plugs on the cover with leaving very little negative/dead space, this is why we chose to do the same on the front cover of this magazine.
There are seven main colours used on the page- yellow, red, grey, blue, gold and then black and white. Which can seem like too many colours, as not many magazines that I researched used so many colours (the average used is about four colours), but we felt the cover needed this many in order to not make it look dull and boring . The reason why we chose to have the background white because it contrasts with the black image. White suggests purity and innocence whilst black is a dark scary colour, this can show the girls change from innocence to evil and wanting revenge and can also signify her death. This also links with the theory of binary opposites.
At the top of the page are the names of films featured within the magazine separated by gold stars, the black can represent the evil and death within these films as they are all of the horror genre, the gold stands for wealth and power which suggest the gold star rating of films- could suggest that thy are highly recommended films. The stars are also used next to the word ‘starring’ by the names of the cast, this can show that they are an all-star cast, which can link with the colour black used for the names as black is a very dominant colour- linking with the notion of importance. Also the audience of the cast listed could also suggest their importance within the film. The navy blue again links nicely with the gold and the black as the blue can suggest royalty, so therefore this can suggests the importance of the cast.
The colour of the name of the film is in the same font used both on the poster and the trailer, this is so that it is recognisable to the audience- this is not that common on real magazine covers to do this, however, we felt that it would link all products together nicely if we did so. The reason that this font was used was because it looks like that a young child could have written it, therefore suggesting that young girl in the trailer wrote it herself and it looks to be scribbled over several times this could show her anger and hatred against her killer and shows that she is desperate to get revenge. The name is in the colour grey- which is different to the white colour used on all the other products. Of course white was not used due to the colour of the background, but I believe the colour grey still works well with the title. Grey can suggest mourning and sadness which could relate to the emotions of the audience at the beginning of the film when the girl gets murdered. However, the grey with the black and white could be seen as quite dull and this could be taken to relate to the film (boring and dull), which is not what I wanted to get fro using all three colour together, which is why other colours were used to brighten up the page.
Yellow is very bright, bold colour, which can suggest happiness and peace. It is used for the colour of the text below the title of the film to make the worlds stand out from the rest. ‘First’ is an important word used on the page as it can attract the reader in due to the fact that everyone likes to be the first to do or see something. The colour makes it pop out of the page against the black and the white, it can also suggest that the story inside the magazine is not a serious as the film may appear to be, this is also for the same with the text ‘inside’ suggesting that the articles inside are fun and less serious ones- as other colours on the cover may be.
The colour red used on the text ‘rejection’ can suggest that life in the acting world is not always as good as it seems to be and possibly that the actress seems to be angry- possibly receiving a lot of rejection. The grey colour could possibly link with this and show her sadness. The red could then also contradict its other meaning and could suggest the actress’s love for acting.
A seal of approval represents a competition within the magazine, the seal around the text suggests that it is important to the reader, also linking with the gold text. Advertising prizes are a good way to attract the reader, especially if they link with the main feature in the magazine- as this is most likely to be the reason why they picked it up- and then including a prize is an added bonus for the reader.
On the other magazine cover, similar colours are used and similar fonts styles are used. This is so that it keeps to the same house style so that is recognisable to readers. The same colours are used because it is advertising the same film, therefore the colours have the same meaning and purpose as they do on the other magazine cover. This cover is more dark than the first and this can suggest that this character could be the worse of two evils, again like on the other magazine cover the identity of the character his slightly hidden. This makes the audience want to read more as they are intrigued into who the character may be. The character is facing towards the camera- this is called the direct mode of address. This makes the image seem like it is looking at the audience which makes it more effective to the audience. In most if not all the magazines that I have researched all of the characters were looking at the audience, it is very effective as it can give a personal feel to the reader.
A film strip is used on both covers, again so the audience can link the two together, it is also used to link with the type of magazine (a film magazine). I think it also breaks down the page a little-instead of containing all text. Another think that is similar on both magazines is the quote in the bottom right hand corner, this can be an on going feature within all issues of the magazine.
A seal of approval is again used on this cover, but this time is not advertising a competition but is advertising posters that the reader can keep. It is a lot brighter than the one used on the other cover and is more solid than the dotted line used around the other one. This could link with the fact that this prize is a sure thing, that the reader will definitely get this, unlike the other one, it is highly likely that the reader will win. The colours also suggest this as the gold suggests the prize it more prestige than the posters advertised in this magazine.
Overall I would say that I have kept to the codes and conventions of real media products, most magazines all contain the same features, for example plugs, mastheads and images etc. It depends on the message and the film that the magazine is advertising to what colour and what the layout of the magazine will be.
The poster followed most, if not all forms of real media texts. Many of the posters that I looked at did not include mush text and had one dominant image, which is why I have produced my poster in a similar way. My poster is very dark and includes a picture of the prop within the trailer (the china doll)- from my research I have found using a unique looking object is very effective towards the audience, for example a clown or a ventriloquist dummy. There is back lighting on the doll so that only part of its face is visible, this can create the effect of mystery and unknown. There is also the element of direct mode of address, this can make it look more scary and powerful towards the audience, as they feel like the doll could be after them. I used red and white text to create a link between the projects and also because it follows typical horror posters. The red suggests the anger of the young girl and links with the tiltle of the film as she is getting revenge. The reason why i chose the word the victim to be in the colour red is because, no one wants to be the victim and now that there has been a role reversal between the two characters , it can signify the danger that the male character is now in. There is a lot of negative space on the poster, this is because i did not want to clutter the page with copious amounts of information. I wanted the poster to give very little away about the film and wanted it to create an enigma so that the audince will be attracted to watch the film. I feel that i achieved this well, by including a caption that gives very litle away- as it does on most teaser posters. However, i do feel that my caption is not 'catchy' enough, and possibly writing a little more may have made the poster more effective. The title is in the biggest font, so it will be the first text that the audience should see-again to relate all three tasks together.
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?
Both ancillary tasks and the main product complement each other really well. The poster and the magazine covers include elements of the content within the teaser trailer so the audience will be able to recognise the link between all three.
The first link between them would be the title of the film, the same font is used on all three products , however it is not always in the same colour. The title is white on the teaser trailer, the poster and one of the magazine covers, it is in the colour grey as the background of the cover is in the colour white, therefore grey is creates an effective contrast. On all three products the title of the film is in a large font in order to make it stand out and recognisable to the audience. By making sure that the title is included in each product, the audience should be able to link all three together and hopefully by viewing each of the media texts, it will persuade them to watch or purchase the film.
Another common element would be the colour scheme, red, black and white are the predominant colours used throughout each task. All three of these are common colours used within the horror genre which is why I choose to use them within all three tasks. Red is used in the trailer in the format of text on a black background; it is again used as text on the poster and and both of the magazine front covers. Red relates to blood and danger which is shown in the trailer when the male character is seen in the shower and the text used that suggests a murder has taken place, the colour can also suggest love, which is not evident within the final production piece. However, the original draft of the plot/trailer would have included both elements of love and danger. Black is the most obvious colour used within each task, as it the most dominant colour on the poster and the magazine covers. It is not as obvious within the trailer as most scenes are in daylight, however the black background against the text links with the other products. Black was used because it is the common colour used within the horror genre and by using it suggests to the audience that the film may be a horror.
A prop used within the trailer is a definite link between the trailer and the poster- the china doll is the main image on my poster and is included within a few of the scenes in the teaser trailer. There is also an implicit link of the doll on one of the magazine front covers, you can see the outline of the doll that the young girl is holding.The doll is a significant prop within the film as it represents the young girl, which is why it was placed on the poster, it is also a prop that is commonly used within horror films, as they seem to be more scary towards the audience.
The trailer and the magazine covers link together as the magazines feature pictures of two of the characters within the trailer. It may not be completely obvious link as the characters identity within the trailer is well hidden, however with close observation the link is clear.
Another implicit link between the magazines and the poster would be the date, the date on the magazines are a similar time to the date the poster says the film is released.
One more link would be the institution, this features at the beginning of the trailer and on the poster, however on the poster only the logo of the institution is found instead of the entire picture, he reason for this is because from my research i very rarely found that the institution was evident on the poster, especially the entire picture. I did not use it in the magazine front covers as again i did not find it on any of the magazines that i researched.
Overall i think that all three tasks complement each other well. However more obvious links could have been made if the trailer and shown more of the characters and the prop, so that the images in both magazines a poster would have related better to the trailer.
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
Throughout the research and planning and the production of my media project, I have learned that the audience are vital and are a key element in making a media text a success. Without an audience the text would be pointless and the purpose of it would be lost, therefore you need to make sure that it is what the audience want, otherwise it’s a waste of time. In order to know how an audience can affect a text, I applied the triangle of dependency-which suggests that the audience, text and institution rely on and influence each other. In this case the institution does not influence the type of text or audience as it is not an official company and would not be recognisable to anyone. However, the audience did influence the type of text that i decided to create. After conducting primary research I found that the majority of my age group enjoyed watching films within the horror genre, which is why I choose horror- meeting the wants of the audience (although it is impossible to please everyone, which is why the trailer will not attract all audiences ). Scenes included within the trailer some people might find offensive, as some people might find it quite sinister that a young girl has been portrayed as a villain.
Another type of primary data collected was from a focus group, this allowed my target audience to provide me with feedback on the plot of my film and suggested alternatives in order to make it more attractive to an audience.
I also undertook secondary research by looking into the codes and conventions of horror films and trailers. In a way, this research gave me audience feedback as it allowed me to know what an audience would expect to see in a horror teaser trailer. I followed most of the conventions throughout my project; however some were challenged to make the piece unique and to create an element of surprise.
In order to create a successful media text (meeting the needs and wants of the target audience) you can adapt an approach called the spiral effect. The spiral effects is when you have an idea/text and then get feedback, you then make the changes and then get more feedback from your potential audience and change the text accordingly and so on. Doing this is a good way to communicate with an audience and to make them feel involved; it will also ensure that the text will meet the requirements and expectations of the target audience, therefore creating a successful media text.
How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research and planning and evaluation stages?
In today’s world there are a variety of media technologies that you can use in order to create a media text. ICT has played a huge part in the production of amateur movies and other products as well as the internet. To create my trailer I used, a JVC camera to film the footage, I then uploaded the film onto an Apple Mac Computer and used the software iMovie to edit the trailer. It took me a while to understand how the software worked as I am unfamiliar with an Apple computer. I choose to edit on the Mac instead of using Windows (which I am used to) because it had better editing programmes which I preferred. I used Paint in order to create the logo for my institution and downloaded a font of my choice from the website urbanfonts.com; I then uploaded the logo as an image to include it within my trailer.
A blog was used in order for me to write and express my research and evaluation of the project. I created an account on blogspot.com which allowed me to create and publish posts that my teachers and associates could view electronically anytime they wish. It also allowed them to write a comment about each individual post- a good way to get audience feedback. I was also able to add personal touches to the blog, by choosing the colour, format and layout which I coordinated with my project to create a textual link. It also allowed me to publish my thoughts and ideas of the project, and as it is not formal i can include anything that links to project on the blog and i do not have to write in an english correct way.
The internet helped me alot with the reaserch of my products as it allows easy access to any real media products including magazine covers, film posters and with the new website Youtube I was able to view any movie trailer on demand. This helped to understand other products and what are the main codes and conventions used within each, so I could then transfer this to my own products. YouTube also made it easier to analyse trailers as i was able to pause and play it anytime I needed.
I used a site on the internet called YouTube to create a video of my storyboard, with speech to explain each scene. YouTube allows anyone to broadcast videos or podcasts and they can be seen by any person with access to the internet. It is turning us in to the generation of
prosumers, where media consumers are turning into producers of media. This again helped me with the construction and planning of my products, as I was able to see other media texts that were produced by consumer of media e.g. non professional texts, which helped me to realise my own potential.
To produce my poster, I edited a picture by changing the lighting and the contrast and then I simply uploaded it on word and added all of my text. I found this very simple to use as I am used to using microsoft unlike when i was using the Apple computer to edit my trailer.
For my media coursework I chose to create a package that would advertise a horror film- this included a teaser trailer, a poster and a magazine front cover.
My teaser trailer- which I created with another person in my class- contains a number of codes and conventions of a real teaser trailer.
The first convention that the trailer follows is the length. Approximately teaser trailers are between 30seconds to 1minute long, this is so they do not give much of the plot away, by only showing a short preview of the film attracts the audience in, making them want to see more. In order to do so the trailer has to create enigmas- giving a sense of mystery and making the audience ask questions. This is one reason why people enjoy watching horror because it intrigues them, wanting to solve a puzzle that will be unravelled throughout the film. My trailer does this by giving little of the narrative away and little identification of the characters. The trailer shows short clips, in order to give the audience an idea of the plot but without giving too much away. My partner and I decided that we would not give too much of the character’s identity away and we did this by not showing their face within the trailer and showing part of their eyes or the back of them. This was done so that enigma codes were created and so the audience would have to watch the film if they were to find out. The trailer also creates a sense of mystery by not letting the audience know who exactly the villain is. The voice over of the male character helps explain that there is something ‘not right’ going on and the phase ‘she’s here’ suggests that it could be the young girl that died at the beginning back to haunt her killer. There is also the element of the doll, which is shown in the trailer in the form of quick flashes. The doll is supposed to represent the young that died as you see her drop the doll as she was taken. The reason that a doll was chosen as prop within the trailer was because from my research they can be quite common within horror films, for example clowns or ventriloquists dummies tend to be used and are very effective towards the audience, especially if they are used as a villain.
What the trailer does not make that obvious is that the young girl has been kidnapped and murdered, which would does not make the trailer as effective as I would have hoped, as this is what causes the other events within the trailer. By making this more clearer would have helped the audience understand the narrative a little more, as from getting audience feedback it is not clear what happens at the beginning of the trailer.
To try and overcome this I placed text within the trailer to help the story along, it is also very common the have this within a horror teaser trailer, as it can help the to create enigma codes and can cause tension toward the audience. The text helps to identify that there has been a murder and that the male in the black is the murderer. It helps to understand that there has been a role reversal and now someone/something is after the killer. Not much more is explained within the trailer as you don’t want to give too much away, the short clips of scenes and characters are the only other indication of what might happen who id doing it.
Within the clips I have used a range of shot types and movements that from my research are generally found within horror trailers. Throughout the trailer I have used many close up shots, this shot is used to show the eyes of the character at the beginning to show that someone is watching, creating an enigma as you cannot see the whole face. A close up is used to show the prop of the doll, this is used to create a scary effect towards the audience as I believe the face of the doll looks quite sinister. A close up shot was not used to show the emotion of the victim which is most commonly used within horror genre, as it allows the audience to relate to the pain that the victim is feeling. The reason the this was not used within the trailer was because we decided to show the fear of the victim through the sound and used the camera to create action codes of what was happening to the victim.
A tracking shot was used at the beginning of the trailer and was also used as an establishing shot to set the scene. Tracking shots are used to follow the action and the characters movement within a scene, this is to create the effect that the audience are apart of the scene and can make them feel physical effects that the character is feeling e.g. scared, adrenaline rush. However in the trailer this is not used and the tracking shot is used to follow the male character who is following the mother and the young girl. The effect that is given here is to make the audience feel that they are too following the two characters, and along with the sound used it creates the effect that ‘something bad’ is going to happen. The shot can also be seen as a point of view of the male character again this is common within horror to show that the victim is being watched.
A high angle shot is also used within the trailer which is again commonly used within the horror genre. It used to make the victim look vulnerable and this is the reason why it used in the trailer. The shot is used to show the male character in the shower, making it look like that someone is watching above him, it also shows the role reversal as he is now the victim. The shower scene links with voyeurism- when the audience sees something that they shouldn't-this is a reason that I found in to why people watch horror.
Mid and long shots were used to show the action within the film, so the audience can see what is happening. These shots are always used within trailer so the audience can understand the drama within the film. An over the shoulder shot was also used so the audience can see what the character is doing. It used within our trailer to show what a character is drawing, what the shot does not reveal is who is drawing and why-again creating enigma codes. This over the shoulder shot also created the camera composition of rule of thirds. The rule of third is also shown in the scene where the male character sees the drawings on his wall, the composition shows a lot of negative space which can suggest that the character is lonely and isolated
A rolling shot is used at the end of the trailer to show a sense of disorientation, the camera moves around in a circle giving the effect that the character is confused and scared. Along with the scream it can also suggest that the character has gone insane and what ever is happening to him is driving him crazy- this is also common within horror, either showing it about the villain or the victim as I found in my research that it can happen to both characters.
Diegetic and non diegetic sounds are both used throughout the trailer. At the beginning of the trailer music is linked with the ambient sound of the scene. This was to create the effect that the audience feels like they are there-linking with the ambient sound- and the non diegetic music placed over the top is to create a mysterious effect that something is going to happen. I saw this being used within the film trailer of ‘Thirty Days Of Night’, hearing the sound of glass breaking and destruction whilst playing music over the top to create the scene and the speed of the action- making the action seem more real.
Heavy beating was used at the end of our trailer to show that the character is scared and the camera shows that the character is hiding- verifying that he is scared.
A voice over is used of the character’s voice over a number of scenes, this is used to explain what is happening to the character and to help the audience understand the narrative. Again this used within most if not all trailer, to help the audience connect with the character and to help the relate to their fear and pain- linking to the reasons why we watch horror films, to feel emotion.
The use of a scream and the sound of a heartbeat were used to create tension and to build up anxiety towards the audience. I think that the voice over and the heartbeat work well together as the heartbeat starts to get louder as the dialogue goes along and you start to hear what is happening to the male, it increases the tension of the dialogue.
There is a change of music of two of the scenes when the camera shows the characters running (when the speed of the action increases) the music is quicker to match the scene and then comes to a stop with the use of one loud beat as the scene ends. This is to show the change in the narrative and change in action, it is used to help build up suspense towards the audience.
The colours used within the trailer are typical of a real media product, the text used is on a black background and is in the colours red or white. From my research these were the only colours used within horror trailers, Red is used to signify blood and violence, which links with the blood used within the shower scene. Black represents the night and evilness, which links with the scene at night surrounded by tree and white is a pure colour which can represent the victim, In this case this is not true as the victim was once the killer, the white can suggest overcoming of evil by the young girl getting her revenge.
The male character is dressed head to toe in black, this suggests him to be the villain as it is common foe the antagonist to wear dark colours so it disguises their identity. The young girl is dressed in a skirt and top, to contrast with the male characters outfit- as this makes her seem innocent. However, her clothing is also quite dark which can suggest that she has a hidden agenda- linking to when she becomes the villain.
Most of the scenes are set during the day, which can be seen to challenge real media products as most horror trailers will show scenes set at night or in the dark. One scene in the trailer is at night and the reason why there weren’t anymore than this was because it was difficult to see the footage due to the lack of technology and that we couldn't’t make the scene bright enough whilst filming in the dark. Some scenes in the trailer would have been more effective if the were darker, for example the face of the doll or the eyes of the male character. We chose to have most of the scenes set during the day, as it is not expected that something terrible would happen as mostly happens at night, therefore the audience will not expect it and it does not follow stereotypes.The narrative and structure of the trailer does not completely follow Todrovs theory of the structure of a trailer/film. According to the theory the narrative goes as follows: equilibrium, disruption, recognition, attempt to repair, and equilibrium again. Most trailers will show the first four and will not show the last equilibrium as that will give away the end and will not attract an audience. My trailer however, show the first three. The beginning shows an equilibrium yet the audience knows that not all is good and the trailer quickly shows disruption when the young girl gets taken. There is then recognition, as the voice over explains and then the trailer shows more disruption. There are no scenes that show that there is an attempt to repair like most horror trailers will show. The reason that we chose not to show this was to create more suspense and mystery, as the audience will have to watch the film in order to find out how the male character deals with is situation.
The institution at the beginning of the trailer follows real media texts as it is the first image scene within the trailer, however, in some trailers that I researched the trailer showed a couple of scenes first before revealing the institution. The reason that the institution shows a picture of London is because it is well known and significant place- like the logo for Columbia pictures shows the statue of liberty (a well known landmark). The picture is facing down on London, to make it seem powerful and 'high up', as again from my research i found that most intuitions feature their logs up in the sky and in the clouds. The picture is dark so that it relates with the genre of the film, it also allows the lights of London to be shown which are mostly in the colour of gold, suggesting wealth and power- again this colour was evident in most move institution logos. The colour is also used in the name of the institution 'CBMA Productions'.
Me and my partner created two magazine front covers between the two of us. We named it Motion Picture magazine as we felt that it worked nicely and followed the names of other movie magazines for example Film Magazine.
The masthead is placed at the top of the page as it is on most if not all magazines. The reason why it is placed there is because it is the first thing that the reader will see and will know what magazine they have picked up. On both magazines it is in the largest font as it is important and is in the same text style. The size of the text on the cover of the magazine will represent its importance and relevance against other texts on the page. This is so that it recognisable to readers that they are the same magazine just different issues. Also from my research magazines have to follow the same house style which is why the font is always the same and generally the same size, the only thing that changes in the colour of the masthead.
From looking at film and empire magazine the common colour for the masthead is red and white. We decided to go against this and use the colours grey and gold.
For the magazine that features the young girl we decided on the colour grey, this is because it can represent sadness, which would be shown at the beginning of the film when the girl gets kidnapped, this emotion is not shown however in the trailer. Red was originally used on the cover, but we felt that it was not as effective because of the other colours used on the page.
On the cover that features the girl I have used a range of puffs and plugs that advertise other articles within the magazine. I have used a range of font styles and sizes to make the page look more interesting towards the audience. Real media products that I have looked at include many puffs and plugs on the cover with leaving very little negative/dead space, this is why we chose to do the same on the front cover of this magazine.
There are seven main colours used on the page- yellow, red, grey, blue, gold and then black and white. Which can seem like too many colours, as not many magazines that I researched used so many colours (the average used is about four colours), but we felt the cover needed this many in order to not make it look dull and boring . The reason why we chose to have the background white because it contrasts with the black image. White suggests purity and innocence whilst black is a dark scary colour, this can show the girls change from innocence to evil and wanting revenge and can also signify her death. This also links with the theory of binary opposites.
At the top of the page are the names of films featured within the magazine separated by gold stars, the black can represent the evil and death within these films as they are all of the horror genre, the gold stands for wealth and power which suggest the gold star rating of films- could suggest that thy are highly recommended films. The stars are also used next to the word ‘starring’ by the names of the cast, this can show that they are an all-star cast, which can link with the colour black used for the names as black is a very dominant colour- linking with the notion of importance. Also the audience of the cast listed could also suggest their importance within the film. The navy blue again links nicely with the gold and the black as the blue can suggest royalty, so therefore this can suggests the importance of the cast.
The colour of the name of the film is in the same font used both on the poster and the trailer, this is so that it is recognisable to the audience- this is not that common on real magazine covers to do this, however, we felt that it would link all products together nicely if we did so. The reason that this font was used was because it looks like that a young child could have written it, therefore suggesting that young girl in the trailer wrote it herself and it looks to be scribbled over several times this could show her anger and hatred against her killer and shows that she is desperate to get revenge. The name is in the colour grey- which is different to the white colour used on all the other products. Of course white was not used due to the colour of the background, but I believe the colour grey still works well with the title. Grey can suggest mourning and sadness which could relate to the emotions of the audience at the beginning of the film when the girl gets murdered. However, the grey with the black and white could be seen as quite dull and this could be taken to relate to the film (boring and dull), which is not what I wanted to get fro using all three colour together, which is why other colours were used to brighten up the page.
Yellow is very bright, bold colour, which can suggest happiness and peace. It is used for the colour of the text below the title of the film to make the worlds stand out from the rest. ‘First’ is an important word used on the page as it can attract the reader in due to the fact that everyone likes to be the first to do or see something. The colour makes it pop out of the page against the black and the white, it can also suggest that the story inside the magazine is not a serious as the film may appear to be, this is also for the same with the text ‘inside’ suggesting that the articles inside are fun and less serious ones- as other colours on the cover may be.
The colour red used on the text ‘rejection’ can suggest that life in the acting world is not always as good as it seems to be and possibly that the actress seems to be angry- possibly receiving a lot of rejection. The grey colour could possibly link with this and show her sadness. The red could then also contradict its other meaning and could suggest the actress’s love for acting.
A seal of approval represents a competition within the magazine, the seal around the text suggests that it is important to the reader, also linking with the gold text. Advertising prizes are a good way to attract the reader, especially if they link with the main feature in the magazine- as this is most likely to be the reason why they picked it up- and then including a prize is an added bonus for the reader.
On the other magazine cover, similar colours are used and similar fonts styles are used. This is so that it keeps to the same house style so that is recognisable to readers. The same colours are used because it is advertising the same film, therefore the colours have the same meaning and purpose as they do on the other magazine cover. This cover is more dark than the first and this can suggest that this character could be the worse of two evils, again like on the other magazine cover the identity of the character his slightly hidden. This makes the audience want to read more as they are intrigued into who the character may be. The character is facing towards the camera- this is called the direct mode of address. This makes the image seem like it is looking at the audience which makes it more effective to the audience. In most if not all the magazines that I have researched all of the characters were looking at the audience, it is very effective as it can give a personal feel to the reader.
A film strip is used on both covers, again so the audience can link the two together, it is also used to link with the type of magazine (a film magazine). I think it also breaks down the page a little-instead of containing all text. Another think that is similar on both magazines is the quote in the bottom right hand corner, this can be an on going feature within all issues of the magazine.
A seal of approval is again used on this cover, but this time is not advertising a competition but is advertising posters that the reader can keep. It is a lot brighter than the one used on the other cover and is more solid than the dotted line used around the other one. This could link with the fact that this prize is a sure thing, that the reader will definitely get this, unlike the other one, it is highly likely that the reader will win. The colours also suggest this as the gold suggests the prize it more prestige than the posters advertised in this magazine.
Overall I would say that I have kept to the codes and conventions of real media products, most magazines all contain the same features, for example plugs, mastheads and images etc. It depends on the message and the film that the magazine is advertising to what colour and what the layout of the magazine will be.
The poster followed most, if not all forms of real media texts. Many of the posters that I looked at did not include mush text and had one dominant image, which is why I have produced my poster in a similar way. My poster is very dark and includes a picture of the prop within the trailer (the china doll)- from my research I have found using a unique looking object is very effective towards the audience, for example a clown or a ventriloquist dummy. There is back lighting on the doll so that only part of its face is visible, this can create the effect of mystery and unknown. There is also the element of direct mode of address, this can make it look more scary and powerful towards the audience, as they feel like the doll could be after them. I used red and white text to create a link between the projects and also because it follows typical horror posters. The red suggests the anger of the young girl and links with the tiltle of the film as she is getting revenge. The reason why i chose the word the victim to be in the colour red is because, no one wants to be the victim and now that there has been a role reversal between the two characters , it can signify the danger that the male character is now in. There is a lot of negative space on the poster, this is because i did not want to clutter the page with copious amounts of information. I wanted the poster to give very little away about the film and wanted it to create an enigma so that the audince will be attracted to watch the film. I feel that i achieved this well, by including a caption that gives very litle away- as it does on most teaser posters. However, i do feel that my caption is not 'catchy' enough, and possibly writing a little more may have made the poster more effective. The title is in the biggest font, so it will be the first text that the audience should see-again to relate all three tasks together.
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?
Both ancillary tasks and the main product complement each other really well. The poster and the magazine covers include elements of the content within the teaser trailer so the audience will be able to recognise the link between all three.
The first link between them would be the title of the film, the same font is used on all three products , however it is not always in the same colour. The title is white on the teaser trailer, the poster and one of the magazine covers, it is in the colour grey as the background of the cover is in the colour white, therefore grey is creates an effective contrast. On all three products the title of the film is in a large font in order to make it stand out and recognisable to the audience. By making sure that the title is included in each product, the audience should be able to link all three together and hopefully by viewing each of the media texts, it will persuade them to watch or purchase the film.
Another common element would be the colour scheme, red, black and white are the predominant colours used throughout each task. All three of these are common colours used within the horror genre which is why I choose to use them within all three tasks. Red is used in the trailer in the format of text on a black background; it is again used as text on the poster and and both of the magazine front covers. Red relates to blood and danger which is shown in the trailer when the male character is seen in the shower and the text used that suggests a murder has taken place, the colour can also suggest love, which is not evident within the final production piece. However, the original draft of the plot/trailer would have included both elements of love and danger. Black is the most obvious colour used within each task, as it the most dominant colour on the poster and the magazine covers. It is not as obvious within the trailer as most scenes are in daylight, however the black background against the text links with the other products. Black was used because it is the common colour used within the horror genre and by using it suggests to the audience that the film may be a horror.
A prop used within the trailer is a definite link between the trailer and the poster- the china doll is the main image on my poster and is included within a few of the scenes in the teaser trailer. There is also an implicit link of the doll on one of the magazine front covers, you can see the outline of the doll that the young girl is holding.The doll is a significant prop within the film as it represents the young girl, which is why it was placed on the poster, it is also a prop that is commonly used within horror films, as they seem to be more scary towards the audience.
The trailer and the magazine covers link together as the magazines feature pictures of two of the characters within the trailer. It may not be completely obvious link as the characters identity within the trailer is well hidden, however with close observation the link is clear.
Another implicit link between the magazines and the poster would be the date, the date on the magazines are a similar time to the date the poster says the film is released.
One more link would be the institution, this features at the beginning of the trailer and on the poster, however on the poster only the logo of the institution is found instead of the entire picture, he reason for this is because from my research i very rarely found that the institution was evident on the poster, especially the entire picture. I did not use it in the magazine front covers as again i did not find it on any of the magazines that i researched.
Overall i think that all three tasks complement each other well. However more obvious links could have been made if the trailer and shown more of the characters and the prop, so that the images in both magazines a poster would have related better to the trailer.
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
Throughout the research and planning and the production of my media project, I have learned that the audience are vital and are a key element in making a media text a success. Without an audience the text would be pointless and the purpose of it would be lost, therefore you need to make sure that it is what the audience want, otherwise it’s a waste of time. In order to know how an audience can affect a text, I applied the triangle of dependency-which suggests that the audience, text and institution rely on and influence each other. In this case the institution does not influence the type of text or audience as it is not an official company and would not be recognisable to anyone. However, the audience did influence the type of text that i decided to create. After conducting primary research I found that the majority of my age group enjoyed watching films within the horror genre, which is why I choose horror- meeting the wants of the audience (although it is impossible to please everyone, which is why the trailer will not attract all audiences ). Scenes included within the trailer some people might find offensive, as some people might find it quite sinister that a young girl has been portrayed as a villain.
Another type of primary data collected was from a focus group, this allowed my target audience to provide me with feedback on the plot of my film and suggested alternatives in order to make it more attractive to an audience.
I also undertook secondary research by looking into the codes and conventions of horror films and trailers. In a way, this research gave me audience feedback as it allowed me to know what an audience would expect to see in a horror teaser trailer. I followed most of the conventions throughout my project; however some were challenged to make the piece unique and to create an element of surprise.
In order to create a successful media text (meeting the needs and wants of the target audience) you can adapt an approach called the spiral effect. The spiral effects is when you have an idea/text and then get feedback, you then make the changes and then get more feedback from your potential audience and change the text accordingly and so on. Doing this is a good way to communicate with an audience and to make them feel involved; it will also ensure that the text will meet the requirements and expectations of the target audience, therefore creating a successful media text.
How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research and planning and evaluation stages?
In today’s world there are a variety of media technologies that you can use in order to create a media text. ICT has played a huge part in the production of amateur movies and other products as well as the internet. To create my trailer I used, a JVC camera to film the footage, I then uploaded the film onto an Apple Mac Computer and used the software iMovie to edit the trailer. It took me a while to understand how the software worked as I am unfamiliar with an Apple computer. I choose to edit on the Mac instead of using Windows (which I am used to) because it had better editing programmes which I preferred. I used Paint in order to create the logo for my institution and downloaded a font of my choice from the website urbanfonts.com; I then uploaded the logo as an image to include it within my trailer.
A blog was used in order for me to write and express my research and evaluation of the project. I created an account on blogspot.com which allowed me to create and publish posts that my teachers and associates could view electronically anytime they wish. It also allowed them to write a comment about each individual post- a good way to get audience feedback. I was also able to add personal touches to the blog, by choosing the colour, format and layout which I coordinated with my project to create a textual link. It also allowed me to publish my thoughts and ideas of the project, and as it is not formal i can include anything that links to project on the blog and i do not have to write in an english correct way.
The internet helped me alot with the reaserch of my products as it allows easy access to any real media products including magazine covers, film posters and with the new website Youtube I was able to view any movie trailer on demand. This helped to understand other products and what are the main codes and conventions used within each, so I could then transfer this to my own products. YouTube also made it easier to analyse trailers as i was able to pause and play it anytime I needed.
I used a site on the internet called YouTube to create a video of my storyboard, with speech to explain each scene. YouTube allows anyone to broadcast videos or podcasts and they can be seen by any person with access to the internet. It is turning us in to the generation of
prosumers, where media consumers are turning into producers of media. This again helped me with the construction and planning of my products, as I was able to see other media texts that were produced by consumer of media e.g. non professional texts, which helped me to realise my own potential.
To produce my poster, I edited a picture by changing the lighting and the contrast and then I simply uploaded it on word and added all of my text. I found this very simple to use as I am used to using microsoft unlike when i was using the Apple computer to edit my trailer.
Saturday, 12 December 2009
Permission
There are some ethical issues that need to be addressed within my trailer. Firstly we needed to ask permission of the parents of the young girl if it was okay to film their daughter, we went through with the parents of what we wanted thier daughter to do within the trailer to make sure that they were comfortable with it. We also had to ask permission in order to film within the Centre MK which we were allowed as long as we were not filming in a busy area.
After getting the permission to do this, another issues had to be also taken into consideration. In 1993 a 3 year old boy was kidnapped within a shopping centre and was then murdered, this is a similar event that happens within my trailer, so this also had to beconsidered when deciding on the plot.
After getting the permission to do this, another issues had to be also taken into consideration. In 1993 a 3 year old boy was kidnapped within a shopping centre and was then murdered, this is a similar event that happens within my trailer, so this also had to beconsidered when deciding on the plot.
Friday, 4 December 2009
Theories
Media researchers have discovered a number of theories that can explain the relationship between the audience and a media text- how the Media effects a mass audience and the individual.
THE HYPODERMIC SYRINGE MODEL
The model suggests that the media is like a syringe, injecting beliefs and attitudes into the audience and the audience have little choice but to be influenced. It suggests that the audience is passive and that it manipulates society-in other words, audiences and society do not have a choice but to believe what they see in the media (cannot choose for themselves). For example it is saying that if someone watches something violent then they might go and do something violent.
This theory has been considered when people have been looking at violence in films, films such as the 'Exorcist' (1973) and 'A Clockwork Orange'(1971) have been banned in the past because people have believed that some crimes within the films could be encouraged and thought that they may be copied. The Director of the film 'A Clockwork Orange' Stanley Kubrick was the one that withdrew the film from Britain a year after its release because of the violence that was copied from it.
Examples:
A teenage boy named Simon Everitt was murdered by a woman and two men (2008). The victim was tied to a tree, forced to drink petrol and was then set alight. the Jurors were told that the murder replicated a scene form the horror film 'Severance' (2006).
Another example would be when two schoolboys stabbed their friend, who were thought to be influenced by the film 'Scream'. The young boy was stabbed in the head several times and the attack was said to be planned. A teacher of the two boys said that they had drawn knives in their textbooks and drawn masks similar to the one worn in 'Scream'.
Even though these acts of violence can be seen that the hypodermic model is effective, not everyone will be affected by these texts in the same way, the model does not take into account of people's individuality therefore it can be seen as simplistic. The theory is mainly used when a crime has been committed by a young person and the media will try to link it with a violent text.
This model will not effect the trailer that i will produce, as it will have to be suitable to be seen by all ages, therefore the content within the trailer will not include anything that is dangerous which could be copied by an individual.
USES AND GRATIFICATIONS THEORY
According to this theory, everyone has different reasons and different uses for the type of media that they consume and that they choose what they want to watch. The theory is saying that an audience do not watch watch media for the sake of it, but watch because they get something out of it i.e. gratification.
This theory suggests that the individual has power over what they consume-unlike the hypodermic model which suggests the individual is passive-and selects a media text that bests suits their needs.
Researchers identified four types of gratification that an audience may receive whilst consuming a media text.
1. INFORMATION - we want to find out about society and the world-we want to satisfy our curiosity. This would fit the news and documentaries which give us a sense that we are learning about the world in which we live.
2. PERSONAL IDENTITY - we may watch TV in order to look for models of our own behavior. For example we may identify with characters that you see in a soap. The characters help us to decide what we feel about ourselves and if we agree with their actions, we then feel better about ourselves.
However, even though this theory is generally used by critics, there are criticisms to this theory. One of them is that we cannot always decide what text we wish to consume, for example you do not have the choice in which posters that you see on billboards, even if you find the offensive- you have no choice but to consume. similarly your family will not have a choice as to listen to the music that you will be playing.
THE TWO STEP FLOW
The two step flow was devised by three researchers Lazarsfeld, Berelson and Gaudet, they discovered that information does not flow directly from the media text into the minds of the audience, but it is filtered through 'opinion leaders'. These are people that communicate their ideas of the text to their less active friends and family, their friends and family are the influenced by what the 'opinion leader' has said . Therefore this is showing that an a mass audience is not directly influenced by the media but by a two step flow, as when they come to watch the text that will be influenced by what the 'opinion leader' told them of the text.
THE HYPODERMIC SYRINGE MODEL
The model suggests that the media is like a syringe, injecting beliefs and attitudes into the audience and the audience have little choice but to be influenced. It suggests that the audience is passive and that it manipulates society-in other words, audiences and society do not have a choice but to believe what they see in the media (cannot choose for themselves). For example it is saying that if someone watches something violent then they might go and do something violent.
This theory has been considered when people have been looking at violence in films, films such as the 'Exorcist' (1973) and 'A Clockwork Orange'(1971) have been banned in the past because people have believed that some crimes within the films could be encouraged and thought that they may be copied. The Director of the film 'A Clockwork Orange' Stanley Kubrick was the one that withdrew the film from Britain a year after its release because of the violence that was copied from it.
Examples:
A teenage boy named Simon Everitt was murdered by a woman and two men (2008). The victim was tied to a tree, forced to drink petrol and was then set alight. the Jurors were told that the murder replicated a scene form the horror film 'Severance' (2006).
Another example would be when two schoolboys stabbed their friend, who were thought to be influenced by the film 'Scream'. The young boy was stabbed in the head several times and the attack was said to be planned. A teacher of the two boys said that they had drawn knives in their textbooks and drawn masks similar to the one worn in 'Scream'.
Even though these acts of violence can be seen that the hypodermic model is effective, not everyone will be affected by these texts in the same way, the model does not take into account of people's individuality therefore it can be seen as simplistic. The theory is mainly used when a crime has been committed by a young person and the media will try to link it with a violent text.
This model will not effect the trailer that i will produce, as it will have to be suitable to be seen by all ages, therefore the content within the trailer will not include anything that is dangerous which could be copied by an individual.
USES AND GRATIFICATIONS THEORY
According to this theory, everyone has different reasons and different uses for the type of media that they consume and that they choose what they want to watch. The theory is saying that an audience do not watch watch media for the sake of it, but watch because they get something out of it i.e. gratification.
This theory suggests that the individual has power over what they consume-unlike the hypodermic model which suggests the individual is passive-and selects a media text that bests suits their needs.
Researchers identified four types of gratification that an audience may receive whilst consuming a media text.
1. INFORMATION - we want to find out about society and the world-we want to satisfy our curiosity. This would fit the news and documentaries which give us a sense that we are learning about the world in which we live.
2. PERSONAL IDENTITY - we may watch TV in order to look for models of our own behavior. For example we may identify with characters that you see in a soap. The characters help us to decide what we feel about ourselves and if we agree with their actions, we then feel better about ourselves.
However, even though this theory is generally used by critics, there are criticisms to this theory. One of them is that we cannot always decide what text we wish to consume, for example you do not have the choice in which posters that you see on billboards, even if you find the offensive- you have no choice but to consume. similarly your family will not have a choice as to listen to the music that you will be playing.
THE TWO STEP FLOW
The two step flow was devised by three researchers Lazarsfeld, Berelson and Gaudet, they discovered that information does not flow directly from the media text into the minds of the audience, but it is filtered through 'opinion leaders'. These are people that communicate their ideas of the text to their less active friends and family, their friends and family are the influenced by what the 'opinion leader' has said . Therefore this is showing that an a mass audience is not directly influenced by the media but by a two step flow, as when they come to watch the text that will be influenced by what the 'opinion leader' told them of the text.
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Thursday, 29 October 2009
By taking these picture of the doll (a significant prop within the trailer) i experimented with the light, composition and position of the doll, to see which ones would look more effective. i used a lamp to focus the light on a specific part of the doll in order to create a shadow effect to make the doll look dark and mysterious-relating to a villain in horror . Most of the pictures I changed to black and white and then changed the contrast to create a more 'scary' effect of the doll. The doll has been placed in different locations - the reason for the doll on the bookshelf is to create the effect that the doll cannot be seen at first glance, its also a very odd setting to put a doll which relates to the representations of it within the trailer.
I placed the doll on the top of the stairs because it relates to a significant scene with in the trailer.
All these pictures will be useful for my movie poster and website.
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