Film magazine

Becka and I discussed the film magazine company we'd like to use in order to create our own magazine cover for our own film, from researching established magazines that centre around new films and cinema releases we've found that the main magazines of this category are Empire and Total Film. I've found out that each are around the same quality and success therefore it's up to Becka and I to decide which would look the most effective. 
The advantages of going with a well established is that we have a readily made template that we needed to replicate, the well-known label would improve the professionalism of the trailer as it looks like our film has made it to the most successful magazine, it also gives us a set layout that we needed to follow. Never-the-less as we'd have to replicate a conventional layout of the magazine it limits our options for our own creative ideas, however as it's our magazine product we can alter the magazine cover in any way we please. 

Trailer feedback

Photoshop development

As stated previously Becka and I are very aware of how the Photoshop software works therefore we were put at an advantage when we were creating our magazine cover and film poster. Having existing knowledge of the software meant that we could combine our skills and create more developed and professional looking images. 

Promotional Package

Successful movies rely on promotional packages, solely because they essentially promote the film creating greater success. Promotional packages act as the advertisement to attract the audience into wanting to see the film; if they advertise the film properly it ensures that the correct target audience they have originally aimed to cater for is enticed by each media product. Promotional packages consist of things like; magazine covers, posters and other media products that ultimately promote the main media product (such as a trailer).

Becka and I have both created a promotional package to accompany our film trailer; the increased advertising will ultimately promote our film trailer so it has become an essential process to create the other 2 media products. Promotional packages can be shown through different visual stimulus; this means that the same media product is often present in various ways, for instance: trailers are shown on the television at various times of the day on various channels; they are also shown at the cinemas and easily accessible on the internet. TV and internet sources are always beneficial to use because they ensure that a wide audience access the material that’s been produced, they are also the two main sources that people use which suggests more and more individuals will view the certain product.

Becka and I ensured that all of our media products that acted as the promotional package interlinked and were consistent, by using characters that feature in our trailer on our poster and magazine cover it suggested the main character roles within the film; it also gave a suggestion to the narrative and content of the film.

The aim of our promotional packages was to slightly reveal the narrative of the film without giving away too much; we also wanted to expose the genre of the film to our audience so that they had a pre-conceived idea of what to expect. I always view thriller films as the most spine-chilling and exciting therefore revealing this was a tactic that would hopefully excite a broadened audience. 

Final poster 

Final magazine cover

Magazine development

We wanted completely diverse images for our magazine cover and film poster, we had partook in a photo shoot so that we had a wide variety of different images that could fit in both media products. Becka and I agreed upon the image above, however experienced problems when fitting it in to our magazine cover as the image wasn't large enough to fit the whole page. The alternative method to solve the situation was to use images that were quite  similar as these were more portrait and offered a longer image that could appropriately fit in both portrait magazine cover and film poster. This image would have been more effective if the photographer (Becka) had taken the image using a portrait shot ensuring my head fitted within the image, as the image cut the top of my head out it would have been impossible for it to look professional because viewers would see that the top of my head is literally missing. Once we had allocated the image onto our magazine cover it was evident that it would not work, however to ensure that people who were in our targeted audience agreed or disagreed with us we had asked them what they thought of the image on the magazine cover. Luckily they agreed with what we had said, asking for feedback deemed very beneficial as it gave us an in sight on what people who we wished to cater our product to had thought about our magazine cover. As we want to sell this product to people within our target audience we have to use material that they'd be engaged by, many agreed that the image was being engaging and interesting however as it was taken from a close up angle there would be gaps. 
From primary research I understood that many magazines allow close up shots on the front image for their magazine but I feel they have a greater use of either mid-shots or long shots of the starring character. With this said it was evident that we needed a different image for our magazine cover, being a vital source for promotion we wanted an image that would add mystery and excitement to the film without giving away too much suggestions on the narrative. 

Working with iMovie

I don't find iMovie particularly hard, I've used it in both AS and A2 projects because I find it relatively simpler than using Final Cut Express, I feel iMovie offers me more options than Final Cut and therefore creates a better outcome. 
iMovie allows me to add in my own transitions, sounds, cut scenes, pace, etc. and therefore benefits me greatly. I feel it's my product look more professional, I want my project to be much better than my AS product therefore different tools need to be included to create a better outcome. Having the experience in the programme made me more confident with using iMovie, if I hadn't have used it previously it would mean I needed to develop the skills, as I already have them I can enhance my skills further. 
I believe my project will be more successful and professional using iMovie, even peers have asked for advice on how to use the programme because I have developed a good knowledge on how things work on this particular programme. 
Some would suggest using iMovie to be very basic and a 'cop out' however I do not believe the same, I don't feel Final Cut would offer me the same tools I would need to produce a trailer like the one I already have. Final Cut is obviously more advanced in the sense that it offers more professional and precise tools, this would obviously suggest a better outcome however because of my inexperience and instant disliking last year, as the editor I avoided using Final Cut. I feel it would develop a music video better than a film trailer because the programme, if used correctly, is able to eliminate backgrounds and provide lip-syncing easier. I believe the naming of the programme iMovie gives a pre-conception of being a more beneficial programme for developing films, this is what lured me in during my AS project. 
Before completing my A2 project I was determined to develop my skills and overall media products by using the more advanced, Final Cut Express, never-the-less I feel that it didn't offer the tools I already grew fond of that were readily available on trusting programme iMovie, tools such as; transitions and background effects. 
Having readily available tools that I was already aware of and experienced with instantly put my at a slight advantage into the completion of my media product as it meant I didn't have to spend additional time learning a new software/programme that was quite difficult and wasn't always reliable due saving re-writes and problems other peers in my class had experienced. The only time I've found Final Cut to be beneficial was when developing and editing a music video as a preliminary task as I was able to eliminate the green screen into a gif from the internet, paired with a real music song that lip-synced perfectly. The advanced tools weren't necessary in the production of the film trailer, I didn't need to eliminate any backgrounds from the shots Becka and I had filmed as that is what created the perfect mise-en-scene to fit in with thriller genre conventions. The tools that I found I needed were all found in iMovie, I had a pre-conceived idea of how I wanted to adapt and improve the original filming and found iMovie to successfully fit the expectation. 
Overall I believe that our media film trailer has benefited greatly from using iMovie, it's impacted the trailer into creating something that originally looked very mediocre and home-made into something of higher professionalism. 
The tools I've used within iMovie were as follows: 
Transitions; which effectively dissolved each scene into another, this made the trailer flow as each went into the other, this was very effective and meant we had followed the conventions of the high majority of thriller trailers. 
Effects: this allowed me to literally add an effect over the entire filmed scenes included in the film trailer I've produced, this enabled different accessible effects that made each of my scenes fit the narrative of the film. Luckily there was an effect that created an 'old time' look over the shot, as half of our trailer is supposed to look like it's in the past (90's) this effect was brilliant and ensured the viewers were able to understand that some parts were set in the past. 

Movie Production Logos

Production logos are visual information that is included in every film that’s been produced; some actually suggest the type of film that is yet to come as many movie productions cater for one type of film, whether that’s Pixar for Disney films or Lionsgate which is a multi-film organisation. Lionsgate is a production logo which is highly recognised because of how many successful films the company associate with, Becka and I found it an essential process to research upon what logo we should use to promote our film. As stated previously I feel that production logos often suggest what category or genre the film fits into as many only associate themselves with only a select few genres of film, this would provide a clear indication of what the viewers should expect with the following film. From completing my AS media course I have learned and became aware that specific production logos only associated with particular genres, in my AS project the production logo Becka and I decided to use was Paramount Vantage which I believe is a logo that is generally seen on thriller movies, although this was an option I felt  it was necessary to change the production logo because it would show our developed knowledge and show that we’ve took our time to research into greater logos that feature on a thriller genre; we decided upon New Line Cinema simply because of the recognition and popularity of the production, it also had a great association in supporting thriller films. There was a wide variety that we could have chosen from as they all featured on thriller films however we could only choose one and New Line Cinema seemed most appropriate. Reviewing already established films helped us to come to our decision on what production logo we should use, we took a lot of time to review films that had the same genre as ours to give us a clear indication of what production we should be using. We looked directly at trailers such as; Final Destination, Night Mare on Elm Street, The Lovely Bones and Prisoners and most of the previous selection featured New Line Cinema so it was obvious that this was the production that would fit our trailer best. If successful films had already used this production logo and had resemblance to our genre then it made sense to follow the same production logo. As it’s also such a well known ‘brand’ it may suggest that the film has greater professionalism and quality because it has the same logo as successful films. 

Final Poster and Magazine Cover

Film poster

Magazine poster

Roles

Past experience has proved that Becka and I work well as a team, from studying AS media together and creating a film opening we’d learned that we were successful as a team. Becka and I worked together to create a film trailer, film poster and a film magazine, all media products would have a large workload and therefore the effort and participation needed to be equally shared, because of this we had set roles that both of us would fulfil. Being in a group with only 2 members has its benefits and meant that Becka and I was able to share, combine and exchange ideas and skills in order to achieve the most successful outcome.

We take very similar subjects however Becka benefits greater from taking A-level English, this meant she was effectively able to generate suggestions on what the script should consist of, this skill guided us through creating a successful narrative for our film trailer as she was able to express ideas that we should include and list why they’d have a greater impact and reaction from our audience.

Becka and I are both moderately skilled in Photoshop as we both study this subject as a part of our A-levels, from day-to-day experience it means that we have a greater knowledge on how the programme works and overall would generate a better image to fit on our magazine, poster and billing block. I believe Photoshop can make an ordinary image look much more professional than any internet editor would, having the experience and skill in the programme put Becka and I at an advantage because we were able to enhance the image, overlay items and essentially create all three media products effectively. I had decided to take the role of creating the billing block and magazine cover, whilst Becka contributed and successfully made the film poster, by sharing the workload it enabled us to create the products with ease without consuming too much time, however even though we had our set roles we’d still help each other complete each product by tampering with the Photoshop tools or giving feedback, this allowed us to progress our knowledge and improve our overall product. Assigning different roles was beneficial as it meant our products were completed in a shorter amount of time, and once they were completed we could either adapt them further after receiving feedback or work on something else.

Creating the billing block wasn’t as stressful as I thought it would be, by reviewing internet sources I was able to find a template which suited our film and that actually looked professional; I feel I’ve effectively produced a good billing block.

I had to volunteer to be the main actress of the film trailer because the original casting member was unable to do so; this gave Becka the immediate opportunity to get involved with the filming meaning she had a major job to capture good and effective shots for our film trailer. I believe Becka did a good job in capturing different angles and shots in order to create an engaging and interesting trailer, we needed to ensure the camera angles were in focus for greater professionalism, ensuring that each character was within the shot without the cutting heads or vital props or mise-en-scene out. I partook in some of the filming, the scenes where I wasn’t present (such as the park scene) is where I had filmed as I wanted to share the workload with fellow team member, Becka. When looking back onto the filming produce Becka and I didn’t film to the best of our ability on many of the shots taken, luckily we took plenty of different shots and had redone scenes multiple times. Several shots and scenes weren’t framed properly so parts were cut off however we re framed from using the shots that weren’t worthy, in order to redress the error we had made we should have re-filmed some shots, but we had left this too late when we were unable to use the same actors and actresses in good timing.

Filming the trailer was one of the most important tasks that needed to be completed; a lot of successful shots were captured however there was also a lot of scenes that could have been improved if we’d had taken multiple days with more time to get them. The more use of the camera the more familiarity with the tools, also a lot more retakes could have been shot, an example of a shot that didn’t fit the frame but still exists in our trailer is the one of the youngest actress on the rocking object; when filming I should have followed her movement, instead the top of her head cuts from the shot. This didn’t do us justice because the framing was off key, our trailer would have looked more professional if I’d have followed the movement instead of keeping the camera still.          

The editing of the film was my job, I decided to take on this role because of the experienced I’d gained from last year’s project that I’d constructed together, using iMovie. I was a lot quicker to make adjustments to the shots and trailer for this reason and it consumed less time if I was becoming more familiar with the software. Last year I really come to grips with the advanced software, especially iMovie, so this year I felt I could push my knowledge and experiment with new and developed tools. We used iMovie to construct and combine our trailer, although it is the most simple editing programme compared to Final Cut I found it a lot simpler to use because of the advanced knowledge I’d regained, it also gave me greater options to adapt my film that Final Cut did not. I believe that taking on the editing role was a very tough process as it involved a lot of technicalities and faults that computers always do, however we resolved these issues by organising our work more appropriately, this had a great impact on the outcome because we had finished our trailer within good timing. Becka in-putted her opinion throughout as she had a good judgement, she ultimately told me everything that should be included, what not to include, how we could improve our work and what transitions are most appropriate. 
I believe Becka and I had worked extremely well to develop the best outcome that we could with the footage we created, we have ultimately put in a good effort to achieve and feel this is demonstrated by the media products we've produced.

Risks

We found it necessary to create a risk assessment for when we were filming or taking pictures for our magazine cover or poster. The factors we need to take into consideration were; lighting, equipment and weather.

Lighting: if we are filming all in one day we need to ensure we film during the day so that no scenes we’ve filmed are overly dark. If they are overly dark it could mean items are unidentifiable which wouldn’t be appropriate. To prevent this we will definitely ensure filming is always done during the day.

Equipment: we wish to use rope to tie our model up to make her look like she’s been held hostage, we need to ensure that it’s loose enough so circulation isn’t disrupted. We need to ensure that the camera we’ll be using is fully charged and working otherwise we’d be unable to film.

Weather: we need to ensure we choose a day that is fairly bright and not raining, the happy scene with father and daughter needs to remain happy, the weather would indicate their happiness so if it was raining it would ruin the scene and we’d be unable to film outside.  

Movie production logos

An important feature of a film trailer is the movie production logo, this can act as a big give away for what genre the film would be categorised in as some companies only create children’s or horror films. From Becka and I’s AS project we’ve grew to understand that specific logos only fit certain genres, last year for our thriller film opening we had used Paramount Vantage which only featured on thriller films, however this year we have opted for New Line Cinema, this is another production company that are featured on many thriller films.

With a large variety of movie labels to choose from, we did actually narrow our options down, but as stated previously New Line Cinema seemed best and most appropriate for our film trailer because they feature on a lot of thriller films.

Conventions of thriller films

This mind map includes conventional settings, narrative, features and general characters that are present within the thriller genre, the typical sound elements and editing are also included which generally feature within a thriller film. Whilst we are filming and creating our media trailer we have to remember these conventions so that our thriller trailer sticks to the conventions of a true thriller, if we do so and keep each convention consistent so that our film has the same professionalism of a real film.

Total Film Collage

We had created a collage of all the Total Film magazine covers in order to show some of the research that we have assembled whilst exploring this company. The magazine covers above include covers for a range of di9fferent genres, varying from: Romance to Thriller. It is an important source to see whether the magazine had particular conventions for specific genres or whether the layouts remained the same within every issue. From examining the magazine covers that we’ve selected it became apparent that every magazine cover has the same conventions as one another, there were consistent themes throughout each magazine, however in some the titling font has changed, I believe they are older issues of the magazine and therefore the updates were sharper and uppercased. I believe the magazine is very typical and doesn’t challenge any type of conventions of a magazine cover. However the success of the magazine is evident because the title is rarely ever completely exposed, the image has the tendency to cover it. If it doesn’t need to be exposed to its full potential it suggests that people are already very aware of the magazine. We will use this collage when we are producing our own magazine as it inspires ideas and gives us a specific layout to follow.  It shows what elements we need to include and what features aren’t as important. There are various features that all the magazines present, these are:

• Strap line at the top of the covers
• Bar-code
• Tag lines
• Advertisements of other films as well as the main film which is being advertised
• A model who is composed in the centre of the page, who are presented in front of the 'Total Film' label, providing they don't cover most of the title.
• A background which doesn't have a 'busy' design, which evidently allows the main subject (being the centre photograph) to command full attention from the audience.

I believe the entire magazine covers to be particularly engaging and provide a pre-conceived idea of what genre the film being advertised is, it may also give away the narrative of the film. The magazine cover uses clear and concise texts and fonts, a wide variety of bold fonts and colouring have been used throughout to make the covers more visually appealing. The magazine always uses the main character of the film or the most famous; the most famous are obviously most recognised and therefore entices the audience further into seeing what it is. Most actors presented on the magazines are very visually attractive which engages the audience into buying the magazine as they’re fairly good looking. The person featured on the front could be the target audience’s idol and therefore acts as the influential figure tempting the person into wanting to buy the produce. 

80's music

As some of our trailer features scenes from the 90's it opened our options into the trailer music, for the happy scenes with the father and daughter paired together we could possibly use happier music whilst the abduction scenes could feature the gloomier, dark music. The real and produced music that gave relevance to the film was 80's song Time after Time, this links to the narrative of the film because the lyrics consist of: 
'If you're lost you can look - and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you - I'll be waiting 
Time after time'
This becomes related because it is how the father is feeling,  he was so devoted to his daughter that the search for her continued until she was returned, which resulted into him going insane and abducted a girl with the same pendant. 
The only problem with this is that within our trailer we're unable to use real music, we'd have to try and replicate something happy like this song for the happier parts of the film to reinforce the idea that this was the happiest time for the father. 

Fashion

The clothing is a vital factor that needs to be carefully considered within our trailer as most of our non-linear trailer features in the past, the representation of each character needs to be considered appropriately so that it fits in with the norms and values of the society we’re attempting to express from the past. The audience will view and perceive each character featured in the trailer differently and it’s important for us to present them in the correct way, clothing and fashion will allow viewers to consider what type of individual or character they are playing. An example of this is how the audience would typically view someone wearing provocative clothing; they’d ultimately associate the clothing with someone who acts in a challenging way paired with the provocative clothing.

By creating a conventional thriller trailer it means we have to strictly stick to viewer expectations and real conventions of a thriller film, thus meaning a mysterious feel needs to be used consistently throughout to build viewer tension and excitement. By sticking to general conventions of a thriller genre we have included an antagonist and what appears to be a protagonist. Becka and I wanted to visually suggest which roles went with which characters and this would be presented in the clothing they are wearing; an example of this would be the dark clothing protagonist Jason (father) is wearing. Usually people would associate dark clothing with someone they need to watch out for, whereas challenging this would be those who are in white clothing who are usually presented as the ‘good’ or ‘innocent’ individuals. To give an indication to the viewers of the narrative and what characters would fit each role we specifically featured our antagonist in dark clothing, however we also had to ensure it fitted in with the 90’s theme as most of the trailer featured in the past.

As our trailer would be non-linear Becka and I ensured that the characters fitted in with the values and fashion sense of the modern present society and in the past scenes, I had reviewed and analysed the fashion sense of the 90’s, the internet became a vital source of secondary information and opened our minds to what we needed to achieve in order to give a give suggestion of how long in the past our main characters daughter was abducted. I heavily relied on images in order to give a visual description of what Becka and I needed to replicate, it gave me a deeper in sight of what was worn within this era of time. I’d soon discovered that the 90’s welcomed the ‘preppy’ fashion sense with open arms, the outfits consisted of groovy shirts, bright-ish colours, baggy t-shirts, denim jeans and of course Converse trainers. A lot of the clothing requirements were easily available and therefore meant we would be able to replicate a 90’s outfit with ease; the only adjustment we’d have to make is the bright colouring because we wanted to visually suggest the antagonist by his dark clothing, creating the overall pre-conceived idea of a kidnapper or stalker. To reinforce the idea of ‘stalker’ dark clothing would be essential; in any thriller film I’ve watched or analysed I’ve noticed that thrillers tend to stick to the conventional look that a viewer would expect a stalker or kidnapper to have.  

The final outfit/costume we’d chosen for main character Jason was denim jeans, converse trainers, a baggy t-shirt and a black coat, the coat needed to be worn because of the weather outside, on a cold day of course we’d expect someone to be wearing a coat, it also meant the risks of the cast being affected by the weather was kept to a minimum. We subverted the conventions of a thriller film that’s set in the past by not using sepia or black and white for the past events means that we have to alternate the fashion so that the viewers are able to see that it was a past event. We didn't want to use black and white or sepia because this could represent a negative tone, in the real scene it was the fathers happiest time of his life as he's cherished the day with his daughter, we want our viewers to know that this was the happiest time of his life therefore colour could represent this. However it means that we need to stick to the 90's theme ensuring that the costumes we use don't challenge the convention in any way, we desperately wanted to reinforce the idea of these scenes being set in the past within the 90’s.

The outfit our actor wore was being simple and reviewing back I don’t feel it gives the 90’s feel, however there isn’t anything we could have done differently due to the lack of materials, however we’d stuck to the general fashion sense of the 90’s era, additional research was supplementary and broadened our knowledge.

The change in Jason’s outfit was critical because it would show the audience that it was a change in time and events, because thriller trailers generally never expose the identity of the ‘killer’ or ‘stalker’ we had to change his appearance so that his identity would not be revealed however give a clue to the audience that two different scenes in the trailer interlink. Becka and I didn’t want to change the outfits of the main character completely because we wanted to give slight clues that the male figure in both scenes is the same person, however with a slightly deteriorated appearance due to his developing mental instability. To create a more masculine and mental look we filmed these scenes first making our actor grow a beard, the effect this would have is making him look more rugged and the typical ‘stalker’ appearance that thriller films support. We obviously don’t have great knowledge on mental people and their appearance so we gave our own impression on how we’d feel a mental male would be, the more rugged look could give the audience impression that the lack of pride in his appearance suggests his character as being disorderly.

I wasn’t completely concerned with the clothing the young actor who played ‘Annabelle’ would be wearing, as she was already the age of the girl she was playing it meant that the clothing style would be suitable for those of a 3/4 year old however little research was done on 90’s fashion for children because we felt it was insignificant as she’d be covered by her coat. The only element which needed to be exposed to identify her and ultimately create the storyline was the heart locket as this would connect the younger actor with the older one that I’d played. The young actor wore a red coat, a Hello Kitty onesie (that wasn’t exposed) and Lellie Kelly shoes; the brand wasn’t identifiable and meant that if the brand wasn’t created in the ‘past-era’ then it wouldn’t matter.

The teenage girl that features in our trailer (who is played by me) was specifically dressed in clothes that wouldn’t be seen as provocative or exposing in the slightest, we’d realised that thriller films involving abductions tend to use females that aren’t overly obvious so we wanted to recreate this by making the female look innocent to make the audience question ‘why her out of everyone?’.

The outfit we’d chosen for this character was jeans, a jumper, a leather jacket and of course the heart locket, this outfit would be something I’d generally wear to sixth form, this is effective because I’ve followed the typical fashion sense of those who are of the same age and culture as I am. Reducing the amount of colour in the outfit allowed the thriller film conventions to be reinforced because we wanted to create the dark and mysterious approach that thrillers do. 

Here is a print-screen of the outfit choices for our antagonist and youngest actor, we'd specifically filmed parts to ensure the fashion sense was exposed during the 'past' scenes. 

Film title ideas

Becka and I have various film title ideas that we've considered, we decided to have several initial ideas, this way we could be able to see which one fits best to our film trailer. We have listed the initial ideas that we could use, we feel that all of them could be suited for various reasons however we narrowed the options down to 4 titles. We have listed those most appropriate stating the reasons to why we feel they fit with our movie trailer. The film title is a vital feature of our production, the title usually acts as a give away of what the film features of the genre of the film, we need a suitable title that meets our target audience and narrative, our aim is to fit in with the general conventions of a thriller film.

Becka and I have thought up some film title ideas that we could potentially use for our film trailer. We had developed a Prezi to present our film title ideas, here is the link: http://prezi.com/sitfups7d8x1/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share.

Unfortunately the Prezi app wouldn't connect to the service and will only be shared via link therefore visual evidence will have to be retrieved from the Prezi webpage. 

Becka and I looked at a variety of possible names for our film title; all of the potential titles were influenced by the term 'trapped', the choices were either different versions of the words or words that we'd associate with the feeling of being trapped. These consisted of;

• ·         Confined
• ·         Imprisoned
• ·         Caged
• ·         Captured

There’s an obvious link between all four choices and this means that either could be used, however in the following paragraph is a more in-depth explanation to whether each title fits or not. It’s important that we chose a title that is highly gripping yet mysterious enough so that the viewer’s question what the narrative could be about, we don’t want it to be self-explanatory as this could mean that the viewers have nothing to look forward to if they were to watch the film as they’d have a good idea of what was to come. To ensure that we have chosen the correct name we will have to carry out a questionnaire on everyone who fits into our target group, this will then identify which titling fits the trailer and entices them to want to watch the film. The results will evidently expose what fits best and we will therefore choose it and make a final decision.

Confined: this title would fit as in our film the elder actress could be feeling the emotion of complete hopelessness and trapped within the fathers mind and abode, therefore the link would provide relevance to the film trailer. I retrieved the word confined using the synonyms for the word trapped, this meant that the word was directly linked to the feeling of being trapped and therefore had relevance to the film narrative and content. I didn't particularly like the word though, it didn't feel it was ‘edgy’ enough and wouldn't stick into the viewer’s mind. It didn't provide enough excitement and was quite long worded and could be considered boring, especially to the 15 year old target audience, they may not also know what the term means therefore putting off wanting to see the film.  
Imprisoned: is a strong possibility because it provides the sense of being trapped again, however we felt it to be too cliché and may suggest a different genre of film to our audience. Viewers could link the wording of 'Imprisoned' to do with a film that centres on prisons or individuals within prison, whereas we wanted our viewers to have the preconceived idea of what film genre our trailer would fit into. I felt that the term imprisoned was quite memorable even though it was fairly long, this is what I wanted to achieve but as previously stated the narrative or content of the film could be linked to something that the audience didn't expect. I want the title to meet the expectations of the film content and if the viewers were expecting to see a prison related film they could be disappointed by a thriller, abduction film.

Another alternative name suggestion was Captive: the word captive could refer to our main character being held prisoner so therefore it links and is relevant to the entire storyline of the film and trailer we'd have produced. 
Captured: was another option, Becka and I were dead set on this idea however felt it was very obvious to what the content of the film would be about, I wanted something that created some sort of mystery. I feel this title could be considered quite self-explanatory and completely gives away the entire content of the film; the noun ‘Captured’ is quite conventional for a thriller film. To me this would is effective however I would put off watching the entire film because it acts as a huge give away of the films narrative or storyline. Captured is a film title which is quite dull, dry and bleak.

Caged: this title could reflect our narrative as the film is based on a vulnerable teenager who is trapped and literally caged within the ‘fathers’ abode as he’s convinced it was his abducted daughter. Caged could be considered quite mysterious and I feel the audience wouldn't be able to directly identify the films content, it provides some evidence on the narrative however doesn't completely give it away. I feel the titles quite engaging and memorable as it’s a single syllable and creates mystery.

In conclusion and relation to film title ideas Becka and I have opted for using Caged as our film title, for obvious reasons stated above we feel it allows the most mystery and engagement from the audience. I feel that it allows an open view of what the films content could be as it could relate to their expectations or be completely different to what they expected. However as it links to the films content it means that it should have a higher chance of meeting the viewer’s expectations. Our results from our survey stated that our target audience were more intrigued by the word Caged, and if our target audience are more satisfied and contented by the name we have to follow their specific needs as we wish for the film trailer to meet their requests.

Almost finished media magazine cover

Here's an almost finished magazine cover, we have almost directly copied the Total Film layout however incorporating our own designs and texts. We decided to almost copy the same magazine cover as we felt that if it was similar to a real film magazine then it would have the same professional approach as a real, published magazine.

We didn't completely copy the real magazine cover as we've used our own text, fonts, images and title. However it is very similar, the thing that was almost directly replicated was the arrow with 'The Top 100' against it, although we changed the arrow upwards instead of sideways. We decided to make the arrow facing up to suggest the quality of films that our magazine features, as it's facing the top of the magazine it reinforces the idea of 'The Top 100'.  Everything that’s been completed is our own work, even the images displayed above the title of the magazine cover is our produced work from AS however stating different names.

I like the consistent use of colouring on the magazine cover and feel that the colours could present and suggest the genre of the film, deep red, white, grey and black are all dark colours and reinforce the fact that the genre fits in with thriller conventions. I believe the white to be effective as it stands out from the black background, this will be easily readable for our viewers. The fact that our title of film is in capital letters represents the intensity of the film and reinforces the idea of darkness and seriousness.

The only thing we need to add to it is the actual image for the magazine cover, and then we will have completed our media product. Once we’ve taken the image further enhancing could be done to make our media product look more professional, this would allow the viewers to feel that our media product is highly realistic and be enticed to watch our film trailer.  Once we have finalised our magazine cover we will receive feedback from social networking website; Facebook, this will allow everyone of all ages to comment on what they like and dislike about our magazine cover and poster, the feedback will give us an insight of what needs to adapted or adjusted.

The title 'Total Film' isn't always exposed on the magazine cover which suggests the success and popularity of the magazine, therefore Becka and I have to come to the decision of whether our image will challenge or replicate the same conventions of the magazine. 

Becka and I already have a pre-conception of what needs to be altered, however additional feedback will give us definite verification on what needs to be changed. Something that we feel needs to be changed is the font underneath the big titling ‘TOP 100’ is positioned so it would ultimately cover part of the image which is unconventional. As it is out of place I will ensure that it’s corrected, hopefully this will improve the overall appearance, outcome and professionalism of the magazine cover. 

sound, location, camera angles and editing

Sound

A thriller film commonly use non-diegetic music within the trailer of their films as it creates tension, suspense and sets the mood for the entire film, it’s a sound bridge to create a certain atmosphere which again acts as a big giveaway for the category of genre the film fits into. 

Camera movement and angles

I consumed a large extent of my time to review various thriller trailers that existed worldwide to look for all of the conventional features that took place in the limited time a trailer had to promote their film, this meant I had to look at, analyse and evaluate different camera movements and angles involved in the process. I believe that every different genre has their own techniques when it comes to the camera movement and angles, e.g. romantic films may use close up angles to show the emotions on the characters face as romantic films involve a lot of emotional rollercoasters. 

In terms of a thriller film I’d suggest pan and track shots to be used most frequently, however in a very short period at a time as it goes from scene to scene relatively fast when the action features take place. They’re usually used within the beginning of a trailer because this is when the happy features occur and set the storyline, once the trailer goes more in depth that’s when the more concise and faster movement happens.

The angles I’ve generally seen in thriller trailers have been relatively low angles when the mysterious features are happening, for example: if I was watching a trailer about an abduction (like, The Lovely Bones) low angles usually feature so that the audience aren’t directly aware of who’s responsible for the abduction as they want the identity to usually be revealed within the film so viewers want to watch and find out. Close ups are done to visually express the emotions of the characters, for example: in thriller film Prisoners a lot of close ups are used within the trailer because the father is expressing his concern for the missing daughter, the officer helping the search also expresses a great concern as we explore his emotions through the use of a close up shot.

Long shots are usually present within a thriller genre as they set the scene for where all takes place; this is beneficial as it reveals the setting which ultimately acts as the giveaway of the films genre. 

Mid shots are generally used so that the viewers have an idea of the clothing used, this also gives the idea of what the thriller would be about, an example of this would be: if the viewers were able to identify someone in dark baggy clothing such as a coat or hoody, they’d be able to associate it with a film about perhaps a stalker, or someone who’s part of a gang.

Fades and cross-dissolves between each different scene commonly occur in thriller films as it mysteriously takes one scene into the other without major blocking of the two; it merges them together so each scene blends in with one another gradually. Towards the end the speed of the cuts increases and then fades off into a black for the name of the film to be listed, I like this effect and wish to replicate it so that my finalised film trailer looks official and realistic.

Location

I feel that thriller films tend to be set within a very dismal, dark and mysterious location in order to reinforce the idea of a thriller genre. I generally associate thriller films with an eerie field or forest with dim natural lighting as if the sun had set and the evening was to come very soon. Becka and I have briefly spoken about what location we wish to use and have decided upon the following possibilities:

·          A wood, a country lane (where the baby’s car seat is left rocking), a dingy flat where the father, Jason lives and a park (where the first scene would happen).

Location is very important because I believe it sets the scene and acts as the giveaway for the film genre, the viewer is able to adapt a pre-conceived idea of what the film genre is and what the film may be about if the location is correct and fits within the conventions of a specific genre. However with a horror film there can be various locations used to benefit the film itself, thriller films could range from the conventional; eerie field or forest to a high tech laboratory. Nevertheless I’d always associate thriller films something that looks mysterious and dingy as it provides the idea of something bad, frightening or weird will continually happen. 

Lighting

Lighting is also very important in terms of creating a good film that correctly links with the genre; I would always suggest dim lighting to be present when thriller films scariest features happen because it gives off the most mysterious and frightening feel to the viewer. Everyone is able to associate darkness with feeling frightened or vulnerable so it’s cleverly used within thriller films so that the same vulnerability the characters are facing in the actual film will be imitated by the viewer’s themselves.

From researching the lighting used in thriller films I’ve been able to unravel the techniques used, thriller movies use various techniques and conventions within the film to get a key point across or to add credibility to the film.

There are two main lighting techniques generally used within a thriller film, this is:

Low key lighting: which tends to give a high contrast where one part of the light directs the lighting at a part of the scene making it very unbalanced and one sided to the viewer eyes.

·       High key lighting: which is an entirely diverse type of lighting because instead of using one light source there are many that are used, it’s generally done to capture one main feature in a high contrast over the whole scene, so it makes the focal point stand out. Research has allowed me to understand that directors use the lighting paired with reflectors and minimisers as it reduces the chance of shadows being formed, it creates a well-defined and crisp image.

 

Editing

Jump cuts are generally used within a thriller film as it takes one scene to a completely diverse scene, this is either displayed by past and present or present and future, however can also be used to go from the various different scenes, locations and features of the film. This is done in thriller trailers because it allows the audience to see a small synopsis of the films best features without revealing too much of the storyline, essentially selling the film so the viewers are gripped and then want to see it. It allows the audience to make an assumption of whether they want to see the film or not, whether the films features and characters would be entertaining enough to watch an entire film on. The cuts increasingly speed up towards the end of the film as it provides the viewers with a sense of excitement and suspense, it builds tension as the cuts start slow when explaining the story then increase rapidly so the audience is left wanting more, leading to a climax.