Trailer

Evaluation question 4

Evaluation question 4

For this year’s coursework we used media technologies to do research, construct our blogs and plan and create our teaser trailer.

While we were doing research in preparation for our teaser trailer, we used a wide range of sources which include the internet, adverts, billboards and posters. But our main source was the internet. The internet was easily accessed at home and at college and with the technology today we could easily find important information we needed. One site we used a lot was YouTube. We used YouTube to look at already existing teaser trailers from professionals and previous trailers from other media groups to help us get an understanding of what a teaser trailer was. We watched teaser trailers from movies such as “The Ring”, “The Grudge” and many other Japanese inspired movies. During the period of planning and research members of our group watched several horror movies online or on DVD to get an idea of what really makes a horror film and how music and lighting is used etc.

As a group we made a Blog to present our work. We would anything that was relevant post images we taken for our posters and magazine to textual analysis of existing movie posters and magazines. While posting, we would also decorate our blog to make it more appealing and suited to the trailer. We chose black for the background colour to give a sense of mystery since our trailer is about an unbound spirit which cannot past onto the afterlife. The text was white, we chose white because in Japan the colour white represents either peace or sorrow.

Before creating a poster and magazine cover, we had to search for existing products. Websites such as www.Google.com and www.Empire.com were used. Empire is one of the most popular and most read movie magazines, and with this reputation it helped us with our magazine design, also we used Google images to help us. For our poster we got inspiration from “The Last Exorcism“and “The Grudge”

After we had finish planning we went onto learn how to use the video camera effectively and how to set up the equipment properly. We learnt how to set up the lights and how to set up the camera to the tripod we the aid of our teacher. Furthermore we practised using many different camera shots like over the shoulder shot, close-up, extreme close-up, medium long shot etc. Once we got used to the video camera we filmed test shots as shown below.

In addition we also learnt about various camera technologies such as white balance, focus. One of the most important things we needed and used was the lights. Without lighting the shots would turn out either too dark or with undefined colours, so we would always set up the lights and move it to the best position possible. As we got use to all the camera technologies and setting up, preparing for filming was no problem at all. Once we started filming we learnt the importance of counting in and out of the shots to give pre and post roll footage so that editing would be less stressful because we knew when we needed to cut. During the time we needed to film we were held back quite a bit because we had limited access to the LCR and we needed to film in there, LCR was not free until after school hours on Tuesdays and sometimes on a Thursday.

To advertise our trailer we created several posters. Before we started planning and creating the posters photos were needed. The cameras and lights were easily accessible and once we had the equipment at hand we went into the classroom which had a blue screen at the back. The lights were set up so that it was facing the model to make the picture seem more realistic, but for some of the photos we moved and dimmed the lights down to give a low key lighting so we would have a wide range of photos. Safety precautions were taken into account when taking the photos, for example the distance between the lights and the model (the lights would get really hot).

Software such as Adobe Photoshop was used to manipulate the photos taken. Fonts were downloaded and used from www.Dafont.com.

Photoshop

Evaluation Question 3

For our audience feedback I posted the video on YouTube and then posted it onto Facebook via the group we had created on it. Every member of the group posted the trailer onto their homepages and asked for their friend’s feedback too. I then collected all of the feedback from them and analysed them, the good and the bad. As well as the trailer, we also posted the poster and magazine cover on Facebook too and gathered the feedback. Our trailer was aimed at the age range of teenagers from the age of about 15 to 40-50 year olds, as this is the main age group who would enjoy horror films; from our audience research this was proven to be correct.
From the feedback on Facebook, friends commented on the shots used, and the quality of the editing and sound mainly. Many agreed that the first 20 seconds of the trailer used good shots, ranging from the establishing shot, reaction shot, and the use of placing the camera on the bookshelf and panning it to follow Swarica was especially good. Other positive comments were that the strobe effect editing was good, and was a convention of horror trailers, as well as the text font. Negative feedback was quite large in numbers; however it helped the group to see where we had gone wrong, how effective the trailer was and what we would change if we could do the project again. To begin with the trailer; people said that the music had ruined the effectiveness of the trailer as the editing of it wasn’t so good, others said that it had a ‘romantic’ feel because of the use of the guitar. However they liked the use of it to create a climax when Swarica was seen running down the corridor. YouTube users’ comments are all positive so far, one comment that stood out was from lynxnyx who said that it reminded them of a Japanese movie particularly the slit mouth lady. As we had followed the conventions of Japanese horrors such as The Grudge and The Ring this comment was much appreciated. The Grudge trailer was a huge influence upon our own and it was good to know that it stood out for the audience too.
If we could do the trailer again, I would personally change the music as I too believe that it is not that effective and doesn’t really fit in with the conventions of J-Horror. Originally a friend was going to make the music for us however because of time I had to eventually find copyright free music and add it myself. I would have also played around with the editing a bit more to find interesting techniques, although I did watch tutorials on how to create simple effects I believe it could have been done a lot better. Although the trailer received mixed reviews I personally believe that it could have been done much better, but is only something that could have been made to a level our group would be happy with if we had better time management.
The poster received mainly negative feedback, I filmed a couple of people standing in front of it pointing what they liked and disliked about it, they answered very honestly which was also helpful. To start they thought that the title of the film was placed badly, and should have been placed higher up and made much bigger. They also said that by making last and out in the LastOneOut title a grey colour made it hard to see what the title of the movie was from afar, and therefore made the poster much less effective in raising awareness of it. This bit of feedback was extremely useful as no on in the group had realised this until the poster had been printed. However they did like that the poster fit in with the conventions of horror posters, using minimal colours; black, white and grey, with Swarica in blue which made her stand out. People commented on the good use of low key lighting which light Swarica’s face well as her expression was important to catch attention, he also placed the credits and logos well. Hayley took the photo of Swarica which garnered the most positive feedback for being well lit and her expression was effective in looking scared. Aside from these comments people said it was quite plain compared to other posters which contained images of bloodied people, or special Photoshop effects, which I do agree with.
Taking into account the feedback from the poster I agree with the comments and would have changed everything that they commented on. I would have made the title larger and changed the colour to make it more visible, and also would have maybe put something in the background aside from the black background which isn’t that interesting to look at. -Thuy

In addition to the feedback that we acquired from use of sites such as Facebook and Youtube we also managed to compile several pieces of information by using a site called Survey Monkey. This gave us a huge advantage when we planned our teaser trailer as it asked people there opinions on what they liked and disliked in a horror movie; By doing this we managed to create a decent trailer and movie and posters. Though there were no negative or positive answers from the people that took the survey, I believe that without the information gathered we would not have been quite so structured in production or post production work.

I started a group on Face book for there to be a wider distribution of our group trailer. Few posts were put up and the people that we asked online were not cooperative, therefore i asked family and their colleagues to comment, watch and then like or dislike, though there were only four comments and one hundred views the feedback that we did get was very positive saying things such as 'It was very thought provoking master piece' or 'This reminds me of a Japanese movie, the way that it was filmed was a bit like some of the lower budget movies. I'm thinking of maybe the slit mouth woman or something like that.' The genre and the idea behind it seemed to agree with the audience even though they were slightly above the age range we were looking for.

When watching the class watch our movie i observed that what they seemed to like the most was the 'supposed' innocence of the protagonist (Swarica). They later informed our group that they were interested in the character because they wondered what she had done to the antagonist. They did not however like the surrounding area as much, or the music. I was very intrigued to find that they liked the trailer for the most part as i did not think it was a trailer up to standard and saw many flaws in it.

In regards to the teaser, if I had the chance to remake it i would start by finding better locations to film in, audience saying that for the time of day it was it would be illogical for a girl to be alone in a school building at night. I would also change the movie poster and magazine to be slightly more dramatic. I would have liked to have spent a little more time learning how to use photoshop to improve these two media products. - Swarica

Evaluation Question 1 - Trailer

Our trailer followed the conventions of J-Horror and we therefore looked at a variety of J-horror films such as The Ring and The Grudge, which are the most popular and well known to a western audience. A teaser trailer is different from a trailer in that it only gives the audience a small amount of information on the film and therefore entices them to watch the full trailer and the film when it comes out. The usual span of a teaser trailer is between 20 seconds to a minute. I noticed that in The ring and The Grudge there were a lot of flashes or ‘strobe’ editing to connote a sense of panic or disarray. I therefore tried to incorporate this into my trailer.

During the lead up to creating the trailer the group all wrote a textual analysis on a horror film of their choice. I did mine on the Haunting in Connecticut and particularly liked that they used text to help explain the trailer more effectively. I did this also in a similar style. It is important to help the audience relate to the genre and idea of your trailer, therefore following the conventions of horror trailers already out there was the most effective way.

Another very popular or well known convention in horror trailers is the use of little girls, who have by now created a sense of creepiness in horror films. The majority are young, pale, with long black hair this applies in The Ring, The Grudge and Silent Hill. This idea originally came from the Japanese who have always believed in demons called ‘Onryo and Yurei’ who are tied to the physical world due to strong emotions and follow the conventions of having long black hair and wear long white dresses. However it is not only the western versions of Japanese films that have little girls in them, The Shining for instance include two girl twins, and The Omen has a young boy.

Like most horror films and their trailers the mise en scene is generally the same, the lighting is quite low key connoting a dark presence. Our trailer was based in modern day and therefore the costume is that of what modern day students would wear, mainly Swarica, who was our main actress who wore what she normally wore to college. Our only props included a book that Swarica picked from the book shelf in the library, and a dress that we borrowed from another group because we could not find a suitable one at the time. The setting was in and around the college grounds which is typical of ‘high school horrors’ in America. The countless numbers of rooms and doors and the huge building itself creates a sense of being in a maze, a good example of this would be in Silent Hill where the antagonist is running around an abandoned school absolutely clueless as to where to go. Knowing that she does not know where she is going makes us as the audience panic with her, especially as she is by herself and is being chased.

The sound in our trailer was created by a friend who is studying Music Technology, Jacob Manlises, he created the sound track with guidance from me. I specifically wanted an eerie start with a quick panicky end as at the end of the trailer I did some strobe editing, the end is then slow and eerie again as you see a door close. I used The Haunting in Connecticut trailer as a lot of the inspiration in our trailer as at the end of it the words ‘THIS SPRINGTHE FEAR IS REAL’ in our it is ‘THIS SUMMER DON’T BE THE LAST ONE OUT’ I used the title of the film at the end.

Although we followed a lot of conventions, others we broke. Typically the lead female is Caucasian however we used a black female for practicality and because she wanted to be the lead. But we did use me as the ghost, an oriental female with long black hair.

Evaluation Question 1: Posters

When creating our posters, we came up with several different ideas. Our first poster (left) took its influence from the movie poster for The Last Exorcism. Both characters in each poster are standing in a similar (unnatural)position, with similar costumes: an old, blood-stained dress. One major difference between the two is the colour scheme. Whilst they both consist of dull, grey colours, our own poster consists of low key tones, which is a common convention amongst horror posters. Our poster gives a sense of mystery and foreboding; things can be hidden by darkness. On the other hand, The Last Exorcism seems to break this convention by using high key tones, giving a sense of a harsh reality. The fonts used for the titles are distressed and ragged-looking, and the individual letters are different sizes, connoting a sense of unbalance or that something isn't quite right.

For our second poster design, we were inspired by The Ring Two movie poster. Both characters have the same overall look: an over-sized, dirty, white dress, and messy, dark, long hair which hides the face. The main difference between the two photos is that The Ring post features a long shot of the antagonist, whereas in our poster, only the head to the waist can be seen. Both posters use low key tones, connoting something dark and sinister. Judging by the fact that everything bad that is happening is coming from a young girl, it makes it even more so. Another interesting similarity between the two posters are the titles. Both titles feature numbers: Last ONE Out, and The Ring TWO. These numbers seem to be the focal point of the titles because the font of the individual words are of a larger scale than the rest of the title.- Hayley

We chose to base our teasers on ones such as 'The Ring' and 'The Last Exorcism' not only because they are both very popular movies but because they had the kind of emotion behind them that we wanted to portray in our movie posters.

As a group we sat down and looked at the possible poster ideas that we could use. We noticed that a minority did not have the protagonist or antagonist in the center of the poster. The rule of three was not in use here and we liked the thought of creating a slight stir in the audience psyche by having the model at the side of the poster.

We also looked at the posters of protagonist females and discovered that they are often shown in a medium shot to extreme long shot.

It was also observed that they stand in either very provocative positions or in a fright filled one with there head turned slightly to the right so the target audience can see the emotion on their faces. We decided to imitate the movie poster Perfume (seen above); however, the focal point of our poster is the protagonists face due to the low key lighting that we used.
It was decided that we should use very dull dry tones for the poster and so it was edited in Adobe Photoshop CS3 to have a more pastel look than vibrant which in horror is not a popular colouring scheme.

As with many low key posters we chose to use gray and white for the anchorage of the posters. The credits below were also created with the same idea in mind. As a group we decided that we should not use colours that were too bright and unmanageable for an epileptic audience however we did not think of this when we had created the poster.

If I had the chance to create these posters again, i would dedicate a little more time to them and have been a little more experimental than i have been. - Swarica

Age restriction

In the UK video games that have any form of "violence", "sexual content" or "techniques likely to be useful in the commission of offences" has to be classified under the British Board of Film Classification's (BBFC) film rating system under the Video Recordings Act of 1984. The Act claims that it is an offence to supply a game to anyone below the age rating. This offence is punishable by a fine of up to £5000 and or up to six months in prison.

Majority of games are rated under the Pan European Game Information System (PEGI). Under this voluntary code games producers self-certify the content of their games by giving them an age rating as well as a series of symbols which represent various types of content. All games applying for a 12+ age rating under this system are retrospectively reviewed and can be assigned 16+ or 18+ ratings. These ratings are then checked by an independent body before being confirmed. However, the PEGI rating structure lacks teeth because, as a voluntary system, it is not an offence to sell a PEGI rated game to someone under the age rating. Further, research indicates that most UK consumers are unfamiliar with the PEGI ratings system and often find the symbols more confusing than helpful.

Patricia Hewitt who is a Former Trade and Industry Secretary said "Equally parents need to know what they might be buying for their children. Video games are different to films or videos, and not all parents have grown up playing games in the way our children do." Furthermore she states adult games and videos should have a clearer warning to stop parents buying their child a 18+ game and letting their child get their hands on one."We need to look carefully at how we improve content warnings and strengthen sales enforcement."

She was backed by Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Tessa Jowell who said: "You wouldn't let your child watch the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. You wouldn't let them go to a strip club.

"So you shouldn't let them play an 18-rated game. It's the same principle - adults can make their own informed choices, but children can't always and need to be protected."

Social media – age restrictions

Here’s a list of online apps (games, chat, forums, social networks, blogs) with the age restrictions as seen in the sites’ terms of service/use.

Must be at least 16

* Friendster social network

Must be at least 13 and in high school

* Facebook social network

Must be over 13

* Bebo social network
* Blogger weblog publishing tool
* Chamber of Chat Harry Potter multiplayer RPG (no private chat, moderators)
* Gaia Online community with games, message boards etc…
* Hi 5 social networking site
* IMVU chat with friends in 3D
* Jaiku microblogging
* MySpace social network
* Ning social network created around an area of interest (can be open or private)
* Runescape multiplayer game
* Tokbox video chat (works with Twitter & others)
* Twitter microblogging Twitter is now for over-18s. See comments to this post.
* Vox weblog publishing tool
* Weebly website creation tool (includes blogs, forums)
* Wetoku video interview tool (requires parents’ approval)
* Wordpress.com weblog publishing tool
* Writeboard single wiki pages for writing activities
* Xanga weblog community
* 12Seconds video microblogging
* 43 Things microblogging site based around personal goals
-Andy

Hypodermic needle theory suggests that the media injects its messages straight into the passive audience (Croteau, Hoynes 1997). This theory implies that the media show the appropriate messages to an audience who is then influenced by them and therefore think in the way the media wants them too. It is thought that the media can be extremely dangerous as the public is powerless to escape due to mass media and lots of media material being “injected” into them, and so people are end up thinking what they are told to think.
 The expression “sitting ducks” is used to describe the affects of the mass media on the public as people are passive to the massages given by the media and therefore the media can shape the thoughts and views of the public to the direction they want this theory is why most horror films are rated at 18 because it is much easier to influence young children and films like saw, human centipede etc you can argue that such films use the Hypodermic needle theory, but because there are mostly viewed by adults it is more difficult to influence them. - Swarica