Evaluation Activity 4 - How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research and planning and evaluation stages?

Throughout this project, I have used a variety of different media technologies (some encountered before and some new technologies) in order to create successful products that will appeal to my target audience.

The first new media technology that I used for this project that was a large part of the constrauction/filiming of my trailer was the camera and the tripod. I had previously used the cameras for previous projects, however, the tripod was a new piece of equipment for me.
Below is an image of the tripod:

This piece of equipment was fairly difficult to use. This is because it was hard to adjust to the right height and angle that I needed for my filming, this also took up a lot of time with the transportation of it aswell. This therefore made setting up for the filming more time consuming (I also used this piece of equipment for the filming of my evaluation).

However, as time progressed I learnt how to use this piece of equipment more effectively as it is a lot easier to film with rather than using freehand (which I first thought to use but changed my mind).

The second piece of media technology that I used was a filming clipboard. I used this within some of my filming of scenes because I needed to take a variety of different shots to get them right (for example, the cat walks where the characters are introduced), therefore during the editing process I was able to know exactly which filming of the scene I wanted without having to repeat the process of watching the scenes again.

Below is an image of the filming clipboard:

This piece of equipment was helpful when it came to filming and editing and was easy to use. However, using this piece of equipment was also time consuming as I had to come up with names for each individual scene and then number them and sometimes it was hard to keep track of all the different scenes and numbers.

Another piece of new media technology that I had to use within this project was the Serif Movie Plus software that allowed me to edit my scenes and create the actual trailer itself, it allowed me to do a variety of different special effects to make my trailer more appealing to the target audience.

Below is an image of the Serif software:

This piece of media technology was the hardest to use throughout the project. This is because there were so many different elements to it that could improve the trailer that I was creating. Therefore I had to spend time learning how to create these special effects to make my overall trailer better and more appealing. An example of a special affect that was very time consuming in learning to create was the split screen where the 2 main female characters are introduced. I also had to learn how to edit the background music for my trailer and add it to my filming.

I also used a variety of programmes/software on the Internet. For example, Youtube (to find the trailers and analyse them to find the right conventions to put in my trailer), Google Images (to find the film posters that go with these trailers so I could once again find the conventions and apply them to my products) and this blog (so that I could upload all of my work into one place that was easily accessible).

Throughout the project I have encountered a variety of different media technologies to make my products the best that they can be in order to appeal to the target audience. Some were easy to use and some were more difficult, but they all helped to make my products appealing to the target audience and I learnt how to use them all in the end. Therefore, the process of creating these products was enjoyable.

Evaluation Activity 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Below is a video of the feedback I recieved from my target audience, I got audience feedback so that I could find out how appealing my trailer actually is to the target audience and what can be improved. I asked them 3 questions:
1. In what ways does my trailer remind you of other trailers?
2. What do you think are the strengths of my trailer?
3. What do you think are the weaknesses of my trailer?

Evaluation Activity 2 - How effective is the combination of your main product and your ancillary texts?

There are many ways in which my film trailer, film poster and magazine cover combine with each other and make it effective for the target market.

One way in which my 3 products are effective is the constant personalities of the characters. In all of the products the actors stick to their character's personalities and portray them whether they are in motion or still images. For example, the brown haired girl looks constantly mean throughout all of the products and this therefore makes the target audience want to find out more about her.

Another way in which the products complement each other to make them appealing to the target audience is the use of the colour pink in both the trailer and the advertising poster. This shows that the target audience for the film is females and this therefore makes the target audience connect the 2 (the trailer and the film) and will persuade them to find out more about the film. The colour is also eye-catching so that it makes the target audience look at the poster or watch the trailer.

The slogans and catch phrases that appear on the film poster and the magazine also compliment each other and appeal to the target audience because it makes them want to know what happens within the film, I made sure that I picked the right wording for each of this so that it would make the film seem exciting and get the target audience wanting to find out more. For example, "Keep your friends close, keep your enemies boyfriend closer!" and "Welcome to the new girl world!".

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

There are many ways in which my film trailer has used, developed and challenged forms and conventions of real media products. Below are screengrabs from my trailer and below the images are explanations as to why they either use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products.

1: This is the title of the film. It appears near the end of the trailer rather than at the front which challenges some conventions as a lot of the titles ar at the start, however, it also uses some conventions as a lot of trailers also have the title at the end of the trailer. This is because it makes the title more memorable for the target audience as if they like the look of the film then they will remember its name.

2: This is an example of a setting within my trailer. It challenges conventions of a real media product because it is used in two shots that are parallel to each other, whereas they would normally be different or seperate. I did this because the setting is the same and will therefore show off the two different personalities of the characters.

3: This is an example of using props within my trailer. This simply follows and develops the use of props in real media products as it is getting the point of the scene across to the target market and helps the target market to understand what is going to happen within the film.

4: This is an example of camerawork and editing within my trailer. This follows conventions of a real media product as there will always be a variety of different camera shots and angles used, therefore I have incorporated this into my film trailer, for example, usng close ups which the example above demonstrates.

5: This is an example of the font and style of text that is used within my trailer. This doesnt follow conventions of a real media product as the font is more outgoing and stands out more than text does in real media products, I chose this font because I thought the target audience would relate to it more and find it more interesting to read.

6: This is an example of how the story is told through my trailer. In my trailer there is a series of texts that explains how the main characters got from best friends to fighting over the same boy. This challenged conventions as this would usually be done with dialogue and a series of scenes from the film.

7: This is an example of the genre of the film and how my trailer suggests the genre. My trailer suggests a romantic comdey because the colour pink is used a lot for the background setting of the text, you also see the two main characters fighting over the same boy which represents romance and comedy.

8: This is an example of how the characters are introduced within my trailer. In some of the trailers I have researched you see the main characters face and then their name or someone saying their name, my trailer challenges this convention as the target audience doesnt find out the name of the character, just their personality and this will make them want to see the film and find out who they are.

9: This is an example of special effects within my trailer. This develops the forms and conventions of a real media product as there are usually a lot of trainsitions and zooming effects within trailers, in my trailer you see a special effect but dont realise it is there, in the example, the scene has been made mirrored so that you see the otherside of the character, this makes it seem more upbeat and fast paced.

My Enemy's Boyfriend Magazine Cover

Below is a link to the magazine cover that I created in order to advertise and market my film further. I also created this in photoshop.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B1tW00quD_X6YTJiZDUwNzgtZTIzMS00YmFjLWJhZGMtM2RhZGMwMTAwYjdh

My Enemy's Boyfriend Film Poster

Below is a link to the film poster I created to go with my film trailer. I used photoshop to create this.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B1tW00quD_X6YzkxY2JlZDUtY2RhYy00MjY4LWI3NTUtNGRkMTc5NjhjNWIw&hl=en_GB

My Enemy's Boyfriend Trailer

This is the trailer i created for my film "My Enemy's Boyfriend". I used a camera to shoot the scenes and I used Serif Movie Plus to edit the trailer, however, uploading it to this blog may reduce the quality of the video so please take a look at the second copy that it burned onto a CD.

Copyright

In my trailer I have used 2 different songs for background music to make the trailer more appealing to the target audience. Therefore I had to get permission to use a copyrighted song within the trailer. Here is a print screen of me asking for copyright permission:

Trailer Storyboard

Below is the storyboard for my trailer, I had my original idea but I had to change bits within my stroryboard during the filming of my trailer and a bit during the editing, this is so that my trailer would be more appealing to the target audience. Here is the storyboard:

Planning the Filming of My Trailer

Actors
The actors in my trailer will be the 3 main characters in the entire film. They will be the 2 enemies and the love interest of the film. Here are my actors and their back-ups if they are unable to attend the filming session:
Girl 1 - Lucy (back-up Beccie)
Girl 2 - Emma (back-up Beth)
Guy - Joe (back-up Kieran)

Locations
My trailer will be filmed in the same location, but it will be in different parts of the location, for example, the pregnancy scene will be shot in the house of one of the actors and the fighting scene will be shot in the field behind there house, this means that the locations will be easy to get to. The only location that will be different is the start where the 2 girls are playing with the ball, this will be filmed at a hut about 5 minutes away from the main location.

Mise-En-Scene
My actors will be wearing their own clothes because their personalities fit the characters roles and therefore the costumes will resemble the personalities of the characters. However, I need to buy props such as the pregnancy test and the football. Some scenes I will also have to create lighting and this will be done from a lamp as it gives off a lot of light and it can be used for a variety of different lighting techniques.

Sounds
When I am filming there will obviously be sound from the elements outside (e.g. wind). However, I will mute all of these sounds in the editing process and I will add the background music over the top of the scenes to add music and sound to the trailer in order for it to be more appealing to tha target audience.

Planning of My Film Trailer

Inspiration for my film

The inspiration of my film came from the 2004 hit American teen comedy film “Mean Girls”, starring Lindsey Lohan. In the film a new girl arrives at the school and is an instant hit with the “Plastics” clique who is the mean girls of the school. Throughout the film, the target audience see the girls playing tricks on each other, going behind each others backs to find out information and gossip about each other and competing for the attention of the leading man of the film, Jonathan Bennett. This has inspired my film because I wanted to create a film that was funny within itself and the characters but a film that also had a bit of romance developed into it.

Plot Summary of my film

My film will be based on 2 teenage girls who used to be best friends when they were little who have grown apart and into enemies as they grew up into teenagers and are the complete opposite of each other. One is a Goth and one is a complete girly girl (like the “Plastics”). A new boy moves into the neighbour hood who they both want. The girls battle each other in cunning and manipulative ways by playing tricks on each other in order to win the affections of the new boy in town.

This follows Levi Strauss’ theory of binary opposition as the 2 girls contrast with each other. The film will also follow Todorov’s Equilibrium theory as the characters will be doing their normal everyday life where they ignore each other, then the new boy moves onto the block and it throws the film into disequilibrium and then a new equilibrium is created at the end of the film. However, only half of this will be shown in the teaser trailer as it would tell the target audience how the film ends if I showed them the new equilibrium.

What audience expectation does the title give?

The title of my film is “My Enemy’s Boyfriend”. This gives the audience expectation that the film will be a romantic comedy and aimed at females because it gives the impression and expectation that love is involved. It also gives the audience the expectation that there will be some arguing and fighting as the title refers to a character as an “Enemy”. This portrays Barthes Enigma Code because it makes the audience wonder what the fascination is with the enemy’s boyfriend and why they are after him in the first place. This will make the target audience intrigued as to what will happen in the film.

Characters

There will be 3 main characters in my film, there will be the 2 best friends who are now enemies, one will be a Goth and the other will be a stereotypical girly girl. There will also be the leading man who will have the typical “new boy on the block” look that makes all the girls want to have him. My characters fit Propp’s Stock Characters because there will be a love interest (the new boy), there will be a villain and a hero although the 2 main characters each have these features within them, and there will be the friends of the 2 main characters who will be the helpers in the film.