Existing movie magazines and movie posters

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

evaluation question 1
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Ancillary Tasks: Movie poster

Image before alteration: Final, Product:

Ancillary Tasks: Movie Magazine Cover

Image used in product:

Final Product:

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

The teaser trailer i have produced works very closely with the movie poster i have also produced in advertising the the movie 'isolation'. The teaser trailer has the main aim of grabbing the audiences attention and 'teasing' them in to wanting to find out more. It has to include enough excitement and intrigue to make it stand out from the rest of the crowd but should not give away to much of the storyline, so the audience will want to see the film and find out more.

The poster i have created is very similar in style to the teaser trailer, as it uses much of the same fonts used in the trailer. The tagline used on the poster is also used in the trailer, to make it seem more of a running theme throughout the feature and also to help create a sense of continuity. The one main image used in the poster is also a still taken directly from the trailer, again helping to maintain the feeling of continuity. The image is also darkened and the brightness and tone lowered, creating a theme of darkness, a theme used in the trailer. The image may also connote a sense of mystery ,as it is quite enigmatic, meaning that this would perhaps get the audience interested in the movie and get them talking about it, meaning that the movie would then perhaps become successful due to word of mouth ,creating a buzz around the movie, the thing that happened to indie films such as 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'Little Miss Sunshine'.

The movie magazine front cover is a less effective marketing tool for the production companies than the movie poster and trailer for several reasons. Although it allows a film the gain publicity among a broader audience, it is on the terms of the magazine editors and not the advertising arm of the relevant production company, meaning all that publicity that the movie gains could be negative publicity. The movie is also not dedicated solely to just one movie like the trailer and the poster are, meaning that the movie will be in competition with other movies from the same genre to try and capture the biggest audience and try and re-coup as much in the the box-office. Again, a still from the trailer is used to promote continuity with the film.

Both of these advertising techniques typify the use of above the line advertising. Above the line advertising is used by the mass media to spread their products as far as possible through the likes TV, Internet and radio. this style of advertising is conventional in its style of communication, meaning that the contact with the audience is often impersonal. This is opposite to below the line advertising, were the advertising is used on a more personal level, often through the use of a personalised e-mail or 'junk' mail.

Overall, the two ancillary tasks seem to combine well with the main product, as the re-using of still images from the teaser trailer allow the feeling of continuity to be established, along with memorable images that will linger long in the memory of the audience. The ancillary tasks also contain the key conventions of a movie poster and magazine cover, allowing them to keep with feeling of professionalism that surrounds the finished main product. They also use marketing strategies established to advertise to a large undefinable target group.

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

From viewing the works of Carol.J.Clover, we have been able to establish a target audience for our products. From meticulous research, Clover was able to establish, from looking at viewing patterns, that the main target areas for horror films were groups of teenagers, usually male and young couples. The feedback our group was able to obtain was achieved through the use of questionnaires, equally distributed between both genders acquiring 15 of each. these helped us to decide on what type of product we should create. After creating the finished product, we were able obtain feedback after a class viewing, during which our classmates were able to voice their opinion on what they thought about our teaser trailer.

The Positive:

The main points of praise that our horror teaser trailer received seemed to be, in the main, in the fields of editing and cinematography. We were told that the shots such as the ambulance overtaking, the run towards the killer on the floor with the car headlights backlighting the shot and head grab shot at the end were among the best that we produced, an opinion of which i would have to agree with. Audience feedback also showed us that we had succeeded in maintaining the use of the typical conventions used in a horror teaser trailer as the feedback told us that the audience felt that the beginning and the end were very good, the narrative to the movie as a whole was established very early and also the music had a good tempo to it and fitted in well with the trailer we had produced. Feedback also highlighted how well we had Incorporated the use of sound effects in to our trailer i.e the Heartbeat.

The Negative:

As well as praising the work we have produced, the audience feedback we received also gave us some constructive criticisms on how our trailer could be improved. The feedback highlighted how some of our shots didn't seem to work in our trailer i.e the driving shots didn't work as they were over long and the shot with the antagonist running towards the car didn't work as it looked far too staged. The feedback also brought up problem of our trailer containing too much dialogue for a teaser trailer and the audience thought that our production company name was "too naff" for a horror teaser trailer. They also felt that, considering our teaser trailer is supposed to be for a slasher horror movie, it lacked blood and gore, an idea that i am in partial agreement with.

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

Blogger: I have found that Blogger proved to be a very effective way for me to showcase all of the work I have produced this year. I am able to showcase everything in one place, allowing people to appreciate all of the work that has gone in to creating the end products. Blogger also allowed my fellow classmates and teacher to access my work throughout the project, allowing them to keep track of my progress and to leave feedback if they felt it was necessary.

Final Cut Pro: This software was the most valuable resource we used when creating our teaser trailer. Through this, we could upload all of the footage we had captured and then decide what amount of that footage we were then going to use. We also were able to then edit all of our chosen footage together to create a teaser trailer that resembled that of professional production company. Final Cut Pro also allowed us to make various adjustments to the trailer to make it more coherent i.e. due to filming difficulties we had to shoot in the daytime but using Final Cut Pro meant we were able to change the brightness settings to make it look as though it was shot during the night.

Photoshop CS4: Photoshop was used to create the ancillary texts for my project, allowing me to easily follow the correct format of existing movie magazines and posters to create a professional looking final product. This software also meant I was able to crop stills form the trailer I created so I could incorporate them into my ancillary tasks, meaning I was able to maintain continuity between my teaser trailer and ancillary tasks.

Video Camera: We used a video camera to film our footage. They were attached to Tripods to keep them steady during filming and meant we were able to use pan and tilt shots in our teaser trailer. A separate camera was used for uploading, allowing us to use our footage to create a teaser trailer.

Flickr: Flickr has been used throughout the course to make blog posts more engaging. Flickr has the option of allowing us to attach notes to the pictures we have uploaded, making note-taking a lot more manageable. There is also another option for other people to leave notes on the same picture, allowing us to accept feedback from our target audience.

You tube: This website gave me access to thousands of teaser trailers, created by professional production companies, allowing me to gain an insight into the standard conventions of the horror teaser trailer. As this web application is closely associated with the term ’Web 2.0’, we were able to upload our teaser trailer onto it, meaning it is now accessible to millions of other internet users around the globe.

Finished Teaser Trailer

storyboards

Results of our questionaire

What gender would you prefer the protagonist to be? What key conventions do you look for in a trailer? What type of villain would you prefer to see in a horror movie?
What style of horror do you prefer?

What setting would you prefer to be used in a horror movie?

What features in a trailer attract you to a film?

From the questionnarie i have found that in the main, the people we asked, felt that a trailer should show the storyline clearly and introduce us to the characters. They also said that music is very important in a trailer as it helps to build up tension. They said that being made to ' jump out of their seats' is also a good feature as it makes them more likely to go and see the movie.

If you could name one thing that makes you want to watch a horror film, what would it be?

The people we asked almost all said that suspense is one of the key items in making them want to watch a horror and also that the film should be scary. I also found that they wanted the movie to have a good storyline and that the themes of the movies should be good. They also said that the movies should have a good trailer to intice them to see the movies in the first place.

Media Essay: What are some of the key convetions of the horror genre?

‘What are some of the key conventions of the horror genre?’

Horror movies contain many conventions which define them as a genre. From the various settings, the typical iconography it includes, the technical codes it uses, its classic Hollywood narrative structure and different themes and character types we are given. By using all of these conventions, moviemakers think this will constitute the making of the perfect horror movie.





After viewing various horror movies such as ‘Halloween’ and ‘The Shining’, I feel that the setting is the most important convention in the horror genre. In ‘The Shining’ for example, the movies is showing us, the audience, the effects of being in an isolated setting can have on the main character, as we see Jack slowly descend into insanity and sprout the famous line, “ All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” However it becomes clear later in the movie that this may not have been the only factor in this event. Other movies such as Eli Roth’s ‘Cabin Fever’ again show the effects of an isolated setting. The movie also shows the effect of going away from the community, which makes them more susceptible victims of the horror genre. Other horror movies show the villain returning to a place that they have had connections with in the past. In ‘Halloween’, for example, we follow Michael Myers from his escape from a mental institution to return to his old family home, where 20 years earlier he had brutally murdered his older sister. The same is also true for movies such as ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’, were killer Freddy Kruger returns to the street he used to live on and in ‘Friday the 13th’, where Jason Voorhees returns to the Camp where he died. Places such as homes that have different levels of cellars and attics, are used in certain types of horror movies. In the whole ‘Haunted House’ sub-genre of horror, movies such as ‘The Haunting’ and ‘House on Haunted Hill’ , they have the house as a villain, as a character, which can link to the nightmares young children have, where something might be living in the attic. This can also link to ‘The Shining’, where it seems as though the hotel is the villain, with room 237 acting as the sort of heart of the building, causing the events that conspire to happen.





Technical codes in horror movies are also very important and are used to great effect in various movies. Camerawork is an integral part of this. From the earliest horror movies such as ‘The Cabinet of Dr Caligari’, using canted angles to great effect and is one of the earliest movies to use these camera techniques. Present day horror movies have shied away from this format and, by using hand-held cameras, have made good use of the P.O.V shots. Movies such as ‘Cloverfield’ and ‘The Blair Witch Project’ have allowed the audience to identify with the central protagonists in the scene. Films such as ‘Halloween’ have also made good use of the idea of ‘Depth of frame’. In the scene after Laurie thinks she has finally killed Michael Myers, we see her in the foreground slumped up against the frame of the door. However, she is ignorant to the fact that in a horror movie, the villain always comes back, and sure enough, in the background of the same shot, we see the body of the killer sitting up. Sound can also be useful in horror movies, especially in the diagesies of the movie. ‘Jeepers Creepers’, for example, uses a song with the same name and is played whenever the monster is going to appear. There is an element of self-referentiality in this as the protagonists in the movie are also aware that whenever this song is played, the monster will appear. The theme music from a horror movie is also valuable. Many horror movies are memorable partly down to the theme music. Movies such as ‘The Exorcist’, ‘The Omen’ and ‘Halloween’ all have famous music which allows the audience to connect with it on another level and makes them remember it. Editing devices used in horror can be of use to. Alfred Hitchcock used them to great effect in the ‘shower’ scene in ‘Psycho’, as the cuts used make it look as the women is being stabbed although the blade never pieced the skin. This shows the power of editing as it makes the audience believe something they haven’t actually seen.






Depending on the sub-genre of the horror movie we are looking at, there are various narrative structures for the horror genre. The slasher film consists of a familiar formula of a killer/villain returning to somewhere close to them (Their family home) and exacting revenge by killing, what is generally, a group of teens who only care about having sex and drinking beer. At the end of the movie there is usually only one character left, which is normally the sensible one, who is interested in neither having sex nor drinking beer and is usually a virgin, like Laurie in ‘Halloween’. We are also left with a rather ambiguous ending where we don’t know if the killer is actually dead or not, which can show the ghostly quality of the character or allow the director to Create a money-spinning sequel if they so wish. The character left at the end is usually a girl, and is often referred to as the ‘final’ girl, a phrase first coined by Carol. J. Clover in her 1987 essay, ‘Her Body, Himself’. Some horror movies such as ‘The Shining’ can also fit into the narrative structure of Vladimir Propp.


Iconography is key to the horror film industry as the audience can almost recognise instantly the horror genre. Things such as the mise-en-scene help add things such as low-key lighting and chiaroscuro, a device which means the creation of shadows through lighting and has been used since the early horror movies, such as ‘Nosferatu’, to more recent horror movies such as ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’. This device is often used to create tension so that the audience doesn’t know when the monster is next going to attack.In movies such as the ‘The Exorcist’ and The Omen’ we also have various pieces of religious paraphernalia such as the cross and crucifixes. Various props such as the killer’s weapons are also a part of the horror iconography, with weapons such as Michael Myers Carving Knife and Jason Voorhees machete. I can see from the following trailer the typical horror iconography present in the 'Friday the 13th' trailer:



In terms of the character types, aside from the ‘final’ girl, the horror genre has several other key character types. We also have the obvious of the monster or killer which we find out about as the movie wares on. We also find out about the group of the teens that the final girl is a part of, but they are very different from her as they spend the movie partying and doing typical teenager stuff, which usually winds up getting them killed. Children are used sparsely in horror movies, however when they are, they seem to be used in movies with religious overtones i.e. ‘The Exorcist and the Omen’, suggesting that religion preys on the innocence of children. The other character that is usually prominent in horror movies is the police. This character is usually shown as being inept and useless at catching the killer or that they don’t believe the victim. However, one film that goes against this fallacy is Wes Craven’s ‘Scream’, in which the police officer shown is actually adept at catching the killer and also believes the ‘final’ girl, Sidney.

To conclude, I have found that some of the key conventions of the horror genre, such as the narrative structure, iconography and technical codes help the audience to gain a clear understanding and defined definition of what the horror genre actually is. They help to formulate ideas about what to expect, leaving us, the audience, surprised when inventive directors do things which go against what we feel is the norm.

Horror Mood Board

In the mood board that i have created, i have included some of the features that i would like to use in my horror trailer. These include a villain likened to those from other films like Halloween and Friday the 13th. I have also included the weapons that these sorts of killers are likely to use. I have also used a variety of settings in my mood board as i am yet unsure as to where my trailer should be set, however i think that the killers that i want to use in my trailer would be more at home in a forest or campsite setting rather than a haunted house setting.

horror movie plot

Horror movie plot

The Meyer family, consisting of the father Jeff, the mother Susan and the daughter Marion are celebrating moving into there new home. However, they are unaware of what is lurking the bushes spying on them. During the evening Marion begins to notice things happening around the house, With things going missing from the garden and the door being left open but decides to ignore the goings on. When Marion pulls the door shut we get our first glimpse of the villain through the window in the door. Shortly after this, the power is cut from the house and Jeff notices that the lights are still on next door so goes outside to the garage to check the fuse box. Once out there he finds that the fuse box has been destroyed and having heard a noise behind him, he turns quickly to reveal the masked assailant, who strikes him with an axe in the chest, killing Jeff instantly. Becoming increasingly worried as to her fathers whereabouts, Marion decides to go outside and investigate. What she discovers brings her to her knees in tears. She finds it in herself to get up and run into the house were she discovers the phone line has been disconnected. She Shouts up to her mother but gets no reply. She ventures upstairs only to find the killer running towards her. She manages to avoid his attempts at catching her and dashes out of the door to try and alert the neighbours. When she is halfway across the garden, the killer grabs her and pulls her to the floor. However, during the struggle, Marion manages to stab him with his own knife. Whilst waiting for the police, who have now been alerted by the neighbours, Marion begins to question the killer herself. Realising he is dying, the scene goes into a flashback of 20 years earlier, were we discover the identity of the killer. We see him as a 8 year old called Michael, who bears witness to a robbery gone wrong and hides away as he views his parents tortured and slaughtered in front of his very eyes. As the camera pulls focus, we see that the couple are a laughing and smiling Jeff and Susan Meyer. As the scene cuts back to the present day a visibly shocked Marion tries to take in this new information. She finds that the police have now arrived and are checking the house with the paramedics putting the now dead Michael in body bag. In the background, a now hysterical Susan is brought out of the house. Marion cannot cope with the information she has just obtained and spills everything to police and Susan’s mood changes from sad to angry and as she is bundled into the police car she vows never to talk to her daughter again. The movie ends with Marion in the arms of her neighbour, trying to come to terms with everything that has happened.

the role of the distributor

- It is the task of the distributors to identify and deliver to the largest possible audience for every film

- Distribution is vital to the film industry as a whole and it is up to the distributor to bring each movie to the market and realising its potential

- When making plans on how to the release a film, the distributors have to discuss their ideas with the:
- Filmmakers and producers
- The Exhibitors
- The external partners and suppliers of the film
- The colleagues who will handle the release

- Distributors in the UK obtain films they release through:
- A third party sales agent of the producer
- From new content being made from its parent studio
- From a studio or production company with which the distributor has signed a deal to promote a number of different films
- A sole film which the distributor acquires before its finished being made

- Before they are able to promote a movie, the distributor had to sign a contract with either the producer, studio or sales agent which tells them what rights they hold in terms of the title

- The larger the production budget, the more likely a film is to have a distributor attached before all its financing is confirmed, however the same can't be said of the indie movies, so the film clip explains how to sell an indie film to a distributor



- Often a distributor will become a partner in a project, adding to its development and the production costs and later bringing it to market.

- Through a combination of market knowledge, commercial experience, statistical research and professional judgement, distributors gauge the audience for each film

- Only when distributors have considered what a film may earn can they prepare a budget to release it, meaning a blockbuster such as 2012 which have a much higher budget than a low budget indie flick like Little Miss Sunshine




- Test screenings can help the distributor to see what the expected audience or box-office propects will be

- The distributors challenge is to try and make a film attract as wide an audience as is possible

- Distributors must compete for a significant share of the voice not only against other distributors but also against other leisure activities in and out of the home

- Audiences have to be persuaded that this is an especially entertaining, must-see movie, with their interest peaking the week the movie opens

- Word of mouth is crucial. A personal recommendation from a friend can be the must powerful trigger for a visit to the cinema

-When constructing a campaign, distributors must aim to reach as much of there target audience as possible and as cost-effectively as they can.

- In each case, a variety of complementary media and promotional options are considered, such as:
- Trailers
- Online and Mobile content
- Media Advertising
- Publicity
- Posters
- Set Visits
- Screenings for National Critics
- Promotional Partnerships
- Festivals
- Merchandising

- Distributors do not participate in the exhibitor revenue from advance booking fees or the drinks, confectionery and popcorn sold in cinema bars and foyers, or any proceeds from screen advertising

- Tim Beven CBE: " We filmmakers rely greatly on our professional distribution colleagues to navigate the advantageous path for our products into and through the brutally competitive marketplace."

- A film distributor's managing director normally supervises a small staff with specialist roles:
- Marketing
- Publicity
- Sales
- Technical
- Aquisitions and Legal
- Finance and Accounting
- Administration

- Film distributors strive to recruit from as wide a talent pool asd practical so their so that their companies remain competitive in the future.

texas chainsaw massacre

texas chainsaw massacre
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wolfman

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wolfman
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teaser trailers

The teaser trailer for the remake of a 'nightmare on elm street' seems to enlist most of the key conventions of a horror trailer. we an idea of what genre it is from the iconography used i.e low key lighting. the name of the movie is given at the end of the trailer which is typical of most trailers but we are only given one production value, which is the name of the director/producer, Michael Bay. It is unlike most other horror trailers though as it depends on the use of dialoque from the movie and has no voice-over and gives one use of inter-titles at the end, which seems to be the tagline for the movie. The trailer dosen't really seem to use music either, something which is usually a staple of a film trailer. Although we are given an idea of what is general plot of the movie, we are left wanting to know more about this film.




The teaser trailer for the remake of 'Friday the 13th' again enlists most of the key conventions i have now come to expect from such a trailer. It again uses iconography to great effect with the use of low-key lighting really setting the scene. However,we are more of the production values in this trailer meaning that this trailer may have been released shortly before the film itself. The trailer again uses no voice-over, which may be a ploy of the producer Michael Bay, as this is usually one of the main conventions of a horror trailer. This teaser trailer gives almost nothing away about the plot apart from there being a masked murderer on the loose meaning the audience now wants to see the movie to find out more.



We again see the main conventions of the horror trailer in the trailer for 'the Wolfman' with features such as music and inter-titles being used to great effect increating suspence within the trailer. Iconography also plays a major part, Particulary in the still that i have picked out.

the Shining

After viewing the movie 'the Shining', and using my relevent knowledge of Propp's theory of character roles. i think that some of the characters in the movie do fit the scope given. for example, the character of Jack Torrance ends up becoming the villain, meaning he began as the false hero. his wife Wendy also fits into this as well, in the role of the hero. we Also have the donor,( chef Hallorann), the helper( Charles Grady) and to a certain extent the dispatcher( Mr Ullman). The film also fits into propps theory of Narrative Functions. we have the;

Preperation: Jack Leaves for the interview
Danny is told not to go to room 237

Complication: The phone lines go out
A snow storm cuts off Jack and his family from the outside world

Transferrence: We see Jacks slow decent into madness,(" All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy")

Struggle: Wendy attacks Jack with a baseball bat when he approches her

Return: Jack escapes from the storage cupboard that Wendy has put him in(with the assistance of Charles Grady)

Recognition: Jack dies after being frozen to death
Wendy and Danny escape

Overall, i think, in the main, this movie highlights the majority of Propps character roles, although it has missed some out i.e the princess/princesses father. However, i think this movie does encapsulate all of the narrative functions that Propp created and this clearly breaks them down within the narrative, rather than allowing them to overlap.

The return of the repressed

Taken from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_repression

Psychological repression, or simply repression, according to Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory, is the involuntary psychological act of excluding desires and impulses (wishes, fantasies or feelings) from one's consciousness and holding or subduing them in the unconscious. Since Freud's work in psychoanalysis, repression is now accepted as a defense mechanism by psychoanalytic psychologists; however, there remains some debate as to whether (or how often) repression really happened and mainstream psychology holds that true repression occurs only very rarely. The way this might relate to the horror genre is when a killer returns to a place from their past e.g. Mike Meyers returns to his house in Halloween.

Scream Trailer

the trailer i have chosen is for the movie 'Scream'. i have chosen this particular trailer as i think it includes the main characteristics that any good trailer needs, such as giving us the main idea of the plot without giving to much away and also the use of a voice-over which i have found is used in almost every horror movie trailer i have seen.



the trailer for my chosen movie seems to contain many of the conventions of a typical trailer. we can clearly tell the genre of the movie from the trailer and at the end we also see the name of the movie. However. we don't much in terms of productions values which suggests that it wasn't a very big buget movie and didn't have a very famous cast list. The film also seems to be aiming itself at the teenagers as a target audience as the scences in the trailer seem to be aimed at teen culture with the used of a house party as a setting. The trailer also has a diverse mix of film dialoque, voice-overs and inter-titles.