Evaluations - What Have You Learnt From Your Audience Feedback?

Trailer Feedback:

Social Media feedback:

As our target audience is mainly you adults we thought a great way to get feedback would be to post our trailer onto social media platforms. We decided to post our trailer on Instagram as this is an app frequently used by young adults therefore we would be able to achieve getting our trailer feedback. Posting our trailer on Instagram meant that people could provide both positive and negative feedback for us to then alter our trailer accordingly. Here is some of the feedback we have received:

We were really pleased with our overall feedback via social media. The majority of feedback was positive with people commenting on how effective our editing was such as the contrast effect. We also received some constructive criticism such as to re film our opening shot and to add some more dialogue.

Questionnaire Feedback:

We also created a questionnaire, we handed this out to members of our target audience as feedback from them was important in making our trailer the best it could be. We particularly focused on handing out our questionnaire in our sixth form ton people who were interested in our trailer and the thriller genre. Similar to our feedback via Instagram we got mostly positive feedback along with some constructive criticism. Much of the feedback was the same as our feedback on Instagram therefore this made it easier for us knowing what we needed to change to suit the needs of our target audience.

Verbal Feedback:

The students in our class and our teachers watched our trailer and gave us some verbal feedback. We were given both positive and negative feedback in order to gain knowledge of what others thought worked well and what needed to be changed. Seen below is our overall feedback.



Postive feedback:

• Good use of special effects - the contrast effect and the blur effect
• The mug smashing with the high angle slow motion shot looks really effective 
•  The extreme close up of the detective board contributed to building the tension.         

Negative feedback:

• The music could be louder in certain areas to increase the build up of tension.
• A few more short shots could be added to increased the pace 
• Dialogue in the opening scene could be clearly, at some points it is hard to hear. 

Change 1:

One change that we made to our trailer was re filming the opening scene. This is due to the fact the quality of the sound of the dialogue was poor, this was also flagged up during our feedback as many suggested this change. Once this had been re filmed on Premier Pro we used a zooming in effect to zoom in on Staceys face as Zac abruptly leaves. This gives the effect that the camera is moving, emphasises her facial expression and makes the overall shot more interesting. Zooming in on Staceys confused expression makes the audience more involved and helps them to feel the emotions the characters are.

Change 2:
Another change we made to our trailer was adding a blurred effect whilst Stacey is running. Having a wider variety of shots was one of our feedback points. Although this shot is Stacey is a tracking shot we decided to incorporate the blurred effect to add the element of disorientation. This connotes to the audience Staceys emotions of confusion and stress therefore helping the audience to relate. The Girl On The Train trailer also includes this blur effect to connote mystery when someone has gone missing therefore this is a conventional effect of the thriller genre. Once this change had been added to the trailer we got the students in our class and our teacher to give us their opinions on the effect. Everyone said it looked really effective and was relatable to the thriller genre.

Change 3:
Another change we made was adding slightly more dialogue in order for the storyline to be even more clear and to help build tension throughout our trailer. Adding slightly more dialogue was feedback given back to us by quite a few people therefore we knew we needed to take this feedback and make the changes needed. We decided to add more dialogue between Stacey and Zacs mum in order for the audience to understand further the relationships in the film and the heartache they are going through. The dialogue we added was Stacey saying "I will found out who did this" and Zacs mum then replying "I can't take it anymore". This use of dialogue conveys the deterioration of Zacs mums state of mum and the determination of Staceys.

Poster Feedback: 


In order to make my poster the best possible I got feedback from my teachers and peers. They gave me both negative and positive enabling me to gain an understanding of what has worked well and what needed improving. This was the same from my magazine cover also.

Feedback:

Positive:

• Effective use of image manipulation 
• Good main image 

Negative:

• Add a star rating to attract the audience 
• Change the colour of the speech marks from the reviews to make them stand out 

Change 1:
One change that I made to my poster was adding a star rating. Seeing a 5 star rating on a film poster instantly tells the audience that the film is of good quality. This recognisable attribute will therefore make the poster more attractive to the audience due to it's great rating. I added the star rating underneath the release date as these two elements of the poster will work well together in getting people to go and watch the film. The film poster for Nocturnal Animals also includes star rating connoting that this is conventional to film posters.

Change 2:
Another change I made to my poster was the colour of the stars. The feedback I was given was that I should use a colour to match my colour theme of black, white and red. Therefore I decided to change my stars to white. On Photoshop I used the colour tool which enabled me to use exactly the same white as the white used in my film title. This use of the same colour helps to connect the synergy of my products. The colour white is also conventional to the thriller genre as it connotes innocence.

Change 3:

Another change I made to my poster was the colour of the speech marks around my reviews from Empire Magazine and The Guardian. I was given feedback to change this colour in order to make the good reviews stand out. I deiced the change the colour of these speech marks to red. I used the colour tool on Photoshop in order to use the exact same colour red as in my title. This not only makes the positive reviews stand out it also connects the synergy between my products. This therefore attracts the audiences eye and makes them want to watch the film as reliable sources have given it good feedback.


Magazine front cover feedback:

Feedback:

Positive:

• Good main image
• Effective magazine title 

Negative:

• Include another films information, this is a conventional element 
• Add some kind of background to the free incentive to make it stand out 
• Add a date and price, these are very conventional

Change 1:
My first change I made to my trailer was to include information on another film. This is a common convention of a magazine front cover. I decided to use one of my peers films called 'The Raptus'. I used an image I was given also. Not only is this a common convention but it also makes the reader want to buy the magazine as theres extra information inside on a another thriller movie.

Change 2:

Another change I made was to add some kind of background to my incentive of free cinema tickets. I was given this feedback in order to make this incentive stand out and attract the reader. I decided to use a white circle to make this stand out. Not only does the white contracts with the black background but it connects the synergy between my three products due to the fact white is in my film title.

Change 3:
Another change I made was to add the date and the price. Although I had included a barcode, the date and price are very conventional to a magazine front cover and I was reminded this via my feedback. therefore I added these two elements around the barcode and this is where they are regaulry found on magazine front covers.

Evaluations - How effective is the combination of my Main and Ancillary products?

Throughout my main product and ancillary texts I have attempted to use stereotypical conventions of the psychological thriller genre. The use of synergy throughout my three products promotes the film, makes it recognisable to the audience whilst also reminding them of important information such as the release date. 

All three of my texts include conventional elements of the thriller genre in order to attract my target audience of young adults (15-25 year olds).  As a result of the conventional elements included the audience will recognise these and therefore be attracted to the film as this is what they are interested in. 

On my film poster the main image is of the main character in my film, this is a mid-shot in the foreground. A longer shot is used in the mid-ground of the poster of the main characters best friend. He is seen to be slightly transparent connoting to the audience that something is likely to happen to him during the film. On photoshop I lowered the opacity of this image in order to give the audience an incentive of the plot as the film revolves around his best friend, the main character, trying solve the mystery of his death. In the main image the character is using direct mode of address looking directly at the audience connoting she is in search of some help. Her facial expressions are serious and almost angry looking conveying that she is determined to solve the crime. 

The antagonist is unknown throughout all three of my products introducing the element of mystery. This is conventional to the genre therefore intriguing the audience as a crime needs to be solved. 

My film magazines main image is again of the main character, a mid-shot is sued connoting she is weak yet her facial expressions are serious conveying her determination to the audience to solve the crime of her best friends death. The main character will be recognised by the audience from the film trailer and the film poster linking the elements of synergy between my texts. The audience will have seen the main character in all three of texts and of become aware of her determination to solve the crime therefore they will want to watch the full film to find out what happens. 

One of the main ways I have shown synergy throughout my texts was the use of the ‘Franklin Gothic Heavy’ font which has been featured greatly across my texts. Not only has our title appeared in this same font throughout my three texts but having the ‘no’ of No More in red and the ‘more’ in white has also been used throughout every use of our title. This therefore makes our title more distinctive and memorable to the audience. Using the same font throughput my texts not only makes them appear more professional but also makes my products stand out. 

I included institutional information into my products - at the end of my trailer and on my film poster. Institutional information is important due to the fact it gives information such as the actors names and the companies involved in the making of the film. I also included a 5 star rating as this is recognisable to audiences that the film is of a good quality. Throughout my trailer low key lighting is used, this is conventional to the genre therefore appealing to the audience. Low key lighting is also featured in my film poster and magazine front cover introducing the element of synergy and making my products relatable to the thriller genre. 

In conclusion I believe the use of synergy across my three products has been effective and as a result the combination of my products have been successful. Using the conventional elements of the thriller genre in all three of my texts should attract my target audience to my film. I believe my target audience would be invested in my film after engaging with all three of my products. 

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

Video Camera: Our most crucial piece of technology was our video camera as we were able to film a great amount of footage, angles and movement. We borrowed the camera from school therefore enabling us to use it from long periods of time giving us the flexibility we needed to get the best content for our trailer. As the camera was small we were able to create a variety of shots as a result of being able to manoeuvre the camera in many ways.






Digital camera: Once I had decided photographs I wanted to take for both my magazine front cover an film poster I used the digital camera to take these. I used the schools photograph department to use the flash studio in order to make my photographs look as professional as possible helping to create realistic products.                          
                                                 





Iphone: My IPhone X is one of the main technologies I used throughout my research and planning. My phone played a vital role in communicating with group when it came to plannin
g our filming. We used the apps Facebook Messenger and iMessage to communicate via group chats where we would plan when we would all be free to film. The Notes app was important due to the fact we would list the equipment we needed to bring in therefore we would be organised and ready to film when we needed to. I also used my phone camera to take photographs of various pieces of planning and research such as our setting ideas on a whiteboard and annotation of film titles. Via my iPhone I was also able to access the internet therefore this made easy for myself if I need to research something. The app Youtube on my phone also allowed me to not only view thriller trailers but also access our film drafts when we needed to.




Adobe Premier Pro: All of our editing was on a windows computer on Premier Pro. I have had some previous experience with this editing software as I used this when editing our AS film opening. However using this software for a second time definitely has widened my skills as I have had to overcome several challenges. We were able to import all of our footage, music and sound effects easily and were able to delete the ones we were not using. This made it easy for us to decide what sound was suitable and went well and what did not. I was able to add simple transitions such as 'fade to black', increase/decrease the speed of our clips and add rewinds when we wished to use them. We were able to watch back our trailer and then make amendments where necessary. However we could only edit on one computer therefore had to plan times between the group when we were all available as
well as when the computer was free.

Adobe Photoshop: Photoshop has been crucial to me as both my film poster and magazine from cover were created on this software.
Not only that but our film company logo and film title were also created on Photoshop. I have had some past experience with this software but not greatly in the sense of creating my magazine front cover and poster. Therefore I used the internet to help me create these products as long side my own knowledge. I used the blending tools when creating the background of my poster. I used the quick election to select the images away from the background that I wished to use. I used the contrast and level tools in order to create the most professional looking images. Due to the fact both my film nah, poster and magazine front cover were created on this software I was able to use to synergy of my film title font throughout making it recognisable to the audience.








Blogger: I found using the Blogger website easy and useful. I was able to access it via the school computer, my iPhone and my Mac computer at home making it easy for me to upload blogs and create work. As a result of the different options to either 'save' and 'publish'meant I was able to work on several pieces of unfinished work at the same time. Being able to upload images was also very useful when it came to creating my blog posts.







Social Networking: Working as a group mean that communication was vital therefore social media was a great way to do so. The app Facebook messenger was great for discussing and panning when we would all be free to film. Facebook was also good for promoting our film and getting feedback from friends. We also created an Instagram page with not only a link to our film trailer but also to give our followers updates about our film. Myself and Becca are in charge of this page and decide between us what is going to be posted and by who. Using social media was a perfect way to target our younger audience, keeping them intrigued with new updates and images. I had my notifications for Instagram and Facebook turned on therefore I was able to be notified when we had a like or comment. This media technology was very useful in promoting our film, keeping our audience involved and communicating with our group.

Evaluations - In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms of Conventions from Real Media Products?

Frame 1: Our film title.
The first frame of my analysis is our choice of title, No More and how this is presented in our trailer. We choose this title because it gives the audience an insight into our plot. Most audiences would associate our title with the element of something or someone no longer being here anymore. Throughout my research I found that the topic of someone dying or feeling in danger heavily occurs in physiological thrillers such as 'The Last House On The Left'  and 'Split'. Therefore this instantly attracts our target audience as our title is recognisable as a thriller. No more is a bold statement, which shows no sign of hesitation, symbolising that whatever has happened in the film is of a serious nature. The title still leaves some openness for the audience to create their own interpretations to the meaning.

Our title follows the fact that most thriller titles are one or two words long such as 'Gone Girl' and 'Se7en'. This is an advantage due to the fact this is a convention thats recognised throughout the thriller genre therefore will attract the audience.

We knew that when deciding our font that this was an important task due to the fact this would be creating synergy across all of our elements. The font we chose to use was 'Franklin Gothic' as we thought it matched our title perfectly. No more is a bold, rather blunt statement therefore the bold, sans serif font connotes this mood. The film 'Inception' title is also presented this way as seen above. Our title is placed over a black background which is a stereotypical layout used for the thriller genre seen in other thriller films such as 'The Purge'.

Frame 2: Storyline/plot.
Frame 2 is of Stacey looking at the detective/suspect board we made filming as if she made it. This is a vital part to the trailer as it is one of the main points where the audience realises she is taking matters into he down hands despite being told by the detective that the case is close dad it was suicide not murder. It introduces the fact that someone could be to blame and that possible the detective was wrong. This introduces the common convention of the thriller genre; mystery. However we have challenged the idea that the antagonist is normally known throughout the film whereas in our trailer the audience is unaware who has murdered Zac, if in fact he did not commit suicide.

Frame 3: Settings

During filming we visited several settings in order to have the best locations to represent our thriller genre. We also wanted to use settings recognisable to a person of middle class due to the fact this is our target audience. Middle class people are also most likely to visit the cinema in their spare time therefore are most likely to watch our film.

The home setting was used to portray the feelings of safety and comfort, therefore the mother hearing news of her sons death here adds extra emphasis to what has occurred. Many thriller films are set in house settings such as 'The Strangers' and 'The Purge' therefore we have conformed to this convention.Again, a park is stereotypical associated with happy memories and safety. Therefore conveying this setting in a negative way challenges the audiences views intriguing them.

Other settings such as a police station and graveyard were used to connote to the audience the element of mystery, crime and death that is conventionally seen in the thriller genre.


Frame 4: Props and costume.
For frame 4 I have used a mid shot of the main character holding a bottle of vodka. I chose this shot as it challenges the conventions of a protagonist, as they are often not involved with alcohol, especially at a young age. However we felt it would be a good way to highlight Staceys desperation to find out who killed her best friend.

In 'The Girl On The Train' trailer the main character, who is middle-aged, is seen to be drinking alcohol as a coping mechanism therefore the act of drinking alcohol at a tough time connotes the struggle. It is a recognisable act to the audience therefore helping them to sympathise.


Frame 5: Camera and Editing 
Before filming we thought it was crucial to plan all of shots, movements and angels. This is because in real media products there is typically a wide variety used. For frame 5 I have used a high angle mid-shot of the main character laying down flowers on her best friends grave. This emphasises her vulnerability and feelings of helplessness. This is a common convention used in thriller genre when presenting the victims or those affected from a crime that has occurred.

Close ups are used throughout our trailer such as when the mystery hand picks up the flowers the main character has put down for her best friend. This close up leaves the audience in suspense as they left with man questions and the close up shot emphasises these further. Fast-paced editing is also used throughout our trailer. This is extremely conventional to the thriller genre and is used to build the audience up to the climax. Then the editing is slowed down again conveying the emphasis of the climax that has occurred. Often the music increases and decreasing its pace along with the editing as in our trailer. This convention is sued in the trailer on 'Gone Girl' conveying that our products suing conventions of real media products.

Frame 6: Introducing Characters. 
During our trailer 4 characters are introduced, one which could be considered the main character. We did not want to introduce too many characters due to the fact we did not want to distract the audience from the plot itself. The two best friends are the opening shot to the trailer, this immediately connotes to the audience their friendship. Dietetic sound of the pair laughing together helps to connote their loving relationship further.

The antagonist is never introduced, leaving the element of mystery to the audience. This is somewhat conventional due to the fact antagonists identities are usually hidden in some way. The fact the antagonist has such  vast impact in he trailer yet is not introduced leaves the audience in anticipation wanting to find out more. In the film 'The Girl On The Train' the antagonist is not introduced until the end therefore conveying that are product is similar to real media products.

The mother is introduced when she is shown dropping her mug of tea after becoming aware of her sons death. She is then shown throughout the trailer as she deteriorates. She's seen hugging a photograph, drinking alcohol and lighting a match surrounded by tablets and drink. This therefore emphasies to the audience the impact her sons death has had on her.

The detective is briefly introduced via low-key lighting on the phone to the main character explain that the case is closed. The low key lighting introduces elements of crime and mystery which are conventional to the thriller genre,


Frame 7: Special effects. 

Throughout our trailer we have used several special effects to add a distorting element and to represent the abnormal activity occurring.The frame I have used to demonstrate this is when our title appears at the end of the trailer to reveal a mystery hand picking up the flowers Zacs best friend placed on his grave. We used a contrasting effect to introduce the film title. The difference between the normal shot which transitions into this effect connotes the abnormalities throughout the trailer and the element that something isn't quite right. 

We used other subtle transitions such as flashes to white and black between shot transitions. In research I discovered this was the main way to smoothly transition between shots as many real media products have done this. We also used short periods of reversed footage for example when the main character is walking through the graveyard. I found this challenged real media products as I did not come across this effect in any of my research however it suits the genre as a result of the eery element it creates. 

Frame 8: Magazine front cover

Frame 8 shows the bottom section of my magazine front cover. I chose this section as I thought it included the most conventional parts of a magazine front cover. It includes banner text, showing the audience what is going to be inside the magazine. You can see the bottom half of the film title, in the same recognisable font therefore showing synergy between my products which is conventional of real media products. The film title is also bigger than all other text a part from the film magazine name. The colours used are stereotypical to the thriller genre; blacks, reds and whites attracting the audience as this is recognisable as their preferred genre. My magazine also includes the barcode and date which are all necessary for a magazine front cover. I researched many magazine front covers in order to create a realistic cover myself. I took great inspiration from Empire magazine and Total film. The main image on my magazine is the main character looking directly at the audience. This use of direct mode of dress intrigues the audience and draws them in. I used adobe photoshop to edit my main image creating more shadowing and contrast. This therefore created low key lighting which is conventional to the thriller genre. 

Frame 9: Film poster

For frame 9 I used a screenshot of the central part of my film poster as I believe it includes the most conventional elements. The images on the post I believe conforms to the conventional elements of a real media product as I have used a face on close up of one character and a further away mid-shot of the other. On Adobe Photoshop I also lowered the opacity of the character in the background making him slightly transparent, giving the effect that he is disappearing. I have also included the release date as throughout my research I have learnt that this is vital in getting your audience to watch your film. A long with the star rating and quotes as it conveys to the audience the quality of your product. Shown to the right is the 'Nocturnal Animals' film poster conveying that my poster is

 conforms to the conventions of real media products.

No More Magazine Front Cover

No More Film Poster

No More Second Draft

https://youtu.be/imuksQQIwlw