The Darkness Trailer

Our groups' trailer is available to watch here.

Evaluation

http://prezi.com/u0qfpozdztt_/a2-media-coursework-evaluation/

Which ident?

All film productions have an ident shown before a film and its trailer. It is a short clip showing the company logo, normally through an animation which reflects the foundations of a particular company. When my group started planned to create 'The Darkness', we had to decide which ident would be the most appropriate for our storyline and chosen genre. For this we decided to do some research into the existing idents which are being used by existing production companies. I will also list some basic history of the ident, and films similar to ours, which use the various idents.

20th Century Fox

The Art Deco 20th Century Fox logo, designed by landscape artist Emil Kosa, Jr., originated as the 20th Century Fox logo after the 'Pictures Inc.' was substituted with 'Fox' in 1935, after the merger of 20th Century Pictures and Fox. In 1994 after several failed attempts of creating a moving ident in 3D, Fox hired a Los Angeles based company to use CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) to redesign the ident, and create the ident which has been used ever since. The company hired, Studio Productions, had already provided facelifts for other companies such as Paramount and Universal, so it seemed natural that 20th Century Fox would do the same. The famous Fox ident soundtrack was created in 1981 and has been used ever since. Due to the nature of the films which 20th Century Fox creates, such as the Simpsons Movie, my group decided that we will not use this ident, and look for another ident from a production company which has created more appropriate films.

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures is an American film production and distribution company, which now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, which itself forms part of the global conglomerate Sony; which as a result makes Columbia Pictures a member of the Big Six film production companies in the world. The company was set up in 1919, and released its first motion picture in 1922. Columbia's logo which forms the main focal point of the ident has been through five major revisions since the company first created idents. Originally the lady holding the torch signified 'Columbia' (the female personification of the United States). But before it adapted this character, the original idents in 1924 was a female Roman soldier holding a shield in her left hand and a stick of wheat in her right hand. The current revision of the ident was created in 1992, when it was digitally repainted by New Orleans artist Michael Daos, who returned the figure back to her original look before the various versions of the character. This ident was a serious contender for our ident in the planning process of the 'Darkness' but for various reasons, we decided that we would not be using it for our film.

Paramount

The Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company owned by media conglomerate Viacom, and is part of the Big Six group of production companies. Founded in 1912, it is America's oldest film studio, and is one of the last companies to still be headquartered in the Hollywood district of the city of Los Angeles, California. As a result of its prestige in the film industry due to its age, Paramount is consistently rated as one of the top grossing film studios in the world. The Paramount Pictures' mountain image has been used on the companies' ident since its inception; so as a result is the oldest surviving Hollywood film idents. Over the years, the ident has been subsequently redesigned, with the latest version of the ident featuring Mount Everest (created in 2002, as part of Paramount's 90th anniversary celebrations). The current ident was created in 2010, with a new font called 'New Viacom'. A horror film which Paramount created include the 'Friday the 13th' franchise of movies, which have been hugely successfully for the company and have been one of our inspirations for the planning of 'The Darkness'. For the same reasons, as Columbia Pictures though, we decided not to use this ident, and instead use the final ident in which we researched.

Universal

Universal Studios was created in 1912 by Carl Laemmle, and is one of the Big Six production companies in the world. It is owned by the American media conglomerate NBC Universal. It is the second oldest surviving Hollywood studio with Paramount Pictures beating it by one month to be the oldest. The company's ident has became ident and synonymous with the company even without the 'Universal' text being shown in front of the revolving globe. The first ident dates back to 1914, and has been through several revisions since the creation of the current idea, but one factor has remained the same - this being the revolving globe featuring the North American and European continents. When NBC took control of the company it was assumed that the globe would be retired in favour of a more modern brand, but wisely they decided to keep the rotating globe and integrate it into the new companies' logo (NBC Universal). It is assumed that this ident will be revised between 2014-15 as Universal reaches it's centenary. Our inspirations in the planning process including a sci-fi/horror film named War of the Worlds which was released in 2005 with the director Stephen Spielberg. As a result, we decided that we would use this ident as opposed to Paramount and Columbia, as we believe it fitted in better with the product which we are trying to create.

Final Media Products

Film Poster

Film Magazine Front Cover

Magazine Front Cover Mock Up

Before I created my magazine front cover, I decided to look at how other magazines have featured films in the past, and create a mock up so I had some guidance during the creation of my own magazine front cover. I have chosen the name 'Snapshot' for the magazine as I believe it is revelant to the film industry, and works well with the type of film which we have created. The mock up features the locations of various aspects of the front cover such as the title, the main image, various previews, and features.

Poster Mock Up

Before I created my poster using Abode Photoshop, I created a mock up to give me guidance on what features went where. On my mock up, I included features such as; a main image, the film's slogan, the billing block, and the film's title, as well as a smaller billing block featuring the two main actors who star in the film.

'The Darkness' Running Order and Shot List

Clapperboard Sheets of Mock Shots

Pitch

Storyboards

As part of the creation of our film, 'The Darkness', we decided to create storyboards to give us guidance on the filming process at our locations, and for the editing process on the various computer applications. The storyboards show a basic drawing of the snapshot from the filming, as well as a brief description of what we have done, and the audio used.

Risk Assessment

During the filming process, there were several risks which the actors were exposed to. Below are the various 'Risk Assessment Forms' which my group completed to highlight the dangers and what level these dangers were for the actors, i.e. high, medium, and low.

Venue Release Forms

During the filming process, we made sure that we gained the permission off the owner(s) where we filmed. This was important as we wanted to make sure that we would not get into trouble filming at the location, where the owner(s) did not want us to be. Below are the venue release forms from the participants used during the film process.

Analysis of Marketing Campaign for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two - Posters

The marking campaign for the final instalment of the Harry Potter franchise, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two' includes many different variations of a single poster which includes different characters, both in groups like the two posters I have analysed above, and individually which I will post below. All of the posters use the practice of synergy through the fire like balls floating at the bottom of the poster, and the rocks and stones scattered throughout the poster. Synergy is used found on the posters, film trailers, and magazine front covers, which feature the main characters, by the dark colours used, and the serious looks on the characters faces.

The poster above is an example of the posters used during the marketing campaign which featured the characters individually, as opposed to in a group which I have analysed above. The practice of syngery is still in use on the individual poster of Harry Potter above through the fire-like balls floating around towards the bottom of the poster; the dark colours; and the serious look on Harry's face.

Actors List





We decided to use actors which we thought were suitable for the characters which we created for our film. Our actor list contains three people; all three of which being main characters within both the overall storyline of the film, and the film trailer iself too. Two of our characters are central protaganists within the plot (with one being a male and the other being a female) whilst the other character is a minor character who is heavily involved in the storyline, and has a role of scaring the two central protaganists.

Comparison of a historical and modern trailer

Historic Trailer - 'Dr Strangelove or: How I learnt to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb':-



The trailer for the film above is an example of a trailer used for a historic film. It heavily features text on the screen for the viewers to read as opposed to the modern practice of a narrator, this was because at the time of the release of 'Dr Strangelove: and How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb', silent movies were still being released into the cinemas, along with the more 'contemporary' films which use audio. Another feature of historical trailers which was evident in the trailer posted above is the length of the trailer. The average length for a trailer now-a-days is 2 minutes, this trailer as well as others created in its time, were much longer, as their creators liked to use as much dailys as possible to expose the film's synopsis to the viewer. This practice is no longer in use as the creators of trailers prefer to leave a cliffhanger and let the viewer find the plot of the film out when the film is released at the release date.

Modern Trailer - 'Green Lantern':-

History of Film Trailers

The first trailer was shown in a U.S. movie theater in November 1913, when Nils Granlund, the advertising manager for the Marcus Loew theater chain, produced a short promotional film for the musical ‘The Pleasure Seekers’.

Above - The film poster for 'The Pleasure Seekers'

Granlund was also first to introduce trailer material for an upcoming motion picture, using a slide technique to promote an upcoming film featuring Charlie Chaplin at Loew's Seventh Avenue Theatre in Harlem in 1914.

Above - The original 1964 trailer for 'Dr Stranglove or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

In the early 1960s, the face of motion picture trailers changed. Textless, montage trailers and quick-editing became popular, largely due to the arrival of the "new Hollywood" and techniques that were becoming increasingly popular in television. Among the trend setters were Stanley Kubrick with his montage trailers for Lolita, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Above - Threatrical trailer for 2011 film 'Green Lantern' - an example of present day film trailers

Today, longer, more elaborate trailers and commercial advertisements have replaced other forms of pre-feature entertainment and in major multiplex chains, about the first twenty minutes after the posted show time is devoted to trailers.

Research a Marketing Campaign (Signs)

As part of the planning process, it was vital that I looked at the marketing campaign for another film in the same genre as the film which our group were creating, to see how the marking campaign manage to keep synergy between the film trailer, poster, and film magazine front covers. For my research I decided I would look at the film, 'Signs' which is part of the horror/thriller genre. This is the genre which I hope our film 'The Darkness' will be under.

In another post in my blog I will write about the film trailer more throughly, and compare it with another film trailer from the a different genre to note which codes and conventions both films adhere to.

The marketing team for this movie have used several techniques to link the film poster to the trailer, the main features which I noticed being the clear advertisement of the main actors name on the billing block. In the trailer, the viewer is made aware that the main star in this film is Mel Gibson; the same method has been used on the film trailer through Mel Gibson's name being the only name to appear on the billing block. Another method in which the marketers have connected the two media products is through the use of the same font and slogan. The slogan 'It's happening!' is noted both in the trailer and on the film poster. This has been done to reinforce the slogan, and to allow the potential viewer to instantly connect the two media products, and the connect the name and slogan.

Venue/ Location List (inc. Photographs)

Rainbow Park (Melling, Merseyside)

A large proportion of our filming was shot at a public park in the village of Melling in Merseyside. We believed this location was suitable due to its relatively remote location and quietness, which other locations during the planning process we discovered did not include. On the photograph above it shows the park's main entrance this was not the exact location of our filming. The exact location of our filming taken place towards the centre of the field through the second set of gates, shown on the photograph above. In this location we found playground equipment - which fitted in the storyline - plus, the setting in the village of Melling gave us a family location, which the storyline's plot revolved around.

Country Path (Melling, Merseyside)

One of the main scenes within the trailer is filmed on a country path on the northwestern side of the village of Melling in Merseyside. This location was chosen due to its remote location - so we could film without the distractions - and because its rural location which fits with the storyline and the other locations which we have decided to choose across east Sefton. The photograph above shows the entrance to the path from the main thoroughfare in the village; the location we choose to film the 'walk out of the shot' scene however was further down the path away from the noise of the traffic.

Balls Wood Park (Maghull, Merseyside)

The vast majority of our filming took place at our main location, Balls Wood, which is a public park on the eastern edge of the town of Maghull in Merseyside. During the planning process, there have been different locations which we have discussed for our main location, but after careful consideration looking at the storyline and characters, we have decided to use Balls Wood. In the photograph above you can see the woodland area, this is where the majority of our filming has taken place including the 'RUN' on the tree scene, as well as the 'running towards the gate' scenes which together make up a large section of our trailer. It is a quiet location, but at the same time a family location, because of its large playground as well as the houses lining the western boundary of the park. 

Production Log (inc. Prop and Costume Lists)

During the planning and filming process, we decided that we would plan when, where and what would be done on the various days which we were filming. We recorded what props, actors, costume and equipment we would use when filming. This became very useful during the filming process, as we had a guide to show us everything we were supposed to be doing. Below I have listed the various factors involved, as well as other notes which I thought were important and should include;


Friday, 21st October 2011
Props - N/A
Actors - Andrew Keller, Nicolle Abbott, Sabrina Malhotra
Costume - School Uniform, Black Coats, Dark Trousers
Equipment - Video Camera, Storyboard Notes
Other Notes - N/A

Saturday, 22nd October 2011
Props - N/A
Actors - N/A
Costume - N/A
Equipment - N/A
Other Notes - No filming taken place on this day

Sunday, 23rd October 2011
Props - N/A
Actors - Andrew Keller, Nicolle Abbott
Costume - Casual Clothing
Equipment - Video Camera, Storyboard Notes
Other Notes - N/A

Monday, 24th October 2011
Props - N/A
Actors - Andrew Keller, Nicolle Abbott, Chris Kingsbury, Sabrina Malhotra, Joseph Caldon
Costume - School Uniform, Black Coats, Dark Trousers, Cargo Pants, Short Sleeve T-Shirt
Equipment - Video Camera, Storyboard Notes
Other Notes - Our costume choice depended on what role a person was given (actor/ camera crew)

Tuesday, 25th October 2011
Props - N/A
Actors - N/A
Costume - N/A
Equipment - N/A
Other Notes - No filming taken place on this day

Wednesday, 26th October 2011
Props - N/A
Actors - Andrew Keller, Nicolle Abbott, Sabrina Malhotra
Costume - School Uniform, Dark Trousers, Black Coats
Equipment - Video Camera, Storyboard Notes
Other Notes - N/A

Thursday, 27th October 2011
Props - N/A
Actors - N/A
Costume - N/A
Equipment - N/A
Other Notes - No filming taken place on this day

Friday, 28th October 2011
Props - N/A
Actors - Andrew Keller,  Nicolle Abbott, Sabrina Malhotra
Costume - School Uniform, Dark Coats, Black Trousers, Cargo Pants, Short Sleeve T-Shirt
Equipment - Video Camera, Storyboard Notes, Timer
Other Notes - The filming of our 'walk out of the scene' shot didn't go to plan, and a timer was used to make sure that the 'walk out of the scene' took the required timing which we decided on in planning, and did not go over or under this desired time

Saturday, 29th October 2011

Props - N/A
Actors - Andrew Keller, Nicolle Abbott
Costume - Casual Clothing
Equipment - Video Camera, Supplement Storyboard
Other Notes - The last two storyboard sheets were changed, so this footage was not used

Sunday, 30th October 2011

Props - N/A
Actors - Andrew Keller, Nicolle Abbott, Sabrina Malhotra
Costume - Casual Clothing with Darker Colours
Equipment - Video Camera, Storyboards
Other Notes - N/A

Postmodernism Theory

Below is a diagram which showcases the four different threads connected to Postmodernism theory;

Postmodernism deliberately rejects the idea that there is a high and low culture. They tend to avoid rigid genre distinctions. Rathet than conforming to genre distinctions, postmodernists took a preferenve of the following formats;

• Pastiche - a mixture of different forms
• Parody - a spoof vertsion of a genre
• Bricolage - use of the materials available depsite the intended purpose
• Irony - when there is tension between what is said and what is meant

Vladimir Propp Theory

• 8 character roles or spheres of action (character and action being inseparable)
• 31 functions always highly predictable such as the villian being punished at the end of the story

• The Villian
• The Hero
• The Donor
• The Helper
• The Princess
• The Father (the King who rewards hero)
• The Dispatcher (who sends hero on his way)
• The False Hero (usually good looking and a coward)

Claude Levi-Strauss Theory

Argued that meaning in narratives is based upon binary opposition (or conflict), he was less interested in the arrangement (syntagmatic) of the narrative (or order) and more in the deeper meaning (paradigmatic) of themes.

Binary opposition are things like;

• Men v Women
• Earth v Space
• Science v Nature
• Good v Evil

Queer Theory

Queer theory is the field of gender studies that emerged in the early 1990s out of the fields of gay and lesbian studies, and feminist studies. Although many people believe that queer theory is only about homosexual representations in literature, it also explores categories of gender, as well as sexual orientation. It is not only concerned with sexuality but also with identity. It sees gender as constructed socially, to some extent through our association with the media.

An example of this threory is in the children's television programme 'Scooby Doo'. Three of the five main characters have defined roles which have been set through queer theory. These include;

• Fred - Leader, Male
• Daphne - Female, follows Fred, and is a Girly Girl
• Velma - Brainy/Nerd, Intelligent, Lesbian

Queer theorists analyse texts to expose underlying meanings within and to challenge the notions of 'straight' ideology. They generally challenge the idea that what appears to be straight is in fact a subversion of homosexual desires.

Detailed Analysis of Two Film Posters

In this post, I am going to analyse two film posters from which advertise a film from two different distinct genres - one being from the set film 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two', and the other being a poster which has been as part of the marketing campaign for a film in the same genre as the film which my group have created our trailer for, for this I will be using the poster from the British science fiction/ horror film '28 Days Later'.

Both of the film posters which I analysed adhered to the codes and conventions which I have looked at in a previous post, as they both contained a main imge, a release date, a slogan and the most important feature - the film's name. Both of the film posters although from different genres stick to the same basic design of featuring a title with the billing block as well as the release date below, although the Harry Potter slightly wonders away from this by not placing a title whatsoever on its poster and instead just placing a quote from the text, which is used in synergy on the film trailer.

Richard Dyer's Star Theory

Richard Dyer has written extensively about the role of stars in film, television, and music. Irrespective of the medium, stars have some key features in common. A star is an image, not a real person, that is constructed (as any other aspect of fiction is) out of a range of materials (e.g. advertising, magazines, music etc.). Stars are commodities produced and consumed on the strength of their meanings.

Stars depend upon a range of subsidiary media - magazines, television, radio and the internet - in order to construct an image for themselves which can be marketed to their target audiences. The star image is made up of a range of meanings which are attractive to the target audiences.

Fundamentally, the star image is incoherent, that is incomplete and 'open'. Dyer says that this is because it is based upon two key paradoxes;

• Paradox 1 - The star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer. They have to be someone which other people can aspire to be like.

• Paradox 2 - The star must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumer. This means that the star are there, but have a private life which people can not see.    

The incoherence of the star image ensures that audiences continually strive to 'complete' or to 'make sense' of the image. This is achieved by continuous consumption of the star through his or her products. In the music industry, performance seems to promise the completion of the image, but it is always ultimately dissatisfying. This means their fans will get away determined to continue consuming the star in order to satisfy/ carry on attempting to complete their image.

Roland Barthes' Theory

Roland Bathes is famous in media studies for suggesting that narratives work with the codes.

• The Action or Proairectic
• The Enigma or Hermeneutic
• The Semic
• The Symbolic
• The Culturalor Referential

The Enigma Code is the most famous as we use this to make guesses to how the narrative will finish, therefore providing pleasure for the audience.

The Hermeneutic Code is the part of the story which is not fully explained. They exist as enigmas and questions that the audiences wishes to be resolved. A detective story for example, is a narrative that operates mainly by the hermeneutic code. A criminal act is shown and the remainder of the narrative is devoted to answering questions raised by the initial event.

In order to maintain interest, the final truth is not revealed until the end of the story and some devices are used to conceal it;

1. The Share - the deliberate avoidance of the truth - a tease or an implication which sends the audience down the wrong path
2. Partial Questions - revealing some of the final truth(s) that is used to increase suspense
3. Equivocation - a mixture of truth and snare, usually further muddying the water! 
4. Jamming - suggesting that the problem may be unsolvable

The Proairectic Code are actions that imply further action/ reaction. For example, a character has an argument and the reader wonders what the resolution or outcome of this argument will be. This creates suspense/ tension as the audience wonder what the outcome will be and begin to guess.

Detailed Analysis of Two Film Magazine Front Covers

In this post I am going to analyse two different film magazine front covers - one being the 'Total Film' magazine featuring the set film 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two', and the other being the 'Entertainment Weekly' film magazine front cover featuring a film from the same genre of which I will be creating, for this I have chosen 'Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street'. I will be analysing the two front covers by looking at the various codes and conventions which I have outlined in a previous post, to see whether both adhere to them.

Both of the film magazine front covers which I have chosen to analyse adhere to the various codes and conventions which are generally found on all film magazine front covers. Both the Sweeney Todd front cover created by 'Entertainment Weekly' and the Harry Potter front cover created by 'Total Film' feature an image on the cover which relates to the film by showing the main character(s); on the Harry Potter front cover this being Harry Potter himself and Voldemort, and on the Sweeney Todd front cover it being Sweeney Todd. This is a standard practice of the majority of film magazines when a blockbuster is released into the cinemas; it is done to advertise the actor to the general public, and target audience for the purpose of attracting the fan base of the advertised actor. Another feature which is similar on both front covers and a code and convention of magazine front covers is the use of the title in the masthead. The masthead is the area towards the top of the magazine's front cover which shows the title and logo in a specialised font which the reader can instantly identify. Even when magazines are running specials which feature an upcoming blockbuster, the masthead will nearly always stay the same, although it is common for the colour of the masthead to change to fit in line with the colour scheme of the marketing campaign of the advertised film. The first magazine has done this with the 'Harry Potter' special by turning the 3D masthead into a glowing masthead which falls into line with the text on the official trailer for the film; this being a practice of synergy which the marketing campaign have deliberately created so the public can link the various media practices which have been created for the purpose of advertising 'Harry Potter'. The second magazine however does not use this practice and instead sticks to their own colour scheme, although it is possible that this is because their layout does not follow the standard norm of other film magazines, as they include the title of the featured film's name in brackets below the name of the film; normally, film magazines place the title in larger text for the purpose of advertising, appealing to the film's target audience to buy the magazine, and creating synergy with the other media products which have been created by the film's marketing department. Another difference between the two magazines is that Total Film places more features for other items in the magazine on its front cover, whilst the Entertainment Weekly front cover places the features in small lettering under the main feature for the advertised film 'Sweeney Todd' and only one large feature on top of the image. I do not believe this is due to Sweeney Todd being more popular than Harry Potter and allow it to sell more copies of their magazine, but rather the two magazines have different sets of practices for what they place on their front covers. Personally, I like the minimalistic approach of Entertainment Weekly, but believe that the front cover of Total Film would attract more readers. This is what I would like to create for my own media product which I will creating and documenting the progress of on this blog.

Detailed Analysis of Two Trailers

In this post, I am going to analyse two different film trailers - one being the set trailer, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two', and the other being a trailer from the same genre as the film which I will be creating in the planning and filming processes; for this I will be analysing the trailer for the Mel Gibson science-fiction/ horror/ thriller movie 'Signs'. I will showcase the similarities and differences between the two film trailers, to show whether the codes and conventions applies to trailers from all the various genres.

Whilst being similar due to both of them being film trailers which are relatively the same length, the two trailers are very different. This is due to the two trailers being from completely different genres, but taking has out of the picture, the codes and conventions are very similar. For example, both feature text slides including writing which has been considered important to the viewer to understand the film; in Harry Potter, text such as 'CAN LIVE' and 'COME TO DIE' tell the viewer a quote which is made by one of the main characters 'Voldemort' which is considered important for the viewer to grasp the plot of the film. In Signs however the text is used to show a location, as well as a date of when the events taking place within the film were supposed to have taken place (this being 'PORT SATAGA, EGYPT - NOVEMBER 28, 1992). Other text in the Signs trailer include showcasing the name of the main well known actor who plays the film's central protagonist (in case this is Mel Gibson). However Harry Potter does not need to showcase the name's of the three main actors in their film because Harry Potter is part of a lager franchise of films, so the audience are well aware of who the actors in the film are, and what their roles in the film are. Another code and convention which both films adhere to are the colour scheme attracting the correct target audience; Signs uses dark orange, black and red colours which links to the horror and thriller genres, and Harry Potter uses dark blues, and whites which links to the fantasy and mystery genres. This code and convention connects the colour scheme with the genre and the target audience. Age also contributes to this code and convention because after an audience from a particular genre is chosen, film marketers generally then look for a specific demographic, this normally being an age. For both of the film trailers above though, the age range in the target audiences is wide and varied as the story lines have not been designed for a specific age group but rather a general group.

Codes and Conventions of Trailers

Conventions of a Film Trailer

• Trailers attract the audience and make them want to see the film.
• A trailer gives away the genre, some genres are more obvious than others, but some films can have hidden genres and it can be difficult to work out which genre the film is part of.
• A trailer sells the storyline to the audience and gives them a feel of what the movie is like.
• A trailer shows the audience the main characters and what their roles in the film are, plus it can show what to expect from this character during the film.
• A trailer is put together with interesting clips from the movie that don't give too much away, but they normally give a hint of where a film is going, and allows the audience to keep guessing on what the end result of the set of clips the trailer shows them will be.
• The trailer show the beginning or just clips from the beginning that build up to a usually explosive ending.
• A trailer always shows the title of the film, as well as the date of release.
• There is sometimes a voice over from either a person in the film or a famous voice which is instantly recognisable.

Conventions of a Film Poster

• A film poster must be eye-catching, and be alerting, making people stop and view it.
• A film poster contains the name of the film, as well as the date of release.
• A film poster must be easy and quick to read.
• A film poster must have an image of something related to the film. This can be either a main character or well known actors who stars or costars, or a scene which shows the location or a set.
• It must attract the correct and chosen target audiences, decided upon in the planning process.
• Famous and instantly recognisable actors are normally located on the poster, to make people aware that this star is in the film, and pull in the star's fanbase.
• There is always a tagline located on the poster, which must be either a quote from the film - such as the 'Why so serious?' quote from the Batman series of films, or a slogan which has been deliberately chosen for the film during the planning process.
• A film poster will normally contain a billing block which showcases the main actors names' as well as the name of the director. Sometimes names of famous stars or well known directors can attarct the star's fanbase, and increase the overall audience reach and viewership of the film.

Conventions of a Film Magazine Front Cover

• The magazine's name is clearly shown on the top of the cover, usually located within the magazine's masthead, this always makes the title of the magazine obvious and normally the font used will make the name instantly recognisable, like the logo used in 'Total Film' and 'Empire' magazines.
• The image used on the front cover must be attractive and eye-catching to the target audience for the film, which was chosen in the planning process.
• Famous actors which star in the film will be shown prominently on the front cover, to attract the star's fan base into buying the magazine.
• The price, date, and bar code will located either on the front or back of the magazine. The bar code is on the product so that the customer can purchase the magazine from the retailer, and the price and date is purely for the information of the reader.
• Other conventions of a film magazine front cover can include the genre, captions, the name and/or logo of the production company and close ups of shots used in the film.

Trailer Terminology

Plot Summary
Most trailers have a three-act structure similar to a feature-length film. They start with a beginning (Act 1) that lays out the premise of the story. The middle (Act 2) drives the story further and usually ends with a dramatic climax. Act 3 usually features a strong piece of 'signature music' (either a recognizable song or a powerful, sweeping orchestral piece). The last act often consists of a visual montage of powerful and emotional moments of the film and may also contain a cast run if there are noteworthy stars that could help sell the film.

Voice-over
Voice-over narration is used to briefly set up the premise of the movie and provide explanation when necessary ('In a world...'). Since the trailer is a highly condensed format, voice-over is a useful tool to enhance the audience's understanding of the plot.

Music
Music helps set the tone and the mood of the trailer. Usually the music used in the trailer is not from the film itself (the film score may not have been composed yet). The music used in the trailer may be:

• Music from the score of other films
• Popular or well known music, often chosen for its tone, appropriateness of a lyric or lack-there-of, or recognisability
• 'Library' music previously composed specifically to be used in advertising by an independent composer
• Specially composed music
• Songs, which may include knock-offs of recognizable (but expensive to license) songs

Cast, Crew, and Studio Information
A cast run is a list of the stars that appear in the movie. If the director or producer is well-known or has made other popular movies, they often warrant a mention as well. Most trailers conclude with a 'billing book', which is a list of the principal cast and crew. It is the same list that appears on posters and print publicity materials, and also usually appears on-screen at the beginning (or end) of the movie.

• Studio production logos are usually featured near the beginning of the trailer. Until the late 1970s, they were put only at the end of the trailer. Often there will be logos for both the production company and the distributor of the film.

Technical Elements

• Sound Mix: many movie trailers are presented in Dolby Digital or any other multichannel sound mix. Scenes including sound effects and music that are enhanced by stereophonic sound are therefore the focus point of many modern trailers
• Video Resolution: movie trailers, preceding feature films are generally presented in the same format as the feature, being in the general terms 35mm film or a digital format. High bandwidth internet connections allow for trailers to be distributed at any resolution up to 180p

The Purpose of Marketing

Film Trailers

Toy Story 3 Film Trailer

A trailer is an advertisement of a film that will be shown in the cinema at a future date. Film trailers are the number 3 watched online video after news videos, and user-created videos. Trailers are designed to tell the story of the movie is a highly condensed format, so that the movie has maximum appeal to the widest possible audience.


Film Magazine Front Covers

'Total Film' - Inception Front Cover

'Empire' - Iron Man 2 Front Cover

The purpose of film magazine front covers is to advertise and promote a film to an audience. The front cover is specifically designed so that is attracts an a high readership for the magazine itself too, because with an interesting or unusual front cover more people will buy the magazine and readership will be expanded. Film magazine front covers are designed to sell the magazine to the consumer.


Film Magazine Posters

'Wanted' Film Poster

'Cloverfield' Film Poster

'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' Film Poster

The purpose of film magazine posters is to advertise and promote an upcoming film. Film posters are part of a film's marketing campaign which is designed to create an awareness of the film and an excitement (or hype) over the release of the film. Information is given on film posters such as the name of the film, the rating of the film (from the BBFC), the release date of the film and the names of well known actors/actresses in the film. All the information is given with an image relating to the film in the background, usually containing an image of the well known actors/actresses.

Introduction of A2 Coursework

In this blog I have to record the process of making a trailer with my group. We have to produce a trailer, a magazine front cover and a poster to try to promote it to the prospective audience. In this process we have to hire actors, collect our own mis-en-scene and film it ourselves. It has to be a two minute long trailer and we have to try to show the codes and conventions of what trailers normally have today, so it can make the trailer which we produce appear more realistic. I will record the full process of the creation of the trailer, poster and magazine front cover, so to my involvement in the project is shown.