Final Audiovisual Media

Final Promotional Package

Evaluation - Question Four

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

Evaluation - Question Three

What Have You Learned From Your Audience Feedback?

I decided that after making our rough cut trailer that the best way I could improve it was by showing it to my target audience and gaining there feedback. To do this I decided it was best to target somewhere where I could find a large number of my target audience so I decided to publish it on my twitter account and asked people to comment on it. Allowing for any constructive criticisms.

By posting my rough cut onto my Twitter account I soon realized that it had worked very well, so I decided to do the same with my draft promotional package. By doing this it allowed me to reach a much wider audience, and receive a higher level of comments on my work. Here are some of the comments I received;

Even though I received high amount of feedback on all three of my products, I decided I would create a survey, using a free survey tool called Survey Monkey. This would allow people to anonymously answer questions on what they thought was good about my products, but also what they thought I could improve on. As posting on my Twitter account had worked so well the first time, I decided to post the link to the survey on there aswell which, could only increase the amount of feedback I got. Here is an extract from my survey.

From this feedback from my target audience, I found that I needed to improve on the layouts on both of my ancillary tasks, and I needed to edit my main task to make it fit in with more horror conventions, also I need to speed up some of the scenes in my trailer as most of them seem to be quite slow and more film like. Most of the comments I received back were very positive, and some gave me very constructive criticisms on how I could improve my products. Once I had made these improvements my products would be a success with my target audience.  

The main product I needed to improve was my main task, the biggest criticism it got was that it was to much like a short film than a trailer. With this in mind I decided it was best to re-plan my trailer, but keep the same script. With my audience feedback at hand I began filming again, this time it was a lot more successful and we achieved what our target audience wanted.

As well as using my target audience feedback to help with my main task production, I also used it to help with my ancillary task production. With my feedback at hand, I started editing both my promotional poster and feature magazine cover. The feedback helped me a lot, to understand exactly what my audience wanted to see and what exactly would attract them to my product.
The feedback I received allowed me to improve all of my products so they would appeal to my target audience. I feel that this feedback has helped me to create a product that will be very successful.

After editing my products I decided I would go back to my target audience and see if my new products would appeal to them. For this I decided to make a focus group, where I would get 3 members of my target audience, and show them my main task then get them to answer some questions about it. Here is my focus group and their responses;

Lauren Batt

20 Years old

Studying Law at Portsmouth University

Huge horror film fan.

Question One - What do you think about the trailer for The Awoken?

Answer - The trailer was very good, the quick scenes and black transitions between each scene added to the tension. The night vision effect that the trailer has been given is also a very nice touch, as low levels of lighting are famous in horror films this mixes that, but still allows us to see everything that goes on.

Question Two - What do you think about the music that is the trailer?

The music that's in the trailer fits in really well! It becomes louder, and increases the tension at the right points throughout the trailer. My favourite bit is towards the end on your title screen, when the music really peaks.

Question Three - After seeing both my rough cut trailer and my final trailer, do you think the improvements have been positive or negative?
From the rough cut to the final trailer, the improvements have been monumental! The rough cut, looked like real amateur work (no offence) it lacked any kind of creativity. Then to turn that around and produce this final piece is amazing! A really good effort!

Peter Lakey

45 Years old

Precision Engineer

"Watches any old film when he's bored"

Question One - What do you think about the trailer for The Awoken?

I enjoyed the trailer, it definitely makes me want to watch the film! It was mysterious, with the hooded character. The timings of the scenes were great as well as the black transitions that had the red wording on them. Asking the audience questions is a great way to grab their attention, and add even more tension to the trailer.  

Question Two - What do you think about the music that is the trailer?

I liked the music, but thought it could have been a bit more progressive as the scenes got quicker and quicker. Especially when you have one of your characters flicking with blood dripping from his eye. A bit more of a beat just there would have been perfect.

Question Three - After seeing both my rough cut trailer and my final trailer, do you think the improvements have been positive or negative?

The rough cut was very basic, but the improvements you've made are very clear. I can see you kept with the same setting, but changed the storyline to meet more horror film conventions.

Ethan Brighton

17 Years old

A-Level Student

Cinema addict

Question One - What do you think about the trailer for The Awoken?

This is the type of trailer I would expect to see before one of the big blockbuster horror films. This is a good thing don't get me wrong! It is a real edge of the seat trailer, that adds tension with every scene. I would love to see the film too! Its one of those trailers that doesn't tell you if they got out alive or not! Great use of the classic cliffhanger!

Question Two - What do you think about the music that is the trailer?

The music was just right for the type of trailer, it hit big deep notes in the right scenes. 

Question Three - After seeing both my rough cut trailer and my final trailer, do you think the improvements have been positive or negative?

If I'm honest, I liked your rough cut more.. I'm joking, the progression is ridiculous! To think you filmed them in weeks of each other is crazy! The final trailer is so much better! 

The focus group allowed me to see the opinions some of my target audience had on my final products. With most of the comments I got being positive, and only a couple of negative ones. If I was to produce my products again, I would look a lot more into different types of music I could use, and make sure the song was more progressive.

Evaluation - Question Two

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

Evaluation - Question One

Evaluation - Question One

View more presentations from Matthew Lakey.

After analysing my feedback from my target audience about my rough cut trailer. I decided that I would try and include more horror film conventions in my final trailer. By doing this it would be more clear to my audience as to what type of effect I am trying to create with this trailer.
The first big convention I wanted to include, was the use of low key lighting, low key lighting is where the scene is usually very dark and the only light you see is that of the character that the camera is focused on. Seeing as I would have more than one character on the screen at one time, this became a bit of a problem. Then I came up with he idea of a night vision effect. It would give the impression to the audience that the trailer is all in pitch black, but still allows them to see everything that goes on.
I chose black transition screens as black is the colour that we relate to death. Any texts in the trailer has been wrote in red, as we relate the colour red with blood. Both death and blood are common conventions of any horror film or trailer.

I also included a mysterious character in my trailer, one that the audience wont find out who it is by purely watching the trailer. By doing this it makes the audience want to watch the film. Its a cliffhanger, I used it to draw in my audience even more!
To follow conventions, I also used a very weary soundtrack alongside my trailer. The song I used is quite progressive and becomes a lot angrier as the trailers progresses. When tensions begins to build in the scenes, the song reflects this with a deeper sound.
At the end of my trailer, I added the famous release title, but instead of giving a certain date I simply used "Coming Soon" I did this as I believed that this adds to the audiences urge to find out more about the film!

The Awoken Promotional Poster

Storyboard animation

The Awoken Trailer

Homework

Analyse a similar product to your main task production in relation to audience theory.

This is the trailer for the horror film 'Demons Never Die' we can relate this trailer to theorists of the audience theory. 

The first theorist Adorno came up with the theory called the 'Hypodermic Needle Model' this theory suggest thats the piece of media we see has a direct effect on the audience. In relation to the trailer for 'Demons Never Die' we can say that the film is imposing that if one of your friends commits suicide that you should all do the same, and follow in their footsteps. As extreme as it may sound this is what Adorno believed to be true. That what we are directly influenced by what we see on our screens. The message being portrayed in this trailer; making a pact with your friends to all kill yourselves because your friend did is far fetched. Even so it is still believed that it is the message that a piece of media portrays that is injected into the audiences mind.

Another theorist that we can relate to this trailer is Hall, Hall's theory of Encoding and Decoding suggests that the people who created a piece of media, so in this sense the directors of the film. They encode the piece of media to have a preferred reading. This encoded preferred reading is then decoded by the audience as they watch the piece of media. Relating it to the trailer, we can see that the preferred reading is of a group of friends making a pact to kill themselves after one of their friends did, but instead of killing themselves they are all being stalked and killed by a masked being. We can decode this preferred reading my several things that we see unconsciously in the trailer. For example the weary music as the trailer get further and further on. Also  the use of weapons, we see a gun at the very beginning of the trailer, then knives. This tells the audience that the preferred reading isn't going to be about a group of nice teenagers graduating from college. We can also relate the fast paced editing to the preferred reading. the longer the trailer goes on for, the faster each clip gets. This adds suspense, and makes the audience question what will happen. It is the basic conventions of a horror film that allows us to decode the preferred reading.   

Draft Promotional Poster

Rough Cut Trailer

Draft Layout For Poster #1

Shot List

Shot list

View more documents from jphibbert.

Film Script

Overall plot.scary,
set in a house
4 teen characters
dark
ouija board
fast paced editing
characters get really scared
lights go out
bottle smashes
starts out as a joke with friends and then turns serious and doors slam and they are trapped in the house

Script out line
Black screen with writing of opening scene, ' four friends set out to make a joke'
The four friends sitting around the ouija board (Sam, Joe, Chloe, Ella)

Boys start joking around, winding the girls up, spelling out girls names on the board, freaking them out.
Sam: (moving the counter over letters) E... L.. L (laughs)
Joe: (Laughs) Oooo somethings going to get you ellaElla: (laughs) shut up now
Transition slide 'And then it all went wrong'

(Ella asks when is Sam going to die, Ouija board starts working properly, spelling out NOW. Girls scream, boys still taking it as a joke, Joe asks the board how? The Planchette starts moving really fast across the board, the boys take their hands off and it doesnt stop.)

Ella: your such an idiot, when is sam going to hurry up and die? (directed at the ouija board)
(counter moves to the letter NOW)
Chloe: stop it now its not funny your freaking me out
Joe: yeaah funny one ella (laughs) how? (directed at the ouija board)
(couter begins to move again)
Sam falls down and grabs his throat
Transition (and then it was too late)
Chloe:(screams)
joe: ok, calm down, sam stop it and you ella

Ella: its not me! (takes hands of counter)
(counter keeps moving)
Ella: (screams)
fast paced editing, Sam gasping for air, noises throughout the house, lights flicking,
Chloe runs to the glass of water
Chloe:(screams) Sam! please Chloe gets a glass of water for Sam and it smashes in her hands. (screams)
Sam: Help me

 Joe: (running to the door, trying to open it) get us out of here! (screams)
Ella(running to the window) (screams) (tries opening it wont open) help! someone help us!(hand touches her shoulder) scream
Blackout/fade to white.

Storyboard

Production Plan

Our cast will consist of four main characters. 2 girls and 2 boys. Chloe, Anna, Joe, and Sam. Our characters are going to be older teenagers, approximately 17/18.
Our film is going to be set in a house, where we will use all of our props. Our props will consist of; a ouija board, 2 sugar glass cups, alcohol, and furniture.
We plan to use the sugar glass cups, and break one over one of our characters heads. This will be our only stunt, and we will have to take extra care when doing this. By following any safety guidelines, and ruling out any possible hazards.
The address of the house will be 2 Kingswood Road, March.
To make our film we will use 2 Video Cameras, 1 Digital camera, and a Tripod.
We will use editing software after filming our film, to make it more crisp and create the desired effect for our target audience.
We will begin filming on January 14th 2012, we will film for 2 weeks, then begin editing at the end of January. We will use a Mac to edit our film, and the iMovie software.

Research Focus Group

To research further into my target group, I interviewed a group of 4 people in the age range of my target group. I constucted a series of questions about the 3 trailers that I analysed to see what my target group liked and disliked about them. The questions I asked them were;

What did you like about the trailer?
What didnt you like about the trailer?
Would the trailer make you want to watch the rest of the film?

The first trailer I showed my focus group, was the trailer for Demons Never Die. My four respondents reacted very positively for this trailer. I asked them the first question as a group, and got them to discuss it.
As a group they decided that the trailer advertised the film very well, they all agreed that the way in which the trailer showed all of the main characters without giving to much infomation away to the audience was also very helpful. By knowing who the main characters are, it allowed them to know which actors would play the biggest parts in the film. This was one key area they said interested them in watching the rest of the film, knowing who the main characters are and the actors that play them.
They also agreed on the way the trailer hides the identity of the villain, and doesnt really give the audience much of an idea to who it could be or what they even look like. With the use of mystery they said it would make them want to watch the film to find out who it was. From what my focus group said they enjoyed about this trailer I am going to try and incorporate it into my trailer for my horror film. By doing this it will meet what my focus group and target audience said they liked to see and what made them want to watch a trailer and/or film.

Analyising My Questionaire Results

Through producing a questionaire, and giving it to a range of different people it has allowed me to find out important factors that we will need to consider when making our horror film trailer.
We are going to aim our film at 16-25 year olds, this is because through the questionaire we found that this was the age of people that watched horror films the most. We will aim it at both males and females as we found that they equally like to watch horror films. By doing this it will make our target audience bigger, allowing our film to appeal to more people.
Our target audience said that the trailer was one of the main things that made them want to watch a horror film, this is why our trailer has to be able to draw in our target audience. For our trailer the storyline and the fear factor are going to be the main focus, these were the popular answers that we found in the questionaire.
We also found out that our target audience prefered to watch horror films that were based around a psychological factor, and a lot of action. We will try and incorporate both of these factors into our trailer, by doing this it will meet our target audiences desires in a horror film and make them want to watch it.
For our promotional package of the film, we are going to focus on the image for both the poster and the magazine cover. This is because this is what our target audience said drew their attention the most. We will also focus on other conventions of a poster and a magazine cover, the font and the colours will also be important, as both the poster and magazine have to be able to stick out to our target audience.

Questionaire Results