Creation of my Film Poster & Review

Whilst creating my film poster and reviewI have taken screen shots to show how I have created it and have explained why I have made it the way I have, namely to fit the conventions of film posters and reviews and promote the film as best I can.
Below is a Slideshare presentation on how I have created them.

Naming of my Film

Whilst creating my film poster and review I also had the challenge of coming up with a title for it. I want my title to express the type of film it is; a comedy horror so it must reference both of these. I looked at other examples of comedy horror films such as 'Sean of the Dead', 'Attack the Block' and 'Cockneys Vs. Zombies' which all contain a clever play on words which instantly alert the audience to the genre of film it is.
However my film also contains other themes such as drugs, paranoia and teen parties which are all sub-genres themselves and I'm not sure to what extent I should reference these.
I have been playing around with a number of title's such as 'Paranoia' which references horror and the drug induced paranoia that scares the main characters, 'The Legend of Trevor' which references  Scooby-Doo type films whilst still revealing the film to be a comedy due to the everyday and not scary name Trevor. Another title I have thought of using is 'Paranormal Trevortivity' which is a pun of 'Paranormal Activity' and instantly establishes the genre as that of comedy horro which I want to do. Out of the three this is my preferred title.
In order to try and choose the right title, which is essential in promoting my film, I will create a poll on my blog and try to get as many of my target audience to vote on it as possible.

Experimentation and Changes

Throughout filming and creating my film I have made a vast number of changes and experimented with a number of different things.
Below is a Slideshare presentation explaining my changes and experimentation.

Promotion

In order to promote my film effectively it is essential that I understand who my target audience are and how they consume media.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3078614/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/t/teens-tune-out-tv-log-instead/


Using the above website I have researched how my target audience consume media. My target audience are young people aged roughly 14-27 and the way they consume media is very different to the way other demographics would. In a recent study 13-24 year olds spend on average 16.7 hours online a week compared to 13.6 hours watching tv which shows that it would be much more effective to market my film online. However whilst they are online they do not stick to single sites but surf a wide range of websites and often multitask which means that it would be essential to promote my film across a wide range of websites.
One such website or type of website that would be imperative to promote on would be social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. For example 12- to 17-year-olds spent 77 percent of their social networking time on Zuckerberg’s site in May 2012 and the average user dedicates 85 percent of her online socializing to browsing Facebook, comScore data shows. This means my target audience spend a lot of their time on sites such as Facebook and twitter and advertising on these sites is key to promoting my film to them. I can do this by advertising in the side bar, as seen in the picture above and creating accounts for the film that people can follow.
Other websites I could use to promote my film are film and entertainment blogs, a website of its own, news websites such as BBC which, were it a real film, may put articles online about it, and by putting trailers on youtube as this is one of the most accessible and widely used video websites. 
However it is important to promote across a wide range of media as my traget audience "live a multimedia life" with most people having access to over 200 tv channels, 5000 consumer magazines and thousands of radio stations. My target audience often accesses these sources at the same time for example surfing the web whilst watching tv or listening to the radio so to promote a product to this audience effectively it must saturate all forms of media to be absorbed by the consumer who is often distracted. 
Therefore I would also promote my film through print media such as magazines and newspapers, tv and radio. However I would make links between all forms so, for example, I would put the website address of the film on the film poster that would appear in print and online so that I can promote my film as effectively as I can to a very media savvy target audience. 

Permission Letter for Our Chosen Song

From the poll on my blog the song people thought would best connote a teen party is First of the Year (Equinox) by the dub-step band Skrillex. Dub-step is a style of music often associated with teenagers, young people and wild parties as it's the type of music people loose themselves in which is what many teenagers do as they are still not comfortable with themselves.
In order to use the song and not infringe copyright I need to ask permission from the record company; the letter I sent is below.

Dear Big Beat,

My name is Syd Bird and I am currently studying A Level Media at The King's School in Devon.
As part of our course we have to create a sort film and I am writing to ask permission to use your song 'First of the Year (Equinox)' by Skrillex within it.
The film will only be used for my coursework and will not be distributed or marketed in any way.
I would sincerely appreciate your permission to use this song.
Thank you for your time,
Syd Bird

Ancillary Research

As well as the film I have to create a film poster and a film magazine review page featuring the film so it is important that I research film posters and reviews. In order to do this I have deconstructed three film posters and three magazine reviews which are below in a Prezi presentation. I have tried to deconstruct posters and reviews of the same genre as they may help me define my own ideas for the ones I will need to create.

From my research I have come across a few key conventions that I want to use in my poster and review.
In my poster I want to:

• Have a simple but engaging image that reveals the genre
• A title that reveals some of the genre and is hopefully funny
• I want to try and use some iconic imagery
• Bold contrasting colours
• Funny tagline
• Production details
• Subversion of some kind
• The release date, preferably at the bottom of the page
• Name of actors

In my film review I want to:

• Create brand imagery for the magazine
• Have a simple and engaging colour scheme
• Write in columns
• Have a clear opinion on the film
• Include a rating system 
• Include a large image from the film
• Funny captioning on the images
• Certificate of the film
• Production details
• Larger quote
• Spoilers/lures
• Website address
• Summary of the film's plot
• Puns to do with the film

Roughcut Editing of Last Nights Shoot and Feedback

Last night I re-filmed my first shoot in an area with streetlights  which made the shots bright enough to use. Some are still a little grainy as the cameras don't cope well in the dark conditions I need to have for the atmosphere of the piece and conventions of the genre.
I have created a roughcut edit of it and am overall pleased with the results. I need to adjust some of the audio and add in sounds such as footsteps, wheezing breaths and heartbeats but the flow of the piece and the continuity of it I am pleased with. Whilst creating my roughcut I also needed to get used to editing on a Mac as I have never used the programme before it took a little while to become confident with it but I feel a lot more comfortable with it now. Below are some screenshots of me editing the footage.

Editing audio 

Rough Edit

Precision Edit

In order to judge whether or not it was successful I got a male and a female aged 18 to watch it and give me feedback. They are representative of my target audience and their opinions are vital.

They said:

• The use of the name Trevor was funny and they laughed when watching it which is really good as it means it is fulfilling it's purpose as a comedy horror.
• Liked the use of a variety of shots especially the feet shots which is also good as it means that it is interesting to watch and will hopefully keep them engaged.
• Liked the quick pace which is good as it means that it should hold the audience's attention. 
• Thought some audio was a little quiet so I will spend more time editing the audio to be louder and try and make my actors talk louder in other shoots I do.
• Sam falling might need a few more shots as it seemed a little clunky so next time we film I will try and film a few more cutaways I may be able to edit in to try and improve it. 
• Liked the atmosphere of the piece with the darkness and setting which is good as it conforms to the conventions of horror. 

From my audience feedback I will carry on using a variety of shots, try to keep the pace as quick, keep the setting and still film at night which I was worried about as I didn't want the shots to be too grainy but if the atmosphere is right some graininess is worth it and film a few more shots of Sam falling. 

Thoughts on Filming

Below is a video I have created about the first couple of shoots I've had, the progress I'm making with my film and problems I am encountering. It's important I evaluate my footage and filming techniques as I go along to ensure that the footage I have is good enough to use and that I am filming in an effective way.

Music Decision

In order to choose what song to use in the party scene I have created a poll on my blog and posted the link on Facebook to try and get as many people to see it as possible. It's especially important to get the opinions of the people I am friends with on Facebook as they are the age of my target audience which means understanding their opinions is vital in ensuring I make a film that appeals to them. Below is a screenshot of my post on Facebook. 

Narrative Structure/Theory

In order to ensure that I have an engaging narrative I have examined the narrative structure of my film and theories it could relate to.
I have a fragmented narrative in my film with time shifts. For example I open the film at the end of the night before going back to the beginning as this creates enigma and will hopefully make the audience want to know what happens which is essentially Bathes' enigma code.
I have also thought about Barthes' cultural code which is a narrative device that the audience can recognise as being part of a culture as I have chosen to portray a stereotypical teen party culture/scenario which should be engaging to teenagers and young people who are my target audience.
My film could also be seen to contain set character roles which is a narrative theory proposed by Vladimir Propp. However my character roles differ from the ones he proposes as my film does not follow a traditional fairytale narrative which he based his theory on but instead portray set character roles of comedy horror films.
My narrative differs slightly from Tzvetan Todorovs narrative theory which states that narratives often start in a state of equilibrium that is then disrupted before normal life or a new equilibrium resumes as my film starts in a state of disequilibrium then goes back to the original state, develops into disequilibrium before returning to normal. The overall plot of the piece fits the theory completely but the portrayal of it to the audience differs slightly.  This will hopefully leave the viewer feeling a sense of satisfaction as all the enigma in the film is resolved by the end of it and should leave them happy at the end of it.

Filming Plan

I planned to start filming on Sunday the 4th of November and to shoot the scenes that only had Elijah and Sam in as this would allow me to get used to filming before tackling the group scene later on. The Sam and Elijah scenes are also a large part of the overall film so it would be essential to film early on in filming. Sam and Elijah are also reliable and wouldn't mind reshooting parts which I assume I will have to do as i will make mistakes as I am unused to filming.
I already made a mistake with my shooting plan as I was unable to shoot on Sunday due to the faire that was in a field nearby for bonfire night which was too noisy to film by as it would have made the footage unusable. The weather was also very bad with heavy rain which would have also been impossible to shoot in.
I therefore need to be more flexible with shooting and if the conditions are right seize them instantly as I can't predict the weather.
I have now rescheduled the first shoot for Tuesday.

Pre-lim Filming

Before going out and filming real footage for my short film it is imperative that I practise filming shots. It's important I do this as it helps me to test out my ideas and see if they are plausible whilst also helping me become more comfortable with the equipment such as the tripods and cameras. It also helps me as it allows me to test out shots that I want to use in my film to see how effective they are and if they connote what I want them to and are visually engaging enough to hold the readers attention.
Pre-lim filming familiarizes me with the whole filming process as I have never created a film before and the processes are all new to me, by practising them before I go out to shoot real footage it will help me to make sure that my shooting flows smoothly, I get all the footage I need and don't waste my actors time.
Through the pre-lim filming I have learnt a number of tips and techniques such as how to hold the camera if I'm doing a hand held shot (with my elbows in for stability), to have an assistant camera man for support, to direct the actors before we shoot so they know what I want them to do, to count down from 5 to 0 whilst filming so actors know when to start and to have a lot of extra footage for editing, to shoot an initial wide shot of all action then cutaways and close up's to edit later and to shoot with editing in mind.
When I came to edit my prelim I had a lot of problems with the computer and uploading the videos as it kept uploading my files shorter than the original size and kept crashing meaning I was loosing the edit I had made. This means that my prelim is very short as I lost a lot of footage. This has stressed the importance of filming a lot of extra footage for editing later. I also learnt that I should keep the angle of the shots the same when going between close ups and mid shots whilst filming a conversation to make it flow better.

In my prelim I practised filming a conversation as much of film is conversations. Below is my prelim.

I have also created an edit of the prelim which includes the shots I've used and why I've used them which is below.

Tip's for A2 Work

In order to help me ensure that my blog and practical work cover all the areas I need them to I have looked on Pete's Media blog for tips and found a very helpful slideshare presentation on what I need to do. I have re-posted it below so that I can keep checking that I am doing what I need to be doing.

Presentation nov 4 from petefrasers

Props

In order to try and encourage the reader to get the preferred reading from my text I need to signify a number of things and one of the most effective ways to do this is through the use of props. Each prop used needs to signify a particular message to the audience which will enable me to reveal the type of genre, help shape opinions of characters and keep the viewer engaged throughout the piece.
I have therefore created a Slideshare presentation on the props I will use in my film and the connotations of them which is below.

Lighting and Equipment List

Before being able to go out and shoot I need to think carefully about what equipment I need to take with me onto the set. As I'm shooting my film at night one of the most important things I need to think about is lighting as it needs to be light enough so that the audience can see what''s happening on screen but dark enough to provide the kind of atmosphere I want within my film (dark and foreboding).
I want to light my film in a number of ways. The first is with a warm firelight during the bonfire scene. This will contrast to the darker shots shown at the beginning and connote that the scene by the fire is of a typical teen party with no real tension or fear until it is portrayed through the dialogue.
During the bonfire scene I also want some electric lanterns carefully placed around the group as this will increase the levels of light in the shot and ensure that the viewer will be able to see what is going on. I can also use one of the lanterns or a torch during the telling of the 'curse' where I will ask them to underlight themselves with as this connotes that they are trying to scare the others.
I want the actors to use torches and take the lanterns with them when they all split up and are in the woods. This will create a colder and more foreboding light and cast intimidating shadows which will all  create tension.
 can also use the bonfire to create tension too as when the two protagonists come back I want the fire to have died down which makes the whole setting seem more foreboding and again create tension.
I also need to bring equipment such as cameras to film it with, shot lists and storyboards so I know what to film, props for the shots that I need, scripts for the actors, additional makeup incase some smudges or comes off and warm clothes as it's filmed at night.

Therefore my equipment list is:

• Lanterns
• Fuel for the bonfire
• Torches
• Cameras
• Tripod
• Scripts/storyboards/shot lists
• Warm clothes
• Props such as alcohol cans etc. 

Risk Assessment

When creating a film it's incredibly important to ensure that it's safe to film so I have created a risk assessment of both of my locations which includes the risks and possible solutions to try and make sure I keep everyone safe.
Below is a slideshare of my risk assessment.

Location	Risk	Solution
Field/bonfire	·      Burns from the fire ·      Slipping on the grass/mud ·      Falling over ·      Falling into the river/drowning ·      Twisting ankles ·      Coughing/sore eyes from the smoke ·      Tripping over equipment and props ·      Exposure to the elements ·      Exposure to the cold ·      Wild animals ·      Disrupting dog walkers ·      Polluting the field with litter ·      Going on private property	·      Keep everyone a set distance from the fire ·      Make sure everyone has appropriate footwear on and has access to a torch/lantern so they can see where they’re walking ·      Ensure everyone knows where the river is and can all swim ·      Make sure if people are uncomfortable they can move away from the fire ·      Ensure all equipment is put in appropriate places and people can see them ·      Check forecast and bring any necessary protection from the elements ·      Ensure actors bring warm clothes ·      Be aware of animals ·      Try to keep noise down ·      Make sure there are bins for all rubbish to be disposed off properly ·      Make sure all locations are on public ground
Woods	·      Tripping on roots and branches ·      Walking into trees ·      Disrupting the local wildlife ·      Disrupting dog walkers ·      Littering ·      Exposure to elements ·      Exposure to cold ·      Twisting ankles ·      Going onto private land	·      Make sure all actors have a light so can see where they are walking ·      Try to keep noise levels down ·      Make sure all rubbish is disposed of properly ·      Make sure all actors have appropriate clothing ·      Make sure all actors are wearing appropriate footwear ·      Make sure all land used is public

Target Audience

My target audience for my short film are teenagers and young people from 14 to 26 due to the content of my film which is of a teen party, alcohol and drugs which all relate to my target audience. These themes are inappropriate for younger people and may be seen as crass by much older people. It also contains characters of that age group so connects with the target audience more effectively.
My intended target audience are most likely male as men tend to watch teen comedies slightly more but my film does not alienate young women as I have represented a variety of young women within the film to and it contains themes that apply to them just as much as men, I have done this to try and appeal to as wider target audience as possible.
I have aimed to appeal to teenagers and young people as they have a huge amount of power within the film industry as they have a large disposable income and spend much of that on media products such as films and music. Due to the sway young people have over the film industry there is a trend of the horror film genre at the minute as they are mainly watched by young people so there is a large target audience readily available. This means that my genre of comedy horror appeals to my target audience as they will understand the codes and conventions of horror film and therefore understand the humour I have created by subverting them.
Young people also watch a large number of comedy films and with each trend of a genre there tends to be a number of spoofs as the conventions become overused and cliched and therefore easy to create comedy with.
Below is an  interview with some people who represent my stereotypical target audience as it is imperative I understand them because if I do not understand what they want from a film and provide it my film won't be successful.

Response:

• From  my interview I have discovered that the stereotypes I want to present in my short film fit the expectations of the target audience. For example I am representing a teen party as out of control, full of drugs, alcohol, sex and rebellion which are all of the words that my target audience used to describe a teen party.
• I have also found out that my target audience do watch horror and comedy films and a combination of the two which is very important to know as I need to be certain I have targeted the right audience.
• I also asked if a short film that contained real teenagers would appeal to them and they all answered yes which implies that I have cast the film well as it will apply to the target audience.
• They also said that portraying a different kind of beauty would be a good idea so I will defiantly use that. 

I found asking my audience questions incredibly helpful as it indicates that I have targeted the right audience and am including things that appeal to them.

Representation, Cast and Costume in my Short Film

I have a number of characters in my short film and I have thought carefully about how I am going to represent them to best connect to my target audience and create humour. I have thought about using stereotypes and subverting them to ensure that my film isn't too cliched. I have also included cast pictures in the presentation to show how I have chosen my actors to allow me to represent the characters in the way I want to.
A vital aspect of representation is the costume I will get my characters to wear and I have also included this in my presentation.
Below is a prezzi presentation on the representation of characters and cast members within my film.

Representation, Cast and Costume on Prezi

Storyboarding

In order to help plan out my short film in more detail I have created a storyboard which is shown in the image below. Storyboarding is a way of pre-visualizing my film as they depict each shot I want to use in it in order which enables me to better structure my film. It also helps me to use a variety of shots to ensure that the film is as visually engaging as possible. Whilst helping me to plan it further and structure it storyboarding also helps me to create a shooting schedule as I will have a clearly plan of what I want to shoot and which actors I will need to film in those shots.
In my storyboard I have written additional information such as type of shot, lighting and advice to actors all again to help me visually plan my film.
Below are the first two sheets of my storyboard.

Initial Scripting

Before storyboarding my film I need to define my idea in greater detail. I have therefore written an initial script of my film which has helped me to plan out my film's complete narrative and to start thinking about the shots which I'll show in my storyboard.
The script is also helpful as, although it may change or altered, I can still give it to my cast so they have some indication about the type of character they're playing, what the plot is and to familiarise themselves with their lines.
Below is a Slideshare presentation of my initial script.

Moodboard

In order to help me plan and create the shots, atmosphere, character representation, location, conventions and influences in my short film I have created a moodboard on the online site Glogster.
The images and words included on my moodboard will help me define my ideas, plan in detail and ultimately create my short film.
Below is an image of my moodboard.
To see the moodboard full size please click this link: http://www.glogster.com/bluebird14/moodboard/g-6l9ihn7oqhic7rnm9agbua0?s=nameglog
 I also presented my moodboard to my Media class to gain their feedback which is imperative as they are my target audience for my film as they are young adults.
Below is an image of my presenting my moodboard to them.

Location Shots

To practice my composition of shots and think about locations I have taken a number of shots where I'm planning to shoot my film.Whilst taking the photos I have experimented with the exposure of the shots and the perspective to try and make the images seem more foreboding and therefore fit the comedy horror genre.  I have also taken some images of props and people in the location that I want to film in to see how they look.

I have taken location shots as it will help me create my storeyboard and plan my shots to enable to film it as effectively as possible. 

Below is a Photobucket presentation of most of the shots I took. 

4 Images I Liked

A film is made up of thousands of still images and each one of these images need to signify something to the viewer. To ensure that each of my shots has been thought out and created artistically to encourage my readers to get my preferred reading I have researched four images that I like for various reasons. and this will help me to compose my shots.
The first is an image from Magnum photographer Ansel Adams of a lake in the mountains. I really liked the atmosphere created  in this image by the reflection of the sky in the water and the use of black and white which emphasises the ominous clouds and would like to use highly atmospheric shots in my short film.

My next image is one from photographer Annie Leibovitz, I really like the framing of this shot and the representation of the person covered in wrinkles which is very enigmatic and emotive; it feels like a true representation of the person and I would like to represent the people in my film as effectively.

Next is an image from Man Rey which I like becasue of the effective use of thirds, unusaul posing and use of lighting. I would like to experiment with similar lighting in my film with the foreground lit but the background dark and ominous.

My last image is another from Annie Leibovitz becuase of the styling, composition and the way it's framed by the trunk of the van, I would like to use good framing like this in my film.