Trailer Soundscape - Garage Band

In my group I worked on the trailer background music, I have designed the music around some of the classic horror styles for different levels of suspense for different moods, for example, I have used the cliche of using the weather as a backdrop with the music. Below I have posted my two main themes from my soundscape.

In the below screenshot, I have set the different levels of volume for each sound layer where I have either raised or lowered the overall volume for a set length of time in order to maintain a  good quality of sound which does not exceed the optimum output for that individual layer.

I have also used a panning feature in my work where I have raised the scale of it's effect higher or lower which in turn, impacts which speaker or headphone will be more prominent in sound presentation. When the level is higher it is more prominent from the left hand speaker or earphone and when it is lower it is louder coming from the right hand side output. This gives the effect that the sound is travelling when it is being listened too.

Editing Practice - Final Cut

I have practiced with Final Cut, a program which is relatively new to me as in the past I used more basic programs for editing like iMovie which is a good program to use although it is nowhere near as good as Final Cut in terms of video editing, as it allows for precise frame cuts and also for sound editing as well, allowing you to create a highly detailed video, and in our groups case, a high quality film trailer. Below I have posted some of my practice work with Final Cut in terms of cutting film.

In the below images I have a copy of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D trailer in which I have detailed when each different fade or cut effect has taken place and I have then allotted each cut into a bin for a specific sequence or scene type i.e. action or close ups.

Audience Research - Film Trailer

In order to make a good quality magazine I have created surveys in order to find out the target audiences preferences, likes and dislikes, what stories interest them and the target audience that it is going to have to appeal to, which is most likely the social classification C1 – E.

Survey monkey results

The results from my survey monkey found that the majority age group that answered my questionnaire was in the 16 - 18 and 24 - 26 age band. So this is going to be my main target audience and so to appeal to this audience I would have to make the text and images relevant to this.

The majority of people that answered my questionnaire were males. This however does not mean my Trailer should be gender biased.

 

I also asked which of the Trailers shown did they like the most, out of The Woman in Black, Saw VII, Insidious or Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The people that answered my questionnaire drew between Saw VII and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, so I should  style my trailer after these.
 

 

Furthermore, I asked the audience why they watch a trailer, and I found that the majority watch them for entertainment, so I should include interesting features such as a good sounscape and visual effects.

 

 

Finally, I asked my audience whether or not they wanted visual effects added in like an animated title sequence and found that the majority did want visual effects.

 

 

 

 

 

From these results, I can deduce that my audience will want to watch an entertaining film trailer like Saw VII and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, featuring good visual imagery and music.

Audience Research - Film Poster

In order to make a good quality magazine I have created surveys in order to find out the target audiences preferences, likes and dislikes, what stories interest them and the target audience that it is going to have to appeal to, which is most likely the social classification C1 – E.

Survey monkey results
 

The results from my survey monkey found that the majority age group that answered my questionnaire was in the 16 - 18 and 24 - 26 age band. So this is going to be my main target audience and so to appeal to this audience I would have to make the text and images relevant to this.

The majority of people that answered my questionnaire were males. This however does not mean my Poster should be gender biased.

Futhermore, I asked my audience what the Poster should be for either entertainment, information, escape or excitement , from this I found that most people picked Entertainment and information, which means that I should try and create a poster both visually pleasing but with relevant information. 

 

I also asked my audience if they wanted a simple three colour scheme for the poster as most posters don't overuse more than three colours in order to keep the focus on the image and text and not distract the viewer. I found that 75% of people wanted a three colour scheme, most likely because it is a tried and tested method, so I will use this in my poster.

 

 

 

 

Finally, I asked my audience what the most attractive part of the poster is to them, either the colour, layout, imagery or the genre of the poster. I found that most people liked a combination of all of these factors, so in my poster I will focus on all of the different aspects rather than just one or two.

Audience research - Film Magazine

In order to make a good quality magazine I have created surveys in order to find out the target audiences preferences, likes and dislikes, what stories interest them and the target audience that it is going to have to appeal to, which is most likely the social classification C1 – E.

Survey monkey results

The results from my survey monkey found that the majority age group that answered my questionnaire was in the 16 - 18 and 24 - 26 age band. So this is going to be my main target audience and so to appeal to this audience I would have to make the text and images relevant to this.

The majority of people that answered my questionnaire were males. This however does not mean my magazine should be gender biased.

I also asked which of the magazine covers shown did they like the most out of Uncut, Total Film, Premier  or Empire. The people that answered my questionnaire drew between Empire and Total film, so I  should be style my magazine after these publications.

Furthermore, I asked the audience why they read a magazine, and I found that the majority read them for entertainment, so I should include more interesting features such as sneak previews of films and exclusive interviews, rather than long - winded articles on theatres.

 

From my results of the survey monkey, I can deduce that the target audience for my film magazine is going to be a range from 16 - 30 year olds, which are male but not make the magazine too gender biased as not too discourage female readers. These people would prefer to read entertaining stories about the latest film. Because of the age group and demographic of the audience I would place them in the C1 – E social classification. (C1 - Lower middle class and E - urban ventures)

Analysis Poster - A Nightmare On Elm Street

The Masthead on this poster is situated at the bottom of the page, in bold text, with a worn styling to it which connotes the age of the image or the age of the brand as this is a remake of an old classic series. Having a Masthead at the bottom of the page is not a generic convention of posters as the top of the page is generally where titles are featured. The Masthead itself is coloured blood red which instantly connotes the genre to the audience as blood and horror go hand in hand, which also shows that the poster does follow some generic conventions of the horror genre.

It also features the phrase "He knows where you sleep" which does connote an aspect of danger, and directly relates to the content of the film, as it is a remake the film is going to be based around the same characters and roughly the same story, so it is safe to assume that the main Antagonist is still going to attack the other characters in their dreams, as the original had scripted.

The imagery used in the poster is very minimalistic, as it only features a pair of figures looking toward the audience, with the figure in the rear with his face masked from view but with claws, this infers that he is the main villain in the film., This seems to show the other figure is meant to represent one of the victims as she is shown as relatively innocent with little sinister intent hidden. The liquid on the floor seems to be water due to it being reflective, which could connote that the film  is meant to be set in dreams as the victim is shown up to her waist in water when the hallway but the image shows the antagonist standing over her.
 

The colour used in the poster stands out vividly as it only uses different shades of red with a black border. The red is a classic convention of the horror genre, mainly because it resembles the colour of blood and as most horror films feature an aspect of gore it makes it very easy to connote the film genre to an audience. The text featured is coloured white to help differentiate between the imagery and title which is a simple and effective design choice.
 

 

Magazine Analysis - Empire

 

 



The Masthead on this magazine is broad and easily recognizable, although part of the text is hidden by the main image, this works for a well known publication like Empire as it is a long running product, with a wide fan base, allowing for bold stylistic choices such as this. Above the Masthead it says in thick text “Meet the new action A - list!"which connotes the theme of the magazine being films in the action genre , and it seems to have a faded gold colour styling to it, which connotes the old style cinema theme to it as classic cinema used gold stylings on alot of their advertisements and became a staple of the genre, this also connotes that the magazine is a classic of the industry. The main masthead is featured in a striking red colouring, this is the same colour used for most of, if not all of their mastheads as it is the company logo, and an instant indicator to an audience that the magazine is Empire as it ihas become one of the best known film magazines of all time.

The imagery used in the poster is very eye catching, as it features a main image of Robert Downey jr. who is a well renowned actor, and is therefore used as the star vehicle in the publication, this connotes to an audience the quality of the magazine as it features a highly paid, famous actor on the cover, showing that the product is of a high standard. The main image is also from the first Iron Man film, which was a big hit, but also infers the genre of the magazine to the audience, as Iron Man was billed as being a huge - must see action blockbuster, which again reinforces that the magazine is covering the action genre in this issue. The three other teaser images on the cover are of Shia LeBouf, another well known actor, who is featured as Indy jr. which refers to the Indiana Jones series of films, which again connotes not only the genre of the magazine and the film, but the quality of it as well, as it has two major actors on the same cover giving exclusive pictures and interviews, which tells an audience how good this product is. The second teaser image is from "The Chronicles of Narnia" and the third from "Speed Racer" these are both family - action films which connotes that the magazines audience is very broad as it appeals to both younger - teenage audiences and also older, more sophisticated readers as it features a variety of films which appeal to a wide audince.

The typography used on the cover follows the same style as the masthead, and the text itself is very  in your face, which isn't appealing to a specific audience as the text does get the message across quickly and effectively, using bold and clear font. All the text used is precise and to the point, without having reems of text taking up the entirety of the cover, insted, it uses minimalistic phrases in order to keep the magazine uncluttered,  making the overall image more clean cut and proffessional.
 

The colour used on the cover stands out vividly as it contrasting shades of red, balck, white and gold, which create a visually pleasing colour scheme which would appeal to a wider audience as the colour used is neutral and not gender biased. The colour on the magazine is used effectively to seperate different images and text, like at the bottom the have used white and red font so it is easier for the audience to read, making sure the text does not blur together, which is an effective style choice with added benefits for the reader.