The Outsider - A2 Media Coursework

Evaluation

George Hart A2 Evaluation on Prezi

Film Magazine Front Cover

Final Movie Poster

Clapperboards (Details Any Mistakes Made)

Running Order of Shots/Scenes

Venue/Location Lists

Our trailer was filmed in various areas of the woods surrounding Lydiate Hall. We chose this location specifically because our trailer revolves around a group of campers. The Lydiate Hall itself also adds to the sinister feeling behind the location due to it being derelict and abandoned.

Risk Assessment Forms

Contributor's Release Forms

Storyboards

Pitch

Shot Lists

Trailer Soundtrack

For the beginning of our trailer we used sound effects that could be found already on the Apple iMacs. It was simply a tension building motif that was effective in creating a suspenseful atmosphere. As the trailer continues a different sound effect is used to create a more intense feel, as the second effect is faster and creates a greater sense of danger. As the trailer reaches is final stage we used a real soundtrack in order to finally create the most intense form of panic we could, with the final soundtrack starting off slowly but gradually becoming more fast paced. This was included primarily in scenes of running and attack.

Actor List (Reasons For My Choice)

For our film trailer "The Outsider" we chose our actors due to them meeting the right criteria for the roles of the characters involved.

Melissa Heague - "Stacy"

Melissa (aged 18) was chosen to portray Stacy as we felt she would be able to play the "damsel in distress" stereotype perfectly.

Phil Wade - "Mark"

Phil (aged 18) was chosen to portray Mark as we felt he would be able to play the "heroic" stereotype perfectly.

George Hart - "Jack"

I was chosen to portray Jack as the rest of the group felt I would be able to play the "joker" of the group of characters perfectly.

Prop List

A 3 man to tent to make it evident that the group would be camping.

2 camping chairs as you would not go camping without chairs as there would be nowhere to sit.

A lighter to light the campfire to make it seem more like they were camping.

A knife for the murder of Melissa.

Fake blood for the killer to wipe off the knife.

Black gloves.

Costume List

Melissa Heague (Stacey) - Stacy is portrayed wearing primarilly conventional camping clothes. She is wearing wellis and a thick jacket. Also, her clothes are mostly dark which mirrors the feel of the trailer perfectly.

Philip Wade (Mark) - Mark was portrayed as wearing stereotypical teenage boy clothes with him wearing a hoody, trainers and traicksuit pants that are also not bright colours.

George Hart (Jack) - Jack was portrayed wearing a dark blue fleece and trainers. Dull colours also.

John Appleby (Killer) - The Killer was only revealed to be wearing primarilly black to avoid being noticed along with gloves so as not to leave any evidence linking him to the murders.

The Queer Theory

The queer theory is a field of gender studies that emerged in the early 1990's out of the gay/lesbian studies and feminist studies. Although many believe that the 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.

Richard Dyer's Star Theory

Richard Dyer has written extensively about the role of stars in film, TV and music. Inrespective of the medium, stars have some key features in common. A star in 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, etc. as well as films and music). Stars use internet, T.V, radio, magazines to construct an image for the film. Dyers theory is based around 2 paradox's.

Paradox one - The star must be ordinary and extraordinary

Paradox two - The star must be simultaneously present and absent to consumer (private life that audience wants to know more about)

Vladimir Propp Theory

In Propp's theory, he examined hundreds of folk tales and concluded that a formula was commonplace, including:

8 character roles or spheres of action (character and action being inseperable)

31 functions, always highly predictable such as villain being punished at end of story

Character Roles

The villain - represents evil and struggles against the hero

The dispatcher - character who makes the problem in the narrative known and sends the hero on his way  

The helper - helps the hero in his quest

The princess/heroine - the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. The hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess, thereby beating the villain  

Her father - often rewards the hero with the princess/heroine 

The donor - prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object to help him in his quest

The hero - the centrail protagonist who leads the way in the narrative 

False hero - takes credit for the hero’s actions, is usually good looking and is often actually a coward

Roland Barthes Theory

Barthes is famous in media for suggesting that narratives work with five codes

The enigma code is the most famous as we use this to make guesses as to how the narrative of a film will finish, therefire providing pleasure for the audience. 
Hermeneutic Code
This is when parts of the story are not fully explained. They exist as enigmas or questions that the audience wishes to be resolved. Detective stories (e.g. Sherlock Holmes) have narratives that complies with this 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 revealled until the end and some devices are used to conceal it:

The snare  

Partial answers 

Equivocation 

Proairetic Code
The proarietic code is a series of actions that imply further action/reaction. For example, a character may have an argument and the audience wonders what the resolution or outcome of this argument will be. This creates suspense and tension as the audience wonders what the outcome will be and begin to make their own guesses

Strauss Theory

Strauss argues that meaning in narratives is based upon binary opposites (conflicts). He was less interested in the arrangement (or syntagmatic)  of the narrative (or order) and more in the deeper meaning (or paradigmatic) of the themes.

Examples of Binary Opposition
Man vs. Woman
Science vs. Nature
Good vs. Evil
Earth vs. Space

Analysis of Lionsgate Ident

Analysis of Twisted Pictures Ident

Analysis of 2 Film Posters

This is the first film poster I have chosen to analyse; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. This poster is simply excellent in the techniques that have been used in order to advertise the film. The poster depicts the main protagonist (Harry Potter) and the main antagonist (Lord Voldemort) facing each other while the "Elder wand" is central. This is a technique used to create a feeling of a final confrontation between the two characters with a significant object from the film being the main factor. The appearance of the two characters that is shown is excellent in showing us the intensity of the film and the battle that will enuse presumably following this image. The text at the bottom of the poster reads "It All Ends." This short and simple collection of words works perfectly in its use of creating excitement and curiosity in the general public. It does not reveal any information about the film that could potentially ruin the story, yet lets the audience know that the story has reached its dramatic conclusion. The colour scheme used is particularly effective as it depicts perfectly the dark nature of the film, as opposed to the earlier films of the saga. This poster relies heavily on the audience being able to realise what the poster is showing. For example, neither Harry nor Voldemort are identified in any way, shape or form. Their pictures are merely shown facing each other with the same confrontational expressions. Also, there seems to be no mention of the film's title to be found, which again is an effective example of the poster assuming that the public will already be aware of what they are looking at. Overall, this poster has been superbly designed and achieves its objective of enticing an audience to go and see the film without revealing too much information about the story.

This is the second poster I have chosen for analysis; The Mechanic. This poster is a magnificently subtle yet informative design. The imagery almost immediately will make an audience realise the films action genre due to the smoke, fire and what appears to be a destroyed vehicle of some description. The caption at the top of the poster reads "Someone has to fix the problems." This is an effective use of wording as the somewhat sarcastic tone of the words mirrors the gritty nature of the film. The character depicted is played by action star Jason Statham; he is named only in small text above the title at the bottom. This is once again an example of the designers reliance on its audience being aware pretty much immediately of what is being shown. Statham's character is depicted showing the typical traits of an action film protagonist; rough appearance, serious expression, dark clothes and armed with weaponry. Keeping in connection with Statham's characters appearance, the colour scheme of the poster in general generates a dark and serious feel (with the exception of the title and actors featured). Overall, this poster has been designed perfectly in terms of achieving its objective of enticing an audience without revealing too much information regarding the story.

Analysis of 2 Film Magazine Covers

My first magazine cover I have chosen to be analysed is Empire's edition featuring Harry Potter 7. The magazine stays loyal to its classic house style in terms of colour scheme etc. For example; the masthead is written in large font and in red. The strapline at the top of the cover is particularly clever as the method incorporated has been used in order to generate interest in its audience. The strapline reads "Our Best Preview Issue Ever!" The words "Preview" and "Issue" have been presented in a bright yellow, as opposed to the words "Our", "Best" and "Ever!" which have been written in a simple grey. The protagonist of the film; Harry Potter, is shown so clearly that his image even covers a part of "Empire". This is the magazine relying heavily on the public being able to immediately recognise the character and therefore become interested in the magazine. Subheadings such as "Heroes" and "Legends" are featured in order to further potential readers' interest even more. Harry Potter is depicted being surrounded by shattered glass, shards of which show images of the other important characters. This is a highly creative connection that has been made with the subheading "Friendships Shatter. Evil Unites." The epic and intense feel of the film that Empire is trying to display is evident with the expressions found on the secondary characters faces on the shards of glass surrounding Potter. Pugs and Puffs that are available are an effective method of ctaching potential readers' eyes with words like "Plus!", "Must-See!" and "Exclusive!" Bold phrases and wording such as these are a highly effective way to attract readers.

The second magazine front cover I have chosen for analysis is Total Film's edition featuring the movie Max Payne. Much like Empire's edition featuring Harry Potter 7; this magazine cover features the protagonist of its featured film covering some of the magazine's masthead. This is a particularly effective method being used by the magazine; as it is confident that its potential readers will immediately identify the featured actor (Mark Wahlberg) and thus be interested in the entire magazine. The cover's use of a 3D effect is simply superb. The public will feel even more enticed by the feeling of realism that this method brings to the cover. The strapline featured underneath the headline reads "Wahlberg Finds His Bourne." This is once again the creators of the magazine relying on its audiences ability to understand the meaning behind the words displayed, which is very effective. The colour scheme for the cover is primarily of a dark and somewhat serious feel. This is an effective method used in order to emphasise the dramatic theme of the film featured. This cover uses an excellent method in order to entice readers; it barely reveals anything about the film.

History of Trailers

• Besides in front of theatrical releases, movie trailers have now become extremely popular on the internet. Of some 10-billion videos watched online annually, movie trailers rank #3, after news and user-created video.

• The first trailer shown in a U.S. movie theater was 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, opening at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway.

• Up until the late 1950s, trailers were mostly created by National Screen Service and consisted of various key scenes from the film being advertised, often augmented with large, descriptive text describing the story, and an underscore generally pulled from studio music libraries. Most trailers had some form of narration and those that did featured stentorian voices

• 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.

• In 1964, Andrew J. Kuehn distributed his independently-produced trailer for Night of the Iguana, using stark, high-contrast photography, fast-paced editing and a provocative narration by a young James Earl Jones. His format was so successful, he began producing this new form of trailer with partner Dan Davis.

• Kuehn opened the west coast office of Kaleidoscope Films in 1968 and Kuehn and his company became a major player in the trailer industry for the next three decades

• Top trailer companies have all been run by former Kaleidoscope creatives, like The Cimarron Group (Chris Arnold), Ant Farm, Aspect Ratio (Mark Trugman), Trailer Park (Benedict Coulter) and Motor Entertainment, run by Greg McClatchy, who previously headed up the film marketing division at 20th Century Fox.

Trailer Terminology

Plot summary Most trailers have a three-act structure similar to a feature-length film. They start with a beginning (act1) 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 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 promote the movie.

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 mood of the trailer. Usually the music 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 movies
Popular or well known music, often chosen for its tone, appropriateness of a lyric or lack-there-of, or recognizably.
'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 Block, 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 70s, they were put only at the end of the trailer. Often there will be logos for both the production company and 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 general terms 35mm film or a digital format. High Bandwidth internet connections allows for trailers to be distributed at any resolution up to 1080p.

Codes and Conventions of Trailers

The codes and conventions of trailers are about pulling in the audience to inform them on what a film is about. They will consist of selected short clips that will give away parts of what the film is about, this is meant to entice as the audience will want to see more. The shorter the clips, the more the film is desired to be seen and the audience will want to see more of what is happening. Unexpected twists in the movie will not be shown as you don't want to give too much away and what the audience to keep guessing. The limit for trailers are normally 2:30 minutes that was issued by the MPAA, sometimes trailers may run over this but this is very rare. On most trailers, music will play in the background to set the tone and ensure that it matches with the plot of the story.

Several points that trailers should achieve are:

Generate interest in the film

Show off the stars of the film

Show the film to its best advantage

Create excitement

Tell people what the film is about, e.g. the genre

Not give too much of the plot away

Tease the audience by setting up narrative enigmas

Showcase some of the best bits of the film

Give details about the production team

My group's trailer will be that of a horror film, so we will be generally using the codes and conventions of that genre. Our aim will be to raise the audience's intrigue and make them curious as to the terrible fate that falls upon our characters.

What is the purpose of trailers, Film Magazine front covers and Posters in terms of marketing a film?

Film trailers
- Film trailers are an important component in the marketing of a film. The purpose of trailers is basically to make people want to see the film, which is usually achieved by highlighting the best parts of the film so it attracts its target audience. It could be argued that the trailer is the most important method of marketing a film, as it conveys the idea and atmosphere of the film a lot more than the likes of a poster etc.

Film Magazine Front Covers
- Film Magazine Front Covers are used for the same idea as trailers, as they are used to attract audiences to the film they are marketing. The front cover shows an image of the film they are trying to market so the readers will be interested and therefore want to know more about the film than what is merely shown. Hopefully the readers will then develop an interest in seeing the film, achieving the objective of marketing the film effectively

Posters
- Film posters are a common marketing used to advertise a film. They attempt to generate a hype by raising awareness by making audiences aware that a new film is due for release. The poster will provide a variety of information such as; the film's title, the date of release, the cast and the certificate (which is determined by the BBFC)

Collective Identity of Drug Addicts and Football Fans - Task Two

When football fans are shown on TV or in Film, it is usually negative narrative perspectives that are shown. The football fans are usually portrayed as violent, hard-faced holligans with a limited intellect and wit. When the protagonist who narrates the story is heard, they tend to give off an impression that they agree with the severe violence that takes occurs during football matches. They are usually portrayed as working class with no interest in education and have no ambition beyond fighting rival football firms. They also tend to be portrayed as overly confident, aggressive and volatile. Their is very rarely any incidents of compassion, sympathy or empathy featured in films or dramas based on the lives of football fans

Collective Identity of Drug Addicts and Football Fans - Task One

There are various examples of Mise-En-Scene that can be used in a film or drama when representing drug addiction, some of these include:

Unhealthy appearance
- When the film or drama represents drug addicts, the characters will usually appear "sick" or "unwell." For example they may have tired eyes, may be heavily underweight or have very pale skin. Things like this emphasise the effect the drugs are having on the addicts

Poorly dressed
- Drug addicts are usually represented as poor or at least lower class. Therefore, addicts that are being portrayed will usually be dressed in dirty clothes. Drug addicts are also shown to spend what little money they have on their addiction

Poor living conditions
- Drug addicts also tend to be portrayed as living in rough areas or "slums" due to their low income that is only ever spent on their habit anyway

Items relating to drug use
- Scenes in films and dramas tend to show their drug addict characters surrounded by the substance they are addicted to, and the items that are needed. For example, a cocaine addict may be shown next to a rolled up note of money or a mirror. A heroin addict may be shown to be in possession of a syringe, belt etc.

What do you think the term Media Regulation means?

The term regulation refers to the control of something. In relation to media, the regulation is the guidance and control of distributed media products and the creation process involved. Examples of media regulation would be ensuring the products created are suitable to a variety of markets and audiences, and ensuring the product is completed to a high standard

Who are the BBFC? What do they do?

The BBFC is the British Board of Film Classification; a non-government organisation who are funded by the film industry and responsiblr for the national classification of films, videos, DVDs and some video games within the United Kingdom under the Video Recordings Act 2010

Introduction

This is my A2 coursework blog in which I will research promotional packages of a film. In order to do this I will complete planning for a trailer in its entirety. The trailer itself will consist of 2 minutes worth of original footage in a genre of my own choice. I will also produce a film poster and a film magazine front cover. All of the research, planning, poster, magazine front cover and evaluation will be done individually. I will either create two trailers of 60 seconds in length or one trailer of 120 seconds in length. I will also need to show how the film can be marketed using a Film Magazine and a Poster. All of these will need to be linked in some way to show a synergy of product. My trailer will be viewed by an audience, so I therefore need it to be of a high quality and consider the selection of mise-en-scene, actor, sound, props and most importantly editing.