Advanced Portfolio Evaluation
Introduction
I will be evaluating my Advanced Portfolio by addressing four questions related to my work. I will answer the questions in a reflective but theoretical manner to consider the effectiveness of my work and will be evaluating how I have used codes and conventions of Horror films, trailers, magazines and posters in my own productions. Throughout the evaluation I will be considering audience feedback in my answers and also how I used media technologies to achieve the goals that were given to me.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and codes and conventions of real media products?
Followed Conventions
Trailer
Codes and conventions are the most important thing when creating a new media text. Media practitioners study and learn from conventions to further their understanding of their chosen genre, whilst also challenging conventions to keep their creations interesting and original. By using codes and conventions I am able to appeal to a target audience and create more professional media texts. One example of this is the setting of my horror film. By looking at locations from my local area and from existing media texts such as “The Possession”, “The Last Exorcism Part 2”, “Insidious” and “The Amityville Horror”, I was able to gain a better understanding of where typical Horror and Possession films are usually set, which is normally a large, eerie and foreboding house in the middle of nowhere, usually hinted by a large number of trees surrounding the house. Through this knowledge I was able to identify an effective location for my film trailer, a large house surrounding by fields and lots of trees, giving the impression that the house is situated in an isolated location. The process of studying conventions, seeing them in existing media texts then applying them to my own creations has allowed me to become familiar with the appropriate codes and conventions. For every convention of the Horror genre and Possession sub-genre that I saw in existing media texts, I was able to apply them to real life examples and use them in my own work. Some appropriate codes and conventions include, location, narrative, mise-en-scene and narrative structure and I was able to implement all of these conventions into my trailer.
In my film trailer I have used a number of conventions of both the Horror genre and the Possession sub-genre. Having studied conventions from films such as “The Possession”, “The Last Exorcism Part 2” and “Insidious”, I was able to select specific examples of conventions that I could use for my trailer including, narrative, mise-en-scene, location and sound. One narrative convention on the genre is to feature a middle class family, who lives in a fairly large house in an isolated setting. The audience see the family living a normal life until something disturbs that and evil takes over their lives, forcing them to seek out a priest to get rid of the demon. This narrative convention is found in films like “The Possession” and “Insidious”. I used this convention by having a similar narrative to the ones featured in the previously mentioned films. My narrative is that a family living in a large but isolated house is given a possessed jack-in-the-box and when played with, releases the demons inside, taking over the family’s bodies and acting out evil behaviours. The family then seek the help of a priest who exorcises the son who is possessed. Featuring a religious element such as a Christian priest is conventional of the Possession sub-genre and this is a convention that I followed. Using religious imagery such as a cross and a bible is also conventional, and gives the audience the idea that religion is the "good" and the demons and the possessed child is the "evil".
Another convention that I used and obeyed was sound. In typical films sound is used to create meaning and add to the effectiveness of the trailer, something that I set out to achieve as well. In a conventional Horror trailer there are two main sections where sound plays an important role, the beginning and during the montage. Sound at the beginning of the trailer is usually soft, happy and relaxing, making the audience feel safe when being introduced to the film and its characters. Sound during the montage is normally fast paced, loud and tense and this is to create tension and fear amongst the audience. These sound conventions are seen in films such as “The Possession” and “Insidious” and through studying their trailers I was able to understand the conventions and how they can be applied to my own trailer. I specifically wanted to do something similar to the opening of the “Insidious: Chapter 2” trailer in which soft, happy and relaxing music is played. This section inspired me to choose a similar piece of music for the opening of my trailer. This is the trailer for “Insidious: Chapter 2” and I was inspired by the music playing between 4-28 seconds.
Location is another important convention of the Horror sub-genre and many trailers show the locations for the film to tell the audience where the film is set using varying establishing shots. This is something that I wanted to achieve in my trailer. Conventionally, trailers show three to four shots of the location, usually a large house in an isolated setting. I was particularly inspired by "The Possession" trailer as it has a very similar location to the one I wanted for my film. This shot in particular inspired me since it shows the character's house and the surrounding area, allowing the audience to know the location for the film in one shot.
There are obvious similarities between each shot. Both show a large detached house, with white paint and a black roof. There are many trees surrounding the house, telling us that the house in an isolated location. Both shots are also establishing shots that tell us where the film will be set.
The reason why I was so inspired by the shot in "The Possession" trailer was because it depicts a very conventional setting for a Possession film. I wanted the audience to instantly know through the location that they are watching a Possession film. I was also very lucky since the house used in the trailer is my father's, allowing us to shoot in the more private areas of the house, giving us the ability to film exactly what we want and where we want. One example of this is the main bedroom in which we see the son, Isaac, confronting his mother.
Mise-en-scene played a very important role in the creation of the trailer. My group and I wanted to create a modern look and feel to everything within the frame, from the character's costumes, to the props and the items within the house that could be seen in the background. Giving a modern look to the trailer was the most effective decision in my opinion, as it allows the audience to relate with the characters since they have very similar lifestyles. My group and I looked at a range of Horror films within the Possession sub-genre such as "The Possession", "The Last Exorcism Part 2", "Insidious" and "The Amityville Horror" and found that they all present a modern look to all of the mise-en-scene elements. From our knowledge of current fashion trends we thought of each character's costume, hair and make up to reflect those of modern society, enabling the audience to relate to the characters more. One character we pushed the 'modern' look of was the father, making him wear chinos, a shirt & jumper and smart shoes.
My group and I followed many existing conventions of both posters and the Horror genre when designing our poster for the promotional package. Using our past knowledge of both poster and Horror conventions, my group and I decided to go with a typical look for a Horror film poster to make it easily recognisable to the audience.
Poster
A number of poster layout conventions have been used to allow the audience to instantly know that they are looking a the poster. The main image fills the frame, the title is placed towards the centre of the frame, the tagline is placed just under the title, institutional information has been placed towards the bottom and the film's release is placed right at the very bottom. Other conventions have been used as well, such as the actor giving direct address, and the phrase "Based on a true story" placed at the top of the frame. I took heavy inspiration from the "Insidious" poster since it was very effective in using conventions of both posters and the Horror genre. Here we can see the similarities between the two posters. Both use the same poster layout conventions and both models give direct address. However I did want to be original to some extent, and this is why I darkened the edges of the frame and highlighted the blacks in the make-up and costume.
Magazine
When designing and producing the magazine my group and I thought it would be beneficial to follow as many conventions of magazines and the Horror genre as possible, since it would allow the reader to easily identify that they are reading the front cover to a film magazine and that the magazine is promoting a Horror film. Using our previous knowledge of magazine conventions and by researching existing magazine front covers promoting Horror films we was able to determine what conventions were best to use. The magazine's layout is very conventional, with the masthead placed at the top of the page, a main image that fills the frame, sell lines related to the main image and the promoted film placed around the middle and the name of the film promoted towards the bottom of the page. In terms of the masthead, I was particularly inspired by the front cover of Empire Magazine's January 2008 issue, which pictures Heath Ledger's Joker from the film "The Dark Knight". The masthead is coloured red and above it there is text that reads "The Dark Knight World Exclusive", separated by a symbol recognisable by Batman fans. I wanted to do the same with my magazine as I thought this was a creative idea but also effective in drawing in the audience. However I did create my own take on the idea, replacing the 't' in 'Motion' with a burning cross, a symbol that is recognisable by Horror fans and more specifically, Possession fans.
Challenged Conventions
Trailer
One convention of the Possession sub-genre of Horror is having a female lead protagonist, however in my trailer, a nine year-old boy is featured as the protagonist. This decision was made because he is seen as an innocent child until a demon takes control over him, scaring the audience into believing that it could happen to even the most innocent of us. Something similar is achieved in "Insidious", however it is not conventional to feature a young boy as the main protagonist in a Possession film. I was inspired by the originality of "Insidious" and it allowed me to express my own creativity, giving me confidence in challenging existing conventions and pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved in the sub-genre.
Poster
Conventionally, posters tend not to use props in their main image, as it distracts the audience from the model. However, I believe that featuring the Jack-in-the-Box was an effective decision in enticing the audience. The film's plot is centred around the box and is an important object to the characters, so including the box in the main image tells the audience that the box must be important. It also raises questions in the audience's mind as to why the box is there and how important it is to the film, enticing them to see the film.
Magazine
Film magazines tend not to use banners as part of their front cover, using a puff to promote a competition or a give-away. However I decided to place a banner at the bottom of the page as it allowed the reader to clearly see what part of the front cover was promoting a special offer in addition to the puff. The colour grey also fits nicely with the colour scheme with the front cover, allowing the promotion to be clearly visible, but not too eye-drawing so it doesn't distract the reader from the more important parts of the magazine.
How effective is the combination of the main product and ancillary texts?
How successful are your three pieces?
The three pieces of the promotional package successfully achieve an effective combination that appeals directly to the target audience. I think they are successful because of their effective use of conventions, there is a strong symbiotic link and that all of them were designed with the target audience in mind.
The promotional package effectively uses conventions to draw in the target audience and entice them to watch the film. The trailer uses many narrative, location, sound, mise-en-scene and editing conventions to achieve a professional and high quality look and feel. The use of these conventions allows the target audience to identify that this is a Horror trailer and that it is exactly what they are looking for. The target audience believe that they feel smart when they know the conventions of the genre, so using many conventions links in with one of their interests. Conventions are what make the piece effective, and the same can be said for both the poster and the magazine. Both use conventions of their format and of the Horror genre to appeal to the target audience successfully. They can identify all of the key conventions they know of and can easily recognise what they are looking at, be it a poster or a magazine promoting a Horror film.
How effective is the package in appealing to your target audience?
I believe the trailer appeals to the target audience the most, using conventions of the genre and using sound to the trailer's advantage, it creates tension, shock and scares amongst the target audience. Specifically, the stinger for the trailer is the most effective, using quiet but tense music to build up suspense, then silence to build it up even more and then the possessed child's face is cut to while stab sounds and screaming can be heard. This appeals to the target audience the most because they are always looking for their next scare and shock, so the stinger is an effective section in the trailer.
In terms of the poster, direct address is the most appealing feature to the target audience in my opinion. The facial expression and the darkened edges creeping into frame creates tension amongst the target audience, resulting in a more effective piece for the promotional package.
Mastheads are conventionally quite basic and tend to only feature text. However my magazine uses an image of a burning cross for the letter 't' in 'Motion'. I believe that this is the most effective part of the magazine, as it is something that the target audience haven't seen before, making the magazine as a whole more appealing.
How the pieces support each other
There is a strong symbiotic link between all three of the pieces for the promotional package. The same font, Nightbird, can be seen throughout the pieces multiple times in different formats. In the trailer, the font can be seen in the straps and in both the poster and the magazine, the font can be seen being used as the name of the film. All three pieces use the same colour scheme as well, with blood red, black and white dominating the colour palette.
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
The target audience for the film "Devil's Toy" are both female and male and aged between 18 and 30. They are either in University studying a creative or humanities based subject like media/film studies or psychology or have a degree in media/film studies or psychology. He/she works in a profession that allows them to see their creative and imagination skills, such as they might be working in advertising, they also might be in a profession where they help others, such as a therapist. Possession films appeal to him/her because it is sophisticated and makes you think and think in a spiritual nature.
For my target audience research I asked my friends who fit in with the target audience profile perfectly. They enjoy Horror films and were happy to be asked a series of questions after watching the trailer.
The target audience responded very well to the trailer and said that it was a very effective piece of film. Specifically they mentioned that the sound and editing was of a good standard, and they liked the montage of clips very much. One area they did refer to as an improvement was the camera-work. They said that it was too static and needed some movement to keep it interesting. They even referenced how one specific clip could have benefited from the feedback.
From the feedback I received I learnt that the trailer is very effective and well-produced, however the camera work could be improved a little. This will benefit the trailer by making it more interesting during the 'slower' portions of the plot and will add to the overall professionalism of the piece. I am now convinced that my work is effective in appealing to the target audience.
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
What technologies did you use in the research and planning stage?
There were many technologies that I used for my research and planning that span across different platforms. The internet was the most important one, as it allowed me to display my work on Blogger.com, I could research directors and real life case studies of possessions, I could watch trailers for existing media texts on Youtube.com, Prezi.com was used to display my work in a more interactive and technological format and social media was used to communicate with my group and my target audience.
Blogger.com made the process more creative and enjoyable because I was able to publish my work and share it with my group, present it in a personalised layout and it gave a more interactive feel to my work. Prezi.com and Slideshare.com allowed me to present my work in a more interactive and technologically savvy format, adding to the professionalism and quality of my work. Youtube.com was used very heavily for research and planning as it allowed my group and I to research existing media texts, as well as get tips into hair, make-up, costume, software and other digital technologies.
To film the film trailer we used a Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera (DSLR) which allowed us to record our shots in High Definition (HD). It also served the purpose of pracitce shots and to take the image for the poster and the magazine. This camera was easy to use and produced a high quality shot that added to the high quality of the overall piece. My group and I also used mobile phones to provide lighting for the trailer, as well as props for the characters to use. In terms of editing the trailer, we used Photoshop to create the straps and Sony Vegas Platinum Suite to edit the overall trailer. The editing software allowed my group and I to bring our vision to life and also showed us what we needed to improve upon. However the process was enjoyable, as we was able to experiment with various shots and sound clips to create the perfect trailer.
For the ancillary tasks the DSLR and Adobe Photoshop were the two main media technologies used in the construction of the pieces. The DSLR allowed us to produce high quality images for the magazine and the poster, adding to the professionalism and effectiveness of the pieces. Photoshop was used heavily to manipulate the main image and to insert text. My Photoshop skills have improved dramatically since Year 12 due to many tutorials online and this has helped me to produce my work to a better standard.
Using both text messages and a video of feedback from my target audience I was able to receive valuable feedback that allowed me to improve my work dramatically. However I do feel that I could have used media technology more for this purpose. I could have used social media to gather feedback on all three pieces and could have even produced an online questionnaire. This would have allowed me to receive more valuable feedback from my target audience, resulting in an improved version of my three pieces of work.
Conclusion
Overall I believe that my promotional package was effective in satisfying the target audience's needs and following conventions of the Possession and Horror genre. They all appealed to the target audience successfully and were effective, high quality and professional pieces of work.
I will be evaluating my Advanced Portfolio by addressing four questions related to my work. I will answer the questions in a reflective but theoretical manner to consider the effectiveness of my work and will be evaluating how I have used codes and conventions of Horror films, trailers, magazines and posters in my own productions. Throughout the evaluation I will be considering audience feedback in my answers and also how I used media technologies to achieve the goals that were given to me.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and codes and conventions of real media products?
Followed Conventions
Trailer
In my film trailer I have used a number of conventions of both the Horror genre and the Possession sub-genre. Having studied conventions from films such as “The Possession”, “The Last Exorcism Part 2” and “Insidious”, I was able to select specific examples of conventions that I could use for my trailer including, narrative, mise-en-scene, location and sound. One narrative convention on the genre is to feature a middle class family, who lives in a fairly large house in an isolated setting. The audience see the family living a normal life until something disturbs that and evil takes over their lives, forcing them to seek out a priest to get rid of the demon. This narrative convention is found in films like “The Possession” and “Insidious”. I used this convention by having a similar narrative to the ones featured in the previously mentioned films. My narrative is that a family living in a large but isolated house is given a possessed jack-in-the-box and when played with, releases the demons inside, taking over the family’s bodies and acting out evil behaviours. The family then seek the help of a priest who exorcises the son who is possessed. Featuring a religious element such as a Christian priest is conventional of the Possession sub-genre and this is a convention that I followed. Using religious imagery such as a cross and a bible is also conventional, and gives the audience the idea that religion is the "good" and the demons and the possessed child is the "evil".
Another convention that I used and obeyed was sound. In typical films sound is used to create meaning and add to the effectiveness of the trailer, something that I set out to achieve as well. In a conventional Horror trailer there are two main sections where sound plays an important role, the beginning and during the montage. Sound at the beginning of the trailer is usually soft, happy and relaxing, making the audience feel safe when being introduced to the film and its characters. Sound during the montage is normally fast paced, loud and tense and this is to create tension and fear amongst the audience. These sound conventions are seen in films such as “The Possession” and “Insidious” and through studying their trailers I was able to understand the conventions and how they can be applied to my own trailer. I specifically wanted to do something similar to the opening of the “Insidious: Chapter 2” trailer in which soft, happy and relaxing music is played. This section inspired me to choose a similar piece of music for the opening of my trailer. This is the trailer for “Insidious: Chapter 2” and I was inspired by the music playing between 4-28 seconds.
Location is another important convention of the Horror sub-genre and many trailers show the locations for the film to tell the audience where the film is set using varying establishing shots. This is something that I wanted to achieve in my trailer. Conventionally, trailers show three to four shots of the location, usually a large house in an isolated setting. I was particularly inspired by "The Possession" trailer as it has a very similar location to the one I wanted for my film. This shot in particular inspired me since it shows the character's house and the surrounding area, allowing the audience to know the location for the film in one shot.
There are obvious similarities between each shot. Both show a large detached house, with white paint and a black roof. There are many trees surrounding the house, telling us that the house in an isolated location. Both shots are also establishing shots that tell us where the film will be set.
The reason why I was so inspired by the shot in "The Possession" trailer was because it depicts a very conventional setting for a Possession film. I wanted the audience to instantly know through the location that they are watching a Possession film. I was also very lucky since the house used in the trailer is my father's, allowing us to shoot in the more private areas of the house, giving us the ability to film exactly what we want and where we want. One example of this is the main bedroom in which we see the son, Isaac, confronting his mother.
Mise-en-scene played a very important role in the creation of the trailer. My group and I wanted to create a modern look and feel to everything within the frame, from the character's costumes, to the props and the items within the house that could be seen in the background. Giving a modern look to the trailer was the most effective decision in my opinion, as it allows the audience to relate with the characters since they have very similar lifestyles. My group and I looked at a range of Horror films within the Possession sub-genre such as "The Possession", "The Last Exorcism Part 2", "Insidious" and "The Amityville Horror" and found that they all present a modern look to all of the mise-en-scene elements. From our knowledge of current fashion trends we thought of each character's costume, hair and make up to reflect those of modern society, enabling the audience to relate to the characters more. One character we pushed the 'modern' look of was the father, making him wear chinos, a shirt & jumper and smart shoes.
My group and I followed many existing conventions of both posters and the Horror genre when designing our poster for the promotional package. Using our past knowledge of both poster and Horror conventions, my group and I decided to go with a typical look for a Horror film poster to make it easily recognisable to the audience.
Poster
A number of poster layout conventions have been used to allow the audience to instantly know that they are looking a the poster. The main image fills the frame, the title is placed towards the centre of the frame, the tagline is placed just under the title, institutional information has been placed towards the bottom and the film's release is placed right at the very bottom. Other conventions have been used as well, such as the actor giving direct address, and the phrase "Based on a true story" placed at the top of the frame. I took heavy inspiration from the "Insidious" poster since it was very effective in using conventions of both posters and the Horror genre. Here we can see the similarities between the two posters. Both use the same poster layout conventions and both models give direct address. However I did want to be original to some extent, and this is why I darkened the edges of the frame and highlighted the blacks in the make-up and costume.
Magazine
When designing and producing the magazine my group and I thought it would be beneficial to follow as many conventions of magazines and the Horror genre as possible, since it would allow the reader to easily identify that they are reading the front cover to a film magazine and that the magazine is promoting a Horror film. Using our previous knowledge of magazine conventions and by researching existing magazine front covers promoting Horror films we was able to determine what conventions were best to use. The magazine's layout is very conventional, with the masthead placed at the top of the page, a main image that fills the frame, sell lines related to the main image and the promoted film placed around the middle and the name of the film promoted towards the bottom of the page. In terms of the masthead, I was particularly inspired by the front cover of Empire Magazine's January 2008 issue, which pictures Heath Ledger's Joker from the film "The Dark Knight". The masthead is coloured red and above it there is text that reads "The Dark Knight World Exclusive", separated by a symbol recognisable by Batman fans. I wanted to do the same with my magazine as I thought this was a creative idea but also effective in drawing in the audience. However I did create my own take on the idea, replacing the 't' in 'Motion' with a burning cross, a symbol that is recognisable by Horror fans and more specifically, Possession fans.
Challenged Conventions
Trailer
One convention of the Possession sub-genre of Horror is having a female lead protagonist, however in my trailer, a nine year-old boy is featured as the protagonist. This decision was made because he is seen as an innocent child until a demon takes control over him, scaring the audience into believing that it could happen to even the most innocent of us. Something similar is achieved in "Insidious", however it is not conventional to feature a young boy as the main protagonist in a Possession film. I was inspired by the originality of "Insidious" and it allowed me to express my own creativity, giving me confidence in challenging existing conventions and pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved in the sub-genre.
Poster
Conventionally, posters tend not to use props in their main image, as it distracts the audience from the model. However, I believe that featuring the Jack-in-the-Box was an effective decision in enticing the audience. The film's plot is centred around the box and is an important object to the characters, so including the box in the main image tells the audience that the box must be important. It also raises questions in the audience's mind as to why the box is there and how important it is to the film, enticing them to see the film.
Magazine
Film magazines tend not to use banners as part of their front cover, using a puff to promote a competition or a give-away. However I decided to place a banner at the bottom of the page as it allowed the reader to clearly see what part of the front cover was promoting a special offer in addition to the puff. The colour grey also fits nicely with the colour scheme with the front cover, allowing the promotion to be clearly visible, but not too eye-drawing so it doesn't distract the reader from the more important parts of the magazine.
How effective is the combination of the main product and ancillary texts?
How successful are your three pieces?
The three pieces of the promotional package successfully achieve an effective combination that appeals directly to the target audience. I think they are successful because of their effective use of conventions, there is a strong symbiotic link and that all of them were designed with the target audience in mind.
The promotional package effectively uses conventions to draw in the target audience and entice them to watch the film. The trailer uses many narrative, location, sound, mise-en-scene and editing conventions to achieve a professional and high quality look and feel. The use of these conventions allows the target audience to identify that this is a Horror trailer and that it is exactly what they are looking for. The target audience believe that they feel smart when they know the conventions of the genre, so using many conventions links in with one of their interests. Conventions are what make the piece effective, and the same can be said for both the poster and the magazine. Both use conventions of their format and of the Horror genre to appeal to the target audience successfully. They can identify all of the key conventions they know of and can easily recognise what they are looking at, be it a poster or a magazine promoting a Horror film.
How effective is the package in appealing to your target audience?
I believe the trailer appeals to the target audience the most, using conventions of the genre and using sound to the trailer's advantage, it creates tension, shock and scares amongst the target audience. Specifically, the stinger for the trailer is the most effective, using quiet but tense music to build up suspense, then silence to build it up even more and then the possessed child's face is cut to while stab sounds and screaming can be heard. This appeals to the target audience the most because they are always looking for their next scare and shock, so the stinger is an effective section in the trailer.
In terms of the poster, direct address is the most appealing feature to the target audience in my opinion. The facial expression and the darkened edges creeping into frame creates tension amongst the target audience, resulting in a more effective piece for the promotional package.
Mastheads are conventionally quite basic and tend to only feature text. However my magazine uses an image of a burning cross for the letter 't' in 'Motion'. I believe that this is the most effective part of the magazine, as it is something that the target audience haven't seen before, making the magazine as a whole more appealing.
How the pieces support each other
There is a strong symbiotic link between all three of the pieces for the promotional package. The same font, Nightbird, can be seen throughout the pieces multiple times in different formats. In the trailer, the font can be seen in the straps and in both the poster and the magazine, the font can be seen being used as the name of the film. All three pieces use the same colour scheme as well, with blood red, black and white dominating the colour palette.
The target audience for the film "Devil's Toy" are both female and male and aged between 18 and 30. They are either in University studying a creative or humanities based subject like media/film studies or psychology or have a degree in media/film studies or psychology. He/she works in a profession that allows them to see their creative and imagination skills, such as they might be working in advertising, they also might be in a profession where they help others, such as a therapist. Possession films appeal to him/her because it is sophisticated and makes you think and think in a spiritual nature.
For my target audience research I asked my friends who fit in with the target audience profile perfectly. They enjoy Horror films and were happy to be asked a series of questions after watching the trailer.
The target audience responded very well to the trailer and said that it was a very effective piece of film. Specifically they mentioned that the sound and editing was of a good standard, and they liked the montage of clips very much. One area they did refer to as an improvement was the camera-work. They said that it was too static and needed some movement to keep it interesting. They even referenced how one specific clip could have benefited from the feedback.
From the feedback I received I learnt that the trailer is very effective and well-produced, however the camera work could be improved a little. This will benefit the trailer by making it more interesting during the 'slower' portions of the plot and will add to the overall professionalism of the piece. I am now convinced that my work is effective in appealing to the target audience.
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
What technologies did you use in the research and planning stage?
There were many technologies that I used for my research and planning that span across different platforms. The internet was the most important one, as it allowed me to display my work on Blogger.com, I could research directors and real life case studies of possessions, I could watch trailers for existing media texts on Youtube.com, Prezi.com was used to display my work in a more interactive and technological format and social media was used to communicate with my group and my target audience.
Blogger.com made the process more creative and enjoyable because I was able to publish my work and share it with my group, present it in a personalised layout and it gave a more interactive feel to my work. Prezi.com and Slideshare.com allowed me to present my work in a more interactive and technologically savvy format, adding to the professionalism and quality of my work. Youtube.com was used very heavily for research and planning as it allowed my group and I to research existing media texts, as well as get tips into hair, make-up, costume, software and other digital technologies.
To film the film trailer we used a Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera (DSLR) which allowed us to record our shots in High Definition (HD). It also served the purpose of pracitce shots and to take the image for the poster and the magazine. This camera was easy to use and produced a high quality shot that added to the high quality of the overall piece. My group and I also used mobile phones to provide lighting for the trailer, as well as props for the characters to use. In terms of editing the trailer, we used Photoshop to create the straps and Sony Vegas Platinum Suite to edit the overall trailer. The editing software allowed my group and I to bring our vision to life and also showed us what we needed to improve upon. However the process was enjoyable, as we was able to experiment with various shots and sound clips to create the perfect trailer.
For the ancillary tasks the DSLR and Adobe Photoshop were the two main media technologies used in the construction of the pieces. The DSLR allowed us to produce high quality images for the magazine and the poster, adding to the professionalism and effectiveness of the pieces. Photoshop was used heavily to manipulate the main image and to insert text. My Photoshop skills have improved dramatically since Year 12 due to many tutorials online and this has helped me to produce my work to a better standard.
Using both text messages and a video of feedback from my target audience I was able to receive valuable feedback that allowed me to improve my work dramatically. However I do feel that I could have used media technology more for this purpose. I could have used social media to gather feedback on all three pieces and could have even produced an online questionnaire. This would have allowed me to receive more valuable feedback from my target audience, resulting in an improved version of my three pieces of work.
Conclusion
Overall I believe that my promotional package was effective in satisfying the target audience's needs and following conventions of the Possession and Horror genre. They all appealed to the target audience successfully and were effective, high quality and professional pieces of work.
No comments:
Post a Comment