Post production - coursework reflection

Receiving the audience feedback was very helpful. It helped us understand what we had done well and what we could have done to make it even better. I feel like it was good to receive audience feedback because it will help us in our next year when we create a trailer to work on the certain things to make sure we create something even better.

Throughout the editing period of our film we used many different tools to edit the film. We used the cutting tool quite often. We used it to cut scenes in certain places and then later on place the other part of the scene in somewhere else just to make it look just that little bit more professional. We also used the fade to black transition to make it look even more like a horror movie. This is because it was a typical cliche. We also used a certain that helped you drag the time out of a certain shot. This had an impact on the film because it drew more tension as you were waiting for the next scene to come but your not sure when it is coming.

Research and planning - coursework reflection

Before making our film we looked at the type of audiences that watch horror movies and why they go to watch them. We then figured out what type of audience we would be advertising our film to, this was ages 15-30. We recorded all the research on our blogs. We made posts about certain things that were for horror movies, it was based on horror movies because out opening two minutes was a horror and we wanted to make sure we make it as much like a horror as possible. This helped the production of our film because it gave us a greater idea of what to include and how to do certain things so it would appeal to the audience as much as possible. It was very effective as we found out a lot more information about the genre we chose and gave us a better understanding.

We created a storyboard but it was only very brief. We did not follow it exactly but included most of the things that were noted. There was also camera shots included on the storyboard. We followed this and took a shot in the camera angle that we put down. However we did shot some shots with different camera angles as well so when it came to editing our film we could chose from a selection to make sure we have the best one. We also created a script. The script was not very long, only a sentence or two for certain characters. We felt that we did not need too much dialogue as we wanted to build tension to make people want to watch more than just the opening 2 minutes. The script was followed word for word, this was because they were very short and snappy so did not have to be changed or adapted in any way.

Creativity - coursework reflection

When were thinking of ideas of what to do, we watched horror trailers and some films in our own time. We looked for some of the cliches included in the trailers and films and wanted to try and incorporate them into the opening two minutes of our film. We both came up with a mind map of ideas and took some of each others ideas and put them together to get and idea we both liked. When we was starting to film out film we ran into a massive obstacle, the place we was meant to be filming our film at was no longer available for us to film. This meant we had to change the whole concept of our film. This was a major set back but we managed to deal with it and overcome it.

The software Adobe elements helped us create something imaginative because it had so many different features that could be used to create the best film possible. It had a load of filters, transitions etc included in the software. There was something on there for basically ever genre, we chose to use the fade to black as this was used in other opening two minutes that we had watched. There were also many different tools included in this software as well. Some of tools were scissors so you can cuts bits out that you did not want and also a text button which meant you could add text in any part of the film you wanted.

We managed to include a range of camera shots to really show off how we could create a very creative horror movie, such as long shots, over the shoulder shots etc. The way our opening two minutes turned out was better than i expected.    

Digital technology - coursework reflection

In the making of our film we used one specific software to create it, this was called Adobe elements 10. There were so many different features on this software to use and to make our film look professional. I particularly like the fade to black filter as it really fitted in with the typical conventions of a horror film. However getting use to the software was a struggle. Although it had loads of features getting to know them all and what they did took a while. At the start we were just experimenting so it did not matter, however it did matter when we were half way through making our film. We accidentally clicked the wrong button and managed to delete the work that we had done that lesson.

We use various types of equipment to help us make out film. One of the key pieces of equipment was the video camera. We chose to use this instead of a phone because the picture would be clearer and the sound would be better. We also used a tripod so we could keep the camera still whilst we were shooting certain shots. Another piece of equipment we used was a camera. This was so we could document how we was making our film and what it consisted of. This came in handy when we needed to evaluate our task.  

Despicable me 3 trailer analysis

By watching the trailer of despicable me 3 it told us a lot about the film and gave use the key information. The equilibrium of the film was represented as a normal suburban family life, we then went on to see the disruption. This was when Gru was told about his twin brother and then went to reunite with his twin brother. At this point Gru had realised that his life is dull. It then went on to give us some information about the attempt to repair. This was when Gru decides to go on one last heist with his twin brother to remember what it was like when he lived that life. Throughout the trailer there were some enigmas being produced. For example one of them was how will balance in Grus life be restored? Will Gru go back to his carer instead of his family life?

Throughout the trailer there are a number of characters introduced, however these are the same characters from despicable me 2 (except for Grus twin brother). Gru is shown to be the hero and his dis-partner is Dru. The minions are Grus helpers and the victim can also be classed as Gru but yet it is Gru and his family life, when he is sitting at home cleaning or doing other family things that he would not normal do in his carer. 

In this film trailer there are some typical stereotypes being shown. The woman in the film is classed as the secondary character, however she subverts to the typical stereotype as she is bossy and challenging.  The men in the trailer such as Gru is seen as emotionally unintelligent which is a typical stereotype of a man and Dru is seen as quite flamboyant, which subverts the typical stereotype for men. The children such as Agnes are seen as a virtue of innocence. This is yet again a typical stereotype of children, which Agnes conforms to. 

At the start of the trailer the music is quite dreamy and soft, this sets the tone of it maybe being a sad/emotional film and is touching the narrative to appeal to families. The music then changes when Grus twin brother is mentioned. This music is could be classes as vicarious/gangster music. This really highlights the change in the film and makes out that not all the film is serious. It shows that being a villain is more exciting and dangerous than his normal life. The music stops when there is dialogue introduced, however the dialogue does not give away too much information.  

Gru and his brother are different. We instantly notice this because Gru has no hair but his twin brother does. Gru is seen to always wear black and his twin brother is seen to always wear white. Even when they go on a villainous outing, Gru is dressed in a black skin tight suit and Dru is in a white skin tight suit. We see that Gru is living in a normal suburban town with other people but yet his villain life style is on another island. This shows that Gru trys to keep the two lives separate. 

Throughout the trailer there were many camera shots used. One camera shot that really stuck out was the birds eye view of Dru walking down the stairs to see Gru. Another camera shot that stuck out was a high angle shot/over the shoulder shot. This was when Agnes was handing Gru some money seeing as he lost his job. This shot could also be classed as a close up because all we see is Agnes' face. There were many long shots used in the trailer as well just to show us where they were and get the feel of the film. There was also a lot of medium shots used. The editing at the start of the film was slow. This was because it was showing his family life and how it can be boring sometimes but yet he loves it. Towards the middle of the trailer and end the editing pace picked up and was fast. This was because Gru was experiencing one last time what it felt like to live the life of a villain. 

 

The Descendants trailer analysis

The trailer for The Descendants really did not reveal much of the narrative. It showed you many parts however those parts were very brief. This was clever because it created a lot of engimas such as are they parents together? Is the mother dying and why? etc.

Throughout the whole trailer there was upbeat music. It was Hawaiian music which helped us understand that they lived in Hawaii. I did not think the music fitted in with some of the shots int he trailer. This is because some of the shots were meant to be upsetting and get the audience to feel sorry for them but for some reason i couldn't do that because of the music used.

We saw that they lived in a big house right by the beach. This is classed at the equilibrium. We then move on to seeing the disruption. This was where the father went to collect his daughter as she is a troubled teenager so has no been staying at home. In the trailer we do not find out that the mother is dying but on top of all that the daughter reveals that the mother had been cheating on her father. This could be classed as part of the recognition. The father now has a few things to figure out and repair, these include finding out who the guy his wife was cheating on him with and figuring out how he is going to cope with what has happened to his wife. Towards the end of the trailer we hear a different slant on the music which helps us understand that the father is trying to make things right, this would be classed as the resolution. Although the trailer does not give much information away, it gives us enough to sort of work out what the main parts are going to be and what the film is going to be about.

There was many long shots used during the trailer, for example when they are showing the girl sitting by the edge of the pool. There were a few medium shots used as well, this was when the daughter and the father were sitting on the sofa and she told him about his wife cheating on him. These camera shots show us what is going on around them and really sets the scene as to where they are and what they are doing. Throughout the editing pace was quite steady, however at one point in the trailer which was when he was running to the neighbors house, the editing pace picks up. This is to make you think that you want him to get there as quick as possible because it is such an important thing that he wants to know.

There were not many genre indicators throughout the trailer, well i did not feel like there was. I got the sense that it was a drama but it then made me think that it was part comedy as well because of the music they used over it. The thing that made me think it was a drama was the seriousness of some of the conversations that were included such as when the daughter tells the father that the mother is cheating on him.

Silence of the lambs - poster analysis

IT trailer analysis

The new film IT is a horror film. We know this because there are many genre indicators. At the start we immediately know ti is a horror film because of the tense music, this music starts at the very start of the trailer and carries on throughout the Georgie scene. Another indicator is the thunderstorm, this is because it creates tension and tension is conventional and it is pathetic fallacy. Lastly the lighting is very dark this can also been scene as pathetic fallacy.

The equilibrium is shown at the start. We can see that there are a normal family that live in a small town. We start to see more of the town when Georgie is sailing his paper boat down the street in the water. However this gets disrupted when his boat falls into the sewer. It is disrupted when the clowns face pops up in the sewer. It then returns back to the equilibrium as we have an establishing shot of the town straight after. They then show a shot of a child in a classroom, this child sees a balloon floating in the air. This is known as recognition. We then see towards the middle of the trailer a group of children looking at a map trying to repair the problem. However towards the end of the trailer we do not see or even have any clues as to how the problem will be resolved. This could be classed as an engima as the audience will be wondering how the children are going to get out of this mess and if they will come out alive or not.

Throughout the trailer there are many fade to blacks and big booms involved. These are typical conventions of a horror film and are used in many different horror movie trailers. However a unique selling point of this trailer was at the very end when we caught a split second of the antagonist. Throughout the trailer we do not see a clear picture of the anatgonist but at the end a full picture of the antagonist is revealed but it is only revealed for a second if that. This is a unique selling point because it really draws people in and makes them want to watch it to find out what IT really looks like.

We see many characters in the trailer. The main focus at the start is Georgie, we can see that he is a very young and vulnerable child who would probably do anything to get his boat back. The other character we see is Georgie's brother, he is represented as the caring and fun. This is because he made a boat for him and we see them share a hug towards the end of the scene. There are also a few other characters in the trailer that we do not learn much about but we know that they will have a big involvement in the film.

Film Poster Analysis - Sinister

This is the main poster for the film Sinister. This is because in the small print it contains information about the production personnel, the stars and the distributors. This could also be classed as a character poster as it features the main character dragging blood across the wall.

The title of the film is written in capital letters and in a dark font. This could tell us that this film if a very dark and scary. We can also see that the font is being dragged out below, like it is a shadow but not as obvious. The key image of the poster is the face that has been drawn out of blood. We can see that the little girl has drawn this image herself as she is the one dragging the blood across the wall. This could tell us that the film is quite gory and could involve people being murdered. However the face that has been drawn out of blood could be the main character. This is because his image is so bold and obviously has a major involvement in the film. These two images may have been chosen for this poster because it creates a lot of questions and suspicions that would only be answered if you watched the film. The main colours used in this poster are red, white and black. The colour used the most was white. The background was white and the little girls clothes. Having the background white really makes the title and the image drawn out of blood stick out. This is because they are darker than whites so will be more significant. It helps draw attention to the main parts of the poster. These colours are relevant to the genre of the film. This is because horror films are generally associated with murders etc which means blood and blood is red. Plus horror films are always dark and mysterious so this fits in well with the black that is used in the poster.

Judging by the look of the poster and getting a general feel of the film, i think it will be about a demon trying to posses a little girl or a certain family. The demon will then get that person to do things for them which may include killing their family members or something like that. I think the target audience for this film would be teenagers through to young adults. This is because these age groups tend to like horror films more than others as they like the fright they get out of it, its almost as though its enjoyable.

I can definitely tell that it is a horror film as here is blood shown on the poster and because of the title of the film. I know that sinisters are bad things and that can be scary. Although you cannot see the little girls face you can tell that she is not acting like a little girl. For people who watch a lot of horror movies they will be able to tell that something has taken over her. The little girl is in very plain clothes, they look like pajamas. This could suggest that the scary things happen at night when she is meant to be sleeping. This could suggest again that she does not have any control over what is happening to her.

The main focus of the poster is the images at the bottom. These are clearly laid out and can be seen very clearly. However the images on the poster do not take away the focus on the title and the catch line that is displayed. Th catch line reads 'Once you see him, nothing can save you'. This tells us that person who is trying to posses the little girl is a man and it also suggests that you cannot be saved from him and that once you are with him, your with him forever.

The unique selling point of this poster is the catch line which is just underneath the title. This makes it different because not every single film poster has this. It gives away just that little bit more of information about the film and draws more people in to watch it.