Fatal Twist film poster

Fatal Twist film magazine cover

How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

 When making a movie in modern day it has become a lot easier, there is now a variety of convergence. The technology of today has made a huge impact within todays society and we take this for granted, years ago when making a movie it would take much longer and be a lot harder to create, now we have many tools like apple mac's in which help to create films a lot faster with a great use of editing techniques to make the film much more interesting and realistic. Most of the technologies used have only been around from the 90's and this has already made a huge difference within the last twenty years!
When creating our film trailer i became aware that the majority of these programmes me and my group have used are programmes we use on a day to day basis such like Facebook, Apple and youtube. When using these different technologies we are not aware of how modern society would fail to be without them! As we have been able to create a film trailer form these technologies imagine what the technology will be like within the next ten years. If we were to be without these facilities and technologies we would not be able to create such interesting programmes in which help like when making a film trailer much easier. Most of the society and teenager of today take the great source of these technologies for granted we use each programme i listed above each day with our phones without knowing! When having to research into film trailers and use a different range of technology to represent the information found we found this challenging as we did not know what to use! This shows how we take these programmes suchlike Facebook for granted as we use it to just socialise with friends by uploading images and videos, we search on youtube for the most randomise video's in which have no irrelevance.

To create and edit our film me and my group used the source of Apple Mac's and by using the programmes on apple we were able to create our film trailer. When thinking about Apple it  has now became the no.1 leading brand in which has a variety of computers, laptops, i-pods and iphones in which come with a variety of other accessories. Both Apple and Microsoft have been around since the 70's but only from the 90's have become noticed and both now two leading conglomerates. These two companies are very highly respected within the media industry.
                                                                                                                                                                           

When researching to different film trailers, we used youtube to discover the different genres of trailers, by using youtube we were able to find these threw both our Iphones and the Apple Mac's. When we found our top 5 we were able to find the one main trailer we were influenced by and then we were able to re-watch of a numerous of times.



When chosen our favourite trailer which was "Roommate" we were able to stop the trailer at each point of interest and strong points in which helped us create idea's of what we should include but also to help us choose the titles for our film. Without Youtube we would not of been able to do this.

The source of the interent helped with the development of our film trailer, we used youtube to help find tutorials to find information on how to use other effects when using Final Cut Express. We also use youtube when re-searching into film trailers, we found a variety of different genres and idea's in which we then was able to create when producing our own trailer.

To show all my re-search and planning throughout re-searching and creating my film trailer me and my group used a website called Blogger. From using Blogger we were able to show our planning of each three elements film trailer, magazine cover and film poster, with this we added each step of what we achieved onto our blog. When using blogger we were able to upload pictures and video's from youtube. Blogger has been a great source in which has helped to keep me on track and help me to relate back to work that needed improving or work that i had not achieved yet, without the use of blogger my work would of been on paper in whcih would not be presented as neatly and it would not of been orgainised, also i was able to access blogger from any computer whether at school, home or out on my Iphone.

When making our film trailer we had to become familair with the technology of both Apple Mac's and Final Express, we had already used these tools but needed reminding of certain tools and techniques in which would help make our final film trailer more realisitc. Throughout reating our trailer i have learnt new skills in which have helped when editing the trailer as the trailer now contains a better source of editing technoques and skills which helps add to the moevement and footage filmed.
When uploading our film footage, we used a memory card in which we connected witht he Apple Mac and sent the filming threw ASAP! without his source uploading the footage could of been much harder and difficult. We were also able to upload this on any apple mac computer within our class room and carry on editing.

When editing the film together we used I- Movie, this was where we uploaded each film clip onto and was then able to link together ready to export following by importing into Final Cut Express. We decided to use Final Cut Express as we were more familiar with this technology and found it easier to use. When adding music into the film we used Garage Band, by using this technology we was able to crete our own piece of music in which we could choose from a variety of sounds in which we chose the piano as our main source. We found using Garage Band difficult as we stuggled to create a piece of music in which would link well with both our film and the thriller genre, this took a while after playing around with different features and sounds but eventually we were able to produce a great piece.

When editing our poster and magazine we decided to use Photoshop, by using this tool it was very easy as Amelia is a photography student in which gave us and advantage when cropping the image and changing the colouring. I have improved my technology skills since my AS work due to working with new programmes such as photoshop, this has broadened my print media skills just as my as my film media skills.

We also used Facebook and Twitter, this is as their both social networking sites in which our related target audience would use everyday either on their phones or computers. By promoting our film trailer on each of these sites we were able to gain audience feedback in which would help us to improve our film. We also used each of these when planning our film to ask if anyone was wiling to star in our film.

Overall we did have difficulties with certain aspects during the time of creating this film trailer, this was from:
Not knowing what narrative to choose
Errors when footage would not upload
When our film would not upload to Facebook for our audience feedback.
When error messages occured we found this very frustrating and it then cause computers to run slow.  I thought that both me and my group were very patient when having to re-upload to Facebook as it was very time consuming in which we did have to save the trailer numerously by changing the quality.

n what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Bed scene with psycho girl watching over their "friends"

When comparing both bed scene film clips within both mine and Roommates film trailer we are aware that this scene is used to help show the Psycho girl in action becoming a stalker! I feel that my trailer shot of this shows great detail of the girl stroking the other actors face but also she has a strong and consistent facial expression in which represents the psycho girl very well. Roommate have placed this scene in a soft blue lighting which is shown in certain area's within the scene to help add suspense to the scene adding onto the thriller effect in which shows a great tension within this scene compared to my groups scene as it is placed in a normal daylight lighting in which does not link with the movement within the scene as great as if placed within a harsher colour would add a better atmosphere within the scene which would of worked better with the thriller film genre.

Titles during each film trailer to represent a new "friendship"

Both of the above screen shots represent the titles on both my film and "Roommate". When comparing both film titles i feel that both titles are used in the same size writing in which is eligible for viewers to read and not to big in which make the title over exaggerated. We chose to use a plain black background with red writing in which helps to identify that this film has elements of thriller in which is represented well threw these colours, The Roommate title is used in a much subtler way with the use of dark blue with white writing in which does not represent the thriller film genre as quickly in which makes the audience wonder and question more what type of film this could be? They have also placed the word "Friendship" in capital letters in which represent how the film narrative is to do with friendship, this is also seen threw how bold the writing is and that the words "Brings new" is underlined by a white soft shadow in which is linking the words together. I feel we could of created a better title by using other techniques in which would make the film trailer much more interesting by using a softer choice of colours would help make the audience question what the film is about rather than knowing from the start!




Shot of both actors stalking the other girls and beginning to become jealous of others talking to her.

When comparing between my film and roommate i found the shots are very similar, when comparing i have realised we could of filmed a bit more closer towards chloe to get a much more detailed facial expression and quality piece of filming.


The film titles

From comparing the two film titles i am able to see that our film title "Fatal Twist" is to big compared to "Roommate". Their film title also includes extra effect from the shadowing at the bottom of the door but also a contrast of colour from the blue and the white used, this ads to the thriller film genre. We shall be changing the size of this when adding in our institution of "Warner Bro's" at the beginning of our film.

Audience feedback

I placed my film trailer on a public website named Facebook, i chose to use this site as it is a social networking site, in which our chosen target audience would use for many purposes. By placing my groups film trailer on Facebook we are able to get feedback from our target audience in which helps us to relate back to our film and improve to be approved by the target audience of our choice, from this comments were left in which have helped me to improve mine and my groups film trailer in which will help show a better quality film by adding in elements like a film institution such as 'Warner Bro's' in which is a worldwide known company in which adding into the beginning of our trailer will work well and make it much more naturalistic. I feel that the comments left and feedback given were a mixture of good and bad, but from this has made me realise the better elements in our film compared to the much lower quality film clips in which when re-editing i am able to edit and improve. Even though we gained two comments about our film, unfortunately we did not get feedback from the right target audience.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Our three elements of work consiting of magazine cover, film poster and our film trailer have all worked well together. Within the three elements we have combined the main feautres of our film trailer in each of our three pieces of work, for the magazine and film poster we used two different images in which represent two different things, the film magazine is just of Chloe who plays the "Psyco Girl", this helps the audience recognise who she is in real life but also the difference between her and her character,the film poster is of both the new and popular girl in which they are on different levels on a staircase with the "Psyco Girl" expressing evil and how she is weird. I feel by creating each of these three elements we would be able to create promotional packages to a mass audience in which would bring in extra audience viewers, this is from the magazine being published and read worldwide but also placing the film poster on billboards along main towns but also promote on the side buses, by promoting these two work elements it helps people to notice a new film but also feel interested as the writing is eye catching and bold. I feel that the editing elements in our trailer at both the start and end are very stong in which show the variety of camera techniques we have used, it was hard at first to link in certain clips together as the speaking had to be in specific places but after a few fustrating attempts i was finally able to do it. I feel we have also used a great use of different fonts and sizes which also fit in with the thriller genre of our film! The titles we have used work well with the film footage filmed, they also help to make the audience think what this film could be about but also shall hopefully make them want to watch the whole film when in cinema. I feel that within our film poster we was able to capture a great image which represents how one of the girls is weird and this is shown threw the two different levels that the models are placed on but also the difference within colour, the popular girl at the bottom of the stairs is shown in a bright light and coloured clothing whereas the psycho girl placed at the top of the stairs is wearing a dark coat and the light around her is very dull in which shows a great contrast. The titles used within the poster are also positioned at the bottom of the poster which helps for the audience to see the image much clearer but also the colouring of the film titles contrast well with the image and the white writting in which is used for the bill board which when all linked in and placed together helps to show the thriller film genre. The film magazine contains a great variety of headlines and titles which represent our film "Fatal Twist" but also it looks more realistic as it contain other smaller titles in which give information of what is inside of the magazine but also the latest news and upcoming films. I feel that we have overcome a various difficulties when using final cut express to edit the film to make sure each sequence makes sense and shows a great use of techniques from camera angles, clear film footage and non deigetic music, in which has helped us to make a great film trailer which shows the genre of thriller and relates well with our target audience. We have also learnt new skills in which has helped with not just editing the film trailer but also working on photoshop in which we used to edit the images chosen for our film poster and magazine, the difficulties from using this was we had to edit the photos to help enhance the quality of colour within the image but also help show the messgae behind the image form both actors facial expressions, We found editing the magazine cover of Chloe "the psycho girl" the hardest as to capture this image we used the green screen in which we had to cut around her and for some area's around her body became frustrating where we were trying to get the image perfect. After alot of hard work me and my group have been able to create three different elements of work in which relate to our film and would help to interest an audience so they would watch our film in cinema.I feel that each three products do contain a small amount of weakness in which if we spent more time on we would be able to improve in which would help the qualtiy of our work much better and this could of been done from when filming, getting photos or even when editing in which we could of used other techniques in which would of made the trailer more naturalisitic and like normal trailers, I feel even though their is weaknesses in some elements of our work we have been able to create a very effective and creative film trailer in which works well with the other two elements of work we have created.

Clips of film footage

The two images above represent the opening footage of our film, i have shown these clips as within editing on Final Cut Express i was able to link the two different film clips together in which helped portray two different camera angle shots in which when linked have worked very well together and by using this technique it shows a strong technique of editing and an interesting effect in which makes the film trailer look more naturalistic.