Evaluation Question 4: How Did You Use Media Technologies In The Construction, Research and Planning and Evaluation Stages?

I used Blogger to record my progress as I created my media product. It allows me to show a concise development from initial idea to final film, and also helps me to keep track of what I need to do in regards to my product.

I used Photoshop to experiment with and alter fonts for my title screen, which allowed me to create a selection of different titles that I could choose from which best reflected my media product.


I used Adobe Premier Pro to edit my product, as the format was easy to navigate and it allowed me to edit my product accurately and precisely the way I intended it.

I used thesaurus.com to come up with a title for my product, as I theorised that shorter, snappier titles were more memorable and I could not think of one that was intrigueing enough. I ended up with the title of 'Entity' via the thesaurus by searching for synonyms of 'Creature', which is a short enough title to be memorable, but an interesting enough word to draw audience attention.

Evaluation Question 2: How Effective Is The Combination Of Your Main Product And Ancillary Texts?

I feel that the combination of my main product and ancillary texts are effective in that both my poster and my review showcase the genre and tone of my media product in a way that intrigues the audience without revealing too much of the plot.

My poster in particular definitely showcases the conventions and forms typically used in films of the horror pursuasion. The dark location and eerily empty setting of the poster sets the tone for my film and is reminiscent of other posters such as the one for The Amityville Horror, and certainly reflective of the horror genre. The fact that the poster does not directly show anything aesthetically beyond a dark, gritty room may intrigue the audience as they do not know what to expect from my product, though the font and general aesthetic of the poster does give some inclination that it is a horror/thriller film, which is what I want to portray.

My review effectively showcases the general storyline and tone of my product, as it describes the forms and conventions that the audience would find appealing within my product, such as the plot, the characters and the overall feel of the film. The lexicon used suggests that the film is intended for a more adult audience (which fits into my predicted target audience of 15 and up) which gives an insight into the more mature nature of the film in terms of the horror and thriller aspect of it. The review also contains a selection of popular films that are similar to my product, in the hopes that fans of these films will recognise the titles and decide to watch my film based on their enjoyment of the aforementioned films, which not only means that I am likely to gather a larger audience as my film conforms to conventions of other popular films before it, but the audience I do attract is likely to enjoy my film based upon the fact that they enjoy films of a similar genre.

Both of these combined effectively portray my film in the manner I wish in regards to genre and narrative, meaning that the audience is suitable informed of the content of my film without giving away any major plot details that would ruin the experience of the product.

Evaluation Question 1 - In What Ways Does My Media Product Use, Develop, Or Challenge Forms And Conventions Of Real Media Products?

My media product uses many of the forms and conventions found in films of a similar genre and storyline, most notably Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project. The use of handheld camera is especially reminiscent of the aforementioned movies, both of which use the technique as an effective way of creating tension and creating an immersive experience for the audience. I wanted my film ro have elements of realism to it, as a believeable horror storyline is far more engaging and entertaining for an audience. The handheld camera also allows the audience to experience the film from the character's point of view, which builds tension as the audience is seeing and knows as much as the character knows.

An aspect that I used within my product that was not really present in the aforementioned films was that I incorporated an opening scene (which chronologically happens after the basement events in the film) that, without revealing key aspects of the plot, reveals that there is something ominous to come. As this creates tension from the start, as the audience is aware that something happened (and as the scene cuts to a few days before that they are going to see what exactly happened) which means that the audience should be drawn to the impending incident within the plot without having to slowly build tension within my narrative.

Another aspect that I took from Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project was the use of minimal characters and dialogue within my film, which means that the audience is more focused on the storyline and the plot rather than the characters and their personalities. It also gives the audience the opportunity to engage with the characters and identify with them rather than have the characters and their personalities forced upon them.

Review

Poster for film

Targets for blog

1. Upload finished final product - by Monday.
2. Create poster for final product
3. Record audience reactions to my final product - upload onto Youtube, Facebook/other social networks, Keek.

DNA Films (Production Company)

DNA films would be a suitable production company as it has produced numerous British horror/thriller films, such as 28 Days Later. The films that they create are often internationally popular due to their content, but still retain the grittiness of a typical British film, which is something I wish to recreate with my own media product.

Feedback

1. Look at DNA Films, who work with Fox Searchlight who distribute films like 28 Days Later, The History Boys - British films with an American Distributor.
2. Film footage this weekend as a backup and consider key shot for poster - work on poster.
3. Shoot a podcast detailing what went well during filming, techniques used etc.

Inspirations for poster

I intend for the poster for my horror film to be one that is eye-catching but does not give away a large amount of the plot or characters within it, whilst still conveying the horror genre.

'Silhouette' style poster

 The above posters show a silhoutted character against a lighter background. This is a good concept for my film poster as it gives me the opportunity to introduce the main horror villain in the film, thereby rendering the poster 'scary' in appearance, whilst still concealing the details of the figure. This in turn both draws the audience in as it makes the focal character of the poster more interesting and mysterious, and also provides them with more of a surprise as to what the character actually looks like in the actual film. One thing I have noticed is that the size of the silhouetted figure is almost directly corrolated to how threatening and menacing it appears on the poster. The smaller figure on the poster on the right, for example, appears far less of a threat and therefore far less scary than the other larger silhouettes. The use of the colour behind the figure also seems important as well: the red-orange colour of the poster on the left appears the most threatening as red connotes danger, but similarly the middle and right posters, with their drab colours, appear more eerie and more naturally and subtly chilling. One more thing to consider is the positioning of the character within the poster: on the left and middle posters the character is facing the person viewing the poster and I feel that this, in turn, makes the poster seem more disturbing as it is focused on the audience, making the overall feel of the poster more threatening and personal.

'Full face' style poster

The above posters show a full face shot of what is assumedly the main horror villain creature of their films. This could be a good concept for my poster as I do have a main 'monster' creature which fits the grotesque appearances of the figures in the examples shown above, and it is much more initially striking and unnerving than the previous poster concept, being that the face is the focal point and there is little else. Each poster uses a dark background in contrast to the coloured or lighter backgrounds of the silhouette posters, and this in turn makes the face stand out even more, which is something I need to consider should I use this technique in my own poster. However, this design for a poster, whilst unnerving and probably the most obvious portrayal of a horror poster, does not utilise the sense of mystery that the previous poster style does; and this in turn may not pique the curiousity of some potential viewers whereas not revealing everything may coerce some people to watch the film out of intrigue.

'Location/landscape' style poster 

The above posters is more focused on a location/landscape than a specific character. This would be somewhat beneficial for my poster as it does not reveal any of the plot/characters, creating intrigue and mystery, however, it does not really connote the horror theme very effectively (with the exception of the font, which is reminiscent of a horror film) and therefore using this technique in my own poster could confuse my potential audience. The other problem in using a poster like this is that there is not any particularly striking or important locations or scenes in my film (it is set in a dark basement and there are no proper shots of an exterior building) so this poster is overall not the best choice for my poster. Also, judging by the fact that this is the only poster of this style I could find that represented the horror genre, it is not a popular design, and therefore may not be the most effective in regards to conveying what I wish to convey in regards of my own film poster within my chosen genre.

Conclusively, it would appear that in regards to the effects I wish to achieve and the audience I wish to gain from my poster, the 'silhouette' style is the most effective as it captures attention and appears ominous and chilling but reveals little of the plot/characters, creating a sense of mystery which will hopefully draw my audience in.

Production Companies

Because my film is of the horror genre I want the production company of my media product to reflect this, so I want to use a production company which has a history of producing reputable films within my chosen genre. Ideally I would want a production company that makes my film available to a large audience, possibly internationally as, being a horror film which is a popular genre world-over, I intend for the context of my film to appeal to people outside of Britain, where the film and cast originate.

Taking this into account, a suitable film production company would be Warner Bros, as it has produced horror films before such as House of Wax, it is based in the US so my film would be more marketable to international audiences., and it has produced British films before with great success, such as the Harry Potter series.
Another production company with could be appropriate for my film is Cloud Eight productions, as it is based in the UK and is therefore more experienced with the production of British film, and has produced notable films of the horror genre already such as The Descent and Eden Lake.

Feedback

Bring film in a memory card tomorrow and download to Premier.

Record the process of editing and filming - Prezi, podcast.

Audience feedback on film - via social networking sites.

Poster research - denote and connote.

Once footage viewed, decide on shot for poster.