EvaluationBy Liberty Whitehorn

Research
With in the research section of my final major project, I
carried out research on different social media platforms
and types of different advertisement so that I understood
the lay out and different ways of constructing it so that it
is effect for my target audience. I chose to research into
different movies because I have a interest in this topic.
This also helped hinder my final project due to having a
passion for films. To begin with, I analysed the different
features on a DVD cover, Poster and common traits in
merchandise and social media posts.
This was a strength with creating my final project because I began to
understand why different features are used and what makes them effect
towards the piece of advertisement its linked to. For example: the teaser
photos are a common feature amongst all DVD covers. This Is effective
because It allows the audience to have a sneak peak at what to expect in the
movie. A weakness within this section would be to improve on my research
by choosing more horror genres films to analyse so that I had a better idea of
the different photos used and common colour schemes used with in this
genre. This would of helped hinder my planning further and made it easier to
plan the colour scheme and photography. However, overall I feel like the
research I conducted about each DVD cover and Poster was useful and
helped with creating lay out plans which have worked effectively with my final
project. It has also given me a clear indication on key information that need
to be included on different advertisement posts. For example: a DVD cover
must legally contain a age restriction sign.

Another aspect I conducted which was a strength was
creating a survey and audience interviews. This proved
effective as it helped me see what features would be
good to include in my production, so that it appeals to
my target audience and makes it effective. From this
research I gathered that my target audiences favorite
genre of film is horror and comedy. This inspired me to
pursue creating a horror advertisement due to it being
the most exciting. Plus from the information I gathered
my target audience likes the thrill which is what would
makes the overall appeal more interesting. The
negative aspects of this section would be to conduct
my survey and audience to a wider audience. This
would mean I would have more accurate statistics
which would allow my work to be more effective.
Another aspect I felt I covered well in my research was
the colours scheme and font selection. From
researching into different types of advertisement there
were common traits with the colour scheme and font
linking to the genre of the film. For example: When the
film is action the font tends to be bolder, tall and sharp.
This is so it connotes power and power. With the colour
scheme they tend to use bold colours like red to help
display the danger which intrigues the audience.
Research

Planning
Within the planning process of my final major project, I
carried out creating lay outs, style sheets, mind maps, mod
boards and many other planning aspects. To begin with I
created a colourful mood board which consisted of different
art styles and colours. This was so when it came to planning
it became easier to chose a colour scheme and image style.
I decided to look into different art styles because I thought
about creating an old fashion styled film. This was so I could
edit and play around with different effects and styles to
create a modern but old look. However, I found it difficult to
conduct a style sheet of the colour scheme I was going to
use, as well as what type of photos I would be taking. This
was because I was still torn whether to create a black and
white piece of work with pops of colour or a fully coloured
picture. I experimented with this in my production
experiment which proved effective with developing my skills.
However, I feel like I could of experimented more with colour
which could of potentially made the overall effect of my
poster and DVD cover different. Overall, I feel like the black
and white effect on my final project worked most effective.
However, I feel like I could of developed my skills further. I’ve also included social media and merchandise in my
mood board. This is because these are two topics that I wanted to research further into whilst creating my DVD
cover and Poster. This led to my research to be more effective due to trying to base the merchandise around the
same target audience as my project is for.

Planning
Another aspect that I felt was my strength was my lay out
plans and my minds maps. To stat with I did struggle to think
of ideas to complete for my final major project. This was due
to how much freedom we had with creating whatever we
wanted to. However, once I had a basis on what I wanted to
base my project around, I began to develop interesting ideas
and concepts from there. The mood board help find
inspiration for this, which has led me to complete a project
based around a made up film. From this I knew exactly what
aspects I wanted to research into and experiment with. This
is why I decided to create a DVD cover and a poster.
An aspect I felt I could improve on is my planning for
merchandise and social media. This is because it’s a
concept I could have developed further and put into practice.
Even though I research into these products and knew what
to include on them to make them effective, I didn’t plan how
to put these into practice. This could of expanded my
knowledge more on the movie, which would of shown I
thought about different aspects.
Overall, I believe my planning was a strength in terms of
thinking everyting thing and researching in depth so that my
planning was effective and thought through. However, I could
of expanded my knowledge by pushing myself to complete
more production for my product. Like the: merchandise and
social media.

Time Management
Within the final major project I would say time management was one of my strengths but could do with
improving. This is because I have tried to stay organised with all my deadlines which has allowed me to
plan my time effectively but sometimes I didn’t stick to these deadlines with a few pieces of work. This is
because we begin new pieces every so many days, and once you're behind on one piece it begins to
become a cycle. However, with the production for my final major project I planned my time effectively.
The majority of my work I have completed have been to a high standard but I did have to make a few
improvements. The work for planning and research I had to improve was my research about my
audience and adding more to my pre production plans. For researching the audience, my research was
to a high standard but I had to make it clear with my screenshots on what I was explaining and
presenting. This means I had to create additional slides which made my presentation clearer and my
research more in depth which allows my work to be more effective. For my pre production I need to
improve on analysing my plan lay outs and explaining why I have gone with that design lay put. This
means I should analyse more and think about my lay out more. This would lead to more effective work
which will lead for my production to appeal to my target audience more. I have improved my time
management over the year, especially through out all my rotations. This has lead for me to plan my time
more effectively and efficiently which has increased the quality of my work.
Overall, for this project I feel like my time management has been effective which has lead for my work to
be of high standard. This is because I've had extra time to spend on aspects that have needed
improving.
If I had more time to complete my project I feel like I would include different production pieces. This is
because I research into merchandising and social media which are two interesting aspects. However, I
didn’t pursue these aspects when It came to production because I wanted to make sure the two pieces
of work I produced were at top quality. Also, I didn’t plan merchandising and social media effectively
which would of postponed time.

Technical Qualities
Whilst editing i overcame many hurdles but i also found a lot of
strengths with in the editing skills i have developed over the year. To
begin with i struggled to see what i could edit from my photography so
i began by editing the image to make it look erie and terrifying. I did
this by beginning with adding cracks with on the model. I did this by
finding photos online of cracks and masques these onto the model. I
then erased some sections of the cracks where it overlapped the
models necklace or clothing. This is because i wanted my work to be
accurate. I felt like this work helped add texture into the photo which
gave the overall effect to seem sinister and horror based. I them
copied the layer and changed the opacity which led to a ghost like
effect. As you can see from the photo, i placed this on either side of
the model. This created a erie effect, which slowly catches the
audiences eye the longer you look at it for. This was easy and simple
to do after i created my main model.
After this i began to lighten the models eyes. I came across a few issues with this, due to when i used the dodge tool to lighten the
eyes, the whites of the eyes became rainbow coloured. From this i masqued the layer and edited the colours so that it was mainly
black and white. This proved to work effectively, and now the eyes seem to be the centre of attraction. I then began to edit the logos
for the DVD cover. This was the age restriction aspects. For the age restriction, i drew two circles and colour matched the red so that
it flowed with a consistent theme to the colours used through out my production work. I found this difficult to begin with due to how
much detail needed to be included into a small format. I did have a few issues with the sizing. This is because i created the logo on a
different page and when i shrunk it, the whole symbol became distorted and unclear. This meant i had to go back and edit it on the
DVD cover so that it became suitable and clear. After i sorted out the sizing of the symbol, it worked well with my colour scheme and
didn't over power the rest of the dvd cover. Overall, i feel like i over came many hurdles with in the technical process which did lead
to me using more time due to not thinking of little things that could impact, but i overcame them and have come out with the best
results i had hoped for.

Technical Qualities
Whilst editing my Poster i overcame many complications with using the
software and not fully thinking every aspect through. Even though the final
project was strong, i did encounter a few hurdles. To begin with i had to
select a image for my poster out of the photographs i had taken. I chose
this shot because its a middle shot which helps add distance between the
audience and the character. This helps hinder the erie effects. However,
from choosing this effect i had to build smoke up around the character so
that her body could be positioned more central. This helps add to the
distance effect. With doing this i had to gather photos of smoke and
masque it over my model. This proved difficult because the images were
distorted. In the future, i should create the smoke photos myself so that it
looks more effective. This would also help prevent the photos to be more
effective and would of helped develop my skills further. Overall, by using
this effect it has created even more mystery to poster which displays the
genre clear. Another aspect that i felt was my strength was the
typography. This is because it was hard to create the right texture of the
title by using the texture and stroke tool in photoshop. I wanted to create a
wax looking font because i feel like it helps portray an old fashion look to
it. This is the art style i was wanted to create due to trying to modernise it
to my target audience and this generation. The use of red for the font has
created the sense of danger which i want my audience to concentrate on.
This is because it will intrigue the audience and clearly shows the
audience that blood and gruesome scenes will be included within this
movie.
Ive also included filming information and edits and the bottom of the screen. This is vital for a poster because it informs the
audience on what production company the film was produced by and when the release date is. This additional information would
link the audience to different social media platforms. The lay out of this poster is very similar to the products i researched into.
This is because i feel like this approach is easy to identify where the different information is.

Cast:
The cast names have been
included at the top of the DVD
cover. This is because it is a
common place to have the
actors names there. This is
because the audience tends to
scan the DVD cover bottom to
top due to the title being
commonly placed at the bottom.
The font used for the Actors
names has a glitch in. This
clearly links to the title of the film
and shows a sense of thrill and
isolation. This connotation
makes the audience react in a
interested but scared way. The
font is also displayed in a
grey/white colour which helps
display dullness and a sense of
draining. This helps connote that
the film is soulless.
Image:
The image used has been edited to creates a spooky effect. The image has clearly high lighted the
whites of the models eye which gives of a spooky and soulless effect. This creates the sense that
the model is directly looking at the audience which adds a ere effect. The image also includes
different levels of spookiness by including barely visible shadows in the background. This slowly
appears to the audience which scares them before even watching the movie.
Title:
The title ‘the disconnected’ has
been created to look waxy and
texturized.
I have used the red to connote danger, plus due to it
being a dominant colour the audience immediately
looks at this section of the DVD cover. There is also
a drop shadow included in the title which adds a
depth to the title. This also helps makes it stand out
amongst the rest of the background.
Production Company/Important information:
The production company has been included due to it being a necessity feature to
a DVD cover. This is because it is vital information that the audience has to be
informed on. For example: The age restriction. I have also created the ’15’ Logo
myself so that it blended into the DVD cover better. This has allowed all the
colours to mix perfectly. Ive also included a bar code which is essential for selling
the product. It has been placed so that it isn't obvious but so its hidden but clear.
This is so it doesn't take the attention away from the rest of the DVD cover.
Teaser
Images/Synopsis:
The tease photos
have been placed
just above the
important
information so that
the audience looks
towards the age
restriction. The
synopsis has been
coloured grey so
that it stands out
and creates a
haunted effect.

Slogan/Cast:
The cast has been placed at the top of the poster
because this was a common place it was seen whilst
researching into posters. For the cast i have used greys
to make it stand out against the black background. The
grey also connotes lifeless and dull aspects which i was
trying to present in the movie/poster. The slogan has
been created in a red which reflects danger and alerts
the audience to look at that aspect of the poster. It has
also been placed just above the poster which frightens
the audience due to how the image slowly appears the
more you look at it.
Image:
The image i have used is a medium shot at a neutral
angle. However, the photo looks distant due to the
background. This creates a mysterious affect which is
what the audience gets intrigued by. The greys and
black create a erie effect which helps make the overall
image intense. I have also whitened the eyes of the
model which has created a scary and piercing effect
towards the audience.
Title:
The title of the film ‘The Disconnected’ adds a sense
of isolation towards what the film is about. The title
has been coloured in a red so that it stands out from
the back ground. It also connotes the danger the film
will contain, which again makes the audience curious
to pursue this film further. The waxy like effect helps
display the film isn't set within in this era which i feel
like is different to most horror films.

Aesthetic Qualities
I feel like my aesthetic qualities were a great aspect and a
strength of my production work. This is because the colour
scheme, image selection and lay out were all well planned. This
has helped me with time management and other aspects which
has hindered my performance to create a strong DVD Cover. The
colour scheme i approached with this project was a black and
white theme with hints of colours. I felt like this contrast would
display the old fashion style i was approaching but included a
modern twist. It also lets the pop of colours stand out more which
instantly draws the audience eye to this section. The mix of the
plain background and the dominant colour really adds a intense
atmosphere to the movie. The image used hinders this by
including different depths of shadows surrounding the main
model. The shadows slowly appear to the audience the longer
you look at it. This effect will install a sense of fright into the
audience which leads them to think the film will be scary. The lay
out of the DVD cover has made it clear where to find the
information you want to. This makes it effective because the
audience can easily identify where to look for information instead
of trying to search everywhere for the information.
As you can see from the image above, this is a horror genre
DVD cover. This is to compare against my own and to see if i
have included all the conventions a DVD cover includes. As you
can see, a common trend amongst Horror DVD covers is the
colour scheme. As you can see, this DVD cover has used
blues,blacks and whites. The black helps install horror whilst
the red inplyso danger and blood. The blue aspects of this DVD
cover, is there to show that the film is set in night vision which
shows the films documentary styled. All these colours contrast,
which adds a intense atmosphere. This is the approach i have
taken with my DVD cover because it works effectively and
appeals my target audience in more. They have also included
the conventions that i have. This consists of: the age restriction
logo, a description on what to expect in the film and production
information. These are vital parts to include in a DVD cover, this
is why i have presented mine in a subtle way. The use of the
images add a lot of suspense in this film. This is because they
have focused the imagery around a childs room and a child
itself. This is because the audience will have a more emotional
impact with it being a young, vulnerable, child.

Aesthetic Qualities
I feel like my aesthetic qualities was a strength for my poster, but i still feel like a few
improvements could be made. To start with, i feel like the colour scheme i have followed
clearly shows a old but modern twist on this horror genre film. The red contrasting with
the black and white background has made the red pop more. This means this dominant
colour has intensified which is the effect i am wanting to portray to my audience. This is
because it makes the film look scary. The font i have used is sharp but blood looking.
This shows that the film will contain gore and violence. It can also suggest different
themes that might be included, like cult rituals. The font hinders the old fashion effect i
was going for with the wax like typography. This is a old way of communication with
putting a wax seal on the back of a letter which contrasts with the title ‘the disconnected’.
The lay out of the poster is similar to other styled posters that i conducted in my
research. I have used a different font style for my actors names. This font has a glitch like
effect in it. This is so that it links into the title name and creates a more connected feel
rather then the contrast effect i have carried through out. I have used the colour grey to
present this because it shows lifelessness and dullness. The aspects i would improv eon
would be the information at the bottom. iI feel like the font could be clearer for the
‘coming to your cinema’. I feel like i should of picked a bolder font, but i do like the
spacious aspects to it. This is because it connects with my movie title. Overall, i feel like
this poster is effective.
As you can see from the image to the left, this is a horror genre film poster. This
poster has a similar lay out to my poster, except this one has been portrayed in
a landscape form. The information and title are in the same place which shows
they both include the vital information needed for the poster. The colour scheme
used has been dark aspects but mainly white and red. This is because red over
white connotes a destruction of purity and innocence. The image hinders this by
including two children. This again gives the audience an emotional connection
towards the film. This is because they are classed as vulnerable and innocent.

Audience Appeal
Whilst planning and researching, i concluded that my target audience is males ages
between 18-24 years. My secondary target audience was males 24-44 years. From
conducting a survey i had many responses from males aged between 18-24 years. The
conventions they were mainly looking for was good imagery used, the title name and the
font on both the DVD cover and Poster. These are three aspects i concentrated on with
producing due to the high demand of appeal from my target audience. I have chosen the
age restriction of my film to be ’15’ because it contains a level of gore and violent scene,
but not enough to overstep the 18 mark. The images i have contained are twisted,
sinister and dark which appeals to my audience due to them being thrill seekers. My
audience are also middle class, which means they are more consumable to the idea of
bringing in a higher appeal and more audience to the overall film. Also, they are more
open about the idea of purchasing merchandise and DVD’s. This means from a industry
perspective, it will bring more money into the company which can lead to more
investment into more films being developed. The font i have used is effective due to how
gory and violent it comes across. This appeals to males more, especially due to it
expressing an intense atmosphere. Ive names the title ‘ the disconnected’ because it
expresses a sense of isolation which males and females both found scary. This is
because it suggests silence and lack of communications. These two factors help hinder
the overall effect to be intense and sinister.

Peer Feedback

Feedback 1
• What did you like about the product?
• I really thought that the poster you have made is great. The entire aspect of it gives off a great vibe
and you can rally see the genre been portrayed across spectacular. At first it is a little hard to see
but once your eyes adjust this really catches your eye and draws your attention. The photograph is
taken really well and the font then backs this up with looking like blood, relating to the genre. The
Dvd case is also good as it includes all the necessary details that they cover and it advertises the
movie well. Nice Work Lipperpy.
• What improvements could have been made to the product?
• With the two products their could have been different pictures used to further the knowledge of the
movie or to get a different feel for it.

Feedback 2
• What did you like about the product?
• I liked how realistic and professional your work looks. It looks like it
could be for a real film, because you included the age certificates and
all the other information on the DVD cover. The poster looks very
realistic and appropriate for the horror genre, because of the smoke
and the cracks that you have added to Maya.
• What improvements could have been made to the product?
• I think that you could have included a different image for the DVD
cover than the one that you used on the poster, just to add some
more variety into the work, and it would tell us more about the film.
Apart from that, I think your work is good.

Feedback 3
• What did you like about the product?
• The photos are really professional and the way they are used to create a
psycho Maya is very good. The crack in her face is very realistic and the eyes
are too. I like the fonts which are on the DVD cover and the Poster as well.
Well thought out layout on the DVD cover. Nice use of your Photoshop skills
to have her fade into the background as well!
• What improvements could have been made to the product?
• Maybe add another product. If you had time you could have created a
trailer or even another poster with a different image on. The three
images on the back of the DVD could stand out a bit more- Maybe add
a white Stroke to define them more.

Peer Feedback Summary
• What do you agree with from your peer feedback?
I agree with what my peers has said about the lay out of my DVD cover and Poster. This is because i
planned my lay outs, effectively. This helped me with production due to having a basis use of
guidelines to follow. This proved effective by my research which looked at these details in depth. I also
agree with how the font has turned out. This is because i spent a lot of time trying to add texture to the
font so that it worked with my poster/DVD Cover. I also had to think about the colour scheme which
seemed to work effectively. Another aspect i agree on, is how clear the genre is of the film by just
looking at the products made. I also feel like the three images on my DVD cover could stand out more
and potentially be clearer. This will make the film look more intense.
Another statement i agree with, which occurred through out all my peer feedback, was that i should
use different images through out. I did use two different images for this my production, but i could of
explored and used a variety of different images to create different horror styled poster and DVDs.
• What do you disagree with from your peer feedback?
What i disagree about my feed back is being suggested to include white strokes in my back
images. I attempted this whilst producing my DVD cover and it didn't work well with the colour
scheme. This is because they didn't blend and looked out of place. This is why i added a
boarder so that the red around the images helped the product stand out.

Peer Feedback Summary
From looking through my peer feedback, i have found it both informative and
constructive. From the positive aspects of my work, my peers all said that the work is
to a professional standard. This is the effect i was wanting to achieve, so by doing so i
am happy with the production work. My peers also seemed really pleased by how
obvious the genre was to identify. This was due to the colour scheme, the photos used
and the effects i used to edit onto my model. They really like the eye effect i included
on my model. This is because they're piercing and immediately the audience sees this
aspect. This gives off a creepy effect. They also enjoyed the cracked effect i added on
the model. They said it gave off a realistic effect which adds to the intense atmosphere
i am wanting to create for my audience. My peers also suggested to improve my work
is by including different photographs. This is so it adds more variety to my film.
However, i approached the overall project in a similar manor because i wanted the film
to be easily recognised by the symbolic cracks, shadows and eye intensity. From this,
i know to vary my photography so that it includes a more though out process. This is
so that the audience will see more teaser photos for the film and it will persuade them
to pursue the movie further. Overall, i am pleased by my peer feedback. It has shown
me what i should do for future projects and it has proved to me how much my skills
have developed on photoshop through out the year.