This document outlines a media production project to create promotional materials for a new film, including a teaser trailer, film magazine cover, and poster. It discusses research conducted on film marketing campaigns and conventions. A planning process is described involving storyboarding, filming, editing, and gathering audience feedback. Technologies like iMovie, PowerPoint, and online resources were used at different stages of the process. Feedback from test screenings is presented, showing positive reception of the teaser trailer and suggestions for improvement.

5. Question Four: How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages? BACK The new HD cameras in college, produced sharp, crisp images. It was easy to watch back footage to see when I had filmed the best shot. I used a tripod to create steady shots unless I was filming using hand-held camera. I used iMovie to edit my teaser trailer which is easy to use. I used the transitions loaded on iMovie to create smooth transitions if required. The sounds on iMovie were suitable and I found exactly what I was looking for. I was able to zoom in on the timeline of the video to be precise for when sounds play during the clips. Using iMovie enabled me to add in text with backgrounds with a variety of fonts and colours to use. I chose to use Microsoft Powerpoint to create my poster and magazine cover as this is the program I am most familiar with and I thought it would be a waste of time to learn a new program – for instance Microsoft Publisher. I was able to manipulate the colour of the images I used. To research teaser trailers, I used media sharing website, Youtube which supported me to find quickly, other teaser trailers. Google Images was a great search engine to look for both film magazine covers, and posters as I could specify what I was looking for. I used Youtube to upload my teaser trailer so I could spread it to a wider audience, as it then has maximum publicity as a distributor may do. Right now even, I am using the ‘Print Screen’ tool on my computer to get screenshots of computer programs and websites I have used. On my Powerpoint presentation for my coursework, I have also used the hyperlink tool to create links between my pages and to web pages to display PDF files. I used a HyperCam to film my teaser trailer from Youtube as I didn’t have access whilst filming my commentary for another evaluation question. I’ve also used Window Movie Maker to create my evaluation video and voice-over.

7. Feedback Results One Did you understand the genre of my teaser trailer? This was an important question to ask as the whole aim of a teaser trailer is to entice people into wanting to watch the film. As you can see from my results, all but one person understood the thriller genre. This means that I have succeeded here. Did it appeal to you as a viewer? As my class are within my target audience age group, I felt it appropriate to ask them if they’d watch it. As you can see from the results, the large majority would although the people who said ‘no’ left notes saying the didn’t like the genre as a whole. Therefore they aren’t my target audience. Is it the sort of film you would want to go and watch? This question was designed to back up question 2 to get a more definite answer specific to my target audience. From the results you can see the answer was exactly the same. If no, then why? Not into that genre I'm not the type of person to watch thrillers These were the only answers I was given, as one person didn’t answer and two people said they didn’t like the thriller genre. BACK

12. Poster Planning and Draft Once I had come up with a general plan of what my film would be about, I had a few ideas for images to use. These are shown on the bottom of the page and a link to them on PowerPoint is here . I thought about using a slow shutter speed setting on a camera with a flash on timer so there could be many images of the same girl without having to use Photoshop. My second idea plan was to have a girl ’ s body on the ground with her ghosts rising parallel to her, or have a ghost sitting up out of her. However this idea I will use for my magazine cover as it’ll be portrait rather than landscape like my poster. My ideas changed a little and I ’ m going to take the photo twice – once in the wooded area and again in the graveyard to see which works better using audience feedback. Here is a link to my Poster Ideas sheet. BACK

14. Teaser Trailer Planning Click here to view my brainstorm of ideas.. I made different headers for different aspects of what to film including: Costume, Setting, Genre, Character(s), Plot/Clips, Sound and Props. I thought that the most effective storyline for my film would be to use ‘ the fear of the unknown. ’ This means I won ’ t be using any additional actors and will include a lot of mystery and ambiguity. Filming in the dark is risky when it comes to lighting issues although filming at dusk should be okay, and as it gets darker earlier now – in autumn – I ’ ll be able to select my filming times more accurately in terms of not filming too late. Whilst at the cinema, I saw a trailer for The Awakening and thought that the use of the writing and music worked really well together as it formed a peaceful yet dramatic trailer. It demonstrates a big empty dark background with chalky smears, and the writing appears word by word fading onto the screen. This restricts and controls the audience and creates a pressured atmosphere. Although it isn ’ t a teaser trailer I believe this is still a great way to create fear and tension. BACK

20. Empire Magazine Cover The title of the magazine is in red which stands out vividly on the dark background. The use of capital letters on the ‘ Massive Preview Special ’ is a focal feature and draws a lot of the attention at first glance. The background image is of the main character from the film and is used to attract the viewers who like this actor. The taboo language here is used as a shock factor aimed at the reader of the text. This could be justified by claiming the ‘bloody’ is used to describe Harry coming out fighting. The yellow writing underneath isn ’ t as bright as the white as it is informing although it stands out. It includes the website and tag line under the header which shows ________ The insert image here is used to appeal to a different audience – those of who may not like the cover film . The direct speech in the featured films list “ you need to know ” is used to speak directly to the audience. BACK

21. Film Magazine Cover Analysis The background image has really bright colours which makes the cover really stand out. Johnny Depp is an actor and is seen as a sex symbol to women. He has become a unique selling point for this magazine issue as consumers would buy this purely for the reason of reading about Depp. This listing is used to draw readers of this media text to read the article mentioned. The plug at the end “ and 38 more… ” adds a sense of mystery and makes the suspicious readers need to find out what they ’ re talking about. The text here at the bottom features more name dropping to entice the audience. The capital letters used in the sub-heading which is above the title, is in yellow which distinguishes itself from the rest of the poster. A lot of people who would see this cover would know instantly which film is it about as Alice in Wonderland is an extremely well known tale. Once known, it becomes obvious as to why the colours, props and costume are all crazy and bright. His direct eye contact works to directly communicate with the audience. The British are known to care for children and animal greatly, therefore having a rabbit uses this information. The date, price and issue number are all listed here and as they are in a small font they don ’ t draw any attention away from the other objects. The price is seeming irrelevant to the sale as the consumer is only focussed on reading about the intriguing stories mentioned on the cover. The use of a ‘ puff ’ here is to draw attention and exaggerate the fact that the information the magazine have isn ’ t available anywhere else in the world. BACK

22. The Ward Poster Analysis The image of the main actress draws attention as the emotion of fear and tension on her face sets the mood of the genre. The title of the film in larger letters and a different colour make it stand out and contrasts against the blue colouring. The font is formal yet with the cracks in it, it gives it a broken look – foreshadowing themes in the movie. The billing block here includes the names of companies involved, costume designers, make-up artists, editors, directors and producers etc. The names are in larger lettering. The quote here is used to give recognition and show that the director is well-known. His name is also used above the title of the film. The actress has bare flesh out with dirt or bruises on her chest which foreshadows the plot and genre further. The background in the image is dirty walls with a corridor going off to the left. The woman is looking to her left also as if to be seeing something that just came through the corridor and is now behind her. BACK

25. Trailer Analysis: Saw 3D (2) PAGE ONE 0.10 Throughout the whole trailer, there are clips of letting which make a sentence saying: Every master craftsman and all true geniuses always save their best for last. This is powerful as the audience only reads snippets of it before being shown video clips to understand the meaning. The letters are all in capitals and bright white metallic colours against the black background. 0.30 The rest of the teaser trailer is a montage of clips from the film. It shows different people and then what is about to happen to them i.e. The girl who is chained up, we see a metal pointed machine rushing towards her, then the girl, then the machine again from point of view shot. After this, the weapon is shown coming through a sheet of metal, from the other side – towards the viewer as more lettering comes on screen reading “ Witness the final Saw ” 0.32 The music begins to dramatise as it reaches its climax at 0.47 when the name of the film appears as perspective lettering to emphasise that the film is in 3D. The music is mainly strings but features some percussion instruments towards the end. 0.49 The finale of the teaser trailer is the vicious metal rushing towards the screen. This is for the 3D fanatics who are keen on experiencing the 3D. 0.51 The release of the film is shown in large letters and the tag line for the film is shown underneath. In the bottom corners of the screen, the companies involved in production are shown, and the website in the middle. In small print at the bottom, the copyright information is shown. BACK

27. Teaser Trailer Analysis: American Psycho (2) PAGE ONE BACK 00.20 The green font continues as a planner would, and the shot in the background shows a close up of the lead character kissing a woman. This demonstrates another sub-genre of the film which would attract a wider audience. 00.21 Another similar looking woman is shown as ‘Patrick’ invites her to dinner. He shows no emotion again. The audience can see that he is either in his office again, or in a similarly decorated room. 00.25 The shot is cut using a wipe across transition which then shows the camera pan across to display the television with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre on, with the lettering showing the lead character’s sadistic nature and foreshadowing the plot. 00.29-37 There is then a montage of clips and at 00.33 the lead characters voice is played again before the footage is played that matches the voice. It ends with a long shot on a group of smartly dressed men, in an executive looking environment before cutting to Patrick ’s face laughing heartlessly about a dead female. 00.45 A woman is shown telling the lead character he is ‘inhuman’ followed by a shot… 00.47 …Of the lead character pulling off a face mask – looking inhuman. This is almost a visual metaphor of him revealing himself to the audience. The lighting throughout the teaser is very natural which adds realism. 00.49 The title of the film and the date of release appear on screen in the same style as it does throughout the film.

28. Typography of the thriller genre The fonts here all in capitals which shows that the occurring theme is exaggeration and heightened fright. The colours are all contrasting with their backgrounds to make them stand out. A Nightmare on Elm Street uses red colours which has connotations of passion and love, but also death, danger and blood. One Missed Call is misty and slightly shadowed which gives depth to the font. The white against black background really stands out which is useful as it is shown against a large dark area with all images being shown as of there is a specific light shining only on those places. The Hills Have Eyes contrasts this, with all the lettering being dark against a pale neutral background image. On Microsoft there are set fonts which I could be very powerful these are shown below: These fonts are all in capitals – following the common typography of the genre – and the majority of them feature serifs which gives the whole theme a formal and harsh look about it. Rockwell is an example of a slab serif and is a fairly modern adaption to the standard serif. It doesn ’ t have the same sharp effect as the others. BOOK ANTIQUA BATANG COPPERPLATE GOTHIC BOLD Felix TITLING MS PMINCHO ROCKWELL BACK

31. Demographics of my audience Demographics Definition: The attributes of people in a particular geographic area. Used for marketing purposes, population, ethnic origins, religion, spoken language, income and age range are examples of demographic data. – TechEncyclopedia Demographics for ‘Grave Secrets:’ Language English Ethnicity N/A Primary Age Range Older teenagers to young adults Gender I ’ m aiming for a 15 Certification as I don ’ t want to restrict my audience too much. This means I need to consider limiting the more outrageous footage which includes: swearing, nudity, sex, horror, drugs or violent behaviour etc. There is no speech other than non-verbal utterances, therefore I don’t need to consider any verbal language barriers. I believe it will be targeted more at the domestic British audience rather than Americans as my film is not using any special effects or extravagant features although Paranormal Activity (2007) is similar with its mysterious theme. BACK

32. Audience of ‘Grave Secrets’ Questionnaire Results Demographics of my Audience Questionnaire link in PDF format I produced a questionnaire for my primary research, choosing only specific relevant questions to help me decide on my final ideas. The results from my questionnaire made me consider the different preferences for the different audiences although I haven ’ t focused on the unintended audience of Over 30. BACK

33. Questionnaire Results Question 1: Which age bracket do you fit into? The results show that I mostly asked people between the ages of 16 to 18, although a large percentage were 19 to 21. I should have asked more 12 to 15 year olds as it would have been better for my research of what to include as I ’ m aiming for a 15 BBFC Certification. Question 2: What is your favourite sub-genre of a thriller? Psychological and actions are the most common favourites of thriller sub-genres. Action is the next highest result. Originally, I did want to produce an action but I realised that I wouldn ’ t have the equipment or programs to produce a decent one. Crime was quite high also but this would have also been difficult to achieve effectively as I don ’ t have access to the right kind of location. Question 3: Does the title of the film influence you to go and see it? The majority of people said the name of the film influences their decision of whether they are going to watch the film or not, although still a large percentage said it didn ’ t effect their view on the film. Question 4: Do you like to see the plot of a film in a teaser trailer? The answers were fairly mixed although the majority of people said the like to see the plot in a teaser trailer. I believe this is because although people enjoy certain genres, the storyline also makes a big difference as to whether people like a film or not. Page Two BACK 14-15

34. Questionnaire Results 2 Question 5: Do you prefer posters for films to have a simple layout? Question 6: On film posters, do you like seeing the featured articles on the front cover? These results are quite conclusive as the majority of people prefer film posters to have a simple layout. This fits well with my ideas I ’ ve been exploring already. Over 75% of people said the like seeing the featured articles included on the cover page of a magazine. This information helps me greatly as now I know to include it – as other film magazines do. BACK

36. Shooting Schedule + Plan BACK

40. Bibliography BACK Source http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477076/ - Used on blog http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1262416/ - Used on blog http://www.moviefanatic.com/gallery/saw-3d-mind-blowing-poster/ - Used on blog http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/39190/another-look-heart-heavy-saw-3d-one-sheet - Used on blog http://blowthescene.com/movies/saw-3d-review.html - Used on blog http://blog.itechtalk.com/2010/horror-text/ - Used on blog http://uk.movies.ign.com/dor/objects/764505/a-nightmare-on-elm-street-2010/images/a-nightmare-on-elm-street-20090721092533943.html?page=mediaFull - Used on blog

41. Bibliography Page Two BACK Source http://www.shockya.com/news/tag/mirrors/ - Used on blog http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hills_Have_Eyes_(2006_film) - Used on blog http://www.best-horror-movies.com/top-10-horror-movies.html - Used on blog http://gagan03.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/film-magazine-cover-horror/ - Used on blog http://etaitchs.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/total-film-magazine-covers-conventions/ - Used on blog http://backseatcuddler.com/category/steven-spielberg/page/2/ - Used on Magazine Cover http://www.brandautopsy.com/2011/06/talkable-barcodes.html - Used on Magazine Cover

42. Bibliography Page Three BACK Source http://cinematichorrorarchive.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/the-ward-2010/the-ward-poster/ - Used on blog http://www.mikcribben.com/filmfriends/home.html - Used on blog http://www.picturesofengland.com/user/elever/pictures//England/Buckinghamshire/West_Wycombe - Used on blog From Clipart - Used on blog http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Wycombe - Used on blog http://www.business-clipart.com/business_clipart_images/a_businessman_in_marketing_showing_a_trend_on_a_bar_graph_0521-1005-1515-3141.html - Used on blog http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2010/07/14/trailer-vs-final-cut/green-band/ - Used on blog

43. Bibliography Page Four BACK Source http://www.eastsidepatch.com/2009/10/halloween-2009/ - Used on poster draft http://www.flickr.com/photos/beckyruiphoto/6352886841/ - Used on poster draft http://www.mygreatiphone.com/reviews/interview-with-themer-ihaz3/ - Used on blog http://www.sotcaa.net/editnews/200-Motels-On-DVD.html - Used on blog http://www.euogo.com/hdq5-hd-digital-video-camera-camcorder-with-hdmitouch-screen5mp-cmos_p271.html - Used on blog http://socialitelife.com/enlargedimage?back_to=/gwyneth-paltrows-deep-cleavage-plunge-at-national-movie-awards-photos-05-2011/national-movie-awards-press-room-11&postid=5977771 - Used on Magazine cover http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/VfimukCVyUA/Press+Room+National+Movie+Awards/uD5JT2LV0T5/Geoffrey+Rush - Used on Magazine cover

44. Bibliography Page Five BACK Source http://justcreativedesign.com/2008/05/13/how-to-design-a-movie-poster-with-an-example/ - Used on blog http://www.movie-poster.ws/movies/action/Batmandark-knight.htm - Used on blog http://www.criticasm.com/2008/07/21/so-what-is-happening-in-%E2%80%9Cthe-happening%E2%80%9D/ - Used on blog http://collider.com/the-town-movie-poster-ben-affleck-jon-hamm-movie-poster/43546/ - Used on blog http://filmaholics.net/2010/07/top-10-favorite-movie-posters/ - Used on blog http://www.thesnipenews.com/features/best-movie-posters/ - Used on blog

45. Common features of film posters BACK As you can see here, a lot of these film posters are long shot that focus on the people. The title of the film are the largest text on the page, with billing blocks at the bottom. They are all cold blue colours with the letting being the contrasting colour. The logo of production companies are also shown, along with the lead actors names.