CHALLENGING MEDIA CONVENTIONS
Comparing our project with other media conventions, we looked at teaser trailers, how they were presented and the length of the videos, which ranged from 1.50 to 2.30 minutes, we conformed to the basic rules in composing our project and we looked at films that related to our project, a good example was hulk, which is a 2003 film based on a comic book hero, this was our model in creating our trailer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8SyqH3fjfA
In the hulk’s trailer, the storyline was presented using various clip shots of actual scenes from the movie, it shows scenes of the protagonist being injected with the drug that affects is DNA later on in his lifetime, stages before he transformed and the transformation process which built up the storyline and gave the viewers a quick preview of what the movie was about, as this wasn’t an actual film, long shots was very rarely used, it was mostly extreme close-up shots and mid-shots, this was done to keep the viewers attention locked on to the screen and to create impact and also present the genre of the film, it was from this that I gathered it was an action trailer. (Hulk transformation)
In comparing this to our final trailer you would see how related our piece is when compared to the hulk, although our trailer was a sub genre, zombie Sci-Fi horror, so we had to make certain changes and experiment with our scenes to create an impact and to relate it to the genre. We didn’t want to give off too much in the trailer, so we used a lot of flash backs to introduce our film synopsis. The use of sound effects was also very common as it was used to create impact, we therefore researched and found a website called www.findsounds.com, it was very helpful as it had various sounds for any for any sort of Foley. Also in the editing process the video shots were sped up, this was a common technique used in most media conventions as this creates an emotion (shock) as it gives the audience a bemused feeling.
The lighting was also different as observed in other trailers like 28 days later, which had a more dark setting
(a clip from 28 days later), notice the dark lighting tone used after the rendering of the video as opposed to a scene from our production work
We chose to keep the scene as natural as possible, which meant less processing, this was our way of challenging our media convention and the reason for this was because we wanted it to be as realistic as possible, but this also meant we had to use more props to create this effect.
Also the music we used was very different to that of typical music conventions in this genre, most commonly used are really dark and moody but we decide to use a more British approach to represent the culture, I created a drum and bass track, we used as our main soundtrack. This worked well as it created a more raw and hyped effect.
Also in other media conventions we noticed, there was always a main character introduced (an hero figure), so we took that idea and twisted it, we had a protagonist (Adeola) who was introduced at the beginning of the trailer, but towards the middle after the transitional period of taking the pill, his characters ultimately changes and he becomes this villain beast character, this puts the audience in a situation where they would want to see what happens and how the storyline builds up, rather than predicting the play.
In conclusion, this where the different methods we used in approaching and challenging our production work, a zombie, sci-fi horror convention. In my opinion, it was a successfully outcome as it all came together and stood out from all the different genres observed, you can tell there is something different about it, but at the same time it still relates to the conventions of a horror trailer.
Question- How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
I would say the combination of our main product and ancillary texts were very effective- all of which featured our main character and so they were immediately relatable to each other. This also means that they were recognizable to the audience which would be our fan base. This is good because the more familiar the audience is with the media product the more successful we would be at reaching our brand identity. I think the combination of the main product and ancillary texts worked well together simply because they were very much alike.
The poster and magazine cover work well together because the images used compliment each other. They were taken on the same day and the main character is dressed in the same wear. The images used both included red "blood" and the connotations of this are things associated with is fear, horror and anger. Immediately our genre is easily identifiable to the audience.
I designed the poster in a way that it would be scary to look at and also simple so that it seemed realistic. I had a look at other horror movie posters such as the Saw sequels and Dawn of the dead. Looking at the conventions of these posters I tried to integrate these qualities into my own design to create a poster that was both realistic and good to look at.
The magazine cover I designed was both done in the due course of time, the magazine cover has the name "Alex Jibbs" instead of the actor's real name "Adeola Badejo" which was written on the main product (production piece). The file was corrupted before we had time to change it to match the names before the deadline but the message still gets across.
Research
I did some of my research on my laptop which is a HP Pavillion dv6, which I also used to blog the research that I had done. A majority of my research was done on my Ipod touch. It’s a second generation Ipod touch so I can use it to access the internet nearly anywhere in London. So what I did was I watched streamed videos from youtube on my Ipod, which made it easier for me to look at different teaser trailers whilst on the move and if I liked them I’d simply send myself an e-mail of the youtube link and I’d be able to watch it on my computer at home or in college.
HP Pavillion DV6
IPod Touch 2nd Generation
Websites I used for research
Planning
When planning my project I used text messaging, e-mail and facebook to communicate with my colleagues. Those were the quickest and cheapest ways for me us to send ideas between ourself whilst we weren’t together at college. The main storyboarding was done on paper but an outline was put together on powerpoint so that we could have a digital format as well as a hard copy. Once again the internet was used to find pictures that could represent the images I had in my head as at this time we hadn’t yet chosen the locations and we couldn’t get all the props needed.
My tools for communication:
Blackberry Curve: Text Messaging, Phone calls and Instant messaging services
MSN E-Mail and messenger service
Production
Taking photos of the locations both whilst filming and whilst choosing was done on mobile phones including a blackberry curve and a Samsung . We also used a still camera, Canon Powershot SX120 IS. Filming was done on a Samsung HD digital 12 megapixel camera. Filming was also done on the Samsung HD and the photoshoot on the Canon.
Samsung HD digital 12 megapixel camera
Canon Powershot SX120 IS
Editing
When it came to the editing I used Adobe Premier and Adobe After Effects to edit the video and to touch up certain clips. I also went on youtube to take courses on how to use Adobe Premier and Adobe After Effects. To edit the sound I used, Fruity Loops Studios, Logic, and Adobe Soundbooth. The only reason we had to use so many different ones was due to the availability of the software on other systems. We used these softwares to put the sound together and to mix down the sound. Editing the photos for the poster and the magazine cover was done on Adobe Photoshop.
Software Used
Adobe Photoshop CS5
Fruity Loops 9 XXL
Adobe After Effects CS5
Adobe Premier Pro CS5
Adobe Soundbooth CS5
Logic 9
Evaluation
The final stage of my project was the evaluation. I screened the trailer in the screening room of my college using a projector which was connected to a computer and I got my friends to tell me what they thought of the trailer. I used the video camera to record their opinions on the trailer. Then I used the Canon to record the rest of my evaluation.
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