My Poster My film magazine cover
Tuesday 13 May 2014
Evaluation: Question 3
3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?
To gather audience feedback I first had to create 2 questionnaires: One for my trailer, and one for my ancillary texts. I asked people I knew of different ages and genders these questions and filmed their reactions, I have included their ages to give an idea of what different age ranges thought to my work. Although not every age fits my demographic, I thought it would be useful to include a wider range of ages to get a wider opinion, and the inclusion of males helps me see if my product appealed to my secondary audience.
I asked around 8 people what they thought to my products, 4 of the interviews I have filmed.
My Main Product questions:
1. How old are you?
This was so I could see whether they fit into my demographic.
2. Where do you normally watch films?
This helped me to see which media people normally watch films on, so which media I should appeal to most in the trailer.
3. Do film trailers usually encourage you to watch the film they are advertising?
This question was to see if film trailers had any effect on the interviewee, so I could see how effective my trailer was in comparison to others.
4. Would you go to see my film?
This was to see if the trailer had achieved its purpose of persuading the audience to watch the trailer.
5. Did you enjoy the trailer?
Here I could see if my trailer entertained, which was another purpose.
6. Did it hold your attention?
I could see if my trailer drifted from the storyline here, and if there were any weak parts in it. This helped me to see if there were any parts from which I could reduce the trailer.
7. Was the trailer too long/short/just right?
This showed me whether I was right in thinking my trailer is slightly too long.
8. How did you find the standard of camera work and editing?
Here I could see what other people thought to my production work, and if it was of a good quality.
9. Is there anything that would improve the trailer?
This showed me anything that was wrong with the trailer, and the weaker parts of it that could be improved.
10. On a scale of 1 - 10, where would you place my trailer?
This let me see how people would rate my trailer, how good it was, and whether they compared well to other products they had seen that were similar.
11. Were there any parts that you found difficult to understand?
As I had quite a complex storyline, this made sure the trailer wasn't too complicated for someone who had just seen the trailer, with no idea of the storyline previously.
12. Does the trailer reflect the genre of RomCom well?
This helped me see if it fit in with my chosen genre of RomCom, and whether other people thought that it did.
Interviews:
My ancillary questions:
1. How old are you?
This was so I could see whether they fit into my demographic.
2. What was the first impression you got of the poster, i.e. what genre of film did you think it was for?
- Why?
This let me see what people's first reactions were to my work, if they they thought it was good or bad, and whether it actually suited my genre at first glance.
3. Does the magazine cover successfully imitate that of a real film magazine?
Here I could see how effective my magazine was at imitating the style of 'Empire' magazine.
3. How good is the standard of editing?
4. How good is the standard of photography?
These two questions let me get feedback on my production skills, and let me see what people thought of my edited work.
5. Would the poster encourage you to watch the film?
-Why?
This was essential, as if the product didn't encourage people to watch the film, it didn't achieve its purpose of pursuading people to watch the film, and so was pointless to the promotion package.
6. Do you feel the products are cohesive together?
-Why?
This helped me get a sense of the synergy between my products, and see how well they worked together.
7. What would improve the products?
Here I could see where I had gone wrong, or if I could have added anything into my work to make it better.
8. On a scale of 1 - 10 where would you place my products?
This let me see how people would rate my products, how good they were, and whether they compared well to other products they had seen that were similar.
The 'why's encourage the interviewee to expand on their points so I get a better quality of feedback.
Interview:
From my audience feedback I have deduced that my products are well received by others, and are easy enough to understand, although my trailer was a bit too complicated, I feel that the increased length of the trailer has helped to get across the general story-line, although I may have given a bit too much away (as one interviewee has said).
Most people watch films at home, either on DVD or online. So if I were to release the film, I would try to appeal more to the online audience. However, I feel as if I have already done this to some extent as I have already added in a website address to both the trailer and poster.
I have found that my standard of editing is of a high quality, as all of the interviewees said that they found the quality of editing good, this also goes for my standard of photography.
I have found that film trailers and posters do usually encourage people to watch the film they are advertising, so it is important that they are good, otherwise people would not go to see the film, as they, (the trailer especially) influence people's perceptive of the film.
My poster suits it's purpose, as those who commented on it said that they would go to watch that film, and that the poster would encourage them to see it. The trailer also had the same effect, also to a higher extent, as people were enthusiastic for me to actually make the film as they wanted to watch the film for real, having found the trailer highly entertaining.
My trailer is perfect for my target audience, as girls aged around 18 (approximately the median of my target audience which is women between the ages of 12 and 35) who I interviewed thought that the trailer described 'the type of film they want to be watching', this means that the trailer has achieved it's purpose as it is persuading girls of the right age to want to watch the film.
People found the trailer 'hilarious' so it was definitely funny enough to be a RomCom, whilst still keeping the romantic side to it. This funny side helped people to keep attention, however, some people's attention drifted slightly, which I feel is due to the long length of the trailer. People found, though, that the confusion also helped to make them want to watch the film, as they could find out what happens by watching it.
My trailer was placed at an average of 8/10. I feel this is due to the fact that it is too long and a bit too confusing. Also, at certain points, such as the lift scene, there were interruptions to the speech which I couldn't edit out, and these brought the quality of the trailer down.
The poster was described as being romantic, so it fit its purpose as people could tell immediately tell that the poster belonged to the RomCom genre.
My products had a synergy, as the combination of more than one product had a greater effect on people wanting to see the film than just one on its own.
To gather audience feedback I first had to create 2 questionnaires: One for my trailer, and one for my ancillary texts. I asked people I knew of different ages and genders these questions and filmed their reactions, I have included their ages to give an idea of what different age ranges thought to my work. Although not every age fits my demographic, I thought it would be useful to include a wider range of ages to get a wider opinion, and the inclusion of males helps me see if my product appealed to my secondary audience.
I asked around 8 people what they thought to my products, 4 of the interviews I have filmed.
My Main Product questions:
1. How old are you?
This was so I could see whether they fit into my demographic.
2. Where do you normally watch films?
This helped me to see which media people normally watch films on, so which media I should appeal to most in the trailer.
3. Do film trailers usually encourage you to watch the film they are advertising?
This question was to see if film trailers had any effect on the interviewee, so I could see how effective my trailer was in comparison to others.
4. Would you go to see my film?
This was to see if the trailer had achieved its purpose of persuading the audience to watch the trailer.
5. Did you enjoy the trailer?
Here I could see if my trailer entertained, which was another purpose.
6. Did it hold your attention?
I could see if my trailer drifted from the storyline here, and if there were any weak parts in it. This helped me to see if there were any parts from which I could reduce the trailer.
7. Was the trailer too long/short/just right?
This showed me whether I was right in thinking my trailer is slightly too long.
8. How did you find the standard of camera work and editing?
Here I could see what other people thought to my production work, and if it was of a good quality.
9. Is there anything that would improve the trailer?
This showed me anything that was wrong with the trailer, and the weaker parts of it that could be improved.
10. On a scale of 1 - 10, where would you place my trailer?
This let me see how people would rate my trailer, how good it was, and whether they compared well to other products they had seen that were similar.
11. Were there any parts that you found difficult to understand?
As I had quite a complex storyline, this made sure the trailer wasn't too complicated for someone who had just seen the trailer, with no idea of the storyline previously.
12. Does the trailer reflect the genre of RomCom well?
This helped me see if it fit in with my chosen genre of RomCom, and whether other people thought that it did.
Interviews:
1. How old are you?
This was so I could see whether they fit into my demographic.
2. What was the first impression you got of the poster, i.e. what genre of film did you think it was for?
- Why?
This let me see what people's first reactions were to my work, if they they thought it was good or bad, and whether it actually suited my genre at first glance.
3. Does the magazine cover successfully imitate that of a real film magazine?
Here I could see how effective my magazine was at imitating the style of 'Empire' magazine.
3. How good is the standard of editing?
4. How good is the standard of photography?
These two questions let me get feedback on my production skills, and let me see what people thought of my edited work.
5. Would the poster encourage you to watch the film?
-Why?
This was essential, as if the product didn't encourage people to watch the film, it didn't achieve its purpose of pursuading people to watch the film, and so was pointless to the promotion package.
6. Do you feel the products are cohesive together?
-Why?
This helped me get a sense of the synergy between my products, and see how well they worked together.
7. What would improve the products?
Here I could see where I had gone wrong, or if I could have added anything into my work to make it better.
8. On a scale of 1 - 10 where would you place my products?
This let me see how people would rate my products, how good they were, and whether they compared well to other products they had seen that were similar.
The 'why's encourage the interviewee to expand on their points so I get a better quality of feedback.
Interview:
From my audience feedback I have deduced that my products are well received by others, and are easy enough to understand, although my trailer was a bit too complicated, I feel that the increased length of the trailer has helped to get across the general story-line, although I may have given a bit too much away (as one interviewee has said).
Most people watch films at home, either on DVD or online. So if I were to release the film, I would try to appeal more to the online audience. However, I feel as if I have already done this to some extent as I have already added in a website address to both the trailer and poster.
I have found that my standard of editing is of a high quality, as all of the interviewees said that they found the quality of editing good, this also goes for my standard of photography.
I have found that film trailers and posters do usually encourage people to watch the film they are advertising, so it is important that they are good, otherwise people would not go to see the film, as they, (the trailer especially) influence people's perceptive of the film.
My poster suits it's purpose, as those who commented on it said that they would go to watch that film, and that the poster would encourage them to see it. The trailer also had the same effect, also to a higher extent, as people were enthusiastic for me to actually make the film as they wanted to watch the film for real, having found the trailer highly entertaining.
My trailer is perfect for my target audience, as girls aged around 18 (approximately the median of my target audience which is women between the ages of 12 and 35) who I interviewed thought that the trailer described 'the type of film they want to be watching', this means that the trailer has achieved it's purpose as it is persuading girls of the right age to want to watch the film.
People found the trailer 'hilarious' so it was definitely funny enough to be a RomCom, whilst still keeping the romantic side to it. This funny side helped people to keep attention, however, some people's attention drifted slightly, which I feel is due to the long length of the trailer. People found, though, that the confusion also helped to make them want to watch the film, as they could find out what happens by watching it.
My trailer was placed at an average of 8/10. I feel this is due to the fact that it is too long and a bit too confusing. Also, at certain points, such as the lift scene, there were interruptions to the speech which I couldn't edit out, and these brought the quality of the trailer down.
The poster was described as being romantic, so it fit its purpose as people could tell immediately tell that the poster belonged to the RomCom genre.
My products had a synergy, as the combination of more than one product had a greater effect on people wanting to see the film than just one on its own.
Monday 12 May 2014
First Draft of Trailer
The First draft is over 4 minutes long, which is way too long. So I'll need to cut this down quite a bit. Also I need to add music and a voice-over.
Sunday 11 May 2014
Evaluation: Question 2
2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
I am really pleased with the outcome of my 3 finished products, especially the 'Empire' magazine cover, as I feel it imitates that of a real 'Empire' magazine really well.
The combination of my main and ancillary text was very effective as the combination of more than one product increased the want to watch a finished film product. They had a synergy, in which they worked together to increase a desire for the product, separate they were effective, but put together, they were even more so.
I feel that this is because each one sparked a slight amount of interest, and created an air of mystery around the product, the poster got you thinking 'why is he reaching out like that and why isn't she responding to it?', the magazine cover made you think 'the film must be good if 'Empire' is featuring it on it's front page' and the articles inside describe the film a little more. Finally the trailer gave you a larger insight into the film, and helped the audience decide whether or not they wanted to see it.
The ambiguity of my film was reinforced through all 3 products and as they don't give everything away they are left asking questions, and to get the answer to those questions they must watch the film. I feel the products worked together because they each give a little taster for what is to come.
The use of the pictures in both let you see who was involved in the project, and if you like the actors then you are more likely to want to go and see the film.
The continuity of the picture of Abby in the red dress instantly made this a sort of trademark for the film, and it creates synergy by using both the same actor, and the same costume and hair, on both the poster and the magazine cover. The fact that the actors used on the poster are also the same used in the trailer keeps up the continuity of the pieces, as it isn't disjointed, i.e. I haven't filmed the trailer with one person, then decided to change that person for the ancillary texts.
The colour scheme also created cohesion, as there was red used for the line, dress and writing of 'coming soon' and the website on the poster, and red used for the masthead and dress on the magazine cover. However, red wasn't a big colour on the trailer, except for the red of the website, written very small on the credits slide, but the title 'Heaven & Earth', which is written in the same font and colour on both the poster and trailer, created cohesion between these two products. And the use of the title 'Heaven & Earth' on the magazine cover, although it wasn't written in the same style, created synergy, as it still used the name of the film, which kept the name in the audiences' heads, promoting the film through repetition.
My credits slide My title slide
In my trailer, continuity with these slides was kept by the use of a clean font, and a clean white background.
Another way in which the trailer and poster were combined is the mentioning of the film website, something which I haven't actually created, but that if it had been, would definitely have worked well in the synergy of the products thanks to the mentioning of it in the trailer and poster.
The use of block credits in the trailer and poster combines the two together, although not so effectively as things I have mentioned earlier.
My finished magazine cover My finished poster
Another element which combines the products together is the use of background. The plain white background which I have used for the title slide and credits slide is the same as the background which I have used for the poster, and the city background used in the magazine links with the trailer for setting. The fact that there is more greenery in the magazine cover helps in this sense, as there is more greenery than buildings, that is, the outside of buildings, (as there were many rooms filmed) in the trailer. Perhaps it could have been more effective to have a background of the lift for the magazine cover, as that is a large part of the trailer. However, I don't think it would have looked as good, and the city scene works well with the magazine as it is a nice tranquil picture, which suits the RomCom theme.
Overall, I feel that my three products have great synergy, and work together to promote the film very well.
I am really pleased with the outcome of my 3 finished products, especially the 'Empire' magazine cover, as I feel it imitates that of a real 'Empire' magazine really well.
The combination of my main and ancillary text was very effective as the combination of more than one product increased the want to watch a finished film product. They had a synergy, in which they worked together to increase a desire for the product, separate they were effective, but put together, they were even more so.
I feel that this is because each one sparked a slight amount of interest, and created an air of mystery around the product, the poster got you thinking 'why is he reaching out like that and why isn't she responding to it?', the magazine cover made you think 'the film must be good if 'Empire' is featuring it on it's front page' and the articles inside describe the film a little more. Finally the trailer gave you a larger insight into the film, and helped the audience decide whether or not they wanted to see it.
The ambiguity of my film was reinforced through all 3 products and as they don't give everything away they are left asking questions, and to get the answer to those questions they must watch the film. I feel the products worked together because they each give a little taster for what is to come.
The use of the pictures in both let you see who was involved in the project, and if you like the actors then you are more likely to want to go and see the film.
The continuity of the picture of Abby in the red dress instantly made this a sort of trademark for the film, and it creates synergy by using both the same actor, and the same costume and hair, on both the poster and the magazine cover. The fact that the actors used on the poster are also the same used in the trailer keeps up the continuity of the pieces, as it isn't disjointed, i.e. I haven't filmed the trailer with one person, then decided to change that person for the ancillary texts.
The colour scheme also created cohesion, as there was red used for the line, dress and writing of 'coming soon' and the website on the poster, and red used for the masthead and dress on the magazine cover. However, red wasn't a big colour on the trailer, except for the red of the website, written very small on the credits slide, but the title 'Heaven & Earth', which is written in the same font and colour on both the poster and trailer, created cohesion between these two products. And the use of the title 'Heaven & Earth' on the magazine cover, although it wasn't written in the same style, created synergy, as it still used the name of the film, which kept the name in the audiences' heads, promoting the film through repetition.
My credits slide My title slide
In my trailer, continuity with these slides was kept by the use of a clean font, and a clean white background.
Another way in which the trailer and poster were combined is the mentioning of the film website, something which I haven't actually created, but that if it had been, would definitely have worked well in the synergy of the products thanks to the mentioning of it in the trailer and poster.
The use of block credits in the trailer and poster combines the two together, although not so effectively as things I have mentioned earlier.
My finished magazine cover My finished poster
Another element which combines the products together is the use of background. The plain white background which I have used for the title slide and credits slide is the same as the background which I have used for the poster, and the city background used in the magazine links with the trailer for setting. The fact that there is more greenery in the magazine cover helps in this sense, as there is more greenery than buildings, that is, the outside of buildings, (as there were many rooms filmed) in the trailer. Perhaps it could have been more effective to have a background of the lift for the magazine cover, as that is a large part of the trailer. However, I don't think it would have looked as good, and the city scene works well with the magazine as it is a nice tranquil picture, which suits the RomCom theme.
Overall, I feel that my three products have great synergy, and work together to promote the film very well.
Locations I have used
-This is the common room, I used it for Purgatory, the crying scene, to take photos, and a painted wall for the running towards each other scene, I also used this lift:
-The alleyway near school, which I used to film the walk.
-The residential area, which I used to film the running-over scene.
- South block hall, which I used to film the 'AA' group. Although there was background noise, this worked because most groups like this are in village halls and there would be other groups going on at the same time. So the background noise is supposed to be these other groups going on in the distance.
- The ERB sitting area, which I used to film the therapist's scene.
-Room 77, by the window, which I used to film the doctor's scene.
-Room 77, by the board, which I used to film the reception area of the doctors surgery.
Evaluation: Question 1
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products ?
My trailer follows the typical conventions of a romcom trailer:
It begins with her normal life before 'him' then goes on to how she met 'him' and leaves the audience wondering if they will ever get together (obviously they will, they always do). My trailer follows this traditional narrative arc.
The only way in which my trailer drastically differs from a real media RomCom trailer is the quality of location, costumes and props. However, this is explained by the fact that my trailer is promoting more of an
indie film than a mainstream RomCom. Scenes like Purgatory were deliberately bad, as I wanted them to seem bad to the audience, and the angel wings (which I substituted normal angel wings for as they were too expansive) were used for a comedic effect, as well as the toy stethoscope which was used to promote the badness of God's disguises. This is some ways I have turned things like a low budget and limited places to film to my advantage.
I have generally used continuity editing, to give a sense of real-life, except for the scene in which the girl comes back to life, where the screen fades to white and then back to colour but in a different place; when it fades out she is running towards the male lead, and when it fades back in she is waking up in the 'real' world from being run-over. I have also used non-continuity editing for when the male and female lead run towards each other in slow-motion.
As my storyline is quite complex, I felt I needed a longer trailer in order to help the audience understand what was going on (this is also the reason for the large amount of dialogue and the voice over), but, after managing to cut down the length of the trailer, as it started off too long, my trailer ended up being within the anticipated 2:41mins. However, I don't feel that it is too long as the trailer flows quite well.
I have added in a BBFC logo, with the films name on the certify that it is suitable for PG viewing, as there is only one bit of hinted at violence (the girl being run over. However, this is only hinted at as the audience sees a car hears brakes and then sees a black screen). According to the restriction guidelines my trailer is a PG, as many romcom trailers are (due to the fact they contain little to ok violence, like my trailer)
The production company logo, which I have added in at the beginning along with the BBFC logo, has been placed in the typical place; before the trailer starts. Other things like the 'coming soon' and title of the film come at the end, so it is fresh in the audiences minds.
My BBFC logo A Typical BBFC logo
I have created a production logo for the beginning of the trailer. It is for my 'Take 5' production company, and simply features a clapperboard snapping shut. This is shown at the beginning of the trailer, after the BBFC logo, to follow the conventions of RomCom trailers.
The title slide comes close to the end of the trailer, before the humorous part in which the doctor attempts to hit the female lead with a chair. This is where it is usually placed.
It is on a plain white background to draw more attention to the writing, which is the title of the film, 'Heaven & Earth', written in the same font and colour as on the poster to create a sense of cohesion between the products and to give the film a brand.
You can see the similarities of the title slide here:
My title slide (500) days of summer title slide
I have added a 'Coming Soon' title slide near the end of a trailer, after the title slide, as this is where trailers usually have this.
The slide has a plain white background, and simple, easy-to-read text. The 'coming soon' is in a bigger font so the audience knows to look out for it in cinemas, and the movie website is written in a smaller red font at the bottom to make it different to the other writing on the slide, as this is something the audience can look at before the film's release. The credits are written in the typical credits font and I have imitated the use of smaller font for the people's titles, e.g. 'director of photography' and the larger font for the names. Everything is centred to keep the slide neat.
My Coming Soon title slide
The music is calm, as the piece is romantic so calm music accentuates the romance. Also many romcom trailers use calmer, happier music to make their audience feel good.
How my trailer differs from the norm:
-During my research I found that many RomCom trailers had written interjections, however, I wanted to use a voice over rather than words so there are no written interjections.
-RomCom trailers often start by showing the two of them separately, then end up showing the two of them together, however, I began by showing the two of the together, then showing them apart (although he could see her, she couldn't see him.)
My preliminary products; the poster and magazine cover, followed the norms of their respective genres.
The magazine cover imitated exactly that of 'Empire' film magazine, from the masthead, to the yellow and white bold writing (mostly in caps), to the little yellow '+' at the bottom of the page. I did this to ensure that my magazine cover looked as close to a real 'Empire' magazine as possible.
You can see the similarities here:
A real Empire magazine cover My Empire magazine cover
I have use the following things because they are used in the magazine:
- The 'Empire' masthead. However, mine is in front of the photo, whereas the photo is in front of the masthead in the original.
-Yellow and white coloured fonts which alternate on every other line. I have attempted to get the same font but had to settle for this one as more similar ones cost.
- All caps except for 'Starring', 'Plus!', 'First Look!', 'The on-set exclusive!', 'And 101 more!' because these parts weren't important and they weren't in caps on the magazine which I based mine on.
-A picture of the main character in the middle of the front page in character, except mine is closer-up than the original magazine.
-A background which relates to the film. Mine is of a city as this is where the film is set, whereas the original magazine is of the Caribbean as that's where it's set.
-A button in the top left-hand corner of the page, with the same writing written in the same way, except for the film title, in which I have substituted 'Pirates 4' for 'Heaven & Earth'
- A bar code, except I have placed mine underneath the masthead as the layout was slightly different.
- A yellow '+' in the bottom left-hand corner, which describes a different film to that featured.
- Similar article titles for the main featured film, except where it says 'Pirates 4' and things related to that, I have changed it to 'Heaven & Earth' and things related to that.
- The 'Plus' article, except I have changed the film names to more recent ones, and the '102 more' to '101 more' as I thought it sounded better.
-The date and price of the issue I have placed above the 'M'. Although this isn't seen in the original issue I have based mine on, most other issues of 'Empire' have this feature in the same way as it is on mine.
My poster also followed conventions, having the credits at the bottom of the page along with the 'coming soon' and website and the actors names at the top of the page, above the respective actor, I used typical fonts for these parts. Other things like a clean white background, and having both of the lead roles on the page also followed conventions of a romcom poster.
However, having the title near the bottom of the poster challenged conventions slightly, as not many posters have their titles there (they tend to be at the top or in the middle of the page). Despite this, I think the title works better here as it is one of the last things the audience will look at on the page, so is one of the last things they will think about.
The contrast and similarities of my poster and a real one:
A real romcom movie poster My romcom movie poster
Things the same (or similar), which make my poster stick to RomCom poster conventions:
-The line in going down the middle of the page, although mine is red.
- The two main characters on either side of the line, although they are the other way round to the 'ugly truth' poster, and instead of leaning on the line the male lead is reaching out for the female lead and the female lead is standing nonchalantly.
-I have added the 'coming soon' and website at the end of the page in the middle, and in bold and red, to fit in with the 'ugly truth' poster.
- The credits are centred at the bottom of the page and are written in the same style.
- The film title is written in the film brand font and colours, to fit in with the title slide on the trailer, and is near the bottom of the poster, above the credits. However, my film title is slightly higher than the 'ugly truth's title, as I wanted the line to separate 'Heaven' and 'Earth', as the two characters are separated in the film.
- The actors names are written in the same font as the 'ugly truth's names, and are above their respective actors. The surnames are underneath the first names and are in bold, as people are more likely to recognise the surname.
My trailer follows the typical conventions of a romcom trailer:
-a mix of voice over and 'real' sound is used frequently,
-the lighting tends to be soft daylight, (Whenever I could I tried to film on sunny days to create this, however, this didn't always work out. Also, in the scene where the male and female leads are walking, I wanted a foggy day, which it was, to create an air of mystery and separation.)
-medium close-ups, reverse shots and long shots are used most often,
-the trailer often ends on a humorous bit,
-the production company logos and age certificate are shown at the beginning,
-the release date and title are shown at the end.
and imitates the layout of a romcom trailer:It begins with her normal life before 'him' then goes on to how she met 'him' and leaves the audience wondering if they will ever get together (obviously they will, they always do). My trailer follows this traditional narrative arc.
The only way in which my trailer drastically differs from a real media RomCom trailer is the quality of location, costumes and props. However, this is explained by the fact that my trailer is promoting more of an
indie film than a mainstream RomCom. Scenes like Purgatory were deliberately bad, as I wanted them to seem bad to the audience, and the angel wings (which I substituted normal angel wings for as they were too expansive) were used for a comedic effect, as well as the toy stethoscope which was used to promote the badness of God's disguises. This is some ways I have turned things like a low budget and limited places to film to my advantage.
I have generally used continuity editing, to give a sense of real-life, except for the scene in which the girl comes back to life, where the screen fades to white and then back to colour but in a different place; when it fades out she is running towards the male lead, and when it fades back in she is waking up in the 'real' world from being run-over. I have also used non-continuity editing for when the male and female lead run towards each other in slow-motion.
As my storyline is quite complex, I felt I needed a longer trailer in order to help the audience understand what was going on (this is also the reason for the large amount of dialogue and the voice over), but, after managing to cut down the length of the trailer, as it started off too long, my trailer ended up being within the anticipated 2:41mins. However, I don't feel that it is too long as the trailer flows quite well.
I have added in a BBFC logo, with the films name on the certify that it is suitable for PG viewing, as there is only one bit of hinted at violence (the girl being run over. However, this is only hinted at as the audience sees a car hears brakes and then sees a black screen). According to the restriction guidelines my trailer is a PG, as many romcom trailers are (due to the fact they contain little to ok violence, like my trailer)
The production company logo, which I have added in at the beginning along with the BBFC logo, has been placed in the typical place; before the trailer starts. Other things like the 'coming soon' and title of the film come at the end, so it is fresh in the audiences minds.
My BBFC logo A Typical BBFC logo
I have created a production logo for the beginning of the trailer. It is for my 'Take 5' production company, and simply features a clapperboard snapping shut. This is shown at the beginning of the trailer, after the BBFC logo, to follow the conventions of RomCom trailers.
The title slide comes close to the end of the trailer, before the humorous part in which the doctor attempts to hit the female lead with a chair. This is where it is usually placed.
It is on a plain white background to draw more attention to the writing, which is the title of the film, 'Heaven & Earth', written in the same font and colour as on the poster to create a sense of cohesion between the products and to give the film a brand.
You can see the similarities of the title slide here:
My title slide (500) days of summer title slide
I have added a 'Coming Soon' title slide near the end of a trailer, after the title slide, as this is where trailers usually have this.
The slide has a plain white background, and simple, easy-to-read text. The 'coming soon' is in a bigger font so the audience knows to look out for it in cinemas, and the movie website is written in a smaller red font at the bottom to make it different to the other writing on the slide, as this is something the audience can look at before the film's release. The credits are written in the typical credits font and I have imitated the use of smaller font for the people's titles, e.g. 'director of photography' and the larger font for the names. Everything is centred to keep the slide neat.
My Coming Soon title slide
The music is calm, as the piece is romantic so calm music accentuates the romance. Also many romcom trailers use calmer, happier music to make their audience feel good.
How my trailer differs from the norm:
-During my research I found that many RomCom trailers had written interjections, however, I wanted to use a voice over rather than words so there are no written interjections.
-RomCom trailers often start by showing the two of them separately, then end up showing the two of them together, however, I began by showing the two of the together, then showing them apart (although he could see her, she couldn't see him.)
My preliminary products; the poster and magazine cover, followed the norms of their respective genres.
The magazine cover imitated exactly that of 'Empire' film magazine, from the masthead, to the yellow and white bold writing (mostly in caps), to the little yellow '+' at the bottom of the page. I did this to ensure that my magazine cover looked as close to a real 'Empire' magazine as possible.
You can see the similarities here:
A real Empire magazine cover My Empire magazine cover
I have use the following things because they are used in the magazine:
- The 'Empire' masthead. However, mine is in front of the photo, whereas the photo is in front of the masthead in the original.
-Yellow and white coloured fonts which alternate on every other line. I have attempted to get the same font but had to settle for this one as more similar ones cost.
- All caps except for 'Starring', 'Plus!', 'First Look!', 'The on-set exclusive!', 'And 101 more!' because these parts weren't important and they weren't in caps on the magazine which I based mine on.
-A picture of the main character in the middle of the front page in character, except mine is closer-up than the original magazine.
-A background which relates to the film. Mine is of a city as this is where the film is set, whereas the original magazine is of the Caribbean as that's where it's set.
-A button in the top left-hand corner of the page, with the same writing written in the same way, except for the film title, in which I have substituted 'Pirates 4' for 'Heaven & Earth'
- A bar code, except I have placed mine underneath the masthead as the layout was slightly different.
- A yellow '+' in the bottom left-hand corner, which describes a different film to that featured.
- Similar article titles for the main featured film, except where it says 'Pirates 4' and things related to that, I have changed it to 'Heaven & Earth' and things related to that.
- The 'Plus' article, except I have changed the film names to more recent ones, and the '102 more' to '101 more' as I thought it sounded better.
-The date and price of the issue I have placed above the 'M'. Although this isn't seen in the original issue I have based mine on, most other issues of 'Empire' have this feature in the same way as it is on mine.
My poster also followed conventions, having the credits at the bottom of the page along with the 'coming soon' and website and the actors names at the top of the page, above the respective actor, I used typical fonts for these parts. Other things like a clean white background, and having both of the lead roles on the page also followed conventions of a romcom poster.
However, having the title near the bottom of the poster challenged conventions slightly, as not many posters have their titles there (they tend to be at the top or in the middle of the page). Despite this, I think the title works better here as it is one of the last things the audience will look at on the page, so is one of the last things they will think about.
The contrast and similarities of my poster and a real one:
A real romcom movie poster My romcom movie poster
Things the same (or similar), which make my poster stick to RomCom poster conventions:
-The line in going down the middle of the page, although mine is red.
- The two main characters on either side of the line, although they are the other way round to the 'ugly truth' poster, and instead of leaning on the line the male lead is reaching out for the female lead and the female lead is standing nonchalantly.
-I have added the 'coming soon' and website at the end of the page in the middle, and in bold and red, to fit in with the 'ugly truth' poster.
- The credits are centred at the bottom of the page and are written in the same style.
- The film title is written in the film brand font and colours, to fit in with the title slide on the trailer, and is near the bottom of the poster, above the credits. However, my film title is slightly higher than the 'ugly truth's title, as I wanted the line to separate 'Heaven' and 'Earth', as the two characters are separated in the film.
- The actors names are written in the same font as the 'ugly truth's names, and are above their respective actors. The surnames are underneath the first names and are in bold, as people are more likely to recognise the surname.
Props I have used
I have used a phone in the running over scene:
This is an iPhone because I wanted to create the impression that the lead female was a successful businesswoman, as such she would have a lot of money, so could afford an iPhone.
Fairy wings which Tom wore, and a toy stethoscope which Kristi wore in the doctors scene (along with the lab coat):
I used the toy stethoscope because I wanted to enhance the badness of God's disguises.
The toy fairy wings were to create an element of humour, as you would not expect a stereotypical male angel to have pink fairy wings. I did this because the good-looking angel wings were way over-budget, so I decided to go for cheap wings and make it a joke instead.
This is an iPhone because I wanted to create the impression that the lead female was a successful businesswoman, as such she would have a lot of money, so could afford an iPhone.
Fairy wings which Tom wore, and a toy stethoscope which Kristi wore in the doctors scene (along with the lab coat):
I used the toy stethoscope because I wanted to enhance the badness of God's disguises.
The toy fairy wings were to create an element of humour, as you would not expect a stereotypical male angel to have pink fairy wings. I did this because the good-looking angel wings were way over-budget, so I decided to go for cheap wings and make it a joke instead.
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