Research and Planning for my Poster

Examples of Texts I looked at.

Like my double page spread I looked at industry style examples to get influence. This poster immediately relates to my product, and just from one quick look at the text and audience can see what genre film this poster is advertising. I think this is a very important feature of this text and I have tried to mirror this in my product, the backdrop of this poster shows the location the film is set in, I have also done this on my poster. The backdrop suggests a city environment which is very conventional of a crime film. For my poster I have only used one main image where as this text has two, I liked the idea of using two images and trying to blend them  into one another however didn't feel it was right for my product. The placement of the text and font style compliments the genre of the film very well, the large block capitals suggest power and authority which continues to relate to the Crime element of the film. I have also tried to use the font effectively on my product and believe I have achieved this. Overall I mainly took note of the background of this poster and the use of location to instantly highlight the Genre of the film, also the use of font style which I also incorporates into my product. The use of crime conventions used in this poster appeals to its target audience and delivers an industry standard finish, something I hoped my work would end up like.

Second Poster

This text to me seemed alot more Hollywood Orientated, I think the use of the rich blue colour suggests this film was made with a high budget and intended for a world wide audience. The use of Ray Winston suggests the director has tried to keep viewers satisfied as he is associated with British crime films, he is very much a stock character of the genre. The poster allows the audience to briefly interact with the cast of the film, this is something I tried to achieve, even though I only have one character in my product, I still feel it was important  to show my character in full costume. This allows the audience to interact and get their own personal feel for the genre of the film. My character is also very enigmatic and I believe the image I have used shows this side of him, this hopefully drives the audience to want to know more about him, alot like the characters from the text above, the audience are presented with characters they know nothing about, but they can only make assumptions based on Mise en scene and previous roles. The use of the text across the poster I found very effective and feel it blends well with the images behind, however I don't like the colour of the text. The colour doesn't match well with the background or images. Overall I think the image on this poster is very effective and allows audience interaction, like the first text the image immediately  suggests to the audience what genre the film is. The slogan at the bottom of the page also helps to sell the plot, this is again something I admired about the poster and considered using in my own work. Overall this poster helped me to consider Image placment and the importance of what image to use for my poster.

Poster 3



This final poster I studied highlights alot of things I didnt want my poster to be like. For example tthe poster immediatly suggests the film is an action film, with gun fights and tense action scenes, the main image and the text " RocknRolla" seems to glamourize crime. This is something I have deffinatley avoided in my film. The image used on this poster appeals to a younger generation, for example the toned body and use of dual guns highlights an urban gangster feel, I have tried to create a sophisticated more elegant tone. However I feel the use of colour on  this poster is very effective and compliments the main image very well, the colour connotoes a gritty plotline and continues to suggest the film is about crime. The slogans again allow the audience to interact as "Are you a RocknRolla?" asks the audience a question. The poster also contains a website which suggests the film is aimed at a wide audience and along with the main image suggests this movie was also intended for Hollywood. There is also a sell line as the text says who directored the film and gives examples of other similar films they created. I think this is an effective point of the poster and is something used on many industry standard texts. Overall this text seems to glamourize crime and the characters in the narrative, this is something I have avoided in my text, however I still took influence from this poster, for example the large image again sells the genre of the film being advertised, I have also used this convention. In conclusion I do beleive this poster is aimed at a younger target audience, which is not why i aimed my product to be like.

Research and Planning for Double page spread

I looked at mainly the Film magazine Sight and Sound to gather thoughts and Ideas for my print work, these magazines where useful as they contained numerous double page spreads I could look at. Sight and Sound is a professional magazine so I was able to take ideas from professional industry work. It was important I created a  double spread that wouldn't look out of place on a shelf and that would also compliment my Short film. From the following example I looked at the use of:

• Film stills 
• Position of Text on the page.

I liked the idea of the short introduction at the top left of the page underneath the title, I used this technique in my double spread to create a professional look. Also the film stills used to compliment the text works well and continues to create a proffesional tone, this is also something I wanted to use in my work, the positing of the stills also helps to create a new balance between text and image, I knew this would be an important factor to my target audience. This article has also been sub headed this is something Intended to do with my work but never followed through. The colour codes of the double page spread are also very consistent and they dont clash at all, this seems to be a convention used in all the articles I looked at, colour cordination is something I knew was important and wanted to keep a suitable colour that didn't contrast with my texts or images.

Double page spread 2

The second example I looked at has a much more image dominant look. The large image in the centre of the article draws alot of attention and draws the reader away from the text. This is something I didnt want to create in my article, however I stilled used the idea of having a fairly large image split up my text. There is only one small still used in this article which blends well with the large image in the centre. I thought this article had a poor balance in terms of text and image, and dont think it attracts the audience aswell as the first article. However again I still looked at the colour consisteny and the large use of white which reflects well with the black text and image, which gives this article a proffesional tone. From this article I took note of the following for my double page spread

• Use of quotes at the top of the article.

• use of large font to open the text

Double page spread 3

This article helped to take note of the eye catching features used in proffesional articles. This article contains more colour, out of all three texts this one is the one I feel attracks the audience most. There is alot of inconsistent colour espically with the font that works well and doesnt contrast with the text or large image on the right of the page. For example the use Red black and white blends well throughout the whole text and doesnt clash at all, at first this article gave my an idea to produce a similar feel and I experimented with an image on the right, instead of any text. Eventually I decided against this idea but still used a lagre image on the right of my page, but added text along with the image. I personally dont like the baby blue on the left hand side of the page as I think it comes across as an irrelevant colour, It was important I maintained a consistent colour scheme throughout my article. This double pagespread helped with the following.

• Position of Images on my article
• Use of colour scheme as I wanted to keep my article balanced and looking professional.

My product and use of conventions - Question 1

To answer this part of my evaluation, I recorded myself speaking I editied the footage so there would just be my voice, Due to Technical diffciculties, I had to upload the video from my Youtube account. Below is the link to my response to Question 1. You can see some shots I took of the park in my Research and Planning post, and  Sean in costume.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZsioLZCcsc&feature=youtu.be

Research and planning for my Film

Research and Planning.

I always wanted to create a British crime film from the begging of this task. I was particualry influenced by such films like Trainspotting 1996 and Dead Mans shoes 2004. I wanted to create a tone that a similar audience would be able to recognise. I watched both films and took inspiration epically in the mise en scene, more notably in Dead Man shoes. The landscape is unique to a British crime film as it is set in the country rather than a recognisable city  like London. The landscape plays a crucial part in my short film, and i went out to a local park  to get ideas of where to shoot my film. At first I struggled to find a suitable location so went back to Dead Mans Shoes to take note of specific  landscape features that appear throughout the film. It was important that I found a setting that would engulf my main character, and also look pleasing to the audiences eye. so they could engage with the location.

In the end I chose carefully and believe I picked the right location, I spent alot of time planning location as the setting is a key part in my narrative. For a while I toyed with the idea of shooting in Sunderland town centre, as I was influenced heavily by Trainspotting which is set in Edinburgh. Most Realist films are set in a suburban busy environment and I was considering following this convention for a while throughout my planning.



Here are some shots of my final location.





As well as looking at Trainspotting, I also looked at the American TV series The Sopranos I felt since I was aiming for a Crime tone in  my film, I had to look at a handful of Gangster texts. In such British Films as Lock Stock, and Snatch there is always that Alpha male  character who is usually dominant and his behaviour and appearance signify   violence and corruption. By watching The Sopranos I was able to model my main character on some of the characters in the The Sopranos, as you can see from the photo below I have used some of the iconography expected with a gangster film. The vest signifies a masculine presence which was important to emphasize; the jewellery represents wealth and influence and I feel Sean's build was perfect for the role.

Sean My Main character
The pictures below are fictional Characters from The Sopranos I used as inspiration.

Tony Soprano

Paulie Walnuts

I paid alot of attention to Richard from Dead Mans Shoes body language, for example he is frequently shown alone, looking in distress and discomfort, In a handful of scenes I tried to mirror Richard's body language in a few scenes of my short film.  From the start of Dead Mans Shoes we are introduced to Richard being alone, this is evident with a few establishing/ wide shots used. Below are a couple of stills from the film, which show Richard Isolated and his futile body language. There are also  a few stills of Sean alone and my interpratation of Richard's body language from Dead Man's Shoes.  Richard was the main influence in terms of performance and I hope I have portrayed him accuratley in my short film. My characters performance is a key part of the narrative as it connotoes an enigmatic tone from my character, which is very similar to Richard, as throughout the whole film the audience are unsure where he is going to end up or if and when he will snap and get his revenge. Richard is also a stock Brithish Crime character an audience would expect to see, he has many qualities and conventions used in other Realist films, such as Tyransuar, directed by The main character in Dead Man Shoes Paddy Considine. Joseph who plays the lead role in the film, is also a male in crisis, he has a past filled with regret and anger and turns to alochol to deal with his problems and violence to release his built up frustration. It seems to be conventional in recent Realist films, that the male character is in crisis.

Sean alone in the backdrop of a suburban environment.



Sean alone and depressed.







For other influences on characterization, I looked at Patrick Bateman from the movie American Physco (2000) Bateman has a lot of characteristics I wanted to use in my character. I specfically studied the opening scene where Patrick carries out his morning routine and based my opening scene largelly on this. Bateman is presented as an organized well off buisnessman who lives alone, I have also tried to represent Sean as organized and self concious of his appearance. These traits where important in creating my character and highlighting his many unique issues and personal mannerisms. Patrick Bateman is a very obessive character, he uses this trait to hide away from real life and his work life, for example he sees himself as a very important person and trys to create this image by taking extra care of his body and appearance, however outside of his home in his work environment he is seen as an ordinary person, who isnt better or worse than any of his work colleagues, his work place is very competetive and everyone tries to gain the upper hand in prestige and self worth. In my project I have also tried to portray Sean in a similar light, it is evident he isnt seen as anybody important in society and his constant lonliness suggests he has been shut out by society. Like Bateman who is shut out by his work colleauges Sean is neglected by society. They both use their own unique ways to create a feeling of slef worth and stature.

  

Here is a shot of Sean, I took influence from
 Batemans morning routine in American Physco



Here is the shot from American Psycho I tried to portray 

Target Audience research


Since I created a British Crime film, my target audience was immediately cut down to a certain age range and sex. I studied other Crime films with similar conventions to my short film, most films I studied such as In Bruges, Dead man's shoes and The Krays,all contain a lot of violence and are male dominated. This allowed me to aim my text at a male audience, the use of the Gangster iconography such as the jewellery Sean wears continues to relate to a male audience. It was important I looked at successful Crime films that contain conventional themes so my target audience would be able to understand the tone of my film, I looked at the British crime film Gangster No.1 2000. The film contains extreme graphic scenes, but also a very intense performance by Paul Bettany, he has the personality of a typical British crime figure, someone who is able to snap very quickly, but also act as a sophisticated businessman. I knew this type of character would only appeal to mainly a male audience, I have used some of traits from Gangster No.1 such as the unpredictable temper, I think this builds tension and would only be enjoyed by a male audience. 

Paul Bettany.

•  I was aware my short film would mainly appeal to a male audience of 18 to 60+ so I studied films which used alot of violence and crime conventions.
• I my self am a fan of Crime films, so had a good idea as I planned my film what conventions I would be using to appeal to an audience with my interests
• I looked at successful crime films, which repeat similar conventions to keep a certain audience entertained, and tried to use these conventions.
• I intended to aim my product at a male audience who enjoy crime films.

Key shot selection.

 Here is a table of some of the key shots in my film which create meaning and provke a response from the audience.

Shot Type	Description	Location	Purpose
Wide/Establishing	Sean sitting down on the park bench looking out over the park	Park	Highlight his Isolation and insignificance in society.
Close up	Sean looking into the mirror carrying out his routine on a morning.	Bathroom	To highlight Obsession and sense of self-worth to hide away from his problems
Wide/Long	Sean walking down the back alley alone.	Back alley behind Sean’s house	To continue to highlight Sean’s Loneliness and capture the suburban environment.
Extreme Close up	Sean at the park sitting down looking out over the park	Park	To engage with voice over and emphasise his mental pain and anguish. Highlight emotion.
Wide pan	As Sean walks through the park the camera pans across right and follows his tracks.	Lake in the park	To show the beauty of the landscape and continue to show Sean alone. Suggest his insignificance  in society.

Time mangement

I experienced a number of technical diffculites when I came to editing footage I had taken, this considerably affected the time I had to create my product, one of the reasons why at first my evaluation and research was poor. I had to focus alot of attention on the footage I had taken. The software I used adobe continously failed to find certain clips of my film and I had to go through a time consuming process of re locating certain clips on the computer. I feel I personally spent a suitable amount of time on the storyline of my film, while accuratley identifying certain conventions from other films that I wanted to use in my product.

Question 2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts

I have again answerd this question by recording my voice and uploading my response on to my youtube account. Below is the link to my response.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy4GbgnHuvA&feature=youtu.be

Question 3. What technology have you used.

I have used a wide range of equipment and software to create my Short film and ancillary tasks.

Abobe Premier Pro CS4

I used this software at college to upload and piece the footage together which I had taken. Abobe is very easy to use and It didnt take me long to understand how to use the basic functions of the software which is all I needed to understand to be able to edit and create my short film. The software uses a timeline where you drag and drop your footage once it has uploaded, the timeline is very easy to use and allows you see where your footage is placed in terms of your film. You are also able to scroll along the timeline which again puts you in control of how you position your footage. In terms of the software responding to my commands I had numerous and time consuming problems, for example alot of the time I had to locate the footage manually instead of the software instantly regognising it, this caused a major problem and at times hindered the progress of my short film. Abode allowed me to use different features seen in films today like fading and zooming and also panning, these tools were key to creating my short film. Overall Abode helped me produce the short film I had intended to create despite giving me a handful of time consuming problems.


Abode Photoshop


Photoshop allowed me to create both my paper based texts. I have never been fully able to use this software and did have a number of difficulties trying to locate certain tools. However once I got used to the software I was able to use the basic functions to create a poster and double page spread. Photoshop allowed me to use skills I have never used before for example I have always been poor with computers and eventually once I gained an understanding, I learnt how to position text and images and add shades of colour, as well as using a shadowing effect. I do feel my ancillary tasks are the weakest part of my project and alot of this is down to my lack of experience with this software. However after mastering some of the basic tools I do feel my Poster has a professional tone to it and wouldn't look out of place on an industry shelf.

Hand Held Sony Camera


The Handle held camera was perfect for my needs, I was able to use the camera to take various shots of the park from long distance to close ups. The camera was easy to manvoure and this helped me effectively catch various parts of the park I wanted to use in my film. The camera like any other allowed me to tilt, pan and zoom. I used all three of these shot types to try to create an effective mise en scene. I didn't have any issues with the camera and found it very easy to use. The use of the handle held ability allowed me to get up close and identify Seans emotion, something I would have struggled to do with a larger camera. The camera fitted all my needs, and I feel that I could easily go out and use this camera again confidently.

Audience feedback




 Audience response and feedback

This is a collection of feedback I recieved back from my class mates. The critisim I recivded effected the outcome of my product, as i referd back to these notes to see where I should develop my ideas and what aspects of my film I should focus on.

I asked members of my class to watch my short film.

After receiving certain feedback I think I managed to appeal to the target audience I intended to attract for example I showed a number of class mates interested in British crime my short film and other texts. Everyone agreed the short film met certain conventions expected of this genre of film. I feel the voice-over was one of the most appealing parts of my short film, and this was expressed with some of the reviews I was given. The audience who watched my project also agree that my casting of Sean as the lead role was very good and they believe he continues to create a crime tone.


My print tasks received  a different response, Most people agreed the Poster related well to the film and combined to make an effective tone, however the double page spread was seen in a more negative light, Alot was mentioned about there not being enough text on my spread. However the use of film stills went down well with some of the audience.

 







 

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