• What have you learned from your audience feedback?One of the ways we got audience feedback is that we posted the on YouTube. Viewers can have a chance and comment on the trailer. YouTube is the great place to either air or advertise my videos because you can see how well the video goes statistically.
You Tube shows me how many people have watched it, their likes and dislikes and
recieiving viewers comments and feedback on the video. In my opinion this format would tell us more about audience’s comments rather than talking to people personally. The reason I thought of that was because it gave people the chance to give their opinion themselves. Unfortunately I was wrong and not many comments have been published on
Youtube. Maybe the reason because of that could have been is my advertising was poor or didn't attract to the right audience.
The other method we used was the interaction with our audience. We confronted them and asked them question about the trailer such as, “How did you find the trailer? Did you find anything negative from the trailer? What would you put in the trailer?” These questions were very broad because we wanted our audience to really think of a reason to why they responded in that manner about the film and it also gives them a position on how they would have improved the trailer.
After receiving the audiences feedback from my primary research, I thought it was very weak because the audience would have given many answer instead of one detailed answer. Now I feel that a questionnaire would have been the best option because it would have been simple for people to fill out and also people would have answered all of our questions. I regret not using it.
One of a few comments from the Audiences Feedback
"Good use of transitions, clear understandable storyline, good lighting and use of music" - Jodie Smith, 19"Good acting skills, technically good, good story behind it" - Vicky Barret, 18
“Brilliant to watch was excited throughout the trailer”
- Nick Hunt, 25
"Scary parts, good voice over and music, attracts the audience want to watch more" - Ahmed, 20
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
The combination of my media product (film trailer) and ancillary text (film poster and film magazine cover) are both key components for advertising films in the media. Each media product is great to watch and to see but combined together they worked as a success feeding off each other.
The common factor that I used was the protagonist blending in both ancillary text and the media product. The protagonist for our media product is the villain or the psychopath in some horror films. He is called Kenny. In the ancillary text I used Kenny’s evil side and made him use the same costume and make up to bring out the same effect for people to know more about his identity. For my film to be iconic I made Kenny have a disease called diabetic
retinopathy. This disease is a diabetic illness that makes the eye tear blood. We used fake blood to create this disease because I wanted our image on the ancillary text be so realistic. The reason why the blood is so crucial in both the media product and ancillary text is because blood brings our terror and fear.
Another reason how effective both the media product and the ancillary text were together was the same colour pattern through each of them. The colours were red, white and black. The reason why I used only a few colours is because it is easier and also simple to link with each other. The colours can relate to both the ancillary texts and the media product. The colour black brings fear, the colour brings hope and the colour red brings blood, all relating to what happens in the trailer. This is because the white represents the hope of them escaping the forest, the black represents the fear in Ashley and the red represents the blood Kenny tries to conflict and also his
disoder.
The eye is an iconic feature towards my film. The reason why the eye is a huge feature in the film is because I wanted voyeurism to play a role in the film. The eye captures what it sees just like a camera and other voyeurism assets so the eye or eyes are fixed towards one object or a person. The eye and camera relate because it leave sense of memory of what they have seen and the
obession Kenny has over Ashley. This shows that the character is obsessed for someone making my film be a physiological horror.
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?Firstly, I created a web log or most people liked to call it a blog. Blogs are used as a diary but instead of writing down in a book I write it on the Internet instead. With this technology I can post statuses on what I have research and planning of my media project. A blog is a real positive to use because I can post videos, pictures, web links and write about my horror trailer project. This gives me so many opportunities towards my research and planning. With a blog I can present my planning to people such as my teachers or class mates so they help me improve my work or feed off my contribution.
Although, in the process of research I analysed other movie trailers in ordered to gain knowledge and understanding through the type of camera shots used and the frequent timings of the camera shot. Also the use of soundtrack is very important especially in horror trailers because the music set the scene to be more intense or changes people's emotions. The texts presented with the trailers are useful to use because the text can give out information and also a better understanding of the film. In looking at these different aspects of the movie trailer I was able to make specific decisions relating to the creation of my movie trailer. By analysing these trailers it gave me a wider choice on deciding which was best to use in each scene towards the planning. Planning such as watching Saw, The Blair Witch Project, The Third man and listening to Halloween soundtrack has given me so knowledge that I can put towards my trailer.
In reflecting on upon my new movie trailer I was satisfied with my decisions on the camera shot in contrast with the the soundtrack and the use of text; it enable me to have a desired effect upon an audience. A negative from the trailer would be removing some footage such as the car scene. After looking at the trailer in my opinion it would have been best to put a voice over in the forest scene. Just to set scene and the mood of what's to follow.
After looking at film trailers I then undertook and decided to take further research in Horror films. The research I looked for in the films were the build up of tension in Horror films, because most horrors try to engage people with tension and also the characteristics of horror characters; why was he/she the best for that part and how does he/she relate to the film? After making these decision it felt best at the time that I got the right people for the trailer.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
First of all, I first edited the film certificate onto my trailer to make it realistic and also certify my film to show to my audience so it won’t be an illegal trailer on the Internet. I’
ve researched that pretty much most movie trailers have this certificate to make their trailer legible to be presented to the public.
Then I challenged the conventions of real media products by placing still image at different times during the trailer. I used images through the trailer because an image can sink into a persons' mind more easily than a moving image (film). So with the image popping out it leaves the audience a thought in the back of their minds thinking about that image and why it was there. That can lead the audience to desire to watch my film.
In a music side of my media product I developed the use of forms and conventions of the real media. I used samples of music from Halloween and Exorcism; both are considered to be the greatest horrors of all time. So I tried and develop both materials and place my own style into it. For example, we used sample of Halloween and made into a techno style version. I changed the style because I wanted to put my own and also have a change into the sound. Techno makes it up to date with the gadgets of computers and
Ipods so it was quite fitting to have techno style embedded to the Halloween sound. With these changes I challenged the use of forms and conventions bringing the sounds that make the horror music with twist and emotion into the trailer with my ideas.
Another element I challenged was the diary I used as a prop in the trailer. I have researched that most horror films have at least one specific prop or location that are clues to get the audience more engage towards the film. Clues in films such as Werewolf's that only come out at night or you was with the killer all along such as 'Saw' you could see that the audience are trying to engage themselves more to the film or trailer. I used this convection because i believe the book in my trailer leaves a clue in the film and also affects the outcome of it as well leaving the viewers guessing what would have happened if he didn't found out Kenny was obsessed over Ashley.
Most of the well known Horror Films try to be iconic and well remembered from their horrors or their memorable characters. Films such as Freddie
Cruger with his claws, scream with his butcher knife and also Jason with his hockey mask all iconic that people remember. So I developed my trailer by making my villain become iconic. The way I made my villain iconic is by putting a disease that makes his eyes bleed. It is horrific to look at making my audience hopefully terrified so that will leave my audience with fear.
In conclusion, I believe the trailer had only minor
flauds but it really emphasised why it was horror trailer. The knowledge and commitment brought towards it made the trailer a success. The mistake I made creating the film was the amount of commitment I made over researching, planning and filming. I felt that I could have planned more so it would have been a lot easier
filming and also would have less mistake in the trailer other than that I think the trailer was excellent.