Evaluation 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop and challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My short film:

I also challenged sound extremely as through feedback from my target audience I got told the 'voiceovers' weren't effective. Therefore from this I took them out and replaced them with text on the screen. This challenges the normal convention of the genres as they usually always have dialogue. I have also turned all the clips sound off as I didn't want any backing noise.

My film poster:

I used 'Confessions of a teenage drama queen' a teen comedy by Walt Disney Pictures as the main inspiration for my film poster. There is a clear similarity between both posters. The conventions for a film poster are:

• masthead/title of film
• tagline/slogan
• image(s)
• billing/credits at the bottom
• release date
• logos

I has initial ideas for my film poster but no clear layout. From the textual analysis's it helped me to decide what I wanted to include on my film poster. I wanted too give an insight to my film. In the existing film poster they had 9 photos on it, which is a good idea to introduce your character to the audience. I used the idea of the collage of the character pulling different faces I developed as I used it in my actual film than my film poster as I thought it would look interesting to have each of the photos as a video instead.

Firstly I used only 4 videos of her but added another video in the centre which pops up after. I filmed my character in her school uniform to show she is in school and to go and suit my mise-en-scene of the school rooms scenes.

 

Layout:

I decided to only use 6 photos on my film poster as I though 9 photos would look too much and give away the synopsis of the film so I challenged this convention. I got the idea from the other textual analysis I did of a documentary film poster called 'Under Fire, Journalists in Combat' to use screenshots from the film than photos taken after as it doesn't relate to the film as well.                                       I liked the use of colour in the first textual analysis as it suits the teen genre. Each photo has a different coloured background, I used a different screenshot for each which shows a different activity which are all different. E.g.

• art
• dance
• swimming
• London
• main character
• holiday
• Overall it makes the poster look very eye-catching and interesting.  

I developed the layout of my film poster to see which look more effective. I did this by moving the text and images till it conveyed the teen genre clearly.

Here are some of the drafts:

Taglines/Slogans

After researching taglines and slogans I realised the short simple ones were the most effective so I tried making mine simple to suit the teen convention of taglines. I couldn't decide what tagline I wanted to use therefore I did a survey to see which my target audience preferred. There was a clear winner of 'the alleviation of stress'. I wanted my film to be called 'Stress' therefore I would repeat the word 'stress' twice on my poster as I include it in the slogan. Therefore developed the layout to put my slogan above my title which challenges the conventional layout as the title usually is before the tagline.
Title
I used a more unconventional choice of font for my title as it is in the documentary style. Therefore I used a font called 'eraser dust' which is a detailed font which looks like someone sketched it. I thought this would relate to 'Beth's' hobby of art and gives a more personal look as it looks like my characters handwriting. I challenged the masthead as I made my title bigger than the existing poster's titles as my title was a single word and not a sentence.


 
Billing Block:
I used a very conventional billing credits at the bottom of my film poster, I created this at the start of the drafts and kept it the same through all the drafts as it looked like a real poster credits. There was a certain font the credits were wrote in on teen feature film posters, I found a font similar called 'amatic small caps' which was all in capitals and used this to make my poster conventional to the genre. I used the same order of what to write in the credits as the 'Confessions of a teenage drama queen' as it was a typical teen film which was successful and my target audience liked this poster. I included:
• production companies
• starring actors and actresses
• music
• casted and written by
• director
• producer

Underneath I used the same font and colour for the release date as it suited the rest of the colour scheme of the poster so far. I added a website link underneath to make it look as my film was real. The documentary poster didn't include the release date and the credits weren't effective so I challenged my credits to the documentary credits. But it is still conventional as I have included documentary and teen conventions together.
Logos
There were small logos of the production companies used in the existing film posters which indicated to me it was an important convention to include. I created the logos on a free website to make them look realistic, I chose to use the colour so they don't stand out and take away attention from the rest of the poster. I placed them at the bottom of the page as both film poster did this.



 My final review page:

I researched many different film genres review pages to get an initial idea of what I wanted my review page to look like. When I made my review page I looked at the conventions I needed to include. E.g.

Some of the review pages I used as inspiration:

I liked the simplicity of the 'Spiderman 2' review page layout as the name of the film magazine and film name are bold and stand out and these are important parts to making a successful review page.

 Summary Box:
I realised that both 'Total film' magazine and 'Empire' magazine use a small section of the page say all the film's information, which is called a summary box. I thought this was an important convention to be able to show all of the information needed. I used the same sub title in the summary box as the 'Twilight' review.

Before making my review page I looked at all the existing examples and made a list of conventions that were effective and not effective. I kept going back to this list with I went through the making op

 Images:
My two main inspirations had different amounts of images on the review page. 'Spiderman 2' review page uses one large main image and then the 'Twilight' film review uses 4 different images. I looked at another review page 'Avatar' and analysed that they used 4 images. Therefore I thought it would be best to use 4 images than just one as My film can't be summarised into just one image.

 Masthead:
For the review page I wanted a large film magazine name and film name. At first I wanted my magazine to be from 'Empire magazine' as I thought it would suit my film but the masthead is the same size as they font for the review making it hard to read therefore I developed it by changing the font size. I got inspired by the masthead of the 'Spiderman 2' review page one. I used a bold font for the film review title. I didn't want to copy 'new films' from 'Total films magazine' there I changed it to 'Upcoming films'. I used the same font for my film name from my film poster to make my film a brand identity and to make it recognisable. I hadn't seen any of the previous review pages do this so I challenged this convention. I added a small aspect on the right side saying 'Film of the month' as the 'Spiderman 2' page did this and it was my inspiration to help make mine professional and realistic.
Colour scheme:
When I first started making my review page I kept a plain white background but this wouldn't entice my target audience of teenagers. In the existing review pages each review had a different colour scheme depending on the film. Therefore I couldn't take much influence as my film wasn't the same genre as any of the examples. I challenged the colour scheme aspect by making my own to suit my film. I used the colours- blue, grey, white and coral pink and added coloured rectangles behind the title.
Film review star rating:
I was influenced by 'Total film' magazine to add a key of what the star ratings mean. I added this convention to the left side of the review name as extra information. I added the film rating as well as it is important to give information to the audience in order for them to go and watch it.

    Layout:
I planned my film review before putting it of the double page spread by following conventions. I decided to use a similar layout to the 'Spiderman 2' review page by positioning my review into 3 columns as I think columns make it easier to read. I then added the 4 images on the other side of the review page (to the right). I added grey borders around them to make it more interesting and the 'Avatar' review page has a bold black border making the images stand out and this is why I used this convention. I added a quotation in the middle of my review as two of the existing review pages did this and makes the reader want to read the rest of the review. I changed the font and colour to make it stand out from the rest of the text. I added a large 'T' at the start of the review articles as all of the existing film magazines I have looked at use this and shows the reader where the article starts and is an important aspect to make my film review page conventional. I added the small aspects at the end e.g. page number and issue date and magazine name on the bottom corners. I used a similar font to 'Empire' magazine as it was easy to read.

Overall:
I have used, developed and challenged conventions from existing products for my short film, film poster to my film review page. As I combined two genres together I had to combine both genres conventions together and using examples from each genre  e.g. 'The Duff' and The 'camera. Therefore I challenged the conventions as I had to develop them to suit the 'teen documentary' sub genre. I had to do this in my two other ancillary tasks because I couldn't find any examples of teen documentary film posters or reviews. I used both genres convention with the stereotypical codes and conventions to create a realistic text that suits the genre. I developed many conventions by not using as many influences as they were not suited to my genre but I still got inspired by the layout and what top include. 



Voiceovers

Here are some examples of the voiceovers I was going to use in my film as narration.
https://soundcloud.com/katy-tierney-857980815/voiceover-1/s-nMvwl

https://soundcloud.com/katy-tierney-857980815/dance-voiceover/s-etSez

I let my target audience watch it with all the narration voiceovers in, and I didn't get a positive opinion e.g. 'think the voiceovers distracts you from the film than draw you in' and 'I think the voiceovers sound quite cringey which doesn't suit the film'. I then showed the audience the film without any of the narration but with the narration coming up in text on the screen. My audience preferred this as it was simpler and more enjoyable.Therefore I only had the backing music and a few sound effects in my film.

Film Review Page Feedback

I used the same feedback technique when I asked for feedback for my film poster. As I just printed out my final draft and passed it round to my target audience, I felt I got better feedback if it was anonymous. I took the improvements on board and this helped in my finishing touches in the review page process post.

Review Page Process

I used a custom template on 'pic monkey' and made it into a double page spread. I wanted to add an interesting border. I used the border 'museum matte' and changed the colours to grey. I made this border, therefore I could write the magazines details in the border and because I wanted to use a white coloured background.

I used 'quicksand' font for the bottom section of the review page for the film name, date and page number in capitals because 'Empire' magazine do this. I added in small font in the border  'www.empiremagazine.com' and 'subscribe to www.empiremagazine.com/sub' as after researching the 'Empire' review pages I realized they do this. After more research I decide to change the name of the magazine to 'total film' so I changed the small font.

I added a pale blue coloured square shape as a layer. In 'Empire' magazine they add a box with all the information about the film. It includes release date, budget, director, starring roles and plot.  wanted to use a bright pastel colour as the background for the information to go with the film poster and my film. I was inspired by 'Empire' magazine and want to use inspiration but still suit it to my film. 

After doing layer above I decided to change it as it look conventional. I decided to start from the title and then build from that. I added 3 different sized rectangles in complimenting colours.  After researching review pages I thought it would be good to add colour to make it eye catching. These colours aren't too bright and suit my target audience of teenagers.

I added a large title "Upcoming Films" which is what the review page is called in the film magazine. In "courier' font I wrote 'December edition' to show the time of year. I added a film rating section under the title from 5 stars to 1 star and what it means. I added star shapes next to each of the explanations to make it clear and visual. 

After I decided to place the film review article on the left side. I used the same font on the film poster for the title of the film, which is called 'Eraser dust'. I made the font larger to show what film the article was going to be about and stand out. I planned what I was going to write for the actual film review previous but I needed to decide what font and how I wanted it displayed. After researching existing review pages. The successful pages wrote in columns in a clear font. I used the font 'late' as it was easy to read and I made the start letter 'T' of the review bigger as it was a conventional aspect of the layout.

I added a film ration directly next to the film name to show the rating and attract the target audience. This is inspired by 'Spiderman 2' review page I previously textually analysed. I wanted to make a quote form the film review larger to make it stand out and make people read the whole review after reading the quote. I wanted it to be near the centre of the film review so I had to move a few words around to make it fit. It took a while to next it in the right position. I used the font 'Play fair' and the coral colour used in the title to bring in a clear colour scheme.

I added in the next column fitting around the quote which was tricky but effective in the end. I wanted to add a summary section for the film to give important information therefore I placed a little paragraph at the top and bottom of the page to leave space. 

I added a dotted line to make it look more interesting ad added it in the colour grey as the review article is grey as well as I thought black was too harsh.

I added a light grey box inside the dotted lines to make it look different to the rest of the white background.

Then added the information about:

• release date
• budget
• starring roles
• plot
• running time.

I used the 'courier' font for the main writing and having dark blue and white font for the different parts. I used the 'eraser dust' font to show what film I was writing about to make it extremely clear for the reader and added it in white to make it look different to the other title of the film. I think this was effective as it fitted all the film article on thew left side with a summary of the film. I prefer this summary box to my previous one as it looks more professional.

I then decided to start on the right hand side. From all the existing review pages I have seen most have either several small photos or one main photo to fill up the other page. From 'Total Film' magazine and in particular the article about 'Spiderman 2' They used a tagline on the top right corner 'saying 'film of the month' which was a clear indication to the reader that the film is good. I decided to add this into my own film review page as it thought it was a conventional aspect. I added it in the same font as the title of the page which is 'chuck five' with two different coloured rectangles behind to tie in to the colour scheme of blue, grey, white and coral. I added one photo from the film at the bottom right with a 'museum matte' frame around it to make it look more interesting. This photo show one of the activities Beth does but doesn't give it away, to entice the audience to want to watch the film.

I then overlapped another photo with the same frame from 'pic monkey'on of Beth sketching which gives an insight into one of her hobbies.

I then placed a photo of Beth at the top of the page with the frame around it. I sent this photo to the back of the page making the tagline overlap.

I then added the fourth and final photo under the previously paced photo and underlapped it. I used photos I didn't use for my film poster as it would look too repetitive and makes the photos be more exclusive. I added 'Total Film' twice at the bottom for the magazine information and changed the small print.

Film Review

I decide to publish my actual film review separately. 

The newly released short film has changed people’s opinions on the film genre. The short film ‘Stress’ is a teen documentary directed by a young up and coming film maker. It has a unique plot which is based around a normal school girl and the activities she does. This has attracted a niche audience but became more popular from the effective film poster on social media. There is a small cast in the film with a low budget which isn’t usually successful. It falls into the social realism category as it has challenged the stereotypical teen developed in American teen films. The target audience feel like they can relate to the main character ‘Beth’ played by Beth Tierney as they are a similar age as her. The film includes other actors which are the main actress’s real friends. As the short film has pushed boundaries on making it realistic. It has given a positive message of relaxing and not getting stressed by doing activities you love, influencing teens to do the same.  Typically teen films suggest to rebel against rules and to encounter with partying, drugs and drink but ‘Stress’ the film has a contrasting uplifting message. You can obviously tell there has been a lot of work creating the captivating montages of all the different activities. It guides teens to destress the right way.

My Film Review Research

A film review should have a number of purposes:

• To inform. The review needs to tell people who is in the film, who it is by and where or when readers can see it.
• To describe. The review should describe the story, characters and some of the action - without spoiling the plot or giving too much away!
• To analyse. A good review gives an opinion on whether the film is good or not and why.
• To advise. Finally, the review should tell the reader whether or not to go and see the film.

These different purposes will give you a basic structure for your writing.

You can divide this review into three parts:

1. Introduction: this gives an overview of who is in the film and what it's about. It also sums up the reviewer's conclusion about the film (so readers can form an opinion without reading the whole of the review)
2. Paragraph 2: the reviewer then describes the plot and the action, while informing the reader which actor plays which role.
3. Paragraph 3: the reviewer then analyses the film, talking about the director and then the actors, looking at good things as well as bad things.
4. Finally: the review informs the reader when the film is out (and sometimes, in a local review, where it can be seen).

Film Review Page Textual Analysis

I will use the review page above about 'Spiderman 2' as it has a simple but effective layout because the name of the film is very bold with the film rating next to it. There is a summary section where it tells you who the director and actors are etc. The review article is separated into 3 columns making it easy to read and has interesting information about the film at the bottom e.g. predictions and overall ratings. It includes a key for the star ratings to help the reader understand. In the bottom corners there are the page numbers and magazine name. I will be using this magazine as biggest inspiration compared to the other examples above.