Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Monday, 14 March 2011
Evaluation Questions
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Before attempting to even design our products we researched existing products. We identified features that were repeated in a number of existing products and noted them as conventions. After running through several designs (especially for the film poster) we realised that some conventions did not fit with the ideas we were trying to portray. We therefore chose in some cases to challenge certain conventions, whether that be using conventions from another genre of film or simply using a new idea in order for our products to be effective.
Trailer
To be effective the teaser trailer had to follow a number of conventions. We used the conventions of fading to black and cut edits as well as conventional shots such as close-ups for scenes of dialogue and
Before attempting to even design our products we researched existing products. We identified features that were repeated in a number of existing products and noted them as conventions. After running through several designs (especially for the film poster) we realised that some conventions did not fit with the ideas we were trying to portray. We therefore chose in some cases to challenge certain conventions, whether that be using conventions from another genre of film or simply using a new idea in order for our products to be effective.
Trailer
To be effective the teaser trailer had to follow a number of conventions. We used the conventions of fading to black and cut edits as well as conventional shots such as close-ups for scenes of dialogue and
wide angled pans are used for establishing landscape shots. We also used a number of less/unconventional shots such as low angles which created a sense of power and dominance around the characters being portrayed. Other shots we used included – tracking shots, shots with characters running over the camera, shots that begin as a still shot and move into a track and shots that were filmed shakily with a handheld camera. Following conventions help to contruct the genre of “Western”, where as as breaking them helps to make the film being advertise seem interesting and different.
Website
The promotional website takes most if its layout from the conventions found on the website for “310 to Yuma”. 310 to Yuma was one of our biggest influences due to it being one of the few popular Westerns made this decade.
The background of the website is an image of the two main characters- because our film has two main protagonists; we chose an image of both of them, rather than the protagonist and the antagonist seen on 310 to Yuma. The title is in the top left, covering the sky, so as not to block out the details of the ground. The font used for the film’s title is “Copperplate Gothic Bold”. This font was created in 1901, placing it firmly within the "Western" period of history. The large width gives it a bold and solid feel. The stars look like a sheriff's badge, showing that this journey is to do the right thing, bringing "Floyd Harolds" to justice. The characters stand in silhouette, with the background of a sunset. The photo was original taken in broad daylight, with the colours and contrast being adjusted to create a more pleasing effect. The orange lighting and silhouette idea was partially inspired by Unforgiven’s poster.
In silhouette the characters appear mysterious especially “The Man”, who’s only recognisable features are his hat and his gun- the most common of Western conventions. The gun connotes Below this is the navigation bar, placed like 310 to Yuma’s. Our research shows that other websites, such as “Seraphim Falls”, and “True Grit” have their navigation bars at the top. The use of transparency gives a modern feel to the website. At the bottom of the website are the film’s main credits, written in a suitable font, (Unknown Caller), plus the film’s American rating, links to further rating information, and the production company’s logo. This can all be seen on websites for not just Westerns, but any film which has had a theatrical release.
The convention of the credits at the bottom carries over to the second page: “About”. Again, this was influenced by 310 to Yuma, with the main character superimposed onto a suitably barren-looking background. The description of the film is at the top right, again in order to leave the details of the background visible. The photo has been enhanced with contrast and de-saturated to create a “gritty” effect like that in 310 to Yuma. This "gritty" effect is a recent trend, and can be seen in many posters and websites for a huge amount of mainstream films- not just Westerns.
Poster
In the film posters for "The Proposition" and the most recent "3:10 to Yuma" the page was split across the middle, creating a "side" for both "good" and "bad”. When we attempted this we realised that the idea does not work with four main characters, so we instead chose to follow conventions of other existing products we looked at. One design was created to imitate further the "3:10 to Yuma" poster by using black and white images and text. The locations used in the image were done so to imitate the barren lands of the west and follow conventional practice. The environments affect the clothes the characters wear, therefore had to imitate certain clothing such as hats and footwear from the time.
The font is Copperplate Gothic Bold and is often used in Westerns/Historical films as it was created around the time. Credits are an important element of a film poster they are usually placed lower down to ensure the viewer does not get too distracted from viewing at the main elements. This is the same reason that the condensed fonts have become a convention; it further isolates them from the rest of the production. On many film posters the actor's surname are often in a larger and bolder font than the forename. We followed this convention.
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
The main product and the ancillary texts complement each other in the sense that they all portray the darkness of the story. Each product shares the same visual effects of de-saturation and contrast to give them a cohesive feel. This visual style portrays the grittiness and violence of the film. This style is also intended to reflect recent trends in cinema for "realistic" feeling films. Vignetting used around the edges of the poster and website gives an old-fashioned feel, while still remaining modern at the same time.
All products follow the codes and conventions of Western cinema. The image of a revolver features heavily in every text, and the main protagonist and antagonist both wear the traditional Stetsons. Our research shows that audiences heavily associate are intended to reflect recent trends in cinema for "realistic" feeling films.
The website (ancillary text) is closely linked to the trailer, because the trailer is embedded in the website’s homepage. The main product also follows the same themes and uses the same fonts as in the ancillary texts. All of the products show both conflict between characters as well as other relationships such as those of protection.
What have you learned from audience feedback?
We used audience feedback during our research to find out what conventions the audience associated with the Western genre. Through doing this, we discovered what people expected from a "typical" Western. The most interesting thing was how varied peoples' responses were.
A large amount of people mentioned the typical time period they would expect a Western would be set in: "usually in the mid to late eighteen hundreds, but extending as far as the early 1900s", was a typical response.
The themes of Westerns were also discussed, with "modern technology's impact on the vanishing West" mentioned as a feature of Westerns set in "the early 1900s", such as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Wild Bunch".
Another responder raised the issue that "Westerns often involve a man (or sometimes, a woman) and how he/she relates to the land." They also said "Westerns often cause some people to make a tough decision," before giving examples of typical themes and questions: "Do they have to stand up to the "bad guys" or is it better for them, their family and their town to get away before the violent confrontation explodes?"
Even more interestingly, "Westerns can be action films, comedies, character studies, epics, historical dramas, satires and just about any other genre."
Further discussion of responses can be found on our genre research page .
Audience feedback was also used for gauging final reactions on our finished products. Again, there were a variety of responses, some good, others less so.
One person said our poster was "great" and that "it really sells the Western theme with iconography like a six-shooter, cowboy hats and a posse of questionable chaps."
A point often made was the slightly jagged edges around the poster; someone commented on how it looked like a "weak photoshop job".
A tweak suggested to resolve this was to reduce the size of the poster, since larger sizes made the edges more prominent.
On the trailer side of things, it was suggested that the plot of the trailer was perhaps not as clear as it could be- people didn't know what the prominence of "Silver City" was.
It was because of this that we decided to insert a screen of text saying "To Reach Silver City" in our final version.
How did you use media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?
Media technologies have been a very important part of this entire project, and we have been using them along every step of the way. Creating our products has been a long learning process.
Blogger has been used to document each stage. We have had previous experience with using Blogger in our AS-coursework, and not much has changed from before. Through experience, we now have a better idea how to layout a blog to ensure effective navigation.
The most significant technology we have used in this project has been the video camera we filmed our trailer with. Having little experience with using video cameras in our work, there was a lot to learn. In our first day of filming we made the mistake of not leaving enough time after pressing "record", resulting in scenes with cut-off dialogue and action. With subsequent days of filming, we learnt to compensate for this, and generally develop a greater understanding of the camera's limitations and features.
Our filming skills also developed, as we became better at holding a shot steady, panning, etc.
This was the first time in a project we have made use of a Digital SLR camera for the photos used in the website and poster designs. We feel that using a high-end camera like this has allowed us to obtain a more professional looking effect on our products than we would have
For the poster design, and initial website design, Serif PagePlus was used. Again this is a program we have previous experience of from AS-media coursework, so we have developed a fairly comprehensive understanding of the program's transparency and texture features. We used these features to give our products a "modern" feel.
For actual photo editing, we have used a two photo programs: Adobe Photoshop and the online photo editing service Picnik.
We used Adobe Photoshop mainly for erasing the backgrounds of images. The Magic Wand tool was used for this. This allowed us on the poster to make it appear as if the four actors were all at the same location, when in fact they were cut out separately. The same technique was used for the "About" page of the website, with the main character being transposed on top of a different background from the one he was photographed with.
Picnik was used for quick adjustments to the contrast and colours of photos. All images on the website were enhanced with increased contrast and de-saturation, in order to obtain a more realistic looking effect. For the background image on the website's Homepage, I changed the hue of the colours to be closer to the red/orange end of the spectrum, in order to obtain the effect of a sun set.
The final two programs we used were Windows Movie Maker and Corel VideoStudio. Early on in the trailer construction, Move Maker was used for basic editing, cutting and arranging. We soon realised however that it didn't offer all the features we required. Seeking a more powerful video program, we found Corel VideoStudio. This program offered many professional features such as dedicated audio editing, advanced splitting, and better transitions. The remainder of the project was finished using this.
Website
The promotional website takes most if its layout from the conventions found on the website for “310 to Yuma”. 310 to Yuma was one of our biggest influences due to it being one of the few popular Westerns made this decade.
The background of the website is an image of the two main characters- because our film has two main protagonists; we chose an image of both of them, rather than the protagonist and the antagonist seen on 310 to Yuma. The title is in the top left, covering the sky, so as not to block out the details of the ground. The font used for the film’s title is “Copperplate Gothic Bold”. This font was created in 1901, placing it firmly within the "Western" period of history. The large width gives it a bold and solid feel. The stars look like a sheriff's badge, showing that this journey is to do the right thing, bringing "Floyd Harolds" to justice. The characters stand in silhouette, with the background of a sunset. The photo was original taken in broad daylight, with the colours and contrast being adjusted to create a more pleasing effect. The orange lighting and silhouette idea was partially inspired by Unforgiven’s poster.
In silhouette the characters appear mysterious especially “The Man”, who’s only recognisable features are his hat and his gun- the most common of Western conventions. The gun connotes Below this is the navigation bar, placed like 310 to Yuma’s. Our research shows that other websites, such as “Seraphim Falls”, and “True Grit” have their navigation bars at the top. The use of transparency gives a modern feel to the website. At the bottom of the website are the film’s main credits, written in a suitable font, (Unknown Caller), plus the film’s American rating, links to further rating information, and the production company’s logo. This can all be seen on websites for not just Westerns, but any film which has had a theatrical release.
The convention of the credits at the bottom carries over to the second page: “About”. Again, this was influenced by 310 to Yuma, with the main character superimposed onto a suitably barren-looking background. The description of the film is at the top right, again in order to leave the details of the background visible. The photo has been enhanced with contrast and de-saturated to create a “gritty” effect like that in 310 to Yuma. This "gritty" effect is a recent trend, and can be seen in many posters and websites for a huge amount of mainstream films- not just Westerns.
Poster
In the film posters for "The Proposition" and the most recent "3:10 to Yuma" the page was split across the middle, creating a "side" for both "good" and "bad”. When we attempted this we realised that the idea does not work with four main characters, so we instead chose to follow conventions of other existing products we looked at. One design was created to imitate further the "3:10 to Yuma" poster by using black and white images and text. The locations used in the image were done so to imitate the barren lands of the west and follow conventional practice. The environments affect the clothes the characters wear, therefore had to imitate certain clothing such as hats and footwear from the time.
The font is Copperplate Gothic Bold and is often used in Westerns/Historical films as it was created around the time. Credits are an important element of a film poster they are usually placed lower down to ensure the viewer does not get too distracted from viewing at the main elements. This is the same reason that the condensed fonts have become a convention; it further isolates them from the rest of the production. On many film posters the actor's surname are often in a larger and bolder font than the forename. We followed this convention.
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
The main product and the ancillary texts complement each other in the sense that they all portray the darkness of the story. Each product shares the same visual effects of de-saturation and contrast to give them a cohesive feel. This visual style portrays the grittiness and violence of the film. This style is also intended to reflect recent trends in cinema for "realistic" feeling films. Vignetting used around the edges of the poster and website gives an old-fashioned feel, while still remaining modern at the same time.
All products follow the codes and conventions of Western cinema. The image of a revolver features heavily in every text, and the main protagonist and antagonist both wear the traditional Stetsons. Our research shows that audiences heavily associate are intended to reflect recent trends in cinema for "realistic" feeling films.
The website (ancillary text) is closely linked to the trailer, because the trailer is embedded in the website’s homepage. The main product also follows the same themes and uses the same fonts as in the ancillary texts. All of the products show both conflict between characters as well as other relationships such as those of protection.
What have you learned from audience feedback?
We used audience feedback during our research to find out what conventions the audience associated with the Western genre. Through doing this, we discovered what people expected from a "typical" Western. The most interesting thing was how varied peoples' responses were.
A large amount of people mentioned the typical time period they would expect a Western would be set in: "usually in the mid to late eighteen hundreds, but extending as far as the early 1900s", was a typical response.
The themes of Westerns were also discussed, with "modern technology's impact on the vanishing West" mentioned as a feature of Westerns set in "the early 1900s", such as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Wild Bunch".
Another responder raised the issue that "Westerns often involve a man (or sometimes, a woman) and how he/she relates to the land." They also said "Westerns often cause some people to make a tough decision," before giving examples of typical themes and questions: "Do they have to stand up to the "bad guys" or is it better for them, their family and their town to get away before the violent confrontation explodes?"
Even more interestingly, "Westerns can be action films, comedies, character studies, epics, historical dramas, satires and just about any other genre."
Further discussion of responses can be found on our genre research page .
Audience feedback was also used for gauging final reactions on our finished products. Again, there were a variety of responses, some good, others less so.
One person said our poster was "great" and that "it really sells the Western theme with iconography like a six-shooter, cowboy hats and a posse of questionable chaps."
A point often made was the slightly jagged edges around the poster; someone commented on how it looked like a "weak photoshop job".
A tweak suggested to resolve this was to reduce the size of the poster, since larger sizes made the edges more prominent.
On the trailer side of things, it was suggested that the plot of the trailer was perhaps not as clear as it could be- people didn't know what the prominence of "Silver City" was.
It was because of this that we decided to insert a screen of text saying "To Reach Silver City" in our final version.
How did you use media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?
Media technologies have been a very important part of this entire project, and we have been using them along every step of the way. Creating our products has been a long learning process.
Blogger has been used to document each stage. We have had previous experience with using Blogger in our AS-coursework, and not much has changed from before. Through experience, we now have a better idea how to layout a blog to ensure effective navigation.
The most significant technology we have used in this project has been the video camera we filmed our trailer with. Having little experience with using video cameras in our work, there was a lot to learn. In our first day of filming we made the mistake of not leaving enough time after pressing "record", resulting in scenes with cut-off dialogue and action. With subsequent days of filming, we learnt to compensate for this, and generally develop a greater understanding of the camera's limitations and features.
Our filming skills also developed, as we became better at holding a shot steady, panning, etc.
This was the first time in a project we have made use of a Digital SLR camera for the photos used in the website and poster designs. We feel that using a high-end camera like this has allowed us to obtain a more professional looking effect on our products than we would have
For the poster design, and initial website design, Serif PagePlus was used. Again this is a program we have previous experience of from AS-media coursework, so we have developed a fairly comprehensive understanding of the program's transparency and texture features. We used these features to give our products a "modern" feel.
For actual photo editing, we have used a two photo programs: Adobe Photoshop and the online photo editing service Picnik.
We used Adobe Photoshop mainly for erasing the backgrounds of images. The Magic Wand tool was used for this. This allowed us on the poster to make it appear as if the four actors were all at the same location, when in fact they were cut out separately. The same technique was used for the "About" page of the website, with the main character being transposed on top of a different background from the one he was photographed with.
Picnik was used for quick adjustments to the contrast and colours of photos. All images on the website were enhanced with increased contrast and de-saturation, in order to obtain a more realistic looking effect. For the background image on the website's Homepage, I changed the hue of the colours to be closer to the red/orange end of the spectrum, in order to obtain the effect of a sun set.
The final two programs we used were Windows Movie Maker and Corel VideoStudio. Early on in the trailer construction, Move Maker was used for basic editing, cutting and arranging. We soon realised however that it didn't offer all the features we required. Seeking a more powerful video program, we found Corel VideoStudio. This program offered many professional features such as dedicated audio editing, advanced splitting, and better transitions. The remainder of the project was finished using this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)