Audience Research

I carried out a survey on survey monkey asking my target audience an array of questions. From the survey I found what sort of hobbies my characters should have so that the audience can relate, as well as how to create tension. For example I found out that people found similar films interesting as they know that artificial intelligence could exist in our world. Therefore I need to make my film as realistic as possible to scare the audience into thinking that this could be their own world.

Diary post #5

I am continuing to plan my story board. I had complications as I still wasn't sure what to put in my trailer. I have now started by adding in more aspects to the film to add to the thriller genre of the film. I am also referring to other trailers for inspiration and to look for a variety of shots that I will use in my trailer.

Lighting analysis

The lighting in Ex Machina is dark. There are lots of silhouettes and harsh shadows. This enhances the genre of the film which is Sci-fi Thriller. It gives the film an eerie atmosphere to it, as one of the genres is thriller, therefore the shadows add suspense to the film. However there are some warmer shots of the robot which could connote innocence about the character, however the man is shown in shadows which suggests that he is the villain in propps character roles. I would like to use some dark harsh shadows in my film to show the difference between the good and bad characters as well as the situation that they are in.

The trailer opens with a shot of the sea, this is a very light and calming shot. The predominant colours are purples and blues, suggesting that this film is going to sad. Some of the shots are very warm, with light shadows, that still show the contrast between the characters. Natural lighting is used a lot to light the scene as it creates a warm natural glow, and doesn't make it look like it's as constructed. It creates a more naturalistic element to it rather than a sci-fi thriller theme to it. Other shots use light and dark to show the juxtaposition of the characters situation, this creates suspense and shows what the characters may be working towards. I would like to use some warm naturalistic lighting shots, particularity some that suggest innocence but also create suspicion about the character. The shot where the light is shining fro behind the character is one that I want to use in my film in one part, and it has been demonstrated well by combining two of the shots in this trailer.

Magazine Practice

This is the first practice magazine front cover that I have ever made. I am not very familiar with Photoshop and aim to improve my skills for my actual magazine cover by taking pre made entertainment weekly magazines and trying to recreate them in my spare time.This will help me to think about the positioning of my characters and what text I'm going to put on the magazine. I tried to put in things such as pugs, however I didn't get time to put any text on the pug. When I add more text, it will look more like a magazine post. However, all over the image is terrible, therefore I need to improve a lot and give more consideration into how the characters will be set out on the page. As I didn't have a lot of time to think about what my magazine was going to look, therefore this piece of work was rushed and I couldn't manipulate the images to look how I wanted them to. 

Warner Brothers and Working Title

These are the production companies that I shall be using to produce my film.

Institution Research

This is my film institution research which will help me to come to a conclusion of what production company I shall be using for my film. I have looked into what country they are based in and what type of films they make, and the impact that the production company would have on my film. 

Trailer Practice

This is our preliminary task to practice what it will be like to film our real trailers when it comes to it. We have used a range of shots to make it look like these are shots that have been taken from parts of film to make up a trailer. I would make the inter-titles more interesting and I would get rid of the glitches when it comes to my real trailer. I have learnt that editing is very important to try and make things look a lot more interesting than they may be in the actual trailer it self.

Props

These are the props that I am going to need to use for my trailer. I am included objects such as school objects to set the school environment. Also I have got technology based objects as the trailer is about a robot and technology will have a big influence on the trailer. I have included wires an parts from computers to show what type of things I'm going to use to recreate the inside of a robot. I think I will include extreme close ups of these to suggest that it's the insides of the robot.

Schedule for Filming

This is a calender where I have written down a planned schedule of when I will film for my media project. I have also written down when I will be filming for my film studies project, as this will just as time consuming. Planning out what I will do with my time has helped me because I now have a clear vision of what I want to do.

Diary Post #4

I have started to think about story boarding my trailer. However I am finding this quite hard because I have to pick out different elements from the film, and make it as engaging as possible. I need to use a range of shots to show off different skills, and to show the different settings that I will be using. I think to help me, I am going to use the 14 steps I planned out for my film, mix them up to see what would create the most exciting trailer, and then I shall plan the shots from there on. I also know that I need to a few music tracks in my trailer, therefore I will need to plan what sort of mood I want to portray in each section of the trailer, and when the sections will change.

Entertainment Weekly Analysis - Mad Max

• The font for the title of the film is chunky, bold and white. It's eye grabbing and suggests that it's going to be a brutal action packed film. The skull in the middle of the "A" connotes that the film may be outgoing, and that it has been made for older audiences.
  
• Above the title of "MAD MAX" there is information that advertises what's in the film in smaller underlined font with different pastel colours. This is to fill the audience with adrenaline, and to sway their curiosity so that they will want to go and see the film.
  
• "Entertainment Weekly" had been positioned behind the main character in a dirty yellow colour. Even though yellow is predominantly a bold eye catching colour, I find it hard to pay attention to the title, when the main characters face has been positioned over the top of it. This suggests that the producers wanted their target audience to be drawn into the film, more than bothering with reading the title of the magazine.
  
• In lighter black text, information about Star Wars is placed in the clear background next to the character. The word "Star Wars" is in bold to draw in the attention of the fans. The font is well known by everyone as all audiences will know of the film, and therefore even if you aren't an active fan of star wars, it will still grab any audiences attention as it's so well known.
  
• A close up of the main character staring into the camera takes up the majority of the magazine cover. This is extremely eye catching as the image is so big, and the audience are drawn in as the character pulls them in by addressing them directly. The character is dressed in many shades of brown, with scars and dirt across his face with a blank expression. This makes the audience curious as they want to find out what the film is about, as the different textures of clothing and scars create mystery as to what the character has been through.
  
• The lighting gives  a soft glow to his face, however harsh shadows are created, creating curiosity as to whether this character is meant to be good or bad.
  
• A Puff is used at the top of the magazine cover, overlapping the title, this stands out as it uses different colours to the colour scheme. However it's so small that it's hard to read, therefore the producer still wants the audience to pay attention to Mad Max instead.
  
  
  

Entertainment Weekly Analysis- Hunger Games

• The font use is bold, formal and bubbly. This gives a sophisticated tone to the magazine, as well as a friendly welcoming tone. The mastheads are in white, suggesting that these are the most important parts of the magazine cover as they inform the audience on what the magazine is and what it's about.
• However the other titles are in yellow and orange, suggesting that they aren't as important as the ones in white. The orange and yellow titles match the background colours of the fire, therefore it suggests to the audience that this information is to do with "Catching Fire."
• The women is facing towards the audience, addressing them, but her body is turned away, suggesting that she has authoritative power and is walking into battle, putting on a show for anyone who thinks that she is week. Her arrows are in shot, showing her signature weapon, drawing in the attention of fans of the film.
• The male stands looking and faced towards the camera with his weapon at the same height as him. This could suggest that he stands behind his weapon as a mask, as he looks towards the audience for help. Both of the characters are positioned in front of the text, making them the first thing that audience see, catching their attention. This positioning makes the audience feel as if they have to help the characters, and therefore are more likely to buy the magazine as they want to find out information on the film.
• A puff is used in a dark orange, advertising what else is in the magazine. The puff is placed at the top above the titles. Even though the background is very busy the puff still stands out as it has been positioned at a duller point in the background. Audiences can then notice it and find out about what else is in the magazine.
• The background is a hot fire, which contrasts against the icy blue background. The two of these may have been placed together as they show how the film is going to include action and violence, but then the blue suggests how there is a deeper meaning behind the film and that the characters will be put through harsh decisions as well.
  
  
  
• I would like to use the technique of placing the character in front of the text as it is more eye grabbing and shows the importance of the character. I also like the busy background as it makes the magazine more appealing rather than if there was just a plain background. 

Entertainment Weekly Magazine Analysis - Scream

• The photography takes up most of the magazine cover, the picture is of one of the main characters looking towards the camera, addressing the audience and making them feel victimised.
  
• The colour scheme of red black and white, draws the audience's attention to the magazine as all of these colours are very bold and compliment each other.
  
• A tight frame has been chosen so that the character takes up most of the magazine cover, informing the audience on the main feature of the magazine. A mid shot has been chosen so that the scream mask fills the page, as the scream mask is well recognised and will draw in fans of the previous films.
  
• Harsh lighting has been chosen to expose all of the different shapes in the scream mask that give it emotion. The light has been positioned above the character so the lighting will create a dramatic effect. This is to empathise the genre of Scream, which is horror.
  
• Pugs such as "backstage pass: on tour with Adele" draw in other audiences who would be interested in other celebrities. This will create profit for the magazine as all different age groups and people with different interests will want to buy the magazine.
  
• The puffs give more information about what the magazine contains, and draw in those audiences who have an interest in the film. The font is in white, abiding to the colour scheme of the magazine so that it keeps within the genre. However some of the text is in blue which emphasises that Scream is returning, suggesting that it is giving extra information to those fans of Scream.
  
• The title and the masthead is in a bubbly font that can be taken seriously, and still presents its self in a formal manor. However at the top of the magazine, some of the text is in a thinner more traditional font, which will talk about less demanded topics, and the other font that is bold, covers topics on celebrities.
  
  
  
• I would like to use the colour scheme and the dramatic lighting as it all places emphasis on the genre and how dramatic the film is going to be.