Wednesday 9 December 2009

Planning: Influences for Trailer, Magazine and Poster




The First Trailer shown above is an action genre that was released 3 or 4 years ago, Black Haw Down. The first point I took from this influence was the soundtrack used. It is a rather intense piece, you can hear string instruments, drums and trumpets, but the clearest instrument so to speak are the vocals. They are loud and dramatic which enforces the idea of a war not being easy. The second aspect of the trailer that aids it in the dramatic effect is the voice-over and script that has been included. They produce snippets of dialogue which reveal the gist of the film but do not give away so much that it is pointless seeing it. I will consider both these points when making my trailer.



This trailer, Green Zone is still the same genre as the previous one, released recently but there are a few differences. Firstly, the soundtrack in the background is different. Again there are the sound of drums, but in general, there is a continuous beat throughout. There is no voice heard until the end of the trailer at which is sounds like a rap of some kind which quickens up the pace as rapping is rather fast paced and 'actiony'. This does work well with this trailer and it may be because it is based around one man on a mission. Because of this, I have decided to rule out the idea of a vocal soundtrack, but still using strings and drums to maintain a dramatic beat but still tense.



The first magazine cover that I have linked to this blog section is that of 'Total Film'. One aspect of this magazine that I shall definitely be including in my magazine cover is the use of a large and bold font for the title. The font seems to be Arial further supporting the boldness and helping the magazine to stand out on the shelf. This being the case, my magazine will have a large font size and most likely use the boldness of writing tools. Another aspect of the title is the colour used. All the colours are fairly plain, whites or gold's have been used which gives off a rather modern yet 'antique/professional' look. The use of white helps it stick out as it is a light colour and contrasts with the fairly dark background of character and setting on the magazine cover. Lastly, compared to other magazines that I read, this front cover is very simple, there are no other photos, and limited pugs. Still, there are some incentives on offer for the buyer so I feel that with my magazine I should include something like this.



The second magazine cover that I have linked is 'Empire' magazine. Once again the title is large, but this time not as bold. Another difference is the use of a red font colour, in my opinion it stands out better against the dark background whilst still sustaining a professional look whereas Total Film looked too simplistic. Once again there is a large main image on the front cover, but it does not follow any rule of thirds and fall down the middle third, instead, the image is off to one side. Also, the image covers part of the title which seems like an interesting idea that i may implement into my magazine, but i must note that this is a well known magazine so even after covering up a letter, they can still know what the magazine is. A lot of the pugs unlike total film are a reasonably small font size, they are not all bold and stand out, which makes it easier to fit in pictures of articles that are in the rest of the magazine. This helps to draw the eye of the consumer to the magazine as it gives them a quick overview of what is involved.



The first poster that influenced me was James Bond Golden Eye. The reason I took interest in this was the fact that it is based around one man army who everyone relies on to get the job done. As this is the basis of my film i thought it a good one to inspect. You can instantly tell this will be an action film, it is 'busy'. There are explosions, helicopters, cars, and guns and the whole poster just shouts action. I notice that the main actor Pierce Brosnan, even though slightly in front of the 2 female actresses, he is the same colour and about the same size which does not help him to stand out, which is not what I want. I feel that the poster should make a person stand out especially the main actor.



The second poster achieves this very well. After looking at the green zone trailer and realising that it resembles the idea of my film, i felt it best to have a look at the poster. The first thing you notice is how domineering Matt Damon is in the poster. He fills up the whole page leaving very little space for anything else. It is not colourful, rather dull, but war is not a happy place. Also the title of the film is rather large and a lighter colour making it stand out against the dull background. One problem with this though is that there are no signs of action, i.e. guns or explosions, but I am assuming that as Matt Damon is a well known actor, the majority of people will know that is the type of film he acts in.

Monday 2 November 2009

Research: Action Target Audience

Action films usually include high energy, big-budget physical stunts and chases, possibly with rescues, battles, fights, destructive events (floods, explosions, natural disasters, fires, etc.), non-stop motion, fast paced beat and adventurous, heroes or heroines battling the villain. In terms of gender, it is most likely to be males who would enjoy this genre, from a young age they would have been brought up with toys like action man and then most likely moved onto games consoles and play action games, this therefore means it would be expected for them also to find enjoyment in watching action films. The age range of these males is most likely between 14-30. In their younger years men tend to have more energy and enjoy the fast paced movies more exciting, as stereotypically, after that, they find too many of the events in these types of films, "too far-fetched" and therefore find pleasure in other movie genres.

Wednesday 28 October 2009

Research: Genre

Film Genres are various forms or identifiable groups of films that are recurring and have similar or familiar patterns, syntax, filming techniques or conventions that include one or more of the following: settings (and props), content and subject matter, themes, mood, period, plot, central narrative events, situations and recurring icons (e.g guns in action and monsters in horrors). Many films are now considered hybrids as they tend to include several film genres.
For my A2 work, there are 4 genres that I am considering, the first being action. Action films usually include high energy, big-budget physical stunts and chases, possibly with rescues, battles, fights, destructive events (floods, explosions, natural disasters, fires, etc.), non-stop motion, fast paced beat and adventurous, heroes or heroines battling the villain.
The second genre is Comedy. Comedies are light-hearted plots consistently and deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter (with one-liners, jokes, etc.). This is usually done by exaggerating the situation, the language, action, relationships and characters.
My third genre is Horror. Horror films are designed to frighten and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time. Horror films feature a wide range of styles, from the earliest silent films to today's CGI monsters and deranged humans. They are often combined with science fiction when the menace or monster is related to a corruption of technology, or when Earth is threatened by aliens. This makes it hard to find a film nowadays that is solely horror and does not cross into sub-genres.
Lastly, the is the science fiction genre. Sci-fi films are often visionary and imaginative complete with heroes, aliens, distant planets, impossible quests, improbable settings, great dark and shadowy villains, futuristic technology, unknown forces, and extraordinary monsters ('things or creatures from space'), either created by mad scientists or by nuclear havoc. Again, these films can so some traits of the action or horror genre.
I have decided to make a film in the action genre because is it the easiest to do without straying into any sub-genres, furthermore, it is the genre that I know most about as this is the type of film I enjoy watching the most.

Friday 16 October 2009

A2 work Brief

Our A2 coursework this year is to consist of a trailer. It shall be about 2 minutes long and can be on any genre that we choose. Obviously there are the limitations of not using copyrighted soundtracks and so on. On top of this, we must produce one poster that is advertising the movie that we are making a trailer for and also the front cover of a magazine. The magazine does not have to be solely based around are movie, but it must be included. Lastly a blog must be kept up to date of what we are doing throughout our coursework.

Sunday 27 September 2009

Evaluation: AS Horror Work Evaluation

My media coursework in AS was based around a horror genre. It was made to subvert away from the stereotypical blonde female and we used an Asian girl for this. This killer is also different and is dressed up in a suit instead of your ragged clothes look that is usually seen. This project helped me to realise how important lighting and planning is when it comes to making a movie, and how sound plays such a large role in the making of a movie. Points that i would take into my A2 for consideration would be lighting, and make sure that it was always correct. The sound, ensure that the sound effects I use are dramatic and create an effect on the audience. And check each scene that I shoot as i noticed in this piece of work in one or two shots, you can see a part of the lighting or the spare tripod that we had. Lastly, ensure the setting is correct, make sure that it resembles and sets up the atmosphere intended for your audience.
Below is the presentation that I did for my coursework last year that evaluates the piece of work in full.

Final Horror Evaluation

Thursday 9 July 2009

AS Horror Coursework Film.



Above is my Horror Coursework that was completed for my AS course last year.