A2 Media - Evaluation

A2 Media - Evaluation

Liam Brady

The Evaluation

This evaluation will assess how we as a group performed in making our media production. The production was a film trailer, and I will evaluate

it by answering 4 questions:• How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation

stages?• How effective is the combination of your

main product and subsidiary texts?• In what ways does your short film use,

develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?• What have you learned from your

audience feedback?

How did you use new media technologies in the construction,

research, planning and evaluation stages?

From the early stages of pre-production, it was evident that new media technology would play a massive role in our creation. Aside from the inevitability that we would need a camera and its tripod, we realised that scenes required more work than just being filmed and shot (like editing, uploading etc.).So based on these facts, we knew research and preparation would be imperative, as we would be fully equipped and ready to perform a competent job on our trailer. After research as a group, we finally concluded what we needed in order to deliver our trailer to its full potential.

1) High Definition Camera, SD Card and Tripod

Arguably the most crucial piece of our apparatus, this device allowed us to shoot and film the scenes we needed to include in our production. The device as a whole was really efficient and user-friendly, as it requires just a sequence of two buttons to start filming (the power button and record button). Its ability to record high definition video (higher resolution than standard definition) enabled our scenes to be filmed with extreme clarity, thus proving it is a competent device that provides shots that are easily visible to the audience. The shots that we eventually performed with the camera were very adequate, and were all appropriate for the scenes we panned out. We had a mixture of close shots, medium shots, long shots as well as various angles like eye level, low angle and high angle. The camera was also used for the evaluation, where we recorded ourselves speaking personally about the whole experience of creating a movie trailer.


A key point that was considered during production was how high definition video can take a lot of memory, due to its clear quality and visual power. So to ensure that filming could commence without any problems halfway through, we were equipped with a 4GB (gigabyte) SD (Secure Digital) card that would be a storage device to contain the high definition video clips. This card would be crucial to our filming, so we were sensible and careful to avoid exceeding the allocated memory on the SD card. Without this storage device, videos wouldn’t have been able to be filmed - due to the camera being unable to write the memory onto a form of storage. The SD card also has a pivotal involvement in the extraction of the video files, as it has to be inserted into a computer for the editing process. This will be mentioned in greater detail later on in the evaluation.


Despite it not being a piece of technology, the tripod is still a vital component of the camera itself. This component stabilises the camera, and allows a steady scene to be shot without the usual shaking from a handheld recording. This really allowed us to add professionalism to our shots, therefore giving a sophisticated look to them. Without the tripod, the shots would contrast massively, as they would be unstable and disorientated due to the lack of weight being distributed and the imbalance of the camera. The shaky, uneasy shots should only be achieved if we intended to perform a handheld scene; so having the tripod provided a massive assistance to us during our filming sessions. Overall, the camera was a real pleasure to use during the filming process. The clear quality in high definition that it emits as well as its lack of difficulty made it an easy and enjoyable task to perform. We had the confidence that the shots we were performing would be achievable and adequate, thanks to the high-end device and components we used.

2) Apple iMac & MacBookOnce the filming sessions were finalised, we now moved onto the editing process. In order for us to edit and alter the video files we filmed, we used Apple Macs. These personal computers are made by Apple, Inc. and are renowned for being competent workstations for creative purposes (like graphic designing, video editing etc.). The Macs can come in many forms, like desktop computers or laptops for portability purposes. We were very happy with using this device, as it’s very professional, user-friendly and sophisticated.Predominantly, Liam’s personal MacBook was used for the editing process – but the iMacs at KESH Academy were used too for research and minor editing. All the systems (Macs) run on the widely popular Mac OS X operating system, albeit many different Mac devices will have different versions of the software. This differs heavily to Microsoft Windows, as their devices run on the Windows operating system (albeit on different versions again). The software compatible for both operating systems differs also, as there can be Mac software packages that are incompatible for Windows and vice versa. But for our work, we used the Mac OS X Mountain Lion operating system, which was released in July 2012.

2) Apple iMac & MacBook

As mentioned previously, the SD card was a vital component that enabled us to film the video clips. And once filming was finished, we detached the SD card from the high definition camera – with the intention to insert the card into the card slots in the MacBook and iMacs. These card slots allow us to read the data on the card, as well as transfer it to the Macs permanently so they are always accessible without the need for the SD card.

3) Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro X was the software we used to create the trailer, as well as edit the video files. This piece of video editing software is developed by Apple Inc. like the Macs, and allows video to be exported into many different resolutions and formats. It also has an adequate popularity with filmmakers, thus reinforcing its importance and competence. We started by opening Final Cut Pro, with the SD card currently inserted into the Mac device. We wanted to transfer the clips into the software to be accessed and edited, so we log and transferred the video files from the SD card onto the Mac’s hard drive. Once the transfer process was complete, they (the video files) could be used whenever we desired – without the need of the SD card anymore.

3) Final Cut ProMost of the clips required minimal editing, just a change of filter (teal and orange) as well as trimming the duration of the clips. However, for every clip we added the ‘letterbox’ effect, which gave the shots an aspect ratio of (2:35:1 precisely) that provides the widescreen look many professional films have. It also has a good way of focusing on the scene much more, as there are fewer distractions in the background due to the prominence and smaller size of the video’s frame. This replicated professional movies highly (letterbox), and gave a blockbuster-like feel to our production. We also used a freeware (free to use) voiceover pack, named ‘Movie Voice’. This pack provided stereotypical American voice-over files, with the files being MP3 files of usual phrases and clichés expected in a trailer. We implemented these into our trailer over the titles, and it too gave a big-budget look to the trailer as if we hired a professional voice artist to perform the voiceover.

WITHOUT LETTERBOX

WITH LETTERBOX

3) Final Cut ProOnce the easier and low-maintenance clips were finalised, we transitioned our focus to the more ambitious clips. By being ambitious, we wanted to further our skills and techniques by implementing green screen footage into our trailer – to emulate scenes not possible physically. For starters, we filmed several scenes of Brandon (the actor & group member) in front of a green screen. The aim was to perform him flying, so we shot a scene of Brandon in the stance of him hovering. This file was then transferred to Final Cut Pro, where we implemented the ‘chroma key’ effect. This effect (chroma key) distinguishes the green background (or any other standout background colour that doesn’t clash with the subject on camera) behind Brandon and then removes it, thus leaving Brandon in the scene with a transparent background. This effect then granted us the ability to impose Brandon onto another video, specifically a scene of the Bullring outside. To add the final touches, we performed a ‘wireframe’ by adding a motion path to Brandon, which will allow him to move upwards in a flying fashion.

BEFORE CHROMA KEYING

AFTER CHROMA KEYING

3) Final Cut ProThe last compilation of green screen footage we conducted was by filming stock scenes, where we filmed basic scenes like traffic, the city and civilians. These are scenes we would place green screen effects on, so afterwards we downloaded free effects. The effects we downloaded were a car crash, fireball and explosion, which all had a pre-set green background. To finish with these effects, we applied the chroma key effect again and then imposed them onto the stock scenes we filmed. Conclusively, Final Cut Pro on the Apple Mac devices went very successful for us. Its detailed, non-basic interface enabled us to perform really complex tasks and therefore export a professional, structured video (as opposed to more basic and beginner editing software). Seeing as Liam had previous experience with the software, we could start immediately with our work – without having to look at tutorials or guides. So to have experience from beforehand was useful, as we could spend more time on editing than time on learning how to use the software.

4) YouTubeYouTube, a preeminent video-sharing website, was the destination we would upload our final production onto. Its millions of users on the website provided a platform for our video to get exposure on, as well as making the video easily accessible to anyone. Once we exported the video into a high definition format, we signed into our production company’s YouTube channel and clicked the ‘upload’ button. From this, we chose the file of our video and then it started to upload to the website. Due to the high quality of the video, the file took a substantial amount of time to upload as it was a big file size. However, once it was uploaded it was accessible worldwide, and we were also able to embed the video directly to our media blog’s post.Seeing as we’ve had an abundance of experience in using YouTube before, the video uploading process was extremely easy and therefore provided no problems. If there were one difficulty, it would be the upload time – as the time took several hours so it was very time consuming. However, this cannot be prevented unless we uploaded the video in a lower quality, but that would compromise the whole clarity of the production, which would therefore decrease its attractiveness.

How effective is the combination of your main product and subsidiary

texts?

For this question I will discuss how the film industry use posters to

advertise their product, as well as the roles magazines play. I will also compare how our subsidiary texts

relate to our trailer, and what conventions they use too.

1) PostersThe film industry incorporates posters in order to get a particular target audience intrigued with the film the poster is promoting. The poster can contain names of famous stars, which attract the audience due to their popularity and pre-eminence in the world of film. Posters may also advertise social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter as well as the film’s website, which can reach out to a demographic that regularly use the Internet and therefore bring their attention to the movie too.I also believe that the poster we created, with credit to Liam Brady, links to our film with utmost accuracy. The poster also gives an extremely authentic feel towards our trailer, as we pride ourselves in achieving professionalism. This is the case with the poster and magazine, as they replicate the adequate quality our trailer boasts. We’ve used high-resolution images, appropriate fonts and a competent choice of colours.

1) PostersOur poster in particular relates to our media product as it features our production company ‘Operation Studios’ as well as crediting the people behind the film – like the actors, director and producer. This is used as it intends to inform the viewers about the creators of the production, which in turn starts to build up a reputable organisation based on a good rapport between the company and audience members (as they enjoy the film).It further relates to our film by notifying viewers where they can find more information about the movie, which is via the official website. The poster also effectively hints on what type of setting the film will have, as there is a prominent background behind the protagonist on the poster. We employed typical conventions of posters by showcasing the main protagonist of the film in its centre as well as relaying that characters name across the poster.

2) MagazinesMagazines, especially the popular EMPIRE series of magazines, are a good way to further immerse the audience in the recent events surrounding the film. Featuring a magazine in conjunction with our film allows us to fit information in the magazine which we wouldn’t normally be able to fit on a poster.A magazine can fit extra features and entail the audience further by including exclusive interviews and possibly hidden meaning within a trailer. Our magazine for example does exactly this, by including an exclusive interview not found anywhere else. This provides a selling point for the magazine, due to the exclusivity of its contents – which will persuade a consumer to buy this rather than another magazine.

2) Magazines

The magazine would also earn extra revenue, due to a popular film or star being within the magazine. The role of a film magazine differs heavily to other material, as it is generally informative, which differs to a poster or trailer. It is informative about our media product as it features interviews with the cast of our trailer, which wouldn’t be found in the trailer or full movie. This is why magazines are very useful, as the audience gain information about the film before its release date, which can add further to the hype and excitement surrounding the film.

In what ways does your short film use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?As a whole, our production primarily uses and develops regular conventions expected in a real media text, but does challenge them too to provide a unique edge to our trailer. We feel our production has real professionalism to it as well as a competent similarity to that of a professional movie, which is testament to the hard work we put in to create the trailer.For this question, there will be nine prominent frames from the movie trailer, all of which will be explained about how they use, develop or challenge the usual conventions.

Frame 1This frame shows the introduction of our production company, which is shown just after the age rating screen at the start of the trailer. The introduction consists of a spinning globe, with that and the title of our production company slowly emerging to the center of the screen. The background music is very triumphant and major, which is a connotation that the globe provides – that the company is preeminent and worldwide. Conclusively, this replicates a convention in real media products – which is the production logo. This is a common feature in movie trailers and whole movies, therefore proving our trailer bears likeness to real media texts as well as showing it’s an orthodox component to a trailer. During the research stage it was also apparent that production company logos were a key part to a production, so it was inevitable we were going to include our production company as it would have been irregular and arguably unprofessional if not. A prime example was Despicable Me (2010), as its trailer featured the Universal Pictures logo. This logo is almost identical to our production company logo, as it features a globe spinning.

Frame 2

Being the first title and voiceover of the trailer, this phrase, is a reputable one known for setting the scene or mood of a production. The words ‘in a world’ offer no definitive answer as to what the movie’s world is, consequently enticing the viewer to gain more interest in the film to find out. Not only the words are a regular convention however, the titles and voiceovers are too. Research provided us with evidence (after looking at real pieces of similar media) that titles and voiceovers are a usual aspect to a trailer, showing that we have once again replicated conventions of real media products.

Frame 2 - ContinuedElaborating on our voice-overs, we used a freeware (free to use) movie voiceover pack, downloaded from the Internet. This pack contained an abundance of phrases expected in a trailer, said by an American voice. We imposed these over the titles, so they were in synchronization with the animation of the title. This too was using a convention expected in real movie trailers, as predominantly American voices are used to perform the voiceovers. Despite it being unique, we felt using our own accents (English) would be unappealing, due to the glamorization stereotype America has. An example we gained inspiration from was Don LaFontaine, arguably the best voice artist who performed voiceovers for hundreds of productions including the trailer for Batman Returns (1992). His voice really engaged the viewer, due to its grittiness and seriousness as well as its likeness to the stereotypical Hollywood voiceover. We were very happy with how this worked out in the end, as the voiceover gave our production a blockbuster-like feel to it that was dramatic and intense.

Frame 3This high angle of an extreme long shot showing the traffic is a very competent shot, as it shows the setting so far of the trailer – a busy city with traffic. The shot appropriately fits in with the trailer’s narrative, as this is a regular city until the super-villain eventually unleashes their powers. It was also imperative to film this shot where we did, which was a balcony. It was imperative as if we shot it from eye level; the height of the buses and trees would’ve totally dominated the shot and would’ve prevented the viewer from seeing everything in the location. Making sure we were higher than everything allowed the camera to capture a very adequate shot of city-life – as everything was level and not overpowered. This shot also follows our trailer’s trend to use regular conventions of real media products, as this type of scenery shot is replicated in many professional film trailers – albeit in different locations based on their specific narrative. The shot really captures the life in the movie, and shows a lot happening due to the amount of things featured in the frame.

Frame 4This scene emulates real media products due to it being a vital part of ‘act two’ in the trailer’s three-act structure – a thing that is used in real products and vital to trailers to ensure they’re organised adequately. It also replicates real media texts due to it being the catalyst for the defining part of the trailer, where things become a lot clearer as to what is going to happen. This scene shows the creation of the groundbreaking formula, with the professor saying ‘with this, I’m going to change the world’. Every component of the scene was laid out correctly to ensure we got our goal: to make it look like a legitimate science lab with a real professor and assistant. The setting was situated and filmed in a science prep room (full of harmful chemicals which set the scene well), the outfits consisted of white robes (stereotypical scientist attire) and the dialogue was serious and acted in a sophisticated manner to avoid it being comical or unserious. We also used an adult for the role of the professor, as that is the conventional professor – wise, mature and very serious.

Frame 4 - Continued

How we filmed it was also effective, as we fitted both the professor and the test tube in the shot precisely. This ensured the scene was primarily focused on that crucial moment, and there were no background distractions.From this, it’s evident this frame is very typical in a real media product as its components (outfits, actors, filming etc.) were all prepared appropriately as a professional media product would be, therefore showing it is a sophisticated frame that would be found regularly in real media products.

Frame 5This frame follows on from the frame shown before, and shows the growth of the defining moment in act two (of the three act structure). Here, both professor and assistant (who is eventually the villain) are trying to take the formula, with the professor trying to detain the assistant due to the young character being in possession of a potent formula that he is trying to steal.Once again, every component of the scene near enough matches the requirements of the scene (like outfits, dialogue and setting). This shows it matches real media products in terms of preparation and organisation, as it was carefully prepared and diligently executed – therefore reiterating that professional look. However, this is when this frame and the others drift away from the regular conventions of a real media product, and become irregular or unorthodox. As from this frame forward, the trailer focuses on the villain’s journey to how he became so powerful. This defies the regular stereotype of hero films, as it usually the hero who is given the limelight. But in this case, the villain is the focal point of our production, consequently making it unique – which turns out to be a very effective thing as there is something unexpected in our production.

Frame 6This frame signifies the end of act two in the three-act structure, as it concludes with a dramatic ending in the form of the assistant assaulting the professor in order to steal the potent formula. This scene is one the final scenes in the science part of the trailer, so it still follows the professional trend that the previous science lab scenes portrayed in terms of correct outfits, dialogue and scenery.A red filter was added onto the soon-to-be-villain, as he calmly but angrily says ‘don’t tell me what to do’. Red can signify anger or aggressiveness, as well as have connotations to the devil, which coincides nicely in the event of the assistant turning evil and hurting the professor. This is a real defining moment as he escapes with the formula, and can be let loose which is bad news for the city he strikes terror on. As mentioned in the previous frame, it is irregular when compared to real media texts from now on as it focuses on the villain as opposed to the stereotype of having the film relying on a hero. The villain’s path is the primary focus, instead of the hero.

Frame 7Frame 7 signals the start of the final act in the three act structure, a visual montage consisting of intense and powerful moments of the film. In our production’s case, this is a compilation of exciting scenes where the villain’s powers are showcased. This is one way how it follows the conventions of a real media product, as the narrative is organised appropriately like a real piece of media.In this frame, the villain has finally escaped with the formula and is about to consume it once it is injected. With this formula, he will gain superhuman powers that will make him a dangerous force. This scene overall was a short one, but was performed as professional as possible. The villain now reverts back to his usual outfit, with the hooded coat being a popular part of his attire when he likes to cover his identity as well as declare terror is about to start. This aspect defies the usual conventions of a hero film again, as the trailer has a big intent to focus on the villain only, rather than seeing the hero.

Frame 8

The eighth frame chosen depicts the extent of the villain’s powers, as he uses his own video camera to record himself exerting fire. We added a camcorder filter to the video clip, to effectively give it that video camera look with the recording notification and battery level. The filter also provides an amateur look; therefore reinforcing it is unprofessional footage that the villain recorded himself. The setting is also very basic, and can provide a perception that the villain has just found a random place to execute his abilities – which further reiterates that it is amateurish footage. Unlike the several previous frames, this has a very obvious relation to real media products, with a recent example being the 2012 film Chronicle. Chronicle features several scenes of amateur handheld footage, of three teenagers with newly found superpowers. This has a lot of significance with our production, as we used camcorder footage as well as having a teenager with superpowers.

Frame 9

Concluding with frame 9, this frame shows a very important part of the movie – the title. This allows viewers to discover the name of the film, so they can potentially research it if the trailer interested them. It is pretty much inevitable with all media products that are real or amateur, and it would certainly confuse and mislead viewers if the title wasn’t shown.As expected, this has strong bonds with real media texts due to it being almost compulsory to feature it. Our research beforehand also proved this to be true, as every trailer we watched featured their respective trailer.To finish this question, overall our product as explained in the introduction follows the conventions of real media products a lot, which proves its professionalism and realism. However, it does oppose conventions too, most notably in focusing on the villain rather than the hero. But this is a very beneficial thing, as our production offers something unique that other productions can’t boast.

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Here is a picture of a member of our audience feedback and target audience. I will now discuss what kind of tastes they may have. They would shop in the most popular shops amongst teenagers that offer the latest fashion trends. The kind of music they would listen to is diverse but is predominantly hip-hop/rap. However, their music taste can be anything modern with a youthful tone towards it. Their favourite TV programme wouldn’t be anything in particular but would have certain characteristics such as being modernistic and relatable to the youth of this day. This member would like horror films such as Eden Lake and action movies such as The Avengers. Although they may not have a specified TV programme or film that they like (would consider a favourite) they do have similar characteristics, such as a main protagonist and fast-paced elements.


These two frames can be seen at the beginning of the film. These are typical parts of any film, that both offer a bold statement and displaying the trailer’s authenticity and how reputable is. Any reputable film company would not fail to incorporate these in their cut. If you were to do a quick search on a trailer, you will find that they feature this. This can be seen in the 2014, ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction Official Trailer #1’.


Here is a screen shot of the beginning of our film trailer, incorporated in perfect synchronisation, is an American voice saying “in a world”. We do not know the reason behind why we all globally favour American actors and voices, but we do know they appeal to the consumers. This line alone offers a multitude of possibilities and generates curiosity or ‘that same buzz feeling’ as found in other films that feature this line. It’s a popular starting line featured in many trailers. This entices the audience as it is used as a stimulant ready for something ‘bigger and better’ to occur as the pace become greater within the film, another feature implemented within trailers. This can also be seen in the 2014, ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction Official Trailer #1’.


Throughout the duration of the trailer, it is constantly segmented with the aid of the narrative, this allows the audience to process the information they have seen. It also has an iconic landmark known by a vast amount of people within the region. This offers a sense of pride and belonging for the audience of. It is typical of the action genre to feature iconic landmarks which could end up being destroyed etc.Our use of music throughout the trailer slowly builds up as it rises to its climax, then remains constant showing the ferocity and destructive nature of the protagonist.


The Unique Selling Point (USP) of our film would be that we have twisted the traditional ‘hero defeats villain’ and we actually focus on the villains side of the story as well as allow him to defeat the hero. The villain is our protagonist which is opposes normal conventions of this type of film. It will also aid in attracting our particular audience as the protagonist featured is age 18, a teenager in which other ages around that figure can relate to. During the clip shown on the right we added a distorted filter to magnify the obscurity of the character further. This emphasises a build-up in power and is significant due to it linking with the accumulation of the music.


These two shots are featured at the end of the clip, it is typical of a trailer to include this so that the audience know what to look out for and when it is expected to be released. Should they need to do further research they’re able to search for the name of the film. The music has now been silenced, showing greater emphasis on the transitions from one frame to another.


The image to the right is the final frame of the trailer. It shows where the credit should be due and other retrievable information can be gained from this. Every trailer features this at some point within it and it would be unusual not to include this. From the one example alone, we can assume that the trailer we have managed to produce is authentic and could even be on par with major big productions.


Our respondents did not identify any areas for improvement, and after answering our questions which were “Could you distinguish that this was a villainous film?”, “What were your first thoughts on the villain?”, “Did the trailer look professional?”, “Was the background music suitable for the trailer?”, “Could you clearly tell how the villain became the villain?” and “Finally, did you enjoy the production?”. All answers to these questions were presented in a positive manner and they didn’t state any errors or place for improvement. Overall, the production was identified as completely successful. However due to our audience not being able to identify any cause for improvement, we identified some issues that we could address in the future.


One improvement may be to add more dialogue (in general) to our production. Although the narrative did balance this out we could understand that there was lack of speech, it was our intention however, for the protagonist to speak a minimal amount during the trailer in order to maintain an elusive, obscure take on the character.Another improvement would be to utilise the full effectiveness of green screen videos, and masking the errors the best we can. There were very minor continuity errors, which we had to improvise on to hide, as there weren’t any retakes. However we successfully managed to create an appealing video with no immediate errors apparent.


These errors consisted of minor errors when utilising the green screen as the wall was showing a little during the flying scene, the shadow of the cameraman was shown on the back of the protagonist and characters smiling in serious moments of the trailer.We understood that we had some errors and thrived to correct them the best we could. Overall however, our trailer was at a professional quality.

Education

A2 Media - Evaluation