Evaluation Task 4 - How did you use new media technologies in the construction and reasearch, planning and evalution stages?

Computer software - iMovie
Rather than using adobe we used Laylas Mac laptop and used iMovie to create our trailer. Last year I was in a different group and we used adobe and we have many problems with the software which lead to our opening two minutes not being at a very good quality. Using iMovie has made and shown a massive difference in quality. Its a lot easier to use and gives you more options with editing and sound which meant we found it simple to construct our trailer. We already had a lot of ideas before we starting editing our trailer, but because iMovie had so many options we were able to build on our ideas and adapt them as we went on. For example before we started editing we decided that we were going to get Charlottes brother to play the ukulele so we could have more control over how the music would fit with the clips, but as we went on we found better ways to do this by layering non-copyright music and sounds found on YouTube and on iMovie. This was great because it created more time for us to edit our film to make it perfect rather than wasting a lot of time trying to construct music out of Charlottes brother playing the ukulele. another aspect that was very useful was lighting, because of when we filmed we had some problems with lighting, whether it was too light or dark. Using iMovie made this easier because we were able to edit the brightness, exposure, shadow, saturation, contrast and highlight. Using these features meant that the clips were more affective and realistic of the time of day they were supposedly filmed but also meant that when we revealed our title we could add a  really creepy edit on the clip by changing the saturation. a great feature that came with iMovie is that you van easily create your own institution clip by choosing your text and image this meant that it looked professional and real.


Camera - Nikon D3100
For the production of our trailer, magazine cover and poster we used Layla's Nikon D3100, the quality of the camera was a very important aspect to make all three texts look professional. One of the really good things about the camera is that it has manual focus which meant we were able to create our own background and foreground to make the clips more affective. We also used the camera when researching and planning our locations. The quality of the camera meant that when we got back to school we could choose what location was best based on the photo's we took. This made the decisions a lot easier. Not only did we use the camera for the trailer we also used it when taking photos for our poster and magazine, using the same camera meant that we had all gained skills from using it whilst creating our trailer, meaning we were able to add effects to the images whilst taking the photo.

Evaluation Task 3 - Audience Feedback

This is our feedback from our class for our trailer Betrayal. Having this was really important and interesting as we were able to find out the positives and negatives of our trailer without having a biased audience like ourselves. Positives:

• The trailer raises enigma with the use of the antagonists clothing, this helps the audience to stay engaged.
• The variety of shots and fast paced editing creates a sense of mystery.
• Use the conventions of horror movies well.
• The use of close up and mid shots create good effects such as the fear of isolation.
• the sounds made it clear of the genre.
• The use of the hip hop music would draw in younger and wider audience.

Negatives:

• Some characters are introduced at the beginning then don't appear to be in the rest of the trailer, this makes the narrative confusing.
• could use a variety of transitions to create suspense.
• Could use other dramatic camera angles.
• could of drawn out the sounds more to make it flow better.

Evaluation Task 2 - Commentry on Betrayal

Evaluation Task 1 - In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

1) This is the first shot used in our trailer, it shows

car driving down a road but doesn't show who is in the car, this will make the audience wonder who's in the car. Its good way of introducing the characters as it shows the audience the background of the characters, the car isn't exactly very new and flash so the audience will be aware that the characters are not from a rich background but from a normal middle class up bringing. The non diegetic music played over this shot is very up beat and will confuse the audience into thinking nothing is actually wrong.

2) Shot two is the first introduction to the characters who would of been in the car, were not given any names but it lets the audience know who their protagonists will be. The shot is taken in the day time which makes it seem less sinister. We used a mid shot so we were able to see the characters more clearly because its the first time the audience meet them.

3) This shot lets the audience know what the directors has made before and could be a unique selling point for an audience who have already seen the other films and enjoyed them. The black and white colours used conform to the codes and conventions of horror film due to the dark background denoting mystery and the white font denoting the super natural.

4) This is the first shot of our antagonist, it only shows their feet and weapon, which could intrigue the audience into watching the rest of the trailer and film. The weapon will give the audience an idea about the type of antagonist, if a gun was shown you are more likely to think the villain is more professional whereas the axe is a lot more simple and therefore could be used by a teenager.
5) In these two shots are our slogan 'THE MORE THEY KNOW... ... THE LESS THEY CARE'. We chose to separate it over 2 title shots to make it more intriguing for they audience. We decided to put our slogan in our trailer because its a great a way of giving the audience an idea of what the film could be based on with out giving too much away through clips. It will also create enigmas for the audience and make them wonder what it means.
6) This shot is shown just before we go into our fast passed montage which means the audience will remember it because its the last normal shot. Due to where the camera is placed it looks like the antagonist is watching her. It also when the audience will first realise something is wrong because of her body language and how she looks around.
7)This is the first shot of the antagonist where we can see the top half of their body. We used a low angle shot to make them more dominant and intimidating. The shot was filmed as it was getting dark and the tree branches in the background add a sense of being trapped.
8) We believe that this is one of our most effective shots in our trailer. We shot it from ground level so it looks like Kathryn is looking straight at one of her friends, but also gives the effect that she is reaching out to the audience.
9) These couple have shots have been edited so the antagonist moved forward really quickly because of this is looks like he walking towards the audience, the first shot is a long shot of their whole body and as they get closer you see clearer who the person is. Having it down a small alley make it creepier because they cone out of no where.
10)We reveal the name of the movie on the penultimate shot. To make it memorable we placed the title over a shot of our antagonist and made the clip jumpy. This makes the title stand out.#
11) Our last shot is of one our protagonists standing in a dark room with a light looking very panicky and vulnerable, we made this clip quite long to make it a shock when it ends and to build up tension. we thought this was the best shot to end our trailer because its memorable with the loud scream and effective lighting.