The document provides details about Amelia Gould's advanced media studies project to create a film trailer, accompanying magazine cover, and poster. It outlines her research process, including analyzing existing trailers, magazines, and posters. It describes the programs used to create the projects. The document then provides specifics about the trailer, including how it develops and challenges conventions through the use of rhetorical questions, shots, cuts, music, and tension building techniques. Finally, it discusses the magazine cover and poster draft designs and how they complement the trailer.
3. Basic information.
I have chosen to create a trailer for a new film accompanied by a poster and a front page of a film
magazine, which will feature my film. There should be a sense of cohesion between the three
products.
The genre of my film trailer will be thriller/horror as I feel I will be able to be more creative by using the
conventions or even breaking them to suit the desired trailer.
The name of the film is called âBlind Reasonâ, I chose this name as it allowed it to give the right
message across to the audience about what the film is going to based on. As there is a reasoning for
the happenings but the individual is too blind to see it or face the fear ahead of them.
4. Research
To be able to make the decision on what I was going to do for my film I had to conduct a series of
research that would allow me to have an understand of the convention portrayed within a thriller but
to also see what conventions of films that were broken in a successful or none successful way.
Trailers I analysed; Magazine I analysed; Posters I analysed;
The Blair Witch Project Jenniferâs Body (Total Film) In Time
The Purge Avatar (Total Film) Avatar
Paranormal Activity 4 Superman (Total Film) The Amazing Spider Man
5. Programs used to make the trailer,
magazine cover and ancillary task.
ï” Adobe premiere was used to created the thriller trailer.
ï” PSE Photoshop Elements was used to create both my magazine cover
and poster.
6. In what ways does your film
trailer develop or challenge
form and conventions of real
films and trailers?
7. Contains rhetorical questions to allow the
audience to take in the information and
become involved.
Using rhetorical questions helps me to draw in my intended target audience in who I believe would be
interested in my trailer. With the rhetorical questions involved being realistic it will help to make my
trailer more personal and relatable to the audience due to the fact of knowing that everyone would of
heard random noises in their houses. So therefore it will allow them to think back to moments when
they have heard some and questioned what they really are despite it being in the past.
Doubting real life situation can make individuals fear moments
without the help of a film involving the situation.
Using the fade in and out transition effect on the rhetorical
questions clips allowed there to be a more subtle atmosphere
which could potentially be seen as creepier. And allowed the
audience more time to take in the situations that were being
questioned by them.
8. With the rhetorical questions, I believe there is an even larger
impact on the audience with the white text being placed onto
a simple, plain background. This is because it allows the text to
stand out instantly on the screen and have an impact. I made
sure that the font was clear but still fitted the thrilling theme to
my trailer to help give off the right message from the beginning.
Having the background
also helps with the creepy
atmosphere for it works well with the transition of fade in and
out for it make and subtle change from scene to scene (also it
to flow).
9. Contains a variety of different shots of
each scene that I intended to use.
Having more shots to choose from when beginning the editing stage of the trailer task as it allowed
me to have more choice when it came down to it all. It meant I was able to select the best clips for
each scene whether the selection process being down to the quality of the filming (was there any
unwanted movement or noises?) or even if it actually fitted correctly to the moment and flowed
properly with the rest of the trailer or not. You can see a variety of clips here;
10. For example; I tried different techniques for the garden scene, when looking at my story board I
planned to show my characterâs face outside in the garden and have a whole section of the trailer
dedicated to it. But in the end I incorporated the whole intended scene in my rhetorical question
section and use a few seconds as I felt it built more tension more than a whole scene, otherwise I
felt it was more like a film itself. But I didnât realise any of this until I had the actually shots to work
with on adobe premier. You can see a variety of clips for the garden here;
11. I made sure in specific areas more trailer
didnât flow and contained âlittle teasersâ.
I understand that although some trailers make sure their clips flow throughout and trailer to
allow it to make sense by being in order. But the majority in the currently filming market donât
when I carried out my research of different trailers in my desired genre (thriller/horror). So with
this I am developing but also challenging conventions with the editing technique of cutting
scenes in specific moments and swapping to another one similar or completely different. Here
you can see the different cuts that have been made;
12. For example; as soon as you see something move in the loft I have made sure that I cut it so the
audience are unaware of the outcome (no spoiler) and I place it next to a simple and peaceful clip. I
believe doing this allows for tense moments to sink in and make an impact on my intended audience.
I think having simple clips allows to show the realism to the film to help with the realistic side.
Audiences enjoy having the realistic fear factor to a film as it allows them to feel more venerable yet
they can remain safe, but it can also make them doubt themselves at movements that have
occurred for them in day to day life happenings. You can see the loft scene is cut randomly here;
13. Hand-held shots and tripod shots.
When I had my hand-held clips in my trailer I was challenging forms and conventions of filming as my
scenes arenât steady, level or donât follow specific techniques. For example; Rule of 3rds, angle
positioning, lighting techniques, reaction movement. I done this more to highlight to my audience
when it was normal tripod shots were in place instead of it being shown through casual hand-held
camera, that was actually visible when the tripod shots were taking place. With the change in views
(from tripod to character) I made sure that all the tripod clips contained a variety of techniques
correctly to inform the audience properly. You can see an high angle shot of my protagonist here;
14. For example; when my character goes up into the loft you see exactly what she would being seeing
(characters perspective) and when she climbs into the loft in the following climb you see her climb in
and up as the camera pans across as she travels forward, the camera has been placed at a mid
height to allow the character to remain ânormalâ instead of superior or inferior. Seeing the whole
length of the character also allows the audience to view a larger area of the background
surroundings are visually see more instead on a selected area. You can see this below;
15. This goes for the sofa area as well, the tripod shots zooms in onto the main character who is sleeping at
the time and quickly reacts in another scene shown when she reacts as she is awoken by something.
Where as when I use the hand-held camera moments you either see personal clips, close ups or
untechnical shots. But with the style of my film trailer I am able to break the conventions successful and
get away with it as it works effectively due to the thriller/horror genre I selected to follow. Using the
hand-held shots also allows the effect of realism to help portray the messages being given off from the
beginning. You can see my example below;
16. Continuous music
For my trailer I decided to pick a specific kind of music that would be able to develop my trailer
successfully. I decided to edit the chosen music to make it fade where I felt other sounds/noises were
more important to the scene being played and would then subtly fade the music back into contexts
with the trailer as it continued. For example, when I played the clip of a doff opening I faded the music
out so the audience were able to hear the door creaking. This helped to emphasis the noise as nothing
else could be heard. Although both sounds are there to help with the theme of the trailer if they were
played together the impact wouldnât be the same as the audience wouldnât be able to focus on one
area. Below you can see the door and the sound changes;
17. The only time I cut out the music completely was at the very beginning on the trailer, where the
Production company was produced but as the play back clip. The reason for this was to throw the
audience off what theme the trailer was going to be but also because there was sweet and subtle
music being played in the pay back clip which made you feel comfortable and happy. So if the
selected music was playing in the background it wouldnât of given off the right message to the
audience. I chose to use a playback moment as it informed the audience who was going to feature in
the film and allowed to know the characters a little better. I develop this idea from the two trailers I
analysed; The Purge and Paranormal Activity 4. I must admit I found the technique extremely effective.
18. Building Tension.
Building tension in my trailer is critical, as without tension it wouldnât draw my audience in and therefore
wouldnât interest them into seeing the actually film. Which the whole purpose to a trailer is to help sell
and promote a film (advertisement). Tension isnât just built from one area in a trailer it take a lot of
different things to make it successful, you need a mixture of;
ï” The music (does it fit the theme and clips it is playing with),
ï” The transitions between each clip (how they fade in and out),
ï” The pace between the slips (the time of each transitions decrease to build up speed),
ï” Using the correct body language in the clips (breathless speech and body language),
ï” Plenty of teaser clips (to show detail but not enough to spoil the actually film),
ï” And although not all the trailers I researched into contained day to day activities I believe it
developed my trailer as it allow me to portray the realism that was intended in my film. So even though I
challenged conventions with the technique I feel it developed my film positively.
19. How effective is the
combination of your main
product and ancillary
task?
22. Before I started to make my trailer I wanted to create a pre-plan so I was clear on the basic idea I
wanted my trailer to contain. I knew I would have to change a few things as I progressed through
the project but having the pre-planned meant creating my storyboard was easier.
When creating the pre-plan I had to make sure that my trailer was between 1minute 30seconds to
2minutes long. I wanted to involve as many different shot types and clips as possible in my trailer
without giving too much away to the audience, fore the whole purpose of a trailer is to tease.
Looking back on my pre-plan now I only used a minimum of the key points I put down as some of
the shots were not possible to create or they didnât give off the effect I wish for them too. So I either
just erased the clip or replaced it with something more effective.
24. After I created my pre-plan I designed to make a script so my selected actors knew what they
had to say. I realised that trailers donât contain much speech so I filmed more than what I needed
so I was able to have a selection of different clips to put together.
On my script I also added the scenery, which was my own house as it meant it was an easy
location for my actors to get too. I could move objects about without a worry, I knew where
everything was and I could also film different scenes whenever I wanted too with or without my
actors.
I also made a note of what my actors where wearing so if shots had to be retaken they had the
same clothing so when in the final trailer the editing quality is to a high standard and looks more
professional to the target audience.
27. Once I had created my script from the pre-plan I began to make my storyboard as I had more of a
clear idea of what I wanted to create at the end of the project. Comparing my pre-plan to the
storyboard shows that even my initials ideas were developed or removed due to the message I
released I wanted to give across to my target audience.
As you can see from the story board there are a lot of black screens, this is so I can inform the
audience what genre the trailer is and also to give them time to take in the scene they would of
viewed before and let it impact them. With the black screens I have added rhetorical questions (as
you can see from the storyboard also) this is so I can connect with the audience and make them
feel as if they trailer can relate to them (with the help from the other techniques I have involved in
my trailer).
Looking at my storyboard now there are a lot of shots that I have stuck to and I feel they have come
over more effect than I originally thought. There were areas that didnât work but as I mentioned
before I expected this as this change once filming actually begins.
28. My Magazine Front Cover.
When creating my magazine front cover I had to make sure;
ï” I had an original name for my magazine company.
ï” My feature article image portrayed the right message to the audience.
ï” The cover featured the film name.
ï” Had up-to-date information on it.
ï” Featured plenty of pull-ins to draw a large audience into reading it.
ï” Variety of fonts, sizing and colouring.
This is so I could make sure I make my magazine cover looked as realistic as possible, so when I
planned my drafts I took all these points into consideration so I could do exactly what I intended
too.
30. As you can see from my draft copies of my magazine covers I made sure my feature article image
was the main feature on the page. This is down to the magazine covers I analysed when my
research was taking place, it looked very effective and caught my eye instantly and I wanted to
create the same effect with my magazine cover.
I decided to name my magazine âTrailerâ as it a versatile name that suits the filming industry. Both
the rough pictures I drew where taken from scenes that I planned to film in the shooting for my
trailer so I was able to have y actor in the characters mind set to portray the message I wanted
correctly. And can tell my target audience a little bit about what the trailer features without them
seeing it already.
The text I plan to have on the cover was too a minimum so it didnât clutter the page or take away
the interest away from the feature article image. I just made sure the film name and little
information was featured.
32. As you can see from my final piece of the magazine cover I stuck closely to one of my drafts but
also including a few ideas from the other too.
I used a variety of colours for the text /font that I thought suited the colouring of the edited feature
article image to allow a relationship with the whole magazine cover. I made sure I used the door
space effectively by adding the extra text as it separated it from the rest pf the text that was about
my trailer (the feature article image).
I enjoyed creating this piece of work as I had a background from previous task I have been set
which meant I was able to experiment with different tools and effects to make my magazine more
of a statement as well as remaining realistic. I think the analysis of other film magazine helped with
this area of editing.
33. My Film Poster.
As well as created my magazine cover I also had to create a poster that would also boost the
image of my trailer. So I had to have key points to make sure I included certain things:
ï” My feature article image portrayed the right message to the audience.
ï” The poster featured the film name on it.
ï” A pull-in quote.
ï” Had to the same font as what was used in the actual trailer.
ï” Had film credits for realism.
when creating my poster there are less things to feature as it is just about your trailer so other
information doesnât needed to added. With a poster the image had to do all the talking so I
made sure text was kept to a minimum.
35. As you can see from my draft copies of my poster I made sure my feature article image was the main
feature on the page and the small amount of text was visible but not too much. This is down to the
posters I analysed when my research was taking place, it looked very effective and caught my eye
instantly and I wanted to create the same effect with my poster.
All three of the rough pictures I drew where taken from scenes that I planned to film in the shooting for
my trailer so I was able to have y actor in the characters mind set to portray the message I wanted
correctly. And can tell my target audience a little bit about what the trailer features without them
seeing it already. As you can see one of my design was similar to one of my magazine cover s so I could
consider continuity and the audience would instantly recognise the image if they saw it wherever.
The text I plan to have on the cover was too a minimum so it didnât clutter the poster and take anything
away from the feature image that should do all the taking for the film. I just made sure the film name
and the credits were featured.
37. As you can see from my final piece of the poster I didnât stick very closely to any of my first draft
and only took elements from all of the drafts I designs.
I didnât use a variety of colours for my poster as I wanted everything to be subtle against the image
so I kept it to black and white to also follow the message I wished to get across to my audience.
Blurring out the antagonist from the trailer also plays on the element of mystery I wished to portray in
he trailer as well as the ancillary tasks. I kept the same font selection as my trailer for the poster to
enforced continuity with my work so it was easily relatable to each other .
I enjoyed creating this piece of work as I had a background from previous task I have been set
which meant I was able to experiment with different tools and effects to make my poster more of a
statement as well as remaining realistic. I think the analysis of other film posters helped with this area
of editing.
38. Overall.
Overall looking at my final trailer product as well as my ancillary tasks it is clear there is a link in
between them all. As I made sure the font for the filmâs name was the same and coloured in white.
This was also done so the audience could see the name and relate it straight away to the different
areas they might of seen.
With my poster and magazine cover I wanted there to be a difference between them as I wanted
my audience to see the different areas of my film. With the magazine cover I wanted it to show the
protagonist looking vulnerable as it would draw the audience in to reading it as they would want to
know more of why she was looking like it. And with the poster I wanted there to be a sense of fear
portrayed as you are unable to see the antagonist features you cant help but want to know who
they are. I feel in both on these tasks the image has a strong impact.
All the message I wanted to get across have been successful as it all plays on the film name âBlind
Reasonâ and plays of the mystery that is bought across in my trailer.
40. To understand what my audience felt about my trailer, magazine front cover and poster I put
together a second survey that allowed my to know what the audience liked about my film trailer
and what they would possible change about it.
For this I used the same audience who took part in my first survey that was about what they wanted
to see from a thriller trailer. I used the same audience as it allow me to understand if I done the
things my audience was after and suited their expectations from my thriller/horror trailer.
I had 20 individuals take part in this survey.
41. 1. Are you Male or Female?
As you can see from the graph to the question I tried
to ask an equal amount of male and females as it
would be a more fair result to taken.
As having male and females take part in the survey I
would be able to understand what males
necessarily felt about my trailer, what they liked and
what they didnât. I the same with the female
audience.
I would also know if either felt a connection with the
protagonist or not and could understand whether it
would due their gender.
45%
55%
Male Female
42. 2. How old are you?
0%
80%
10%
0%
5%
5%
Under 10 years 10 to 20 years 21 to 30 years
31 to 40 years 41 to 50 years 51 and over
As you can see from the graph to the question the
majority of my audience I spoke to was between 10
and 20 years old (80%) this is because of the age
range I was trying to appeal to as my target
audience as thriller/horror films mostly interest the
younger generation. This is why the 21 to 30 year olds
are my second largest result (10%). Although there
are a few other older age groups who took part so I
was able to see if I also appealed to them as well.
But thriller/horrors are more unrealistic than a drama
fro example so a more mature generation would
prefer to see something like that due to personal
interests.
43. 3. What was your overall impression of
my trailer?
For this question I left it as an open so I could get
specific audience feedback on what they honestly
thought because if I have optional answer I wouldnât
of got the same usual information that I received
On the left is a few examples of what some of the
individuals thought. Looking at the quotes it tells me I
achieved what I wanted too because I wanted my
audience to question themselves due to the realistic
effect it gave off. The music was placed to help set
the tone of the situations and there was also senses of
mystery.
âThere was a sense of realism to the
trailerâ.
âThe rhetorical questions made me sit
and question myselfâ.
âI didnât know what type of film it
would be until the music kicked inâ.
âI want to know what that thing is,
what is it doing?â
44. 4. Did you feel yourself answering the
rhetorical questions featured in the
trailer?
As you can see from the graph to the question
that 75% (15 individuals) found themselves
answering the rhetorical question that were put in
place amongst my trailer. The ones who did were
in the 10-20 and 21-30 year old age range which is
the target audience I was wanting to interest.
The 25% who didnât find themselves doing so,
when asked why they said because they know a
thriller/horror isnât realistic and couldnât take it
seriously. This was the older generation who took
part in the survey who were there to inform me if I
could appeal to them as well as the younger
generation.
75%
25%
Yes No
45. 5. Did you think the music/sounds
suited the trailer?
As you can see from the graph to the question
everyone who took part in the survey thought the
music suited the trailer perfectly. This is because
they felt it help set the film genre because as
soon as it faded in after the playback scene they
were instantly aware of what genre the trailer
was going to be based.
This is exactly what I wanted to portray to the
audience as the play back was there for
background information as I wanted a sudden
cut to an opposite so it made an impact.
100%
0%
Yes No
46. 6. When the heartbeat was added,
did you feel more tension?
As you can see from the graph to the question
90% of the individuals I asked to take part
thought the heartbeat added more tension to
the trailer. When asked why they said because
something new was added and it was a
indication to expect something more the trailer.
So put them on the edge of their seats as they
waited to still be shocked.
The 10% who didnât feel more tension said it was
because they didnât realise the heartbeat fade
in as they were focusing on the clips that were
taking place.
90%
10%
Yes No
47. 7. Did the trailer hold you attention the
whole time it was playing?
As you can see from the graph to the question
there was only 5% of the audience who didnât
have the attention held by the trailer the whole
time. When I asked them why they said they
didnât enjoy thrillers due to them being unrealistic
(was the older generation) but they said I could
of added an little bit more to create a larger fear
factor to the trailer.
The 95% who had the attention focused on the
trailer said they just wanted to know what was
going to happen next so couldnât not look away
and know theyâd have to see the film to know as
nothing was truly revealed.
95%
5%
Yes No
48. 8. Did you think the text fitted the
thriller/horror genre?
As you can see from the graph to the question 1005%
of the individuals who took part in the survey thought
my text suited the trailer/magazine front
cover/poster well as there was just something about
the font that had a harsh feel and wasnât a friendly
thing to look at. So before the trailer really begun
they knew once they saw the text it wasnât going to
be a happy âRom-comâ.
The colouring of the font also help as it contrasted
well against the dark (black) backgrounds so stood
out to them instantly.100%
0%
Yes No
49. 9. Did you understand the story that
was forming in the trailer?
As you can see from the graph to the question
that 15% of my audience didnât fully understand
the storyline that was forming in the trailer, 5% of
these individuals were the ones who didnât pay
attention the whole time and the other 10% said
that it was because nothing was given away in
the trailer. Which some of them liked as they
would be surprised if they went to watch the final
film , where as the few that didnât said it was
because they like to know a bit of what its about
before they go so they know if it would be for
them or not.
85%
15%
Yes No
50. 10. What would you change about
the trailer?
As you can see from the range of responses I left this
question as an open answer so I could receive
personal feedback from my audience on what they
would change and keep the same about the trailer.
A lot of the comments I received I expected as a few
of the comments had occurred in pervious questions
that I had asked them. Although it was suggested to
provide more information I feel that a trailer is there to
tease and not spoil the actual film so I wouldnât give
want to give too much away from the trailer.
âI would want to see a few more day-
to-day clips of the main characterâ
âIâd like there to be a few more jumpy
scenes that would make me panic
and worryâ
âIâd like to have a bit more
information on what the film was
about, so I knew if it was for meâ.
51. 11. Do you think the magazine front
cover fits the trailer?
As you can see from the graph to the question every
individual who took part in my survey thought my
magazine front cover suited my trailer. When I asked
them why they thought so some of the responses
ranged from âbecause it had a clear connection
between the trailer and you could tell from the
feature article image there was fear yet mystery
being given offâ to âthe effects on the cover caught
my eye and I could recognise the character even
with the editing techniqueâ.
This is exactly what I wanted the audience to feel
when they saw the front cover.
100%
0%
Yes No
52. 12. Do you think the poster fits the
trailer?
As you can see from the graph to the question the
individuals I used also agreed that my poster fitted
my trailer. When I developed their answers into
discussion they told me why; âthe writing on the
poster matched the writing in the trailer which meant
I could clear link the twoâ or âthe sense of mystery by
not seeing the face plays on the part where you
donât know who the âthingâ is throughout the trailerâ.
Like my magazine, this is exactly what I wanted as
the right messages and effects were given across
and portrayed correctly to my audience.
100%
0%
Yes No
53. 13. Would you go and see the film
based on seeing the trailer, magazine
cover and poster?
As you can see from the graph to the question that
95% of the surveyed individuals would happily go
and watch the film from the trailer, magazine front
cover and poster because the trailer managed to
pull them so they are caught up on the mystery
portrayed and wish to find out more and why!? They
also said the fact the magazine and poster gave off
the same fear and mystery meant that there was a
continuity between them all.
The 5% who didnât want to see the film said it was
because thriller/horror genre films donât interest
them.
95%
5%
Yes No
54. Overall Analysis of Feedback.
After collecting back all the feedback from the individuals who took part in my survey I feel as if I gave
them what they were after from filling out the first survey that involved me actually making the trailer.
The negative feedback will allow me to work on the problems and improve them for the future, but
most of the negative comments came back from the older generation who actually stated they
didnât actually enjoy thrillers as it isn't a genre for them due to the unrealistic storylines. Although when
asked they said the hand-held camera footage and rhetorical questions did get them involved and
make them doubt some situations, this can be taken as a positive as the right effect was achieved.
If I were to remake my trailer I will consider adding more areas that would inform the audience more of
what was going to happen in the actual film, so everyone could have an understanding of what is
going to happen but not too much!
I am also pleased will the feedback I received of my poster and magazine front cover as it confirmed
to me that the effects, shots used and fonts were used successful to advertise the film correctly to the
target audience.
55. How did you use new
media technologies in
the construction and
research, planning and
evaluation stages?
56. Construction and Research.
I used Youtube and Google to help me research existing trailers as well as film magazine cover and
film posters. By having the new technology available to me allowed my to construct my research
easily and saved me a lot of time for it was constantly available to me depending on when I wanted
to studied it as I knew it was always be there and was very unlikely to be removed in the future. This
meant I could constantly flick back to areas that interested me and take ideas from the existing
trailer, magazine covers and poster and develop them to have my own personal touch on them
57. From my construction and planning stage I was also able to define genre types with the help of
the internet, this was so I knew what the right conventions were for my desired thriller/horror trailer. I
could then also view statistics to see the popularity of my chosen genre before I constructed a
survey for individuals from my target market to take part in. and once they had completed the
surveys for me due to new technology I was able to put my results into graphs on a computer so I
was able to see in percentages and visually sections to work out what was going to be best for my
trailer in the eyes of my audience.
58. Planning.
I created a pre-plan, script and storyboard for my trailer and then created rough draft copies of
possible front cover magazine and posters to then promote my trailer more. I scanned everything I
drew or wrote up on a computer. I done this so I could draw exactly what I wanted too and then
compare the existing work I had used for research to my own personal ideas.
59. I also used a digital camera for blocking this was so I could have still shots of intended scenes that
featured in my storyboard so I donât have to waste time when shooting my final trailer fore Iâd know
what angles and positions worked. As well as it allowing my to have a clear view of what I want
and could make any changes sooner rather than later as I had the shots I could work with. Event
though I was open to change I made sure before I started working on y final piece that I had a
basic idea constantly visible in my mind so there was always some form of structure.