The document summarizes the use of various software and technologies in creating a movie trailer, poster, and magazine cover for a film called "SLASH." It describes using Adobe Premier Elements to edit footage and create effects for the trailer, Adobe Photoshop to design the poster and magazine cover, adding text effects and layering images. It also discusses using a digital camcorder, Microsoft Publisher to analyze other media texts, and WordPress to blog the creative process and showcase the work. Key techniques mentioned include cutting and arranging clips, adjusting brightness/contrast, layering clips, and using the polygonal lasso tool to add slits to text.

1. SLASH TRAILER

2. Adobe Premier Elements Construction By using this software, I was able to bring footage from files into the program easily and selecting exactly which parts of the footage I wanted to use. One example where this skill was used effectively was when creating the running scene in my trailer. Made from two pieces of footage, I could insert them into the time line and split the clips. I was able to position the two clips in a sequence so they alternated in quick succession. This was an effective technique for creating tension and sudden surprise for the audience, something they would and should expect from the movie ‘SLASH’. Another scene from my trailer is one of the characters at a grave yard, mourning his friend. With this particular footage I had adjusted the brightness, contrast and saturation to create a very gloomy and negative atmosphere. Playing with these was effective for creating the negative mood and grim atmosphere, making the audience have sympathy for the character. Adobe Premier Elements enabled me to layer up clips and adjusting the opacity of the two. An example of this technique in my trailer was when I had the figure laying on the ground disappear. I positioned the camera and kept it running throughout the shot. I had my actor lie on the ground then walk away after a while. Using the first skill of cutting the clips, I was able to make two separate clips from it-one with the actor in the shot and one without. I then layered them on top of each other and adjusting the fade. This technique was good for creating the effect of passing time and loneliness. The shot on the left is also a good example for showing the passing of time. Premier Elements allowed me to change the pace of footage, enabling it to be slowed down, sped up or even reverse it. The Adulthood trailer I had referred to uses an effective technique for showing the passing of time. It consists of a character standing in the traffic. The traffic has been sped up whilst he is normal speed. This indicates the moving world around him.

5. Digital Camcorder Research & Planning In the research & planning stages of the coursework, I trialled using different shots and what they suggested about the characters. The snap shot on the far left is a close up of the characters hand. We notice the muscle and intensity of his grip on the door handle, strongly conveying the sense of power and masculinity. The high angle camera shot seen in the right hand image suggests the character is being watched and makes him look small amongst his surroundings. The full length practice video can be seen in the category ‘A2 Film Technique Practise’. Practising with the camera and making a short movie got me used to it and the Premier Elements software, making it easier for me when creating my SLASH trailer. After researching trailers similar to mine, I became very fond of using a technique effectively used in the Adulthood trailer. There is a technique used towards the end known as a bullet shot with a confrontation of the two characters. This technique is achieved with numerous still cameras positioned around the action. Each camera takes a still picture and they are put together in sequence to create a movement around the action. I thought this technique was very effective for portraying the characters within their surroundings and also a connotation meaning showing the two points of view. The required number of still cameras were not available to me, therefore I had to try it using a digital camera and physically moving around the character. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGwHAqe7LQs&feature=related is the link for my trial bullet shot. Using an office chair and handheld camera with a tripod, I slowly wheeled myself around my actor, then sped the clip up on Premier Elements. I found this to judder quite a lot, therefore I would have to move more slowly when it came to the real thing. This was an effective piece of planning as I was able to find a solution before shooting for my trailer began. Construction There are many different techniques and camera shots you can do with the Digital Camcorders. I achieved to get this distorted unfocused shot from an eye-line match of one of the characters by adjusting the manual focus on the device. This was an effective way of involving the audience in the film, allowing them to see what the unfortunate character is experiencing. The out of focus technique has been effective for suggesting the character is hurt and his eye-sight is blurred. The purpose for me doing this was to create a sense of sympathy and emotion from the audience for the character.

6. SLASH MOVIE POSTER

7. Adobe Photoshop Research & Planning I used Photoshop with researching movie posters when I was trying different texts and effects. This linked to the research & planning for my trailer because the titles would be used in both products. I looked at existing movie titles an how they created a brand for themselves. My post on the right hand side talks about the effect that two existing titles have and what they tell about the film. I had tried recreating the same effects with my own titles. I liked the ‘G-City’ title with the slits however as I stated in my post, I thought ‘The Hood’ title looks too high budget. I looked some existing movie posters of the same genre to see what sorts of conventions they had. I established the basics of the film title, the image and other pieces of text such as ratings and comments and release dates. At this stage I had trialled what I had seen on real media products. Evidence of this are the titles, comments and ratings and the release date. I thought it all worked well in this format. Construction When I began to create my movie poster, I decided to continue with the trial poster from the research & planning stage. I used Photoshop to construct my movie poster. In order to achieve the effect the images have, I had to change the images to greyscale. By adjusting the levels and playing with the contrast, this made the images look as if they had emerged from the black background. I found this extremely effective for creating murky, dull and mysterious looking images.

8. Microsoft Publisher/Wordpress Research & Planning Microsoft Publisher was a very good new technology to use for analysing real media products. I was able to insert the image of the movie poster to a large enough size to make easy reading and still then have detailed annotations around the image. I used arrows when pointing the annotation to the caption or image on the cover. This shows the reader exactly which annotation relates to the subject. When saving the document, I could save it as an JPEG image. By doing this I could easily and effectively put the image in a post on my Wordpress blog. I mentioned before how Wordpress allows you to insert images and videos etc into posts. I therefore inserted the JPEG file of my analysis page into the post. I believe this is the best way to portray such a document when the blog is read. This is because the reader can click on the image in the post to enlarge it on a new web page, so they can easily read the text on the document.

9. ‘ THE MOVIE MAG’

10. Microsoft Publisher/Wordpress Research & Planning I used Publisher when analysing real movie magazine covers in exactly the same way as how I analysed movie posters. I would then save the document as a JPEG file and insert it into a Wordpress post as an image in the same way I would with the poster analysis. I mentioned before in the SLASH poster section how easy it is for the reader of my blog to read the document by enlarging it on a new webpage. On the right is a screen shot of the webpage. Construction Wordpress allowed me to post the different stages of my construction for both the film poster and the magazine cover. I could also enter text into the post to analyse what I had done in each stage. By posting each stage, I could show readers my journey of how I got to my final construction. Being able to insert text into the post as well as an image was great for explaining what I was doing at each stage.

11. Adobe Photoshop Construction As well as using Photoshop to construct my film poster, I also used this software to produce my movie magazine cover. In the screen shot above I have shown two stages of my magazine cover. I mentioned before when talking about my film poster and trailer, the effects Photoshop enables you to apply to text and images. Research & Planning In the screen shot to the left, I have shown two stages of my cover. The one on the left was my first practice where I had began to use the sorts of conventions of real media products from my research into real media products. This Bond issue of Total Film was a large influence for me as I liked how professional, yet very busy it looked. As you can see I have used a similar ‘PLUS’ banner at the bottom and created a identity from the magazine title. By the time I had completed my final construction, I had used a range of techniques and tools to enhance my cover. I have used an embossed effect on the magazine title ‘MOVIE’. This has been effective for bringing the title out from the page, giving it a more 3 Dimensional look. Another skill I have incorporated into the cover is a glow from the image. This is a convention I have subverted from. Bond looks as if he is amongst the surrounding in the background. I however wanted my figure to look powerful and away from his surroundings. This communicates to the audience that in fact the actor has defeated the society in which he belongs.

12. New Technologies in Evaluation Digital Camcorder and the use of Adobe Premier Elements In order to answer question 3 of my evaluation, I decided to use an interview style technique, involving the digital camcorder. This was excellent for enabling me to have a close up on the interviewees and helping to show exactly what was said in the interview. I believe filming an interview with physical actions and dialogue is an extremely good way to analyse my products because the interviewees are able to explain some things in speech much easier than trying to explain something in typing. Adobe Premier Elements is the software I used to edit my footage. This involved the cuts between myself and the interviewees. Wordpress As well as inserting images and videos, I am also able to insert PowerPoint Presentations via a website ‘SlideShare’. Once I have posted the PowerPoint on SlideShare, I receive a code that can be typed into the post on Wordpress and works fully functionally and interactive when my blog is read. I used a recorded interview to answer question 3 of my evaluation as this is a good way to fully explain this particular question. Therefore I will have to upload the interview as a video clip just how I did when uploading my trailers. This is a screen shot of a PowerPoint presentation I produced in my AS Evaluation. As you can see, the PowerPoint is displayed just as you would see it when presenting it normally. The arrow on the right is interactive and is used to go to the nest slide.