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

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

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

Tripod
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

Tripod
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

2) Apple iMac & MacBook
Once 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

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

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

3) Final Cut Pro
Most 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
WITHOUT LETTERBOX
WITH LETTERBOX

3) Final Cut Pro
Once 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
BEFORE CHROMA KEYING
AFTER CHROMA KEYING

3) Final Cut Pro
The 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

4) YouTube
YouTube, 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

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) Posters
The 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

1) Posters
Our 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

2) Magazines
Magazines, 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

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

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

Frame 1
This 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

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

Frame 2 - Continued
Elaborating 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.

Frame 3
This 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

Frame 4
This 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

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

Frame 5
This 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

Frame 6
This 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

Frame 7
Frame 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

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

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

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

audience feedback?
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

audience feedback?
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

audience feedback?
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

audience feedback?
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

audience feedback?
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

audience feedback?
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

audience feedback?
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

audience feedback?
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

audience feedback?
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

A2 Media - Evaluation

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