PROPOSAL FOR ADVANCED PORTFOLIO

This Blog, shows all of the research planing and developing of my final task, creating a DOCUMENTARY FILM TRAILER.Through analyzing already existing media products,  I was able to require and develop the necessary skills, enabling me to produce my chosen task, as well as creating two differing auxiliary products; a FILM POSTER and a FILM MAGAZINE FRONT COVER which will accompany my final trailer. In creating my trailer and the auxiliary texts, from my research I have tried to conform to various codes and conventions cited in real media texts, however, I have also introduced my own skills and techniques. as well as my ADVANCED PORTFOLIO, on the right hand side a link to my previous years work is also presented, in my FOUNDATION PORTFOLIO blog.

MY FINAL PRODUCTS

FILM POSTER 

FILM MAGAZINE FRON COVER 

'THE MODEL INDUSTRY' TRAILER 

EVALUATION QUESTION 1

IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

My trailer was an example of a Observational documentary film trailer, which aimed to inform the audience about  the fashion world, concentrating predominantly on The Modeling Industry. Some of the documentary film trailers I watched and analyzed during my research, illustrated and conformed to some of these conventions. such as 'Vogue- The September Issue'


Conventions of an Observational mode documentary films is primarily using long takes, and occasionally close up shots, allowing the subjects and action of the feature to appear mostly unaware that they are being filmed, enabling the film to appear realistic, this it too reinforced by the producer/filmers presence being hidden, as well as no voice over being included.


LONG TAKE

CLOSE UP

Following on from this, instead of giving spoken narration, highlighted key facts and textual knowledge such as "LONDON, PARIS, NEW YORK, MILAN" are conveyed through text in a plain black/white background, these types of titles are displayed throughout.  As featured in many films of this particular genre, i used  a common convention in order to successfully distinct and categorize my film as  documentary.

In addition, non diegetic sound is also used, an example of this is music, The XX- Heart Skipped a Beat, as it emphasis the mood of the trailer as well as relating to the images/ moving visuals. However this choice of music is not used in all films in this genre, mostly instrumental pieces of music are used within trailers, in order to assist rather than distract form the person speaking or images being shown. However 'The September Issue' is too a contrast to this, through the use of a louder song which features lyrics. The song chosen to depicts the pace of the feature, as many directors use instrumental pieces the pace of heir film is slow, this is similar to my choice. 


HEART SKIPPED A BEAT - THE XX 

Furthermore, my trailer consists mainly of 'Charlotte' an established model within the industry, shots of her are anchored with titles, such as 'Every place,a different face' these words highlight the tone of the film as well as conveying to the viewer the principle content within the film. This is similar for Anna Wintour in 'The September Issue', shown throughout the duration of the trailer, she too is shown to the audience to be a 'legend and feared' through the use of text. Further more I also included Film awards this is too a common feature within most film trailer, both documentary and differing genres of film.


ANCHORING THE IMAGE 

FILM AWARD 

As my video was based around one girls life in the model industry, I believed it to be important to have an interview, which is a common convention of documentary films. However, when reviewing my footage and listening back on the interview, i did not think it fitted well into my trailer therefore instead of incorporating Charlottes dialogue into the  trailer, I instead featured her reactions, in doing so I highlighted a variety of her emotions (happy, serious etc) this assisted in establishing a relationship between the viewer and the protagonist.  This editing choice therefore challenges the conventions of real media products. 

Moreover, unlike any of the films that I watched and analyzed I decided to make the entirety of my film black and white, I decided to challenge this convention as I believed it would enable my piece to appear sophisticated and professional, the use of this colour scheme complimented the visual as well as assisting in enabling the viewer to focus solely upon the video content rather than being distracted.

EVALUATION QUESTION 2

HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE COMBINATION OF YOUR PRODUCT AND AUXILIARY PRODUCTS?

EVALUATION QUESTION 3

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT FROM YOUR AUDIENCE FEEDBACK?

On completion of  my products it was important to gain feedback from my target demographic, as my film trailer contained no content which could have been  seen as inappropriate for certain ages, I asked people of differing ages to give their views on my products. In doing so it became apparent that "The Model industry" appealed to a varied demographic. This was mainly due to the way in which I portrayed the industry, through Charlotte a young girl who seemed happy and sweet rather than serious and moody common associations with models.  On listening to feedback, it can be said that the concept of my trailer worked well, using the focal visual of charlotte combined with snippets of the model industry, it offered a balance between the two. Through the lack of dialogue the trailer did not give anything away, however still appealed to the viewer, as the use of titles, such as 'THIS YEAR FASHION PRESENTS'gave narration for the feature, therefore my target audience would be more inclined to go and see the film. The main aspects of the film which the audience preferred was the use of black and white, suggesting that this colour scheme, complimented the chosen visuals enabling the piece to appear professional and polished, as well as being a contrast to the alternate existing and established deocumentary films. Furthermore the choice of song 'Heart skipped a beat - The XX' too seemed popular among the viewers, as a majority of the song is beats and instrumental rather than lyrics, the music did not distract from the trailer but instead assisted it in telling the story of the film. Further more, overall the combination of my three products complimented and worked well together, as all three was similar in colour scheme and simplicity. 

EVALUATION QUESTION 4

HOW DID YOU USE MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION, RESEARCH PLANNING AND EVALUATION STAGES?

(words written in THIS FONT are links)

Throughout the entirety of planning, researching, constructing and later evaluating my documentary film trailer, I successfully took advantage of the use of technology. In an attempt to neatly and orderly present all aspects of my work, I displayed my findings on blogger.com, this is a free and social website on the internet. During the early stages of my coursework, I used the internet to assist with my research, websites such as 4od and YOUTUBE enabled me to watch films, which were relevant to my specific genre documentary films, which do not get great exposure in cinema, DVD etc as much as other styles and genres of film, furthermore I too looked at numerous behind the scenes videos of fashion shows, these gave me an insight into the role of the model, as well as being able to see how a professional photographer or film maker documented the model industry, as well as viewing hundreds of pages of tumblr, which was full of fashion imagery, through my research I was both inspired and influenced. As well as displaying my research on websites I also used PREZI, an online program which allowed me to make online presentations, conveying my analysis of certain areas of my research, such as comparing the conventions of already existing and established film magazines. Following on from this, the internet too enabled me to research and view examples of my chosen auxilary products, a film magazine front cover and a film poster. After analyzing these forms of media,  I used the Adobe Photoshop software to create my own auxiliary products. During the process of construction, I used differing media forms in order to create and produce my film trailer, such as a video-camera and a digital camera.Once I had completed my main filming, which was an interview, I edited my footage in iMovie which allowed me too make the necessary edits in order to make my footage appear skillful and polished, these included extracting audio, splitting and cutting certain clips as well as reordering the sequence of my trailer. Once in its entirety, I used the well known website Youtube  to upload my trailer, allowing me to then share my work on blogger. When evaluating my product  I used online websites such as prezi, which i had used previously, to highlight my a particular stage of my evaluation, as it enabled me to clearly and orderly structure my feedback. 

EDITING

On reviewing my interview footage with Charlotte, I decided that the piece would look more professional if I change the colour of the entire video from Normalto Black & White. When doing this it was also important for me to consider the contrast and brightness of the clip, as this change effected the overall lightness and quality of the clip. Furthermore after this edit, I too decided to change the size of the frame, using the crop tool. When scaling the frame of the clip, I decided to change charlottes position form a medium shot, with her being situated central, to a close up shot as well as changing her from centre to the right hand side. As this interview was featured a lot in my trailer, the differing shots enabled the trailer to look more professional and interesting, rather the entirety of the interview being shot from the same distance and angle. 



As my film was based predominantly on Charlotte;a model. Who the film is set and based upon, I decided to include footage of her laughing, as this happened during the interview, there is evidently  both speech and laughter, therefore when reviewing my footage I decided to eliminate this sound, and make the clip silent, in doing so I was able to still include the footage of her laughing without the distraction of the dialogue.  Although this may seem to be an odd choice of clips, I believe that including this footage, highlighted a relationship between the 'talent' and the person filming, this expression of laughter showed that the film would be about one particular model therefore it showed her as a person rather than just a catwalk model. 



Further, similar to many of my differing clips, it was essential that I change the colour of this clip from normal to black&white,in order for it be consistent and coherent with the rest of my feature. In previous footage I had used clips of Charlotte laughing to highlight her role within the film, but for the opening of the trailer I decided I wanted to feature a clip where she looked serious, reflecting the actions of a models audition tape . However when I asked Charlotte to do this, the footage I got was not what I was looking for, therefore I re-watched all of the interview and edited clips where she was naturally moving but these had  a similar effect to the style I was looking for.  Once I had selected the clips I edited them so they were mute, and like before changed the scale of the frame so it was an extreme close up, ensuring the rule of thirds.




During my trailer I was keen on highlighting the famous 'model polaroid' this style of photograph is a common association to the model industry. As I filmed the clip in colour I had to change this to black&white. I believed this colour choice assisted in conveying the tone of my documentary film, as a documentary the film would be mainly factual and an insight into the competitive world of modeling.



After changing the colour of this specific clip, I also decided to change the scale of he frame, form a medium shot to a close up shot. In doing so I was able to highlight the models who feature on the polaroids clearer as there was not so many on screen at once, unlike before.



As my Documentary film was in the style of an observatory documentary, the narration which accompanied the visuals was limited. Therefore I gave narration through the appropriate use of Titles, which conveyed important and necessary imformation to the audience. From research this was a common convention of most trailers, whether they be a documentary film or an alternate genre.

IMOVIE EDITING

In order to allow my work to look as professional as possible I used a tool called iMovie, by using this I was able to skillfully and precisely edit my footage.

As my footage was already saved onto my computer I had to import it to iMovie so I was able to edit it. This was easily done by clicking on File - Import Movie

After choosing to import my own footage, iMovie allowed me to access all video documents within my computer, allowing me to easily select which ones I intended to use.

When imported, the raw footage will appear on the bottom half of the screen, being able to play this, you are too able to decide which bits f the clip are most successful and select them, once doing so a yellow box will appear around your selected piece of video.

After you have chosen which part of the clip, you want to use, you are able to drag the clip into the top box, which will end u consisting of your final edit.

Once you have dragged the clip it will appear in the top left hand side of the box, once here you are able to continue to edit it.

Inorder to gain full use and advantage of iMovie, it is suggested to turn Advanced Tools on this gives access to differing and more professional editing tools.

Once you have selected more clips, you  are able to play you feature in widescreen, therefore allowing you to view your product in the way it would appear on youtube etc.

PRODUCTION OF AUXILIARY TEXT

FILM POSTER

In order to create my film poster I first had to create a new document on Photoshop C3, the measurements of the document I made was 35cm by 50cm, these measurements enabled me to replica the shape and size of a real film poster.

After creating the document I then made the logo for my film, and decided to use it as the film poster, the simplicity of the image suited my style of film as well as this the black and white image of polaroids, which makes up the text stands out boldly against the white background. 

After making and scaling my logo to a size which best suited the size of the poster, I then positioned it in the middle of the page.As the only image it was important for it to be central, therefore attracting the audiences attention.  Once happy with the placing, I used the Text Tool to write the names of those that had  featured within the film, this concept of putting important peoples name along the top of the poster is a convention that it seen on nearly all film posters, regardless of genre. The font which I used was Helvetica Light, as it looked professional and clear, as well as this from previous research it was evident that many already establishing brands used this typography.

Also through the research process, I noticed that most posters included the stars they were rewarded, this is a way of  appealing to an audience, as it highlights the quality of the film. As well as this I added a slogan/tag line underneath the focal image, this would assist in attracting my audience.

In order to complete my poster I put the season in which the film will be out as well as a website, hopefully people would go on the website after seeing the trailer if this genre and topic of film appeals to them. Overall I kept my poster simple, keeping to the colour scheme of black and white the poster would stand out as well as conform to conventions of this genre of film poster. 

FILM MAGAZINE FRONT COVER 

In order to create the front cover of my Film Magazine I first decided what would be my focal images,  I chose make up as it had connotations to the idea of beauty which is heavily associated with the modeling industry. Furthermore my documentary aims to show the girls behind the make up, unwrapped, therefore the chosen image has associations with this concept. I did not just want an image of ordinary make up, so instead I drew make up products, once finished I took a photo and uploaded it to Photoshop.

Once uploaded I cropped the images and placed them side by side so there appeared to be a row of make up. Once satisfied with where they were positioning, I adjusted the colour of the image with the'Fill Tool' as well as this I changed the brightness and contrast as this enabled my image to appear more defined and of a better quality. 

During the stages of producing my Magazine cover, It was essential for me to find an image of the lettering of total film, once found I copied the font style and placed it at the top of my magazine, so the brand name was obvious to any audience member.

FILM MAGAZINE CONVENTIONS

ANALYSIS - PREZI

FILM POSTER CONVENTIONS

• A large title which attracts the eye,
• Bold colours which stand out from the background 
• Intriguing picture which would attract viewers to the film
• Usually one predominant image
• Persuasive language which might persuade the viewers to go and see the film, 
• Include reviews or/and tag-lines 
• Promotional features like actors’ name, director, reviews etc
• The certification will either to ensure that the right type of people are watching the film
• A successful film poster will accomplish attracting the target audience and persuade them to come and watch the film

DOCUMENTARY FILM POSTERS

Examples of  Documentary Film poster

CHOSEN ANCILLARY PRODUCTS

As well as my Trailer, I will also produce a FILM POSTER and a FILM MAGAZINE FRONT COVER, as my chosen ancillary products.

LOCATIONS

During Filming in order to gain the footage I needed I filmed in various places.

SELFRIDGES LONDON

LEIGH ON SEA

CUT FOOTAGE/IMAGES

During the stages of filming and editing my footage, there was some images and clips that I later decided to not put into my final trailer, the reasoning for this, was due to the quality of the visuals. Throughout the duration of the filming stage I had to use various cameras, the video camera which I did my interview on was of a much better quality than the video cameras I have previously used. Therefore when I put all the footage together there was a noticeable difference in the quality of the footage, in an attempt to make my piece look professional I therefore cut the weaker quality footage, in order for my piece to look skillful and coherent. 

BLACK AND WHITE

In order to change my clips from colour to Black and White, I had to use the colour correction tools on  iMovie'08.

• If you select a clip in your project, you can make colour changes by hitting the letter "V" on your keyboard or by clicking the "Adjust Video" button.
• This will bring up the "Video Adjustments" window, which really is just about correcting the colour in your video clips.
• To make a clip look Black & White, we need to first make changes to the Saturation settings for the clip. Saturation is just a measure of how vibrant the colors are. 
• Drag the saturation slider all the way to the left and watch all the color wash out.
• Then you adjust the Contrast in order to change the brightness of the black and white, this enables the overall image/clip to appear more defined