Evaluation

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?


When starting to look at different film genres in preparation for starting our group piece, we looked at the various film genre's and the conventions of each of those genres. However after much thought we came to the conclusion that we would look into crime dramas in more detail. Realising that this was probably what we would want to choose for our own genre. Our film genre shares many common conventions such as a dark environment often with a murderer and victim. Some of the common themes of our genre are death, victims, as well as the conventions of the production such as music, editing or creating a story which itself creates and puzzles the audience leaving them guessing throughout the movie.  


We generally fit to these conventions of a crime drama/thriller by having the classic characters who regularly feature in such films, these are a victim girl and a nasty murderer, as well as using enigmas, by not revealing the murderer. Throughout the analysing process I learned new information such as the props, costumes, lighting and mise en scene which is used for my chosen film genre. We found that special detectives such as DI's and DCI's wear suits to portray their job role which gives them a professional look. We have tried to create a film which uses various conventions and techniques from previous to current crime dramas so that it challenges the conventions of real media products. 

However to be more creative we didn’t totally stick to conventions, for example, we used a modern but still twisted storyline. We also used a modern piece of music which sounded chilling and scary to continue our particular theme. We stuck to most of the old forms and conventions of horror including modern twists to it. 

In conclusion I believe that our final product is very good and unique. It has represented its genre extremely well and we have stuck to the various conventions and I have no doubt that it will be challenging other real media products.

2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Before beginning any of my ancillary tasks I made it clear to myself that I wanted to create my two ancillaries around my main product, showing an organised approach. 

The ancillaries are extremely important as this portrays what the film may be about, preparing the viewers. I made sure that I used the same colours schemes for both ancillaries. However for the text and font I wanted to vary but so that it still suited my film genre.   



3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

For us to find out who our target audience would be we decided to create a questionnaire using Microsoft Word. From the results we were able to create our main product and ancillaries and now that the final product is completed we recieved positive feedback and positive comments from our target audience and peers. I also asked them to compare our short film to other real media products as this would allow us to see how good our products really were.

Overall I have gained a vast amount of knowledge from this process and have learned that good preperation leads to a finished product which most importantly appeals to your target audience. Many people were interested in the amount of time it took to create our film and the making of our ancillaries. You can see how we have used previous feedback and use it to our advantage to create three pieces of work with the target audience in mind. 

In conclusion the feedback given from our questionnaire was very positive and from there we have worked to replicate the thoughts of our target audience. The group and myself both know that we have improvements to make, however the deadlines made it difficult to go back and change things as there was plenty of other tasks which require your full attention.  

4. How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

New media technologies were vital for the construction, research and planning of our film. The Internet in particular was fundamental to our research and planning as it enabled us to use sites such as google, youtube to help me research magazine covers, film trailers and review pages. This has helped obtain ideas from other films trailers of the same genre The Rising Sun.

The Internet also allowed us to record the planning, research and construction of our short film on a blog http://www.blogger.com/. The blog would include everything throughout the coursework, from the planning and preparation of our ideas + thoughts to the ancillaries, final product and so on. For the making of both ancillaries I used Microsoft Publisher using paint and fireworks to help edit my photos and text. For the remainding we used Microsoft Word. I used a website called http://www.dafont.com/ which enables people to chose from a wide range of fantastic fonts and styles.

To construct our short film we used a video camera and tripod to record the visuals, we also took location shots on a digital camera during the filming. We edited our short film using a Mac mini. We transferred all our footage onto the computer and selected the clips we would use for both our final film and scenes which we could use as outtakes. The Mac Mini using Imovie allows you to synchronise your short film to how you want it with a selection of extra features such as the option of addding music/subtitles etc to give it that professional look.

 

Ancillary 1

Planning

Now that I am at the planning stage of my poster I will write down an organised plan preparing myself for everything that I will do to make sure that the production stage of my poster is a success. In my planning I will contain what I will do for each part of my poster. This includes the image, colour scheme that I will use and the text I will put onto my poster. To create my poster I will use publisher which is a great software enabling me to piece together each aspect of my poster. Publisher allows you to preview your poster so that if I am unsatisfied with the final result I can simply make the changes accordingly. Below is 7 layout plans of my possible ancillary poster, the first 3 are very basic designs and the other 4 are in more detail:

  

The first 3 designs are very basic layouts so that I could see how things layedout. From that I created another 4 expanding in detail of what will be featured and where things will be placed on the poster. These designs have given me a rough idea of what I will want my final poster to be like. I have briefly covered the main aspects in which the poster will need in order to attract my audience and the promotion of my film. 

My second analysis will be off the colour schemes which I want to include on my poster. Choosing the correct colour scheme for a poster is vital in correctly portraying the genre of my film. Colour represents a lot of things such as the genre, mood and its purpose, for example having black and white dominating a poster, it can deter the attention off the colour and its image/fonts etc. However if you introduced the colour red to your poster which I have done for mine then the attraction will be greater, making the image and its text more powerful and appealing to the viewers. From the research into posters we found that the colours black, white and red are very popular colours for these types of posters as they combine really well together giving it an effective combination.



The main image is another aspect that I want to show great care in choosing. Personally I believe that this is the most important as a picture says more than words. For the majority its the thing they remember most and is how posters draw the attention of its viewers. Below are a few examples of images which I thought I could use for my poster:  

Both of these images give the viewer a lot to think about. Both images are very revealing and intriguing, the first image is of a dead child's hand and arm which is very powerful. The second if of two policeman escorting a man this could suggest drama.

However when it comes to the making of my ancillary 1, I will take a variety of photos so that when it comes to choosing the image(s) for both ancillaries I will have plenty to choose from, picking the best ones. As I said previously the colour black always shows things more clearly, therefore drawing attention to the rest of the poster. The colour black suits our film genre really well and depending on the image used it could make the poster look very appealing and unique. The group and myself will make sure that each photo is relevant to our film and its genre but so that the image has purpose and interesting. If getting each aspect correct then the poster will not only appeal to its target audience but it will also make people want to go and see the film. 

As my poster will have various styles of text I want it to be unique and give it that professional finish to it. So I therefore used the website  http://www.dafont.com/. This website enables people to chose from a wide range of fantastic fonts and styles, the website is straight forward and simple to use with a step by step guide to the different texts and fonts using the various categories on offer. This website will certainly be a benefit to me when the final ancillary 1 is complete.

Final Poster

  

Ancillary 2

Planning

Now that I am at the planning stage of my ancillary 2 I will write down an organised plan preparing myself for everything that I will do to make sure that the production of my review page leads to a success. In my planning I will contain what I will do for each part of my review. This includes the image, colour scheme that I will use and the text I will put onto my review page. To create my the review page I will use publisher which is a great software enabling me to piece together each aspect of my poster. However whereas in ancillary 1 I used A4 Portrait to create a neat and tidy poster the same cant be said about ancillary 2. For ancillary 2 I will be using A4 Landscape which allows me to use the space more wisely, so that when it comes to the review, the text wont be dominating the page.

Publisher is a great software which allows you to preview your review page so that if I am unsatisfied with the final result I can simply make the changes accordingly. Below is a rough copy of what I hope my review page to be like, if not similar: 

This design has given me a rough idea of how I want my final review page to be like. I have briefly included some of the main aspects in which may be used for the review page. The design looks very tidy and professional however I will want to rearrange the layout slightly, simply changing the page size from Portrait to Landscape offers extra space and I would like to use that as an advantage. I believe that by doing this it will eliminate any chance of my review page getting clustered and untidy. 

Colour shemes are again going to require plenty of consideration and time so that the review page doesn't look out of sorts with my poster and magazine covers. Colour represents a lot of things such as the genre, mood and its purpose, for example having black and white dominating a poster, it can deter the attention off the colour and its image/fonts etc. Again like my poster and magazine cover I will use a black background for the same reasons. I believe this will make my ancillaries much better quality as I have followed the same method throughout and haven't deterred from my thoughts and ideas.

The main image is another aspect that I want to show great care in choosing. Personally I believe that the image will be just as important, if not more significant for the review. However it is still very important as a telling picture can persuade viewers. For the majority of people its the thing they remember most. Below are a few examples of images which I thought I could use for my review page:

 

The thing I like most about these  two images are that they are simple to create and have that huge appeal factor to them. Again the two images give the viewers a lot to think about. The first image is of a dead child's hand and arm which is very effective and teases the viewers to what the film may have in store. The second image is very basic but suggests crime and drama will be featured in the film.

When it comes to the making on my ancillary 2 I will chose a photo which will be appealing but not so that it will overpower the review. I have reached the conclusion that the background will once again be black so that the text will stand out more becoming more clear, therefore drawing attention to itself. The group and myself will make sure that the review page is up to high standards and replicates that of the reviews I used for my research.

Like my poster my review page will have various text styles and Dafont, http://www.dafont.com/ a website which enables people to chose from a wide range of fantastic fonts and styles, the website is straight forward and simple to use with a step by step guide to the different texts and fonts using the various categories on offer. This website will certainly be a benefit to me when the final ancillary 2 is complete.

Final Review Page
 

 

Review page research

Review Page Research



Before I started planning my review page I looked at 3 reviews from existing films, similar to our own movie. The review page is what most people use as feedback so that they can determine whether or not the film is worth seeing. A review page must be flawless with a tidy layout including image(s), contrasting colours and attractive font. I have looked at a variety of review pages, all of which are unique in their own way. These three posters are from various timescales and each one has the appeal factor which attracts its audience. The three reviews I chose are from "Avatar" as the most recent "I am legend" and "Lady in the water" being the oldest. By analysing these review pages I can gain an understand of what makes there review page look so appealing.

Avatar

Straight away we are immediately attracted by the large use of images from the film. The A3 spread is dominated by images which are arranged in a linear manner with a border around the images. The review page consists of one large image, a smaller adjacent image and a series of smaller images along the bottom. Furthermore the images give the audience a sense of the genre of the film.

The colours shown on the review page work really well with one another, the black background with the white coloured text has been planned deliberately as the two colours contrasts really well as the white text stands out over the black background. The reason they have used those colours is because the images are so big, overruling the review page and demanding attention that they need to distract the audience so that they read the review. 

   

The text boxes overlap on to the image. The text used is of a consistent font and size apart from the title of the film which is in a larger font. The text is also in the same colour throughout the article and contrasts well with its chosen background colour.    

Lady in the water

On this review page the layout is totally different to that of Avatar. This layout is rather simple whereas Avatar was more complicated, however both review pages work well individually.

Lady in the water contains another large image taken from the movie as well as one smaller adjacent image. Again like Avatar the images don't overlap.

In terms of colour, this review page doesn't include any striking colours which grab your attention. But the layout does deter you from the images towards the paragraphs of the review at the bottom of the page. But the reason to why the images stand out so much is because the colour of font and size are so dull and small.

The text again is of the same font through out the article except for the title. As a result the title stands out from the text. Unlike the Avatar review this article has highlighted a quote from the text by changing its colour and font size. In addition small amounts of text have been added to the top hand right corner of the images to explain what they are showing.

I am legend

This review shares a large majority of similarities as the previous two articles. The main difference in this review is that the main image chosen isn't a still image from the film. Instead they have chosen an image which shows the making of the film.

The layout looks very smart and professional. The big image is certainly the most eye-catching and appealing as it covers the majority of the page. The review page looks very busy with the image showing the production of a set, however the layout, use of text and colour really make the review look unique and appealing.

Like Avatar the text overlaps onto the image. I am legend like Lady in the water, have both highlighted quotes from the text by changing its colour and font size. In addition small amounts of text have been added onto the image to explain what they are showing.

The masthead isn't the biggest compared to the image but because the remainding text is so small, it draws attention to itself without the need of a big/bold and colourful masthead.       

Once again there aren't any great colours which really catch your eye but similar to Lady in the water the layout of the review page does deter you from the image towards the text as they are tightly compacted together. However the black coloured text is clearly visible with a white background.  

Poster Research

Poster Research

Before I started planning my poster I looked at 3 posters from existing films similar to my movie. Posters are a big part of advertising in the film industry as they are one of the main attractions for audiences. Posters must appeal in some way to attract audiences, whether it be the images, colours or fonts used. I have looked at a variety of posters, all of which are unique in their own way. These three posters are from various timescales and each one has its appeal factor which attracts its audiences. The three posters which I chose were "Lethal Weapon" being the oldest, "The Hurricane" and "American Gangster" which is the latest. By analysing these posters I can understand what conventions make there poster so appealing. 

The Lethal Weapon poster is very unique but simple and effective as the image is black, white and grey. The image is more effective now than it would be with colour. However as the image takes up the whole poster, it makes it eye-catching for audiences. The image is very powerful and it emphasises what the movie may possibly have in store with the gun. The poster is off the two main characters, the image looks very professional and serious with both characters posing as though they are looking back at you as you look at the poster. 

With the colour of the image being rather dull and colourless, it means that the film title/text doesn't need to be big and bold. The film title isn't the biggest but the colour red really stands out along with the white text which again isn't a significant size but the colours contrast well with one another and the background image. The text overlaps the image allowing viewers so see clearly what the film is about. The rest of the poster contains regular conventions of any film poster such as names of characters, director, producers, release date, companies who helped produce the film.

   

The Hurricane is very different from Lethal Weapon however both posters are very simple to create but extremely effective and eye-catching. The layout is very unique but interesting for viewers, it looks very smart, tidy and professional.

With the black background on the left, it means that the white and red text contrasts extremely well and is clearly visible to viewers. The movie title isn't very big or bold but it doesn't need to with the white colour set on a black background.

The image of Denzel Washington portrays a frustrated but determined character which gives us an insight to what may be included in the film. The image and cover line also gives off a feeling that the film will be based around inspirational characters. The cover line (HIS GREATEST FIGHT WAS FOR JUSTICE)acts as a teaser for people to read, this will then make the viewers think about what the film is about.

And finally the rest of the poster contains regular conventions of any film poster such as names of characters, director, producers, release date, companies who helped produce the film.

The American Gangster poster is very similar to the Lethal Weapon poster as again the preferred colours are black, red and white. Black and white allow a contrast between the background to the image and text. This immediately makes them stand out attracting viewers attention. The colours can also be portrayed as being colours of blood, danger and unhappiness which fits the films genre. This therefore works really well on a black and white based poster.  

The image is taken from a low angle using a medium close up of the main characters. The image portrays the characters by using colours. For example the colour black is used for Denzel Washington in a suit and a white suit for Russel Crowe, this could explain the roles of the characters in this film. The image makes it clear that movie will be action packed with Denzel Washington holding a gun which will appeal to its target audience. The image contrasts well with the plain background.          

The text colour and size is once again very similar to The Hurricane and Lethal Weapon posters. 

Unlike The Hurricane and Lethal Weapon, American Gangster only includes the names of the characters in the film.

Poster Research Conclusion

From analysing these posters I have found out what types of things attract the right audience. There are 3 main parts to each poster which will need to be planned before I go on to start producing my poster. I will take great care in analysing what image I will choose to use, what colours I will use on my poster and how the text/font will represent my film name. These conventions can be used and produced in different ways to represent different things and appeal in different ways to the target audience that I have researched. For my own poster I will have a plain black background, carefully selecting my image, font and colours. By having a plain black background it enables the image to stand out more. I will also make sure that the font for my title will really stand out and will be suitable for the theme and genre of the film.



Research: Ideas/Analysis Film Magazine cover research

Film Magazine cover research

Before I began planning my magazine cover I looked at three existing covers from various sources based on the same genre to see what kind of conventions were used in each one to make them attractive to their target audience. I chose 3 posters which I thought would give me new ideas of the different types of images I could use for the production of my poster. When analyising the posters I will look mainly at the images, colour and text/font used to see how there poster has appealed to their target audience. For the three Empire magazine covers I have chose, I picked American Gangster, Lethal Weapon and The Shining. Each magazine cover is different allowing me to take different characteristics from either one and forward them to my planning later on.

  

The American Gangster cover from Empire magazine is dramatic and effective. The magazine colours are rather basic and dull which contrasts to where the movie location was shot. The mast head of the cover stands out the most with its big, thick font immediatly drawing attention to itself. The mast head almost brings the poster to life as its the brightest colour. This is because the producer of the magazine has decided to highlight the magazine brand, giving it a sence of power.However the colours used for the font are the colours of the American flag linked to the movie American Ganster. The font and text has been layed out purposly to draw veiwers attention. The big thick font stretches right across the middle of the poster, placed on top of the image. The text used is very appealing with as its thin but tall style which is compacted together making it look presentable. The font could be linked to New York where the movie happened to be filmed.  

The background shot is made to look further in the distance with the two main characters enlarged and brought forward, overpowering the background image. Its almost three dimensional by having the background followed by the image followed by the text. This means the purpose of this poster is to highlight the main characters. The images taken of the characters have been from a slightly lower angle both looking very professional and focused. 

Even other pieces of text appear in bold colourcontrasting writing on the cover which allows it stand out and even overlap the image of the characters making it more appealing to viewers rather than just a normal printed text covering a background image.   



Unlike the American Gangster cover, Lethal Weapon has a magazine front cover which is simple but effective. The magazine colours are mainly of red and black. The colours that have been used are also effective in a way that they allow alot of contrast with any other colours that would be brought onto the cover by the main image. Everything comes together really well, the photo fits perfectly inside the border without having to edit the photo to serverly.

The image used for Lethal Weapon is very similar to the image used in American Gangster. The image overpowers the entire poster as its brought forward making it look enlarged. The background and border is dark, however with the image being bright, it allows the picture to stand out.  

Apart from the image the use of text was also a major thing for this magazine. The masthead of the cover is in large, bold writing which stands out and immediately draws attention to itself. This is also because the producer of the magazine has decided to use the colour of red to contrast with the black background. It gives the masthead a sence of power. They have also used the same technique for other pieces of text that are on the cover. The text appears in bold contrasting writing on the cover which allows it to stand out and even overlap the image of making it even more appealing to viewers rather then just normal printed text on a normal background.

This cover featuring Johnny Depp is very different from the two previous covers I have researched as its a different design with its conventions differing from the two previous covers I have analyised. The main reason behind this is because the magazine is more focused on reviews and interviews.

The image used for the magazine allows various colours to be used, for example the red and black contrast really well with the picture. This means that the smaller text doesnt have to be big, or bold as the colour red and white makes it stand out. The images and text at the top and on the right of the cover implie that the magazine isnt just about Public Enemies but includes reviews and exclusive information on other movies. 

The picture used for the magazine cover has been taken from the movie as Johnny Depp has fired a gun shot. This is shown with the smoke hovering in the air.

The same masthead has been used for all three magazine covers, using the same font and colour, however this magazine cover has a slightly brighter masthead compared to the darker red from the previous two magazines. Throughout the magazine covers which I have analyised, the masthead has contributed in making the the cover look eye catching.  

Film Magazine Cover Conclusion

After analyising these covers I have found what conventions make a cover look attractive to its target audience. The three main things that I need to take into consideration when planning my magazine cover is the image, colours and text. An image is usually the most appealing and memorable as a picture reveals/says a lot more than text does. The way an image is taken, says a lot about what it shows and represents. This can make or break a magazine from appealing to its target audience. So it is therefore essential that I plan what types of images I will use taking into account the shot type and colours that will feature in the image. 

The overall colour of of my text will also be essential, various colours portray the feeling, mood. This is because colours have catogories for example attractive (bright colours) = happy, upbeat, representive (Red) = danger, blood and also contrasting (black and white). These three techniques help make a magazine look eye-catching and unique from others. 

Finally it is vital to make sure that the text is attractive, unique and relevant to my image, colours and most importantly sticks to my chosen film and its genre. To do this I will take into consideration the size, font and colour before thinking about what I will write. It is then important to make sure that what I do write is linked to my main story line in my chosen movie. 

All of which I have talked about will be illustrated in my planning to help me create a successful magazine cover that will attract my chosen target audience.  

Planning

For my magazine I decided to create a new cover which represented my own film. The following few paragraphs are a copy of my notes and thoughts that make up my plan of action for the production stage. As my magazine will be advertising the film I will need to keep it similar to the poster that I created from Ancillary one. I will use a lot of the conventions from my poster and forward them to my magazine so that both pieces of media are similar. 

Ideas

Before I began my planning Michael, Lewis and myself looked at some ideas for what we would like to do for our magazine cover. We drew our ideas down which were just the layout which we would like to use without including all of the technical conventions. We talked about the different shot types and images we could use so that when it came to the final piece, viewers would be able to view the poster/magazine, giving an accurate representation of what our movie is about. Below I have explained my reasons for chosing this image and why. Design number one is the most appealing and fits better with the fonts, colours and layout which I have used.

Image

The image that I am going to use will be similar to the one I used for my poster. I took great care in analyising what an image can portray in the media and I believe that my image for both ancillary one and two represent and promote what the movie is about. The reason I chose this image was for many reasons. The image was simple to create and required little time and effort. Although the image is rather simple it has that feel and effect on the viewers. The image brings a presence. The image gives a brief insight to what the movie is about, without giving anything away. When taking the photo of Becky Thomas I used a room which had good lightening and decided to use black paper as a background, so that when it came to editing I could see the outline of the arm, giving it a more proffesional look. Below is the picture used in both my ancillary one and two, before and after editing:  

Before

  

After

Layout

When analyising all magazine covers I realised that their main design effect is the layout. The layout is extremely important in getting viewers to stay focused and interested in you movie. The layout determines everything about the film and how it is presented. It is up to the producer on the amount of text, colour and font used as well as the images, designs and cover lines to make a magazine cover. After taking those ideas into consideration I planned and searched carefully for the different types of layouts and which ones represented the different conventions better than others. I wanted to include as much as I could onto my cover, without making it look clustered and untidy. However I wanted the image and text to be presented smartly, 

giving it that proffessional look. Below is an idea of a layout which I designed: 

  I made various draft layouts for my final production and this is the one I chose. When looking at my chosen design it is easy to see that the image and the main story will play a big part in it. The image will nearly cover the whole page which will attract the attention of viewers. My masthead will replicate the masthead used in the normal Empire magazine, dominating the cover as seen from my anaylisis of them. I also made space for my main cover storyline and room for any other cover stories that I may include. Finally I made sure that I included space for other essential information such as barcode, date, issue number and tagline. In conclusion this draft will enable me to plan my cover easier knowing that I have an understanding of what I want to achieve. 

Text

For magazine covers text is very important as all their conventions apart from the image and colour is all text based. The text is very significant, for example our film is a crime drama with chilling scenes, therefore you want a text which will replicate your movie genre. The text can range from the lesser information such as barcodes, and issue numbers to the more important of mastheads which attracts attention to itself with its colour and font. In comparrison to the poster which I created, the magazine will include much more text and information covering a lot more space. I will still however take into consideration my genre and relate it to my cover so I will experiment on the different colours, size and font that I could use. However my aim is to make the font style for both ancillarys and my film review very similar to oneanother. In regards to the mast head, I will use the original Empire masthead which is in a bright red which is big, bold text. By doing this it makes my cover look more realistic as though it has been reviewed by Empire magazine. Finally the rest of my text will be easy to read with a font and colour allowing it to contrast with the rest of the cover. Below is a image of the Empire masthead which I will be using. Below the mnasthead is a copy of my film and its font. 

Colour Scheme

For my colour scheme I have used colours which represent blood (red), spooky and lifeless (black).                



Research: Ideas/ Analysis Film trailer research

Film Trailer research

The group chose option 5 which was to create a short film. This was because we could use the facilities to our advantage as well as offering experience and knowledge to help make a successful short film. Short film: Usually defined as a motion picture that is no longer than 40 minutes in running time. However, the duration of short films these days are usually recognised to be between 5 - 10 minutes.

Short films are simple to find on the internet, especially on websites such as http://www.youtube.com/

Once we had chose our final main production piece, I then went and researched different types of exiting film trailers for my selected genre. I researched three clips from a similar time period to achieve an accurate analysis so that we could benefit when it came to the main production of our short film. Each film I have chosen is beneficial for our use. The three movie trailers I have chosen to analyse are The Hurricane, The Usual Suspects and various clips from some TV crime drama's such as The Bill and Touch of Frost.

Each of these 3 movie trailers replicate parts of what we hope to portray in our movie. Each contributes in giving us guidance on how to create various murder scenes and police interviews. Throughout these clips I will be analysing the camera angles/shots, props, editing, mise en scene and acting. I will also identify the different techniques that each clip has used to make them stand out from others.

Below are some examples of short films and my analysis of them:

The Hurricane Trailer

Story about 1960s world middleweight boxing champion Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. A man whose dreams of winning the middleweight boxing title were destroyed when he was arrested for the murders of three white men in a New Jersey bar. Wrongfully accused.

The main purpose of this trailer is to present the storyline to audiences in the order of events in the film. The voiceover played by Denzel Washington is 1st person were he refers to his past and present, informing the viewers of his previous history and to what he is doing in the present moment. This gives the audience a good understanding of what the movie is about and the background of it. 

From the start of the trailer we are shown Rubin Carters past from when he was a boxer to when he was wrongly prosecuted. As the viewers watch the trailer it is though Rubin Carters is reading from his published book. During the murder enquiry prosecution they use various camera angles and shots to portray Rubin's reactions and discussions by using over the shoulder shots, two shots, close ups and medium close ups. This enables the viewers to see the discussion up close as thought they are there. The audio used and the various noises illustrate the mood. For example at the beginning the music is very tense and thrilling, however then the music changes to a dramatic and chilling soundtrack with police sirens, gun fire and the slamming of cells. Once understanding that Rubin Carter is actually innocent the music changes to a sad and dramatic thrill.

From this trailer I have been able to analyse their camera angles/shots, props, acting, sound and editing techniques so that I can forward it to my movie and use them as ideas, all of which are reasonably easy to replicate. 

The Usual Suspects

When a truck loaded with stripped gun parts is hijacked, five notorious thieves become overnight guests of the NYPD. But that's all they need to hatch a plan that brings them to Los Angeles for the ultimate take, $91 million in hard cash. In a surprise plot twist, a pitiable con man is being outwitted by an eager Fed. Or is he?

The Usual Suspects trailer gradually builds up from the start as the audio and characters intensify what is to become a plot with a twist. The audio throughout the trailer is filled with drama. The audio portrays various moods and suggests what may be occurring with the sound of gun fire, shouting, smashing windows, quick and snappy noises to make the viewers on edge.

The trailer includes various clips from the movie to help the viewers understand what it is about, without giving any clues away to what may happen. Again like The Hurricane trailer this also has a voiceover played by Kevin Spacey portraying his fellow thieves as hard minded, resilient people. Throughout the trailer they use various camera angles/shots such as establishing shots, wide shots, close ups, mid-shots, two shots, high and low angles. With this wide spread variation, it allows the audience to see the events unfold up close, as well as characters reactions etc.

During the start of the trailer as the interviews take place the names of each character appears on screen, identifying the characters identity. Finally the mise en scene of this trailer portrays the background of the film correctly. The characters used and the locations of the trailer are correct for the film genre.  

This trailer includes an interview which helped me analyse the people's body language and tone as well as the setting such as dimmed lights, and props such as folders, paper, tape recorder etc. I have understood that using as many different camera shots/angles is a great benefit for viewers.

TV Crime Drama's

To help us further I researched many clips from TV crime drama's such as The Bill and Touch of Frost. These two programs have spanned out for many years, but having analysed modern techniques from The Bill I have been able to gather new information for our movie. Again I took great attention in observing the location, camera shots, acting and props to gain an understanding of what we could replicate for our main production.

Main Production Research Conclusion

Now that I have analysed two movies and crime dramas, all relating to my chosen genre, I can now forward my ideas to help plan the production stage. From my research I have learnt many new and interesting ideas. All of these ideas will need to be taken into serious consideration. So that when I am planning my movie, I make sure that my end product isn’t differing from my chosen target audience and movie genre.

Using a variation of camera angles/shots can have a huge effect on the audience, making them feel as though they are there. An effective audio can make the event(s) even more appealing and thrilling. Choosing the correct type of audio is crucial, making sure it fits with my chosen movie genre. It is also important that you get the audio correct, for example during a murder scene you want a chilling soundtrack and for police interview scene you want a dramatic, tense soundtrack. When it comes to the recording of my movie I will ensure that I get all my camera angles/shots spot on so that when it comes to the editing I can simply follow others police interview scenes and murder scenes to learn their editing techniques. And finally I will ensure that the characters, props and locations are all suitable and will portray an accurate crime drama.