Review page magazine considerations

It is important to consider the type of magazine our review page might feature in, depending on the film style and appropriate target audience. I have research a few film magazines in order to effectively decide where ours will best appeal to its ideal audience. I have used facts taken from the magazines websites, and written in red whether its beneficial to our film.

Sight and sound -

• Informed and independant film news and comment - Independant film news would be very useful for our short film, as it would not be a hollywood blockbuster and could effectively be promoted by a magazine such as this.
• In-depth interviews with leading film directors - Again could be useful for promoting our film, as the director (myself) is unknown
• Retrospective articles vividly bringing film history to life - Not really applicable as our short film would be a new, modern release.
• Reviews of every new release - Very useful for us, as our film would be a new release.

 Empire -

• Has a 'future films' section informing readers of upcoming film - Could be useful for the promotion of our film before it is released, or for any future work we produce
• Tends to focus more on the promotion of blockbusters, rather than independants - Our short film would be considered independant, therefore it would probably not be featured in a magazine such as Empire.
• Extensive reviews for a variety of media products; games, dvds etc - Again not really applicable as our film is short and independant, with no following merchandise.
• Very prestegious - named film magazine of the year - Getting a review in a critically acclaimed magazine such as Empire would indeed help promote and mainstream our independant film.

Total film -

• An extensive range of reviews, many of which are not mainstream - The fact that many of the feature movies are slightly obscure, could indicate that they like to review a range of film - useful for us because our film is independant and might otherwise not be promoted effectively.
• Also promotes film trailers online, encouraging readers to view new releases - Not applicable to use, ours is a short film, approximately 5 minutes long so making a trailer would be difficult, and not essential.
• Describes itself as a 'modern guide to movies' - Could prove useful to us, as our film is a modern release.

Uncut -

•  Described as 'music and movies with something to say' - Promoting independant film would be useful for us
• Does tend to focus on iconic film and music, with special 'legends' issues - Not applicable for us, our film would be a new indenpendant release and would not have the status required for this magazine.

Review pages

The following are review pages I found that I felt we could draw inspiration from, I like them all for various reasons; layout, colour, copy style etc.

I've analysed this review page previously, as I like its use of oposing colours and composition of images

The use of vivid red borders matching the copy really works for this review page. I also like the quote and starring system shown in the corner, so at a glance the reader can form expectations

The information is organised well on this page, with certificate rating and other appropriate facts listed clearly in the corner so viewers will be more encouraged to visit the cinema. The copy is well organised, in easy to read sections.

The image used here is very interesting, and gives the audience a clue as to the films narrative whilst creating an enigma



I like the use of full page image and large title.





Final poster

Our final poster with the extras added:

• Actors
• Production information
• Awards

(click on image to enlarge)

Extras for poster

To finish off our poster there are a few more features we may wish to add, as illustrated below:

Names of main actors

Quote from review

Slogan

Production information

 Awards

Director

Website

Production company logos

Any special features

Coming soon/ release date

Poster feedback

In order to make appropriate changes,  I have sought feedback on our poster in a few different ways. Specifically I have emailed the poster to a select few who match the ideal target audience member, to ensure our poster is appealing to them. The printscreen shows the attachment and list of email addresses highlighted.

Here are print screens of the emails I recieved back:

This individual felt that the main factor needing work was the copy, and the name of the film itself which I will take into consideration.

Again the only negative was the copy, which both of the individuals felt was not appropriate and did not match the standard of the rest of the poster.

 I have found this useful as it gives me a clearer image of how our target audience percieve our poster, and following this feedback I will make appropriate changes.


In order to receive more general feedback, I have asked twenty people a series of simple questions, shown below: (note that diagrams are used to illustrate majorities and are not drawn accurately)
Do you find this poster effective?

Twenty of twenty people asked said they felt our poster was effective, which tells us we have created something people feel has meaning, important to our film. No change needs to be made here.

What would you say is this posters biggest strenght? (chosen from imagery, lighting, colour, composition, editing, copy)

The majority of people asked felt our composition, and the way our images were displayed centerally to be our biggest strength, closely followed by the images themselves and the results achieved through editing. I feel this is a good result as everyone asked found something visual effective about our poster, and with a few votes for each we can ensure that our poster works as a whole. The only weakness here is the zero votes for copy, which doesn't nesecarily mean its bad but just that other things are better. Our poster is designed to be visual anyway so if we make any alterations to the copy, they will be minor as its not designed to be the focus.

What would you say is this posters biggest weakness? (chosen from imagery, lighting, colour, composition, editing, copy)

Everyone asked felt the copy was the posters biggest weakness, which is both a positive and negative thing. It shows that there are no other major weaknesses from the poster, which is designed to be visual and because copy is one of the least major factors for our poster, any changes will not have to be great. However because everyone asked felt the copy was the posters biggest weakness, we may wish to consider making alterations.

Would this poster stand out against others?

Only one person of those I asked felt this poster would not stand out amoungst others, when asked why they said "The colours could be brighter to ensure it catches your eye". This is something we will take into consideration, we could try slightly brightening the colours, making them more vivid however the gentle, hazy effect we want to achieve could be ruined by doing this, so any changes we make will be very slight as the vast majority agreed it would stand out.

  
Does it make you want to view the film?

Everyone asked expressed interest in viewing the film, which is important as ultimately a poster is selling the product. Although nobody said they would not be interested, I feel there are changes we could make to ensure our film recieves views, such as stating any awards it has won, once we have added the final pieces of information I am confident people will want to watch our film.

What mood and emotions are depicted from this poster? (chosen from happiness, sorrow, anger, confusion, combination, can't tell)

I am very pleased with this result, as the majority of people decided a combination of emotions was being portrayed, which is exactly the effect we wanted as when our character is swinging she feels euphoric yet still remembers the dispair she feels. I am not surprised by the other results, as the blurred image does create a sense of confusion and the pastoral, hazy colours do create a sense of happiness. I am pleased that no one decided anger was portrayed, as despite everything that happens in her life our character is never bitter or resentful. Nobody decided they were unable to decifer any emotion either, which is positive as our poster is portraying several reflecting the girls uneasy life, and the fact that no one selected 'can't tell' shows that they were all able to gain some meaning from our poster.

The questionairre has proven to be a success, as the majority of people sensed and felt exaclty what we wanted them to, with only a few minor alterations that could be made. I asked people what they thought of the poster while its still in its basic form, as our poster works visually and I decided that adding the finishing touches and logos beforehand may draw attention away from this.

Chosen poster strenghts and weaknesses

This is the poster we are going to use, as its the best in terms of imagery and colour. I am hoping to receive feedback on the basic poster design before we add the finishing touches in order to ensure our poster is as visually effective as possible.
Here are its main strenghts and weaknesses that I myself would notice:
Strenghts:

• Use of colour
• Effective lighting
• Image can be percieved on numerous levels
• Imagery acts as powerful metaphors, e.g. chains imprisionment

Weaknesses:

• The copy looks bland and uniteresting
• It could perhaps signify more personalitiy if it wasnt a simple sans serif
• The colour of the copy could be more effective

Filming considerations shot reverse shot

Shot reverse shot is a feature of the classical style of Hollywood continuity editing. The character will be shown looking at something, and the camera cuts to what they are looking it. In a conversation, it will cut between the two characters giving the impression they are looking at each other and making the conversation fluid. Using stop reverse shot is important to help audiences gain perspective on a situation, and to allow them to understand.

Filming considerations rule of thirds

The rule of thirds usually used visually in photography devides the image into three imaginary parts, the weaker character is usually positioned on the left hand side, and the more dominant character situated on the right.



This can be demonstrated by this image, taken from Fish Tank where Mia is situated on the left hand side, as she is vulnerable in Connors presence. He is in controll and dominating, situated on the right.

The rule of thirds can also be used to encourage audiences to think about the space left surrounding a character, for example it could be used to make a character appear small in comparrison to their surroundings creating vulnerability. In this image we can see Mia is not situated centerally, but placed on the left hand side of the frame.



When shooting our short film, particularly the silhouette scenes I want to ensure our character is placed to the left hand side, emphasisng her fragility and creating a vast space surrounding her.

Filming considerations 180 degree rule

Whilst filming we should be aware of techniques that will enable us to produce a professional, dynamic film.


The 180 degree rule states that two characters within the same scene should always maintain a left right relationship, they must always be facing the same side. Crossing over the imaginary axis between the characters will disorientate the audience, and could break the flow of the sequence.



This scene from the dark knight demonstrates the 180 degree rule, in an interrogation of the joker.

Laura Mulvey

Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory is something I have considered whilst making our short film, it states that there is unequal relationship between women and men in film, with women being viewed purely as sexual objects - men view, women are viewed. I have demonstrated the difference below.



Mia from fish tank opposes this theory, as her character is not supposed to be visually admired and gazed upon but instead developed through her personality and life troubles.
As opposed to Mias mother, whos is extroverted and designed for male attention as well as her personality and characteristics.

PHOTO HERE

Making our posters

When making our posters we used a vairety of editing techniques to achieve the results and effect desired.
Poster 1 -

• Desaturated the image creating the black and white effect
• Picked up the contrast, darkening the shadows surrounding the character and brightening the highlights such as the door
• Created a new layer and pasted another image from the same scene over the top, one where the character is closer to the camera
• This new layer containing the image then had its opacity lowered, to around 60%, giving a see-through effect
• Duplicated this layer and used an effect called 'motion blur' to achieve a sense of movement 
• This duplicated layer then had its opacity lowered to 45%
• The copy was set to bold, and given an overlay 'blend mode' creating the white glow surrounding the text
• Duplicated this layer, and set the duplicates opacity to 40%

Summarised we used numerous layers with different opacity settings to give the effect of motion, and blur whilst desaturating to make the image black and white.


Poster 2 -

• Picked up the contrast, darkening shadows and brightening highlights, which in this image as it is not black and white enhances the colours
• Made a new layer and pasted another image from the same scene where the character is nearer the foreground over the top
• Changed this layers opacity to around 60%
• Duplicated this layer, used the effect motion blur, and changed the duplicated layers opacity to around 45%
• The copy is bold and set to an overlay 'blend mode' creating the white glow
• Duplicated this layer, setting the duplicate at around 40%

Summary - The same steps followed as before with the same images, except no destaturation which gives a completely different effect through altering the contrast of colours.

Poster 3 -

• Opened the desired image
• Duplicated this image four times, making the scale of the image larger each time
• Each layer was then set to an opacity of 40-60%, giving the effect of movement, in this example 'swinging'
• The copy was made bold and given a black edging
• Duplicated the layer, altering the duplicates opacity to 40% and giving it a motion blur effect

To summarise we layered four progressively larger duplicates of the character swinging, altering the opacity


Poster 4 -

• Made our chosen image, of the character swinging black and white by desaturating it
• Using a different pciture from the same scene, where the character is closer to the foreground, we pasted this new image on top of the original, and destaurated it
• This layers opacity was then set 40-50%
• The same image was duplicated and its scale made smaller
• Its opcaity was  then set to 40-50%
• The copy is bold black, with black edging around it
• Duplicated this layer and set its opacity to 40%

Summary - Layering of different images from the same scene to show the character in different positions, the opacity levels where then altered to make it fluid.

Chosen Name

As you can see from our posters, we decided on the name 'Swing life' for our film. We chose this name because it holds meaning both literally and metaphorically. Our character releases her pent up anger and distress through using a swing at her local park, so often that it dominates a large proportion of her life as she has no one to confide in. Metaphorically swing life represents the ups and downs of her life, as our character is always extreme. Shes either delusionally discussing her lifes issues in a euphoric matter, or utterly depressed about the traumas she faces.
I feel we have chosen a title with depth, as it can be read into on numerous levels and I feel its thought provoking. This was not on of our original name choices, but one we developed when creating our poster. After receiving feedback on our names we decided not to use any of them because they made obvious assumptions about our character and her lifestyle, whereas swing life can be interpreted in a number of ways whilst being vague.

Poster 4

This poster uses images from the same scene as the previous, but different photographs. We also chose to make this poster black and white.




















The representations of light and images are the same as before, but the difference in the images is that instead of the boldest image being further away like in the previous, its in the foreground. I'd prefer this poster if the image wasn't so bold in the foreground, I find it to be quite overpowering and distract from the message we are trying to portray. The blur added to the layered images makes the character appear dominant, filling the frame completely. Based on rule of thirds, I would like the character to nor dominate the image so much, for space to be around her as this allows the audience to think about the space and could create a sense of lonliness and fragility.
I do like the black and white because a gradient effect is created, with the bright white lighting at the top going down to dense black surrounding the copy. This gradient effect could represent the highs and lows of the characters life, and the different sides of her. The fact that shes swinging into the light also depicts the joy she feels when shes swinging, as she swinging in a 'high point'. I do however think the colour on the other poster is more effective than this gradient, due to the gentle, pastoral feel we have previously created.
I would rate this poster second out of the posters we have created, as I like the gradient effect and the actual scenes the images are taken from.

Poster 3

We selected another scene from our film, where our character is swinging at her local park.

This is our other poster option, depicting our character using the swing at her local park. I like the images used for this poster and poster 4 because they relate directly to the title and hold metaphorical meaning, the highs and lows of the characters unstable life. Numerous images showing the character advancing froward on the swing have been layered on top of one another to give the effect of motion, as the layers become closer to the screen they become more opaque. As mentioned before the layers of the character represent her spilt personality, and the fact that she has many sides to her personality, experiencing a range of emotions.

We chose to brighten the image near the edges with a bright white light prominant in the right hand corner. This creates a surreal, dreamlike effect centred around the characters head. We chose to do this for a number of reasons, it implys mental unbalance, creates an almost angelic effect suggesting innocence.

The light also hightlights a series of grey chains, which have literal and metaphorical meaning. The chains show the progression of the swing, and as the chains rise higher into the light it represents the characters burdens lifting, as she only feels relief and calm when swinging. The chains also represent the physical and emotion burdens she bares, that trap the character. Also visible is the metal bars, which like the previous image represent the characters imprisionment, and create a sense of doom as the character has no chance of escaping.

One of the layers, the character is scarcely visible and instead the seat is shown alone. This represents the fact that swinging is part of her, as the swing can be viewed inside the character and represents the large role her past time escapism plays.

The colours we chose for this poster are very gentle, pale pastel green, whites and soft greys. We soften the colours of this image to depict how the character feels, as when shes swinging she feels calm and serene, its her form of escapsim and we wanted to create a pastoral, gentle atmosphere that shows what the character is seeing.

The copy is filled in with a similar gentle green to the grass, which we did not only to make it stand out against the grey background but also to create a link between the copy and the grass, suggesting that its natural and earthy, and that the swinging lifestyle is natural to the character. We gently blurred the edges of the copy to again create a surreal effect.

The character appears to be swinging into the distance which cannot be seen, which we did to show that the characters future is uncertain and also that when she is swinging, she enters her own world with no attachments to everyday life.

I would rate this my favourite of the posters for all the reasons described above, as I feel a lot of meaning can be drawn from this poster.

Poster 2

We created the same poster as the previous, but this time did not use black and white, instead using the green tint and highlighting the red jacket.

 

I don't like this poster as much as our previous, the colour distracts from the meaning and complicates the image. Against the copy the colour prevents the same hazy blur that occured previously, and I feel this looks less effective, as it appears dull and doesn't connect to the character.

I don't like the highlight of the red jacket either, as my attention is immediatelty drawn to this one feature, rather than viewing the image as a whole and understanding the meaning. The red is too obvious, and distracts from understanding the character as the background door is overpowered by the foreground red. In this poster I do however like the green tint used on the door but most obviously on the hair. This gives the impression of a night vision camera, which has multiple meanings. It gives the impression that our character is being watched or stalked making her appear more vulnerable, it puts the audience in a privalledged position as they are being allowed to observe the character, and it makes the audience feel more involved for doing so, as they are witnessing her darkest secrets.

I would rate this poster my fourth favourite of the selection, I prefer the other photograph used on posters 3 & 4 and I feel this poster is much more effective in black and white.

Poster 1

As a group we have created four posters, enabling us to chose which one we find to be most effective.

This is our first poster design, using on of our images depicting our character walking toward her house. We chose black and white for this image as we wanted to emphasise her motion and journey, as through black and white only the character and destination (door in distance) are visible. The use of dense, black background surrounding the door really enhances the light illuminating from behind the glass, which creates a surreal effect, and could be misleading implying a place of saftey. It also emphasises the actual glass pane itself, with its criss-cross pattern similar to that of bars of a prision, suggesting that character is trapped both literally and metaphorically.

Two images of our character have been used in this image, the foreground image blurring at the edges and becoming opaque, allowing us to see the character again further forward. This represents our characters spilt, unstable personality, as she constantly flips between highs and lows. It also highlights her progression towards the house, this movement is not fluid and shows the character standing rigid, showing her discomfort and awkward nature. The blur we have used creates a surreal effect, almost dreamlike as she appears to 'float' forwards.

We chose to use a sans serif font for the copy, allowing easier reading and keeping it simple to allow the image to speak for itself. A grey blur has been placed around the edge of the text, creating a fuzzy effect that I like because not only does it blend with the character showing the connection between the words and herself, but it again implys the lack of stability in her life, as her edges are always blurred.

Out of all of our posters I would rate this my third favourite, simply because I like the actual image used on the other two more.

Posters

Here I have added images of posters I like and find effective, for inspiration.

  

 
 


MORE TO BE ADDED

Sound possibilities

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Sound inspiration

Whilst thinking about sound for our film, I have chosen to look at a film I enjoy and find its use of sound extremely effective, 'The shining'. The film often uses obscure, composed pieces of music using sounds from un-identifiable instruments. I love the opening credits use of bizzare sound as shown below.




The strange wailing sounds are so haunting and memorable, almost narrating the journey to the secluded hotel. The composition is called 'Rocky Mountains'  Another scene I particularly enjoy that cleverly uses sound is the scene where is first becomes apparant that the male character 'Jack' is not mentally stable. It took 127 takes to get this scene perfect and I find its use of sound really enhances the tense atmosphere.



 I find the sound used in this film very inspiring, as it has encouraged me to be more creative and experimental as sound can be a major factor in creating a certain atmosphere. In our short film I hope to experiment with sound, pherhaps producing our own and trying things we haven't before.

Stop motion analysis Vincent

I have analysed one of Tim Burtons earliest stop motion animations, 'Vincent' due to the atmosphere it creates, of misery and uttter dispair. 

The very first scene creates this gloomy atmosphere, partly due to Burtons choice of colours. Shot in black and white, the whole scene is black with various tones of grey that immediately create a dark, depressing atmoshere. The silhouette of the tree is effective because its dense black, emphasising the dull lifelessness. The fact that its a silhouette clearly depicts the spindly branches left completely bare again emphasising the lack of life and vibrancy. A black cat is shown as iconic imagery for bad luck and misfortune, which could foreshadow latter events to the audience and gives the impression immediately that this is no happy tale. Black cats are also associated with dark arts and witchcraft, creating an uneasy, foreboading effect as theres almost something mythical about the black cat lurking behind the tree. The brick wall could also be symbolism, as a common saying goes 'hitting a brick wall' which means reaching the end. A sense of no hope is immediately created, and we can imagine that the character will not overcome his issues. Gentle wind instruments are being played throughout this scene, almost in a sorrowful manner as the simply melody is isolated and low pitched, again adding to the atmosphere created.
On first seeing the character if Vincent, we follow the black cat into the room Vincent is playing his instrument in, suggesting that Vincent is going to encounter mis-fortune as the superstition is that black cats bring bad luck to those who cross their path. The fact that the cat is approaching Vincent makes his bad luck seem all the more likely and unfortunate, as 'bad luck' approaches him. A silhouette can be seen in the background behind the character, in the vast empty room, of the window with its panes. The panes look almost like bars, which could symbolise the entrapment of the character, and how he cannot escape his bad luck. This kind of symbolism is something we could use in our short film, to foreshadow latter events and imply to the audience that the character is permanently trapped.
Thre character of Vincent appears very guant, pale and wide eyed with wild black hair. This visual imagery tells the audience a lot about the characters personality and the emotions hes feeling, as he looks distressed and worn out. In our short film the characters face is never fully shown, so we will need to use surroundings to create an atmosphere that reflects how the character feels instead, as through projecting her emotions we can make her more relatable and believable.
Lighting is used clevery throughout this sequence to create an uncomfortable, eerie effect. Vincent is often highlighted by key lighting, leaving everything around him in darkness and projecting shadows all around him. This could reflect the constant scruntiny hes under, and his personal demons that surround him. After we are told he is seven years old the audience also sympathises with the character, as for a boy so young he should be living a care free life yet he is weighed down by heavy burdens.
The whole narrative relatives very much to our film idea, with good stories of a kind boy being told, and then contradicted by how he really feels 'Vincents nice to his aunt when she comes to see him....but dreams of dipping her in wax for his waxwork muesum'. This is something we are planning to do in our short film, potraying a sense of denial and false reality contradicted by the truth and showing that everything is not as it first appears. Our characters can also relate because they come across initially to the outside world as content, but deep down they both know the disatisfaction and upset they feel. The idea of spilt personality is something we are going to use in our short film, as kind Vincent is shown as an innocent young boy in comparrison to the frightening, wild Vincent that he really is.

Short film analysis 'ShadowPlay'

I have analysed a short film that works primarily through shadows and silhouettes, as I found it to be effective and useful due to our new silhouette idea.

'A group of children get more than they bargained for when watching

a peculiar shadow play in a circus tent.'

I thoroughly enjoyed this short film, as I found the use of lighting very effective, its used cleverly to highlight certain aspects of the children, illuminated by the strange shadow show. On first entering the tent the children are illuminated brightly with back lighting as they descend into the dark tent, therefore they appear as silhouettes. This could be foreshadowing latter events, depecting the over whelming power of the show as the children are immediately absorbed by it the minute they enter. This also sets the tone for the rest of the short film and creates an eerie atmosphere, as immediately we feel concerned for the child audience as they appear to be entering the unknown. Key lighting is also used within this sequence, highlighting certain features of the child as they watch, particularly their faces. This works of the idea of personalisation, as the audience will feel a stronger connection to the characters and be reminded of their vulnerabilty through being able to see their faces and expressions and being able to imagine what the characters are thinking and feeling. The illuminations of the childrens faces also allows the audience to see their fixation on the shadow show, as they appear trance like, looking much more vulnerable and helpless. This could represent the tendencies of small children, as they become engrossed and silent when watching something they find unsual or interesting. The smoke and strobe lights used in the very beginning appear very stereotypical theatrical, and suggest vibrance and fun. However this film immediately makes it clear all is not as it seems, as the music has a tinny, echo effect and the strobe lights are flashed against a dense black background, creating a foreboading effect.

Whilst the children are paying to view the show inside the tent, a spotlight effect is cast over them which appears to quickly cut amoungst the children, darting and highlighting quick features of them. The spotlight appears very intense and almost as though the children are being silently scruntisnised and searched on arrival as it illuminates clothing, shoes etc.

I found the silhouettes used very effective, as they appear on what looks like a very old cinema screen, giving a flickering effect. The silhouettes appear very unusual, presented in way that makes the show appear as an old fashioned freak show with echoey paino music. As an audience member this immediately made me feel uncomfortable, as theres a sense of uncertainty and no boundaries that puts the viewers on edge. The silhouette itself is of a hand with numerous fingers, slowly rising upward. It very much mirrors the motion of a flower blooming, which could represent the story unfolding. The fact that a human hand is used for the silhouette personifys it, as we see no person connected to the hand but instead watch it 'bloom'. Using a hand for the silhouette could arguably make it more or less relatable. More relatable because its a sign of humanity, and although we cannot see the person we know a living being is controlling the hands movement, almost portraying a sense of vulnerabilty as the hand appears frail and uncertain. On the other hand, because the hand is detached it could almost appear as its own being, creating a sense of discomfort as the child audience is watching something we are uncertain about, fear of the unknown. When creating our own silhouette, I want to ensure it shows small details of the character, eyelashes, lips moving etc because I feel this creates a sense of vulnerability and makes the silhouette much more relatable, as we don't have visual appearance or expression to rely on.
Another silhouette within this sequence I found particularly effective is the rabbit, shown frolicking forward. Rabbit shadow puppets are commonly re-created because they are so instantly recognisable, its almost an iconic symbol when projecting your own shadow puppets, so this creates a link to something you might have done in your childhood and allows the audience to connect. The actions of the rabbit could be foreshadowing latter events, it unknownly and almost innocently bounds forward, unaware of the danger awaiting it in the form of the crocodile. This could link to the children, unknowingly and innocently going to watch a shadow show being unaware of the danger awaiting them.