Blog Navigation
All of the posts below are located in time/date order, i.e. the newest posts are ones which were published recently, and the ones published further down are ones which were published at an earlier date. However, to help make things easier as some of my posts were posted at later dates than the content was actually finished (pre-uploading) I have categorised all my posts into four main categories-
1. Research
2. Planning
3. Final Products
4. Feedback
5. Other
By navigating to these links which are situated down the right hand side of this page under the heading ‘Categories’, all the relevant posts can be accessed for each section quickly and easily. The ‘Archives’ section down the right hand side has also categorised all of my posts into different months, therefore the earlier months will generally be where all my research and planning posts are located, and the most recent months will be when my actual products, evaluation and feedback posts will be located.
FormSite.com- Coursework Package Questionnaire example
Formsite Audience Feedback Questionnaire Example
Use the link above to navigate to my new, online questionnaire, I created this questionnaire to show an example of what using an online questionnaire creator website could produce for me, instead of using the pen to paper questionnaires I previously created. If at the time I created my questionnaires I knew about this website, I would have used it as it saves time, and provides me with more reliable, accurate data, it would also fulfil the requirement of allowing for written feedback to be displayed in the results, which clearly in the previous graphs and questionnaires I have made was not possible.
The questionnaire covers all three products within my coursework package and has been created on FormSite.com. This website allowed me to create an online, interactive questionnaire which featured a range of intuitive and effective ways of gathering feedback for my products, rather than using a traditional questionnaire on a piece of paper.
For my questionnaire, I split each product into a different section, therefore having three sections, one for the poster, one for the magazine cover and one for the film trailer. Each section has five multiple choice or ‘Radio Questions’, one five star rating and one general feedback box for users to provide any additional feedback, and at the end there is a final overall star rating for the three products as a whole. By giving a range of online users the link to my questionnaire, they were able to complete it in their own time, and once questionnaires had been completed, the feedback, or results were automatically collected for my analysis, so I could find out what a range of people thought about my products, and therefore where possible improvements could be made.
Below is an example of a set of results gathered from one person filling in the questionnaire, it displays the results for each question clearly and effectively, and all these are securely stored on my account.
Film Trailer Feedback Questionnaire Results
Below are the graphs from my second feedback questionnaire which I used to collect data on my video product, the short horror film. These 10 graphs clearly show the feedback I collected, and I can then use this feedback to improve my film trailer accordingly. This graph was designed to gather feedback for my film trailer, and for each of the questions, I offered a choice of four answers for the person answering, allowing me to gather the feedback quickly and efficiently, i.e. whether they agreed with the question, disagreed, partially agreed, or were unsure. Again, as with the other questionnaire, I asked 20 different people, to make sure I gathered a reliable data set and that my results were unbiased.
These graphs illustrate a range of feedback from my target audience on my film trailer.
The first question asked whether the audience thought that the music was appropriate for use in the trailer, and out of the 20 people questioned, 11 said that they thought it was appropriate, with only a small proportion saying that it wasn’t, or that it was partially appropriate.
The second question asks whether the trailer grabs and keeps the audience’s attention, where a high proportion said that it did grab and keep their attention, and only a small proportion of the 20 asked said that it only did this slightly, showing to me that the techniques we used were to good effect.
The third question questioned if the dialogue from the newsreader was professional and suitable for the trailer, and again most of the people asked agreed that it was professional and suitable, although a minority said that it didn’t or that it only did it partially.
The fourth question asked the audience if the trailer was successful in persuading them to see the film it was advertising in the cinema, where a high proportion said that it would, with only a couple people disagreeing, saying that it was unsuccessful in persuading them to want to see the film in the cinema.
The fifth question asked the audience whether overall, the trailer flowed smoothly and whether the different parts of it fitted into each other, where just over half of the people questioned said that it did, however this suggests that improvement could be made to editing different scenes together as it was only just over half of the 20 questioned.
The sixth question asked if the editing techniques used were suitable and appropriate to the trailer, where again a high percentage of the people questioned (18) said that it did, however a lack of knowledge on editing may have been the cause for people to simply answer with yes, which suggests that if I was to repeat this questionnaire, changes could be made to the content of some of the questions.
The seventh question asked if the audience thought that the trailer replicated conventions of real media products, such as existing film trailers, and for this question, 16 people agreed that it did which suggested to me that by using and developing the conventions that I found during my research in my film trailer, I was relatively successful in creating a trailer which used, and developed conventions of existing film trailers.
The eighth question was designed to ask if the violent and action scenes looked professional and well co-ordinated, of which 15 out of the 20 people stated that they thought they did look professional and well co-ordinated, and the other 5 said that the trailer only partially achieved this, which suggested to me that changes could have been made to how we co-ordinated and planned the action scenes within the trailer.
The ninth question asked if the lighting and camera work used throughout the trailer was representative of the horror trailer which the film itself was designed to fit into, and for this question, only 10 people said that it did, and another 8 people out of the 20 said they weren’t sure, which makes it clear that this question was too media specific, and that out of the people I questioned, the majority weren’t sure about the context of the question itself, however the general feedback for this question is relativley positive.
The tenth and final question asked if, overall, the trailer for ‘The Cure’ effectively promotes the film in a positive way, where 16 out of the total 20 people questioned said that it did, and the other 4 either said that it didn’t (1) or that it only achieved this partially (3) which is a clear representation that as a whole, the trailer was a success in promoting my groups film in a positive way, i.e. making them want to see the film in the cinema.
Embedded Film Trailer Video
Above is an embedded version of the film trailer for ‘The Cure’ which has been uploaded to YouTube, the video should automatically load and play once the play button is pressed.
Film Trailer Feedback Questionnaire
Media A2 Coursework product feedback questionnaire- Film Trailer
As with my two print products, I have also created a similar questionnaire for my film trailer, to gather feedback from a wide range of people on what they thought of the trailer, and whether any modifications or improvements could be made to it. By utilising the results I get from this, and the other questionnaire, I will be able to make my products to a high standard, based not only on my own opinions and ideas, but from those of other people. For this questionnaire, I took the template for my previous template, but changed and manipulated the questions so they are relevant and appropriate for my film trailer, and will help provide me with useful results.
1. Do you think the music is appropriate for the genre of the film?
Yes______________________________
No______________________________
Partially___________________________
Not sure__________________________
2. Does the trailer grab, and keep your attention?
Yes_______________________________
No_______________________________
Partially____________________________
Not sure___________________________
3. Is the dialogue from the news reader professional and suitable for the plot of the trailer?
Yes_______________________________
No________________________________
Partially_____________________________
Not sure____________________________
4. Does the trailer persuade you to want to see the film in the cinema?
Yes________________________________
No________________________________
Partially_____________________________
Not sure____________________________
5. Does the trailer flow well, and do the different sections fit into each other properly?
Yes______________________________
No (please state why)_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Not sure__________________________
6. Do you think editing techniques used are suitable and appropriate to the trailer?
Yes______________________________
No (please state why) _________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Not sure__________________________________________________________
7. Does the trailer replicate conventions of real media (i.e. existing film trailers) products?
Yes_______________________________
No_______________________________
Partially____________________________
Not sure_____________________________
8. Do the violent and action scenes look professional and well co-ordinated?
Yes_________________________________
No_________________________________
Partially______________________________
Not sure_____________________________
9. Is the lighting and camera work representative of the horror genre?
Yes________________________________
No________________________________
Partially_____________________________
Not sure____________________________
10. Overall, do you think the film trailer for The Cure effectively promotes the film in a positive way?
Yes________________________________
No________________________________
Partially_____________________________
Not sure____________________________
Film Plus Magazine- Final Product
The second image shown below is my Film Magazine, ‘Film Plus’. Again, a lot of attention has gone into designing and creating my magazine cover. I used another image from the photo shoot which I undertook as part of my coursework production, collecting a range of images from characters from my film trailer in a church graveyard at night-time. This image, very similar to the one used in my Film Poster shows three of the characters from my film, The Cure with blood splattered on them, surrounding a large grave in a graveyard. The reason for using an image which is very similar to the Film Poster is to ensure that a consistent house style is created, as well as creating a product identity which the audience can relate to, i.e. as soon as they see an image like the ones on my poster and magazine, they can relate directly to The Cure film. The image on my magazine cover uses a range of contrasting colours again, with the dark browns, blacks and greens in the background of the photo contrasting with the skin tone, pinks, reds and blues in front of these darker colours. Not only do images in the photograph itself contrast, but also does the text overlaying the image. The bright red used for the title of the magazine and the two sub headings, and the white text contrast very effectively with the overall dull tone of the background image. Again the use of reds is used to connate death, blood and violence, and the whites used simply to add to the range of colours and contrasting effects on the cover as a whole. The cover contains all the typical conventions of an existing film magazine, including the name, price, issue number, date, a main article headline, barcode, website address and other smaller article headlines, and by using and developing the conventions I found during my research into existing film magazines I was able to create a professional looking, high quality Film Magazine front cover.
Film Plus Magazine Front Cover- Final Product
The first image shown below is my Film Poster, for my film ‘The Cure’. I carefully designed and created this poster, using my own ideas and techniques, along with all the conventions and research I have gathered from my previous research into existing film posters. I have used a powerful image for the entire frontage of the poster, showing three characters from the film covered in blood, behind a rusty metal gate. The image itself creates a clear contrast between the dark and bright colours, i.e. the dark colours (blacks, browns and greens) in the background (behind the characters), and the brighter colours on the characters themselves whites, reds, blues and pinks) which makes the characters, and their costume stand out far clearer. The large red font ‘The Cure’ also stands out clearly when placed on the darker background image, using the red font to connote danger and blood as well as death. The poster was designed to be simple, with a small amount of text, and to do this I have simply added the film title, a film website review along the top, the film website, release date and small print, allowing for it to be quick and simple when people see it from a distance. The text along the bottom and top is white, once again to contrast against the dark background, and to make it stand out clearly.
Film Trailer Planning and Shot-list
Shot List-
First set of scenes-
News broadcast- Mid shot of news reader- showing top of body from mid stomach up- along with a desk and laptop in view. Plain white background for these news scenes along with high key lighting. These news scenes are also repeated on frequent occasions throughout the trailer, using the same angle, background, props and lighting.
Reasons for choices in this shot-
-Following typical news broadcasts we used the conventions found in existing news broadcasts and used them in the news broadcasts sections of our film trailer, this helped make the trailer appear more realistic and professional. By using the two simple props of the table and the laptop, we were able to signify the professionalism of a news broadcast room, using what facilities we had, obviously lacking use of an official news broadcasting room. The high key lighting was used to signify the importance of the scene and to again represent the realism and professionalism of the news broadcast, which was read out by the news reader.
Second set of scenes- and reasons for the choices in this shot.
Action scenes- first scene- actor using his leg to kick close to the camera- simulating him beating someone who’s lying on the floor.
-Very low angle used- with the camera being held on the floor- heavily signifies the insignificance of the person who is being attacked, and signifies the dominance and power that the person kicking them has over them- helps to exaggerate the clear contrast between the two people.
-High key lighting used- gained from a skylight in the ceiling- shining light down onto the camera and distorting the view of the viewer on the attacker.
-Short flash of a zombie running towards the camera- (only a second or two long)
-Low key lighting used as it was filmed at moonlight- effectively signifies and represents the horror genre- gives the sense of eeriness and danger.
-Street lamps used for added effect- partially distorting what the audience can see
-No props are used in this scene
Short clip of zombies attacking a car-
-Low key lighting used- however the headlights of the car are used to distort what the viewer can see- and to represent that someone is in the car and that they have been driving.
-Main prop used is the car- all the zombie characters run towards the car, and begin attacking it/the person inside
-Mid to long shot used- clearly showing the car, and the zombies attacking it- also allows the audience to gain a feel of the set location used.
Short clip of three characters running- with the camera filming them from in front
-Handheld camera used- helps to signify the panic and confusion going through the mind of the characters
-Low key lighting used once again- helping to add to the overall confusion that the audience will have gained from the trailer so far- source of lighting coming from the street lights again
-No props are used in this short scene- the way the shot will be filmed will eliminate the need for any props
-Close up is initially first used on one of the characters, which then quickly changes into a mid shot, briefly showing two of the other characters running towards the camera before the shot changes
Short clip of Zombies attacking the car from a different, closer angle-
-Low key lighting used- sources of lighting come from street lights, the car headlights and the interior light of the car
-Handheld camera used again- helping to simulate that the camera is actually a person running as well- makes the audience feel like they are actually in the scene themselves
-The scene makes it clear that they are trying to break their way into the car- and attack the vulnerable occupant inside
-Mid shot and close up shots used- firstly showing the zombies running towards the car, then attacking the car
Short clip of zombies running towards an isolated character against a wall-
-Mid shot used- showing where the person is standing and then the zombies running towards them
-Low key lighting used- signifying that it’s night time- source of light coming from lights situated on the side of the building
-This clip is again, very short, therefore the use of props is not necessary and on top of the other short clips- adds to the confusion, and tension build up that is required for the gradual build up towards the end of the trailer.
Script- initial ideas for our trailer
Below is a the first version of our trailer script-
Trailer script
News woman: Hello and good morning, today our biggest story is possibly the most amazing news we have had in all time, a huge break through has been made in searching for the cure to cancer! They think they have found the complete cure, and are now testing it on patients with the disease. It comes in the form of an injection, and gradually everyone that has cancer will receive it free of charge. We can now hand it over to Ben Forest who has more information on the topic.
Woman’s voice fades out as does the screen, into the next clip.
News woman: Good evening, today our biggest story involves very serious guidelines that everyone needs to pay attention to. The injections used to cure cancer have reportedly had several side effects, these including increased aggression towards other people. This has been seen in over 100 people that have had the injection over a week ago, and cant be passed over as a coincidence – it could be extremely serious. The affected people are currently in isolation and are being examined. The injections are still being given but may be stopped if the effects become more extreme. Only time can tell. I am now going to pass you over to Ben Forest reporting on the events, including some disturbing images of the aggressive people. More information will be given as we receive it, keep tuned.
The clip cuts to images of the 100 aggressive people with reporter’s voice over.Reporter sounding flustered.
Male reporter: Thank you, this is terrible news and some of the imagery you are witnessing right now is extremely disturbing, this man is seen attacking his wife, just 4 days after his injection – it is very ironic as you think he would be ecstatic to receive the cure. This was sent in by a neighbour, reporting that she had heard shouting throughout the day. This woman you are now watching was in hospital still after the injection, and began to attack her doctor – videoed by a nurse after the warnings were given out. More and more videos are being received as witnesses have been asked to do anything they can so that scientists and psychologists can analyse the behaviour.
Cuts to fast pace editing with fast paced music, approximately 4 seconds shown of each clip. No dialogue, images of zombies. After clips screen goes blank and woman’s voice over comes on.
News woman: We have severe warnings to give out this evening, people are beginning to be evacuated from the country and we strongly suggest you contemplate this idea too; the diseased are being isolated however they are increasingly rapidly….
Voice over fades out. Music fades out and writing comes onto screen to end trailer, including final image of woman screaming – no dialogue.
Despite heavy modifications to this script when actually using it in our trailer, by creating a script like this one, we had a clear basis for what dialogue would be included in the trailer, as well as key ideas for transitions and editing methods for different sections of the trailer.
