How did you use media technologies in the construction

and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Photoshop

I had already used this software in my AS media work and was familiar with the layout and how to use it. when using Photoshop for my poster image I firstly just changed the image into black and white as you can see on the image to the right. This was the first step in creating atmosphere.

When developing the photograph further to better fit the conventions of a horror/thriller poster, I changed the contrast and levels to create something that looked slightly grainy. Giving the image a sense of mystery, also I used the opacity tool changed to black on Photoshop to blend the girl into the background so it either looks like she’s emerging from it or disappearing into the darkness. The black and white is important it portraying emotion and is often related to the more thrilling horrors. As well as simplifying the image for the viewer, the black and white also represents a clear distinction between light and dark- right and wrong.

I have discovered that there are many different ways that you can manipulate an image on Photoshop to make it look different and fit a certain style or genre you were going for. In this edit I experimented with the brightness and contrast In order to make the image look lighter and sharper. I then used the opacity tool again but to exaggerate the different colours I could see within her face giving the image a unique quality. I thought that the outcome was effective, however I didn’t think it fit within the thriller/horror genre, but I had fun experimenting with the different ways of changing an image.

InDesign and Illustrator

• I created my magazine cover on InDesign. I had used this software to create a magazine cover twice before, so I was confident with how to construct the layout and the conventions of a magazine. Before writing the text I started simply by placing boxes fames onto the page where text or images would go following a popular film magazines layout ‘Total Film’.

• This was easier than placing each box and completing it one at a time because I was then able to see which images would fit where and what text I needed to include.

• I used Illustrator to create the boxes at the top and bottom at the circular boxes in the middle which grab your attention.

By using illustrator to create the boxes I was able to produce somethingunique to develop my own magazine design. This also helped to suggest the style of the product, black spikes suggest an ‘edginess’ about the film. The dark blues and blacks suggest a chilling narrative.

This was my practice design of a film magazine, which I made before starting the real one in order to test out different styles. I knew from this design that I needed to create something that was more controlled in the layout- the buyer often wants the information to be easily accessible and clear to see, whilst still being attractive and interesting. So I used some aspects of my practice piece to add more creativity to my final design.

Premiere Pro

Premiere Pro was initially quiet difficult to understand how to use , so I had to use Google and YouTube to research how to achieve certain things, for example I found a tutorial on YouTube that showed me how to change the lighting of videos. I wanted to make the scene appear darker, and the tutorial gave me step by step instructions on how to do this. Once I had placed all videos inside the software it did not take me long to become accustomed to the layout. It was then a lot easier to achieve what I wanted with the product and concentrate on the finer details such as effects like fade to white and titles which helped develop narrative. I discovered that Premiere Pro was a very well developed programme and could do so much to make your trailer as professional as it could be.

Platforms and camera

• YouTube is the most popular and trusted website for sharing videos. This is the site I used to upload my development of my trailer, it is an easy process and does not take up too much time.

• Edublogs is where I keep all my work and update my progress throughout the course. It is easily accessible for others how might want to view our work and can comment on our progress so we know what we’ve done well and what might need to be improved.

• PollDaddy is a website in which you can create polls and surveys for your audience to take. I use this to make my own surveys and embed them onto my blog so I know if I'm meeting the criteria of my target audience.

For the filming of my trailer, I used a Lumix recording camera which was of a high quality- producing a sharper image. For more of the in depth scenes I used an iPad and handheld camera to make it more personal. These shots definitely added to the realistic aspect of the film as if felt like the person featured in the film was trying to give a message to the viewer personally .

To create the clearer and steady shots, I always used the tripod as it allowed me to get a smoother movement throughout the shot, making it look more visually appealing.

Results from surveys

made using

PollDaddy.com which

helped me know

where I needed to

improve

Question 4- Nicola Lane