Final products

I have completed my final movie trailer, billboard poster and movie magazine front cover after some improvements and finalisations from my audience feedback.

Billboard poster:

Magazine front cover:

Movie trailer:

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

Task 1: conventions and examples

Task 3: movie magazine front cover and billboard poster analysis





Task 3: trailer conventions analysis

Evaluation question 2 - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

I have created a short video with a commentary for my second evaluation clip using iMovie. I edited my commentary using Garageband.

I asked my audience how effective they thought the combination of my ancillary products and main trailer were and these were their responses:

• "I really like how the colour of the name of the film ties in with the girl's costume. It works really well and I like how the same sort of style is used across all of the products. E.G. the font used for the text in the trailer is the same as the logo for the film."
• "The costumes work well because you can tell that it isn't set in the present day - I think its the 50s. I also like the background and how it's the same for the logo in all 3 products. It links them together nicely."
• "The block font used for the slogan in the poster and magazine is really effective and using it in both of the products is effective because it links them together nicely and doesn't make anything too busy or disconnected."

Evaluation question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

evaluation 3 - audience feedback by Hannah Fletcher


As a result of my audience feedback, I have made some changes to my products:

• I have changed the font and colour of the "In cinemas June 15th" line in my billboard poster as some members of my audience found it hard to read as the original colour (white) was the same as the character's shirt which the text was over top of. I have changed the colour to pink which is the same as the colour that I have used for the name of the film throughout my products. I have also changed the font to a bolder, clearer style which is more spaced out so that the audience can see and read it more easily.
• I have made some subtle changes to my magazine front cover so that there is less yellow as some members of my audience felt that there was too much colour. I haven't removed much of the colour as I felt that it helped to make the information on the page stand out and made the magazine front cover as a whole bold and eye catching. One change I made was make the "+" sign at the bottom of the page, just above the banner, pink instead of yellow so that it balanced the page out more and tied in with the film's house style. This was a convention I found during my research of existing products that I really liked. Some magazines changed the style of the front cover to suit the film, for example some changed the masthead to match the film's house style or main image. I like how this looks as it just adds some subtle changes that helps the magazine link in more with the feature film. 

Evaluation question 4 - How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

New media technologies I have used:

• Blogger
• Sketch and Photoshop
• YouTube
• iMovie
• Digital cameras and video cameras
• Sound effects
• Soundcloud
• Padlet
• Press
• Google slides
• Thinglink
• Emaze
• Bubblr
• Gmail
• iPhone
• Apple Macs
• Survey Nuts, Survey Monkey and FreeOnlineSurveys
• Social media

Final draft of film trailer

This is the final draft of my trailer. This is before audience feedback so improvements may still be made.

Final billboard poster and magazine front cover

I have made some more improvements on my billboard poster and magazine front cover to achieve two final products that I am happy with. I used Photoshop to create both of the products.

Billboard poster:

Magazine cover:

Billboard and magazine third and second drafts

Billboard poster:

Magazine front cover:

Image permission

I requested to use an image from the website SurreyLive for my billboard poster as part of the improvements I pan to make. I emailed the company and stated that the image would only be used for educational purposes as a part of my school coursework and I was given the permission to use the image. Below is the email I sent to the company and the executive editor's reply:

Billboard second drafts

I have added main images and modified my billboard poster and magazine front cover using Photoshop and Sketch.

Billboard poster drafts:

Billboard and magazine first drafts

I have used Canva to begin to create my billboard poster and magazine front cover. Based on existing products and my layout designs, I have come up with some rough drafts that now need main images inserted. Once I have added the main image(s) I will choose which one I personally prefer and combine this with audience feedback from my target market in order to find the poster and magazine and cover that is most suitable for my film and intended audience.

Billboard poster drafts:

Magazine front cover drafts:

Audience feedback responses

In my survey I asked my audience which masthead designs and fonts they preferred. 11 people completed my survey and gave me constructive feedback that will help me decide which masthead is best for my magazine front cover.






















For the first question, I showed my audience an image of all of the designs I had made for my magazine masthead. I then asked them to select their favourite 3 out of the designs. I chose to ask for 3 of their favourites because it allows me to adapt to my audience's preferences. If people liked a one of the fonts from one design and another from a different design but then preferred a separate design then I could adapt the font to what they like the most. Overall, the favourite design was design no. 11, followed by no. 5 and then 3, 9 and 12.


In the next question I asked my audience to choose their favourite fonts from the designs. Generally, the 2 favourites were both from design no. 11 but people also liked 9 and 4's block style font.

Magazine masthead audience survey

I have created a survey using a website called freeonlinesurveys.com. This will give me enough feedback to decide on an appropriate masthead font and design that will appeal to my audience and look good on my magazine front cover.




I have asked people using a variety of technologies including on my blog, by text/iMessage, by Whatsapp messenger and Snapchat.

Magazine masthead designs

I have created some masthead designs for my magazine front cover. These designs are based on magazine conventions of bold, clear mastheads as well as research I have conducted on existing products. The colour/background of the text may vary according to the featured film as this was a feature I saw on many film magazines and really liked. Some magazines changed main aspects of their magazine in order to make them tie in with the feature film which made the front cover more consistent and interesting. All of the fonts were from Canva.com.

Magazine name: FIND FILM

The name I have chosen for my magazine is 'Find Film'. I have selected this name because it it short and snappy so will be easy to remember and therefore easier to create an identity as more people will know it. This name suits my magazine because it is all about finding new films that have been or will be released. When looking at previous products, I found that the mastheads of magazines were just one or two words relating to films or film companies. As a result of this, I have chosen a name that I think relates to the type of media my magazine will discuss and will appeal to my audience.

Rough first draft 1

This is the first rough draft of my movie trailer

Billboard poster layout designs

I have compiled  list of different features I like from various existing billboard posters from movies of a similar genre to my own. Based off of this and other research, I have made some layout designs using PowerPoint which give me a rough idea of how I will style my billboard posters.

Billboard poster analysis and conventions

I have briefly analysed some billboard posters using Thinglink. This will be helpful when creating my own poster and magazine as it enables me to look at the conventions in detail.



The following is an overall list of conventions found on billboard posters:

• Main image - containing the main character of the film. Usually just one or two models. Bold background colour often used to attract the audience and appeal to them. Subjects are nearly always using direct mode of address to interact with the audience and entice them, creating a relationship between the character(s) and the audience.
• The title of the film - placed in varying positions. Often put in the centre of the page and spreading across the width of it so that it is the main feature of the poster and stands out more than anything else. The style is either a clear, bold sans serif font or written in the style of the film's own house style.
• Actors' names - the names of the actors playing the main characters are usually placed at the top of the poster to make them clear to the audience and make them a key feature of the billboard poster. They are evenly spaced out and in a contrasting colour to the background. 
• Extra information - information included in posters is cinema/release dates, small print containing company names involved in the film, the name of the director, reviews from critics and slogans known from the film. 

Movie magazine front cover layout designs

I have researched various movie magazine front covers and made a list of different features that I like. I then created some layout designs for my film magazine front cover using PowerPoint. These are rough ideas that I could use for my final front cover and are based off of research I have done on popular existing products.

Movie magazine front cover analysis and conventions

I have briefly analysed some movie magazines using Thinglink. This will be helpful when creating my own poster and magazine as it enables me to look at the conventions in detail.



The following is a list of conventions found on the front cover of a film magazine:

• Main image - containing the main character of the film. Usually just one or two models. Solid background colour often used so that the cover isn't crowded and text will stand out and be clear. Subjects are nearly always using direct mode of address to interact with the audience and entice them, making them want to pick up and read the magazine.
• The masthead of the magazine - sometimes embedded behind the characters in the main image if the magazine is well known as the audience should know what it is called based on its house style. In a contrasting colour to the background colour. 
• Title of the film - the name of the film is normally in the centre of the page so that it stands out and can be seen and read easily. The style is either a clear, bold sans serif font or written in the style of the film's own house style. 
• Cover lines - a different colour is usually used for these to make them stand out and add contrast to the page. Typical colours are red, yellow or blue. Main cover lines will relate to the feature film that is shown on the front cover.
• Extra information - this will be about other features in the magazine including other films that are written about and possible competitions or incentives that could interest the audience. 

When researching I also compiled a list of specific features from magazine front covers that I like and may want to include in my final print product:

Audio licenses

Mobygratis.com license agreement:

I used a music clip from mobygratis.com for the present day scene in my film. I emailed the company asking for permission and they granted it providing I followed the guidelines shown in the agreement above. I then downloaded the clip and uploaded onto my trailer. 

SoundBible.com license conditions:

I used a siren sound effect clip from soundable.com which was edited into the 1940s bomb shelter scene in my trailer. Sound Bible clips are free and can be used commercially and for education purposes.

Issues and solutions

During filming, my partner and I ran into some complications that meant that we had to change some of our filming ideas and parts of the project.

Our team's schedules were one of the hardest things to organise as there were some clashes and difficulties with finding time when all members were free to film for a certain amount of time. To solve this problem, my partner and I made the decision to change some filming and work around the changes using editing.

For one scene, we chose to work with just one character and used editing to ensure that the narrative was still smooth and made sense. Because of this, our shot list for this scene changed slightly as one character, Darcy, was edited in using a voice over.

                              Old shot list                                                         New shot list

New 1940s script (script 2):
This script is for the parts of the trailer set in the 1940s in the bomb shelter.

Key:
D = Darcy
W = Will
MW = mysterious woman in bunker

Scene 3: Waking up
Everything is pitch black. Sirens playing in the background. 
D: Will? (whispers)
W: (looks around for Darcy, wipes his brow) Darcy? Where are you?
MW: For God's sake, be quiet! They can hear us (lights candle)
W: Darcy, where are you? (Reaches forward)
(Darcy grabs Will's hand)

We also changed another 2 scenes in order to fit in with the timings of the trailer and our actors' filming schedules. My partner and I decided to merge the 1950s and 20s scenes together to ensure that the narrative was still relevant and smooth. Instead of the 1950s being in the library, we changed it to the school dance and used the script from the 1920s to incorporate the romance aspect of the trailer as this is where the audience see Darcy and Will's connection. We have still kept the important character of Nancy in the scene as she is a vital part of the story-line as this is the scene where Will realises he is seeing his family members in the past. Because of this change, the 1920s scene will no longer be in the trailer. 

Movie poster analysis and conventions

I have created a collage of movie posters which represent different genres and eras in which they are set and were made in.

I have also made a list of the different conventions of movie magazines based on research online and from my own analysis of movie posters (shown in previous posts).

• Main image in the centre of the poster expanded over the whole page. Usually shows main character(s) and, depending on genre, they could be looking at the camera (direct mode of address), each other (likely in a romance movie poster) or into the distance (shows mystery). Often uses bright colours and contrasts with the colour of the text on the page. 
• If there is just one or two characters used in the main image, a tight frame is often used with a close up shot to make the model stand out and show that they are important.
• If there is a large cast or a lot of main characters or notable actors that the marketing producer may want to showcase, a hierarchy style formation is often used going from the most well-known actor or lead character in the very centre to less well-known cast members or characters surrounding the main focus model. This can entice an audience as it gives an idea of who is who in the film and also catches their attention to a star-studded cast. 
• Films often have a house style that is represented in the poster. This could include a colour scheme or a logo used as the title of the film. This helps the audience associate the film with specific features shown throughout marketing products (e.g. magazines, billboards, posters, merchandise, etc.). In the posters above, "The Fault In Our Stars"' title is written in a blue and white chalk style font which is now well-known and widely associated with the film. When people see that font or style they immediately think of the film. This is the main purpose of marketing a film, to make it well-known and noticeable to an audience. 
• The title of the film is usually in a bold, sans serif font so that it stands out and is clear and easy to read. The colour of the text is often the same to the rest of the text on the page to make the poster consistent and it usually contrasts with the colour of the main image or the background colour of the poster to make it eye catching so an audience can easily notice and read it. 
• Film posters nearly always contain the film's date of release to DVD or cinemas, the lead cast members' names, the name of the film and some small print highlighting information about copyright, companies or names associated with production, etc. These features are all vital for making the audience aware of the film, who is in it that they may want to see and where and when they can watch the film.
• A poster may also contain reviews by critics (often one or two-worded quotes or star ratings), who the director is and what else they have directed (from the makers of...) and/or a small slogan or quote relating to the film that again can be associated to the film.