22nd October - filming meeting

Today our group had a meeting so we could organise when we are going to film, where we are going to film and what we are going to film. After this we went to the school wooded area so we could practise and experiment with our shots. As I am director I directed Kate through what was happening and also showed her what poses to do at what times and if she needed to do something different I signalled that to her. Hannah is the camera operator so she was filming Kate, Aimee looked at the storyboard and told us what shots needed doing and when and Sally helped Kate with her actions and with any props. I think my group worked very well together and we all helped each other if we weren't sure what looked right or if we thought something could be better.
The shots that we filmed were close ups of Kate - the close up where she is running and the focus is on her feet and also the shot where someone is following her (we wanted this to look like a POV shot so Hannah followed her with the camera.)
This was good practise for when we film again for me because it helped me become confident with my role as director, this was because it made me confident with what I had to say to Kate and also I now know what poses Kate is meant to be doing so I can direct her into them straight away.
We need to look at this footage as a group now so we can see what we can use and edit and what wouldn't look as good. We also need to organise when we are next going to film and what we are going to film.

Being a director

As my job is director I decided to research famous director's and focus on one. I decided to focus on Tim Burton as he is known for making creepy films, and he is one of my favourite directors.

I looked at how Tim Burton gets people to pose when they are scared - and I also looked at Edward Scissorhands so I can see how the actors and actress' looked when they first saw Edward (because they would have been shocked). I also looked at Sweeney Todd because that's one of Tim Burton's darkest films so I decided looking at how that is set out and how the characters act would help me when we come to film our trailer.

The group's final magazine cover

Aimee and Hannah worked on this and this will be our final magazine cover.

The group's final poster

This is the group's final poster, me and Sally worked on this and combined our posters to make a joint one.

15th October - meeting

In this meeting we discussed the masthead, tagline, our final posters and our final magazines. For this I used my first draft poster and second draft magazine cover, I did this because when I looked at my posters and magazine covers they were the ones I felt were the most attractive and stood out the most. We all analysed each other's posters and magazine covers saying what we liked best and would be good on the final poster, and what we thought shouldn't be on the final poster.
We started with the final posters so we all showed each other our final posters so we could see what we all thought should go in the final poster. Whilst we were looking at the posters we decided on a film title, the group decided on my film title 'click', this was chosen out of 'flashing trees', 'one day' and 'picture perfect'. 'Click' was chosen because it is short and snappy and gave away a little bit about the film but not too much.
After we had chosen our film title we dicussed which tag line we liked best. As a group we decided on aimee's tagline 'it lies beneath the trees', I decided on this tagline because like 'Click' it gives a little away about the film, but not too much.
Then we discussed the picture we liked best for our poster. It came down to mine and sally's and me and hannah picked sally's, while aimee and hannah picked mine. I liked sally because the heart was original and is something that would attract attention because it not seen often. As a group we couldn't come to a decision as the group was divided so we asked our teacher and she suggested we combined both of our posters, so we decided on a black background and to get rid of the red on sally's heart and put my image in the middle.
We then decided to only have Kate McCormack's name on the top, this is because she is the main character and we agreed we could make it look more noticeable if it was only one name.
We then decided to have the release date on the 31th October 2011, originally hannah and sally wanted the 13th but we came to an agreement that the 31st would be a good idea.
We then had to decide on the billing block and although hannah's was just letters and not proper words I liked how it was set out. The billing block took quite a long to decide because we were not completely sure what to put in there, but Sally found the billing block from someone from a different group and we will be focusing on that when we do our final poster.
At the end the group said they liked how i had a review on my magazine cover (the scariest film of all time - empire) and they think it would look better on the poster because the poster needed more information on it.
We then moved on to discussing our magazine. We first discussed the masthead and all decided that Aimee's was the most attractive and the heart symbol made it stand out from the rest of the masthead's.
We then moved on to the picture's but no one's stood out so we looked at our other drafts and as a group decided on another one of Aimee's drafts as that stood out to me and the rest of the group straight away so this is going to be used on our final magazine cover.
After we had decided this we decided on text to go around the poster. We decided to have Sally's Saw 3D because the effect on that stood out to everyone. We have also used Aimee's plug at the bottom with having 'text/text/text'
We then decided to keep the price, date and barcode quite small because we didn't want them to be noticed.
We then decided that because the cover was horror to have 'massive horror special' to show the magazine is just not always about horror.
As a group we then decided the title of the film 'Click' will be under the image so the audience know what is included in the horror special, and then Hannah's text of '39 horror films' is being used.
Our meeting was then over and we decided that me and sally would work on the poster and hannah and aimee would work on the magazine so it could get done quicker so we could have longer to film and edit.

11th October 2010

I have changed my mind and decided I am going manipulate more images from the second photo shoot just to see if any of them looked as if they would be suitable for my poster and magazine cover, and if so I could have made an extra draft.

I have also decided if I don't make any more drafts I am going to have my first draft poster and my second draft magazine to be the one's I show my group.

Third draft poster on Photoshop

This is my third and final draft for my poster. On this draft I decided to become more creative for my background. The background I created on this because it gives an eery feel, and the pose Kate is doing in the picture makes it seem as if she is looking at someone unfamiliar, and the picture is also very noticeable against the background.
After my picture I did the film title, I decided that the red would look good against the picture because it would stand out, and having black behind the red would help it to stand out even more.
I then decided to do the release date, I decided to do this red as well because it is by the film title, and I also thought it would look more effective rather than just having mostly all white writing. I kept the release date in the original font because I think it helps the poster portray the eery feel I want it to have.
I then did the billing block; for the billing block I decided to have it black so it didn't stand out too much, and also in a font size that people could see if they wanted to read it, but that otherwise is not noticeable. I also put it in italics to fit in with the rest of the poster.
After that I did the tag line, I decided as the picture is large and central that my tagline would look better underneath it. I also think this is a good idea because it is near the film title, so it is easily noticed when people look at the film title. I also decided not too make it too large so it didn't take attention away from the film title.
Finally, I did the actors/actress names; I decided to stick with two but if I change it to one it can be easily altered. Like the tagline I made them italic and white with black around them so the poster looked organised and didn't have too much going on. I originally did them in red, but then decided there was too much red, so changed it back to white.
I am not sure if this is the poster I am put forward to my group, I am considering draft 1 but I am yet to decide.

Third draft magazine on Photoshop

This is my final draft for my magazine cover. I decided for this that I would cut a picture out and put it on a background. I decided black for the background because it is suitable for the genre of trailer we are doing. If I changed something I think it would be making the background have more than one colour so I could experiment with having two colours on a background to see how that looks.
After I made the black background and cut the picture out I put the picture on the black background, I like the picture because it looks like she is looking at something, possibly her stalker. I like the picture being light because it really contrasts with the black background so it stands out.
I then did the masthead, the masthead is red and in quite a simple font. Having it in capitals makes it stand out as well as having it in red. When I was doing the masthead I wasn't sure if I should have it all on one line so the picture was not being covered, but as it is only the top of the picture I thought it looked okay and didn't take attention away from the picture.
After I did the masthead I finally did the information down the sides and the 'horror special', I have stuck with doing 'horror special' throughout as I think it being slanted is effective. The information down the sides is also effective because it does not cover the picture, so it does not take the attention away but because of the variety of fonts it is noticeable so even if someone was not interested in the main article they would still notice the other parts of the magazine.
I decided not to put the film title on this draft because it wouldn't have looked good on top of the picture, I don't think it would have been seen that well and I also don't think it would have looked good over the top of a light picture.

More manipulated images from second photoshoot

I have decided I like this picture so I am going to manipulate it so I have some ideas of what I want it to look like on a draft:









After manipulating these images I have decided I like the black and white effect so I will continue to work on that for a draft.

8th October 2010

Today I was mainly doing my 3rd drafts of magazine covers and posters. So far I like my first draft poster best, although when I have completely finished my third draft I might prefer that one. I decided I like my first draft better than the second because I liked the pose she was doing in the picture, and the effect I put on the picture. However, I do like my second draft magazine cover better than the first because it is clear to see how I have progressed with the text. When my third is finished I might like that one best but I'm not sure right now.

Second draft magazine cover on Photoshop

This is my second draft magazine cover on Photoshop and I decided to have a long shot for my background picture. I think I am going to have pictures for the background on my final magazine cover and my final poster. Firstly, I experimented with the saturation and made the picture black and white, and then I sharpened it to make Kate stand out. I then experimented with the contrast and made Kate light while the bottom of the picture was darker. I liked the effect this gives as you can't see Kate in detail, but you can see her innocent pose and scared facial expression. If I could change something about this poster I would move Kate down a bit so her head wasn't covered by the masthead.
I then did the masthead, I decided as my colour scheme is mainly black, white and red that I would do it red as my picture is black and white. Although my masthead is quite small and I have a lot on my cover I think it stands out because it is bright, bold and in capitals. If I could change something I would see how it looks like if it was bigger, and if it looked more effective bigger.
I then did the film title beneath the picture. I did it red and liquified it like I did on my first draft. I think the red stands out on this a lot because of the simple colours on the background, and I really like the film title being red. The film title is nearer the black bit of the background so it looks scarier than the masthead, but this gives off the effect I wanted as it is a horror film.
I then did the information at the sides of the picture. I developed my ideas from the last draft and did a lot of different fonts and colours; the only one I am not sure of is the 'viewers reviews' as it does not stand out as much as the others, but I will take this into consideration for when I do my next draft. I like having some of the information slanted as I think that gives the cover some variety and makes it looks more interesting.
I then did the tag line; I decided to put the tag line on this magazine cover as it is a horror special, so it has to have information about horror films. I did it in the same font as it is on the poster, only it is in capitals here. I experimented to see what it would look like in capitals and decided I like it better without. I thought it was a good idea to use the same font as on the poster so the audience recognise it when they look at either.
Finally, I did the review. I used a different font from the review, but I used it on a part of the information section so it wasn't too much variety. I decided to do this in capitals, because although it is small it is important. I also used white to stick with my simple colour scheme; I thought the review looked good and added a higher status to the film.

Second draft poster on Photoshop

I decided to keep my second draft poster with not a lot information on it, but instead having the picture as the main focus.
I decided to have the picture as the background again and i edited it by using the mosaic tool, to give it a more grainy effect. This gives off the effect of a photograph which links to the plot of the film. Kate's face is also lit up and surrounded by black so she is the main focus, the black behind her gives off the impression someone could be hiding, and because she is looking around it also adds to that impression. Having a close up image of Kate has given me a different insight, as before I had mostly long shots. I now like both and I am undecided whether to use a long shot or a close up in my final draft.
I then did the film title, and even though the picture being a close up makes the title not as noticeable, I still think it fits in well. The white with black behind it contrasts with the background so it is clearly visible. The title is liquified again which gives off a scary effect, and also along with the picture gives a clue to what the film is about.
I then did the release date, I didn't put the release date in italics this time as I felt the italics were becoming a bit too much. I think it works well having space and not being just below the film title too as it gives it room to be noticed more. I kept it white with black behind it like the rest of the text as this is an on going colour scheme because I think it works well and gives off the scary effect I want.
Then I did the tagline, I have decided I like the tagline being on the right hand side as it makes it visible next to the picture. I think the tagline looks good here because it doesn't cover her face, only her hair and the background, so it is against darkness.
I then did the actors and actress' names at the top, I decided for this draft I would put two people at the top to see if it looked better. I think it does because after looking at my poster in more depth I thought having one focused too much attention on it. I am still not completetly sure if I am going to have both names on my final draft yet. I liked how they were white and contrasted against black because although they were both small it means they can be seen clearly from a distance (e.g. if someone was looking at poster's on a shelf from another part of a shop.)
Finally, I did the billing block. I made this smaller than last time and put more information on it. I like how it looks now because you can't really notice it, but it is still there if someone wants to read it. I think my billing block is going to stay that small, even though in my next draft I might experiment with making it italic and with different colours.

Manipulated images from the second shoot

These are the images I have manipulated from the second photoshoot.

I like the image and I am considering using it for a draft of my magazine cover, although I am not sure about the heavy emboss so I might take that off and experiment more with it.


I edited this image again because I really liked it and therefore wanted to use it, this is my second manipulation of it and I am really considering using it.


I like the colours on this as it lights up her face and the pose she is doing.


I like this picture as I feel it brings out her innocence, although I am aware I don't think it is noticeable enough to be a magazine or poster cover.


I like this image and if I was too use it I would experiment more with effects to make it stand out more.

I am going to experiment with more images to see if I prefer them to these for my drafts.

Second shoot images

These are some of the images taken from the second shoot. Some of them are ones I had taken but we all agreed to share images so some are images other people in my group had taken. I like these images because there is a mixture of close up's, mid shots and long shots. When I come to do my magazine cover and poster if I see any other images I like that our group took I might use them as they might make my magazine cover or poster look more professional. I am now going to manipulate these images to see what happens, I also might use the images on my blog from the first shoot for my poster and magazine cover if I feel they look more professional.

5th October 2010

Today we had our second photoshoot for our magazines and posters. We used Kate as we did before because she will be our actress in our trailer. We took photo's of her in the school media suite, we all had different individual ideas so we took it in turns to use the camera. On my photo's I mainly focused on getting long shots while she is doing innocent, un-suspecting poses. We did decide that if anyone wanted a picture someone else took we could share.

First draft magazine cover on Photoshop

For my first draft on Photoshop magazine cover I decided to put a picture as the background. I decided to make Kate's face lighter, this meant the background seemed darker, so her face is light surrounded by dark. I also liked the trees above her shown because it showed it was in the woods and it also makes the audience feel someone is watching her from behind the trees.
I then decided to do the masthead, I did the masthead in white and in a bold font so it could be seen, I like this font because it is simple but also attractive. I put the masthead in capitals so it was even more noticeable, I felt that the masthead might not be seen that much because of the large picture and the film title so I made sure it was bold enough to be seen.
I then put the film name near the bottom of the picture, I decided to do this so it was not near the masthead, so they could both be noticed. I decided to do a mix of colours on this draft so I put the font in red and liquified it, I liked this because the contrast was good against the background, and it also made it attractive. This is something I will definitely keep in mind when doing my later drafts.
I then put the information around the edges of the picture, I put the information in different colours and fonts so the cover did not look boring, I did this very simply on this draft but I will add more information and see how that looks. I liked this because I thought it made the cover look interesting, although I am aware the grey is not that noticeable, so I am considering putting a white shadow round the back of it. I also liked the 'horror special' at the top being slanted, this added to making the cover look interesting, and the shadow around the back of it also made it stand out from the masthead.
Finally, I put the review nearest the bottom of the page. I did this because it is not the most important, but if someone was interesting in seeing the film it would help to convince them. I did it in a simple font because it does not need to be very attractive, but I also made sure it stood out from the background. I also did it in capitals so it added variety to the magazine cover and so it wasn't completely hidden.

1st October 2010

In this lesson I worked on my draft magazine cover. I used Photoshop and experimented with different fonts and differents colours on and behind the fonts (like a shadow.)