Evaluation- Question 4

Please click the link to view my Evaluation- Question 4 response

Evaluation- Question 3

Please click the link to view my Evaluation- Question 3 response

Evaluation- Question 2

Evaluation q2 from hollycutts11

Evaluation- Question 1

Please click the link to view my Evaluation- Question 1 response

Evaluation Question - Q4

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

Blogger
Since we were required to do a lot of research for our film in order for us to develop an understanding in what we had to do to create our film, we created a Blogger page. Here we were able to post all of our work to one page and post it neatly, this also meant that we could go back to what we had researched if we were unsure of something regarding our film. We decided to have our film poster as the background to distinguish what kind of work we have produced for our film. The fonts on the blog are red and white to stand out but to also match the poster, we included our initials as the title of the blog.

Research
Before producing our film we were required to research into genre, then when we had an idea of what genre of film we were going to produce we then researched into short films that have a similar genre and storyline to our current idea. This ensured we had a good knowledge of what will be expected in our film. I visited various short film websites produced from people all around the world, I also visited sites such as IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes to look at reviews and because they provide useful information about each film. When researching into the genre of films I came across theorists and complex discussions of why genre is or isn't important. One source of material I focused on in particular was the book Film/Genre by Rick Altman.
Here is a list of some of my research references:
https://www.shortoftheweek.com/
http://www.imdb.com/?ref_=nv_home
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/
https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Film_Genre.html?id=bZweM58eg48C


Celtx
To create the script for our film we used a software called Celtx which is a media pre-production software designed for creating and organizing media projects such as screenplays, films, stage plays and more. Celtx was simple to use and allowed us to create a script which was easy to follow as it looked like a professional script. When writing a script on this software, it requires a variety of features such as characters names, dialogue, location, scene number and stage directions designed to stand out from each other on the script so that it is easy to follow and understand whilst producing the film. I had previous experience with Celtx as I had used it for last years short film in media and also in my film studies class this year as I was required to produce a short screenplay as part of my coursework.

Photoshop
We used Photoshop for a variety of our creative media product, the first time being to create the production logo. It started with an image of a moon over the water, using the filter gallery and cut out feature we changed the appearance of the image to look more like a cartoon. Then using Da Font to search for a font we thought suited our production logo we added 'moonlight pictures' onto the image in Photoshop and then duplicated and inverted the text so that it became mirrored over the water as a reflection. We also used Photoshop to create the film poster. It started with an image of car headlights and a Ouija board because they are two key elements within our film. The image of the car was edited to black and white and then blended it with the black background. The exposure on the Ouija board was decreased to make it look old and dirty. Then using a similar font to the Ouija board font, the title and actors names were added in white as it contrasts against the black. Production details and logos were also added along with the reviews and film information.




Final Cut Pro
Final cut pro is a film editing software which we used throughout the whole process of creating our film, we also used it to produce our radio trailer. We also used it when editing our Journey Exercise to get familiar with the software. Final Cut Pro has various features which we have applied to our film to make it look professional and effective. For the beginning of the film we used parallel editing to show the two characters travelling at the same time to meet each other, we also added in a fade out then a fade in to the new scene to show the passage of time in various scenes. For the opening sequence we included a spiral of the Ouija board and to create the Wr  In the scene of Jake's death we added a vignette filter to make it dark and to show what happened in past tense. When using this software we were also able to use the text feature to add the title of the film and credits. To create our radio trailer using this

YouTube
We created a YouTube page to post and share our videos including a video of our audience feedback and rough cuts. By uploading various cuts of our film we could easily see how our film began to improve and it also allowed us to show various people the process of our film which allowed us to receive helpful feedback on what our film was missing. We have also used YouTube to research film trailers and radio trailers so that we knew what to include when producing our own radio trailer.

Free Music Sites
Discovering free music download sites allowed us to include effective sounds and music in our film. These sites included a huge variety of sounds for us to choose from, when we found one we wanted to use it was simple to download and then insert to Final Cut Pro where we could then edit the sound or music into our film. Since the sounds within our film are from a free download site this means that there was no copyright therefore including the music and sounds from these sites into our film was legal. We were careful when choosing which sounds to include, we didn't want any of the sound effects to sound exaggerated or fake and we wanted the music to fit with the scene. Overall, the use of music and sound has had a huge impact on our film as the sounds we have used have made certain scenes in our film more effective. Here are some of the websites we used:
https://www.deezer.com/en/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=search-obj_reg&utm_campaign=acq-sea&utm_term=generic&utm_content=generic
http://www.mp3juices.cc/
https://www.jamendo.com/search


Zoom Recorder
This piece of equipment was extremely useful and beneficial to the production of our film. A zoom recorder is to be held close to the character's speaking so that it can record what each person is saying, like a microphone on a smartphone. However, the speech is hear more clearly than on a camera because it is specifically designed for this purpose. A USB is then inserted to connect it to the computer and then we transferred the dialogue onto the computer, then transferred it into Final Cut Pro. Then we matched up the dialogue with the scene to edit it into the film. We also used this device for our radio trailer when recording the narrative since it records speech clearly. If it wasn't for this device the audience wouldn't have been able to hear the dialogue well, we also noticed that when recording dialogue on camera the wind dominates over the dialogue.
Our Radio Trailer

Mobile Phones
We used our mobile phones to communicate with each other through social media but we also used them in our film. The three female characters used their phones to talk to each other and arrange plans. Mobile phones played an important part in our film as it distinguished that the film is set in the present, and it also meant the audience could relate since the majority of our target audience use mobile phones on a daily basis to communicate and access social media and entertainment whilst on the go. We also used our phones to take pre-production photos and to access our social media account where we had created a group chat to communicate with each other conveniently and quickly.


Social Media
We created a group chat on Facebook in order to plan where we were meeting and at what time to film. This was extremely convenient for us as it meant we didn't have to wait until our lessons to discuss where and when to meet, it also meant that if one of use fell ill or were unable to film we could let each other know and rearrange instantly. Social media also helped us with our audience research as I had created a Twitter poll for our target audience to vote on whilst I was doing the audience research.


Camera/Tripod
To film our short film we used a Canon Agria HD25 camera which was a lot better quality than the camera we used in AS year. This new camera was also easier to use, especially the focus compartment because there was manual focus and auto focus, depending on the scene depended on how we used the focus. To ensure the camera movements were still and smooth we used a tripod to place the camera on top of. The tripod can be changed to various lengths and angles in order to get the nest shots possible for films, it also ensured that our pan shots were smooth as the top of the tripod can turn up and down and side to side. To ensure the tripod was set up correctly and stood up straight we kept checking the small circle and bubble area, if the bubble fits into the centre of the circle it means the tripod is straight. Whenever the tripod was out of place the bubble would be at the left or right side of the circle.

Evaluation Question - Q3

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

How did you respond to the original brief with the audience in mind?
We had decided that we wanted to produce a horror film but before focusing on a specific storyline I posted some questions on my Twitter account for people to answer. All they had to do was click on the answer anonymously and I would receive the results. I decided to do this because the majority of our generation is on social media. I asked for their age, occupation and gender so that we would have a more clear idea of who our target audience is. I also asked their favourite horror sub-genre since horror films aren't just horror films now, they're more complex and specific. I also asked what's the main reason you watch films so that we knew which area we would have to focus on more. From these results the majority of our target audience are students who are young adults, a majority of these students were also female. The most popular horror sub-genre was psychological with Thriller being a close second. The most popular reason as to why our target audience watch films is because of the storyline and less than half of the voters is for escapism, therefore it was clear that our film had to have a good storyline with a plot twist. Our film has mainly female characters who are close friends which will appeal to the female audience as many young females, such as our target audience, have friendship groups therefore they can relate to these characters as they are also young students. Although the target audience prefer psychological films over thriller films we are unable to apply this genre to our film due to the lack of time we have to portray a psychological storyline. In fill length, psychological films are able to present a psychological idea to the audience as they have time to inject the idea and build a climax. For example, Shutter Island describes the effect of a psychological illness through the use of restrictive narrative as we only know what the protagonist knows.










Rough Cut of Presence

We decided to upload a rough cut of our film in order to receive some feedback of any improvements or adjustments we could make. We created a questionnaire for our audience to answer, we asked; what genre they think our film is, what certificate they think our film is, where they'd expect to see our film, what they like about our film, if they understand the storyline, if the music suits the film and what improvements there could be. From our questionnaire we can infer that the majority of our audience thought the genre of our film was a supernatural thriller, this is an answer we expected because in our film there is a greater presence which brings supernatural into thriller. We can also see that 5 out of 10 people said that our film should be given the certificate 12A, we also expected this as our film doesn't show any death and meets the guidelines of a 12A certificate by the BBFC. Most of the people who completed our questionnaire expected to see our film online. Since our film is a short film this is the outcome we wanted, allowing it to be watched online would give our film more chance of recognition. When people were asked what they like about our film, four people answered the plot and storyline, which is the main focus of our film. We can also see that six people told us they didn't understand the storyline. This is something we had to fix because we need our audience to understand the storyline therefore we decided to include more scenes of Jake so that it's clear that he's friends with the three girls, we had to establish him more as a character. Everyone who participated in the questionnaire said the music does suit the film which we were pleased to hear since we chose our music and use of sound carefully, ensuring that it suits each particular scene. When asked if there should be any improvements with our film, 50% suggested that we add more scenes, with two people inferring that we should develop our characters more. The feedback we received was beneficial and helped us decide what improvements we had to make.







Video Questionnaire

We conducted this questionnaire to gather results about our film and ways in which we could improve the film. The questionnaire gave us the opportunity to engage our potential audience and understand the elements they wanted to see. A final important question we had to gain feedback for was "what kind of setting would you like to see in our film?" The majority of people we asked described how they expect to see dark settings using low key lighting. We decided we will use low key lighting in order to portray suspense and tension to the audience.

In filming and editing, how did we ensure the meaning would be apparent to the audience?
The most important meaning of the film which we ensured during filming and editing is the end scene where Mellissa, Olivia and Ruby place flowers on a lamp post in memory of Jake. The final frame shows a long shot of the three friends in the bottom left corner of the screen with a path dominating the rest of the screen. The path portrays the three girls walking away from Jake's death to their new reality, a reality without Jake. This is the new path to their future and the fact that they walk away together shows they keep their friendship in memory of Jake. Another scene would be when Mellissa is showing Jake the Ouija board in the car park, we purposely placed the parked cars in the shots to foreshadow Jake's death as he gets hit by a car. During the editing process we carefully chose the correct music and sound to use for each scene. In the scene where Mellissa begins to shake and we show a close up of her face we added the sound of whispers to portray that she hears these whispers and she is either becoming possessed or a supernatural presence has appeared through the Ouija board.

How did the audience respond when you trailed aspects of your film?
When we had posted the final cut of our film we handed out another questionnaire. The majority of the people who participated were aged 18 with half of the majority being 17 and the small minority being aged 19-25 and the majority of these people are students. When asked what genre they think our film is a high percentage of the audience answered thriller, with supernatural horror being a close second and the minority vote was horror. These are the results we were hoping for since our target audience is young adults and the genre we aimed for was supernatural thriller. Half of the people voted that our film is aimed at young adults and the rest voted teenagers, both these age groups are our target audience and we're pleased that our film shows that. Around 25% answered that they would not see our film in the cinema where as the rest voted that they would, we had considered showing our film online so that it could reach a bigger potential audience. However, the majority answered that they would expect to see this film online and rest voted either at a film festival or the cinema. Everyone who participated in this questionnaire said that they do understand the storyline which is what we expected since we included more scenes which introduce the relationship between the characters. When asked what they like about our film, 50% answered the music, 12.5% answered continuity, 12.5% character development, 12.5% locations and another 12.5% said the storyline. I believe that the use of music and sound we have edited into our film is one of the strong points of our film. The final question we asked were what improvements could be made to Presence, 25% said that there could be a bigger twist, 37.5% said the plot build up could be improved and 37.5% said character development. I understand why people said this but since it's a short film we don't have much time to include a big climax so I believe we have included a good enough storyline with a twist considering the little amount of time we have to show our film.

Overall, I have learnt how important audience feedback is and that the audience's reaction to the film should always be considered. We wanted to achieve a preferred response with our audience so after some audience feedback we managed to achieve this by including more footage which was defiantly needed. I also understood that everyone interprets things differently so creating a film to make the audience have a specific response can be difficult as everyone is different.

Evaluation Question - Q2

Evaluation Question 2 Powerpoint

Evaluation Question - Q1

In what ways does the media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

It's essential that each scene is edited continuously for the film to flow smoothly which will appeal to the audience because with good continuity, the audience escapes in the film where as with bad continuity the audience is reminded that they are watching a film and the escapism element is broken. In our AS year we completed a preliminary task where we learnt the three most important rules when filming; the 180 degree rule, match in action and over the shoulder shots. It was important that we followed these principles for our A2 year, especially because the film is required to be twice as long, in order to produce a professional looking and continuous film. We encountered a small issue during film production as one of the group members who played Melissa got her nose pierced. At this point we had only filmed one scene where Mellissa, Olivia and Ruby hang some flowers on a lamp post but this was the end scene so she would've had a nose piercing throughout the film but not one at the end. Even though it most likely wouldn't be noticeable we decided to re-film the scene, making sure we were wearing the same outfits, so that she would have a nose piercing throughout the film to avoid the risk of bad continuity. It also became apparent that some scenes were more difficult to film than we expected but we managed to overcome these challenges by re-filming, experimenting and coming up with new ideas. An example would be the Ouija board scene where Melissa, Olivia and Ruby are holding the planchette as it's moving the various letters. There's a lot of conspiracy theories surrounding a Ouija board so to avoid superstition we didn't hold hands to create a chain, we didn't begin with saying "Hello" or "Goodbye" when we had finished and we didn't remain our hands on the planchette at all times which are apparently how to make a Ouija board work. The first attempt of filming this scene the camera was constantly placed in the same spot creating a birdseye shot and each time we moved the planchette onto a letter we stopped the record button and then pressed record again for the next letter, when we edited the footage together we realised that it was too plain and would bore the audience. Therefore we decided to film this scene again, this time we kept changing the angle of where the camera was stood from left to right whist remaining it behind the 180 degree line. As the individual letters were being shown on screen from different angles we realised that this approach was more intriguing for the audience.     

 

Our film both support and subvert stereotypical media conventions of a Thriller, to ensure the audience are able to identify the genre we used key elements and iconography typically shown in a Thriller. For example, in the Ouija board scene we used low key lighting to create chiaroscuro, we made sure that there were bold shadows and that these were shown in the shots we filmed, the shadows were also included on the characters' faces to create a contrast. We also used Thriller related conventions when creating the title sequence by using the Ouija board in it, we filmed a spiral shot of the board from a birdseye view with the planchette placed in the middle. Along with the board the film title also spirals in to catch the attention of the audience. The board first appears dark and grained like it's just been burnt and then fades to how it originally looks, we did as a typical convention of a Thriller is dark colours and because the Ouija board is one of the main focuses of the film. Another convention which we supported was the modern use of technology amongst the younger generation. Throughout the film mobile phones, particularly smartphones, are a big source of communication and are an essential part of everyday life. This was reflected in our film as it shows that they're relied on in todays society. Mellissa and Ruby are both shown talking to each other on a smartphone to arrange when to meet and Olivia uses her smartphone to call Jake as he's late but it goes to voicemail which indicates something is wrong as many young people always have their phone to hand therefore it intrigues the audience. However, our film also subverts conventions of a Thriller. Typically a Thriller is closed ended but it could be argued that our film is open ended as Jake appears after Mellissa, Olivia and Ruby have put some flowers on the lamp post making the audience think if Jake really is dead or not. Another typical Thriller convention for a film with our storyline is someone becoming possessed by some sort of demon from the spirit world but this doesn't particularly happen in our film. Mellissa hears whispers and the lighting flickers but nothing bad happens to her and she doesn't end up dead which typically would happen. Instead the three friends find out that their friend Jake is dead. This could raise questions for the audience which would allow them to interpret the ending of this film however they like creating a preferred, negotiated or oppositional response.   

Throughout the film we wanted to imply some suspense by using our choice of non-diegetic sound

carefully because we didn't want the plot revealed too early in the film through the screenplay. We used high pitched soundtracks throughout the film which gradually became louder at the Ouija board scene which naturally creates suspense and tension as the audience will expect something to happen from this use of sound. We also made the sound of the car crashing and screeching loud to scare and shock the audience and to add the element of suspense. It is soon revealed that Jake was ran over by a car as there's a shot of him lying on the floor with his phone in his hand showing the missed call from Olivia. After the main plot is revealed the music goes from being tense and suspenseful to being sad with the high pitched sound of a piano. Another way we created this suspense without giving too much away was when Olivia's phone call to Jake went unexpectedly to voicemail. From the sound to the missed phone call the audience realises how obvious this plot was after the plot is actually revealed and they begin to wonder how they didn't see it coming - which is what we wanted to achieve with our film.


We knew how important it was to include certain shots for certain implications of each character. The film begins with Mellissa and Ruby talking on the phone, the audience doesn't know who these characters are yet so we decided to use mid shots of the two characters so that the audience can also see the background of where they are - the background indicating that they are both students as they are both in a classroom or study area, especially with Mellissa's class work being blatantly obvious as it's shown through an over the shoulder shot as she's dialling Ruby's number. The next scene shows a long to mid shot of Olivia and Ruby walking to the location where they are supposed to be meeting Mellissa and Jake, this shot shows where they are walking to and that they are friends as they are together side by side and are discussing where Jake is. During the Ouija board scene Mellissa is placed in the centre with Olivia and Ruby by her side, the first shot is a mid shot of all three of them together therefore signifying their friendship. Then over the shoulder shots are used to show each individual character as they speak with a fraction of Mellissa being in all of them which indicates her importance in the film. She's the one who came up with the idea to do the Ouija board, invited everyone herself and she's also the one who found it which potentially ultimately leads to death. During the part where Mellissa hears the whispers with the lights flickering it was important to have this shown in a close up shot to make the audience focus on what's happening to her. A close up shot was shown of Jake's phone in his hand when he had been run over to make the audience sympathise with all the characters as they had lost a friend, it also shows the use of parallel editing and that the audience knows what the characters don't know therefore making the film have an omniscient narrative. A high angle shot is used of Jake on the floor to show how helpless he is and that there is no sign of him getting up which tells the audience he is dead. When the three friends put up flowers in memory of Jake the scene starts with a long shot and then a mid shot showing all three of the characters which again signifies their friendship. A close up shot is then shown of them tying the flowers, this makes the audience focus on the flowers and the reason why they are there - which is something the audience can relate to as everyone has experienced a loss of someone and the tradition of putting flowers on a grave. In this close up you can still see the three friends together which shows even with the loss of a friend they still remain together as a unit. After the flowers have been placed a long shot is shown of the three friends stood together at the lamp post, however they are placed in the bottom left of the screen with a path dominating the rest of the screen. This signifies that together they are walking away from the loss of their friend to focus on the future and will continue their friendship in memory of Jake.

Final Film Questionnaire- Results

Final Film Questionnaire- Results

 

Final Film Questionnaire

 Final Film Questionnaire

Name:

Age:

Occupation:

 

What genre do you think our film is?


Who do you think our film is aimed at?


What particular age group do you think it is aimed?


Would you watch our film if it was released at the cinema? 


Where would you expect to see this film?


Do you understand the storyline?

What do you like about our film?


What improvements would you make to Presence, if any?


Does the music suit our film?


Are the settings suitable for conveying our genre? (location, props, costumes)


Can you align with the characters?

What is your overall impression of our film? 

Radio Trailer Script

Film Poster step by step

Film Poster step by step

 

We used Adobe Photoshop to create our film poster as it is good software that allowed us to create a high quality poster. I started off by adding the two main focus images to my poster combined with a black background, I chose a car headlights and a Ouija board as they are the two key things within our film and are quite symbolic. I edited the car picture so it was black and white and matched with the background, then I used the eraser tool and selected that layer to blend it more in with the background. I changed the exposure on the Ouija board image so it looked more dirty and used therefore connoting to viewers its old.

 

 I then added the title and cast names in a font that is similar to the one used on the Ouija board, it was big and bold to draw attention in and I made the font white as it contrasts against the black nicely. I also added in our 'Moonlight Pictures' logo to show it was us who produced it. Also I made the Ouija board opaque to take the focus off it and add it to the car headlights.

 

 

 

 

 

 I moved the title down as there was too much blank space and the title needed to be slightly more central.  I also added the production details at the bottom like most film posters have to make it look more professional. I used the steel tongs font on Photoshop to do this

I then added the tagline which is included in our film which gives the poster a direct link and makes the audience question whether it is actually just a game. I altered and changed the layout of everything at the bottom, including adding the Short Film Central logo, the 12A certificate, the release date and #Presence as this allows people to discuss our film on social media platforms like Twitter. This overall made the poster look more professional. Then I made the image of the Ouija board more distorted and finalised the poster by adding star reviews in a red and bold font to make the poster stand out more.

 

 

 

Extra Scene Script

Extra Scene Script

INT. CLASSROOM. DAYTIME

MELISSA and JAKE are in their lesson, on the computers. (sat next to each other) they can be seen involving themselves in their task.

MELISSA

(enthusiastically)

Jake, are you busy after college because there's something I want to show you

JAKE

(optimistic)

No, I don't think am

MELISSA

Oh good, meet me at the car park then at 4pm

JAKE

I'll see you there then

The teacher dismisses them and they both leave the classroom

EXT. CAR PARK. DAYTIME

MELISSA is stood waiting for JAKE. He can be seen walking towards MELISSA and he smiles.

JAKE

Hey, you okay?

MELISSA

Yeah I'm good thanks, this is what I want to show you

MELISSA grabs a suitcase from behind her and places it in front of JAKE. JAKE crouches down and opens the suitcase.

JAKE

(surprised, looking at up MELISSA)

Where did you get this from Melissa?

MELISSA

I bought it from a car boot sale that I went to with my mum at the weekend. Let's see if we can find anything interesting

MELISSA crouches down and joins JAKE and they start searching through the suitcase. JAKE finds a car souvenir that he likes and stands up.

JAKE

Ooh, this is such a classic

MELISSA

Have it if you want

JAKE

Thank you

JAKE places the car in his pocket and continues to look through the suitcase with MELISSA. MELISSA suddenly stops and pulls out a Ouija board. They both stand up and look at each other in shock

MELISSA

(shocked)

Oh my god, Jake we should all do this for some fun.

JAKE

Are you sure that's a good idea I don't think Ruby will like it

MELISSA

I think it's a good idea, its only for fun what's to worry about

JAKE

Ok then, let's hope nothing goes wrong

MELISSA

I'll text you the details later.

MELISSA crouches down and packs the rest of the suitcase up. JAKE and MELISSA say goodbye and they both walk away in the opposite direction

Developments of our Film

Developments of our Film

Ouija board scene

From gathering general feedback from our subject teacher he suggested that we shorten the Ouija board scene down by withdrawing some of the words spelled out because it was too long. This suits the nature of the Ouija board as the 'spirit' isn't suppose to give everything away to its audience. By leaving all the letters on, the viewer may find the scene boring and not suspenseful because all the letters are clearly shown. Taking away some of the letters makes the audience think more and keep them on the edge of their seats.

Music

Foreboding eerie music has been added to play throughout the entire film to emphasize the horror genre and to continue creating tension and atmosphere for the viewers to feel engaged.

Extra scenes

From our audience questionnaire for our rough cut, we found out that the audience wanted another scene in which we developed the character of Jake. Taking this feedback on board, we will film a scene which will take place after Melissa, Olivia and ruby have laid the flowers. The scene will consist of a mid shot showing Jake dead on the floor in the  rain with a phone in his hand on the missed call list where Olivia is seen to have rang him numerous times conveying that Jake has been deceased for a while.

We also decided to add a scene in at the beginning of the film where Melissa explains to Jake how she bought a suitcase from a car-boot sale. They then both look in the suitcase and finds lots of strange things. When they get to the bottom of the suitcase, Melissa finds a Ouija board and suggest to Jake that they do it for fun with their friends. Jake thinks that it is a bad idea but they go along with it anyway. The film then moves into the Olivia & Ruby walking to meet Melissa.

Research into Radio Trailers

Since there are many people still using radios in cars it makes sense to promote products and films with a radio trailer. The radio trailer is approximately 25 seconds. Radio trailers include:

1. Voice overs with hints of sound and speech from the film.
2. Information at the end of the trailer of viewing and certificate.
3. The slogan of the film.
4. Sound effects when appropriate.
5. The purpose is to persuade various audiences to watch the film.

Radio trailers are played through various radio stations depending on the subject of the trailer. An example of this would be an animated Disney film would not be displayed on a radio station that focuses on rock music or classical music such as Classic FM. All advertisements on the radio are played through a particular station all due to its target audience. However since short films are commonly only displayed online or at film festivals they're less likely to be advertised on the radio. Since you have to pay for your trailer to be advertised on the radio there will be different set prices for different times of the day and if there are any events going on. To play a radio trailer during the break of a big sports game would cost a lot more than playing a radio trailer on a typical afternoon. Another peak time for radios would be when people are driving to work in the morning then leaving work in the evening. However, due to the power of the internet and social media film companies appear to be spending more time and investment advertising on social media and prime time TV than on a radio.

Doctor Who Official Radio Trailer - Here is the official radio trailer for a new series of Doctor Who. It starts with the recognisable sound of the Tardis and some short dialogue from the show which is suspenseful. It then ends with a narrator voice over with information about Doctor Who returning to BBC One. It's short but informs the audience with everything they need to know along with getting them excited about the new upcoming series.

Radio Trailers- Research

Radio Trailers- Research

The meaning of a radio trailer
Radio ads are an effective, low-cost medium through which a business can reach a target consumer. Radio creates emotional reactions in listeners and, in turn, consumers perceive your advert as being more relevant to them personally.

What could a radio trailer consist of?

• A radio trailer need to contain facts and statistics to make it informative and provide the audience with knowledge 
• The facts should aim to convince the audience to want to watch the film
• The trailer should last around 30-40 seconds to give the audience all the necessary information but not too much to make them not have to watch the film 
• Sound effects can be used to keep the audience engaged and give them a sense of the mood/atmosphere of the film 
• A voiceover should be used with hints of sounds/speech from the film
• Information of the certificate of the film and when it is released

Why use radio trailers?
Firstly, a radio trailer is a good way of advertising your film because your market listens to the radio. Radio is a platform which everyone listens to and this would give your film more recognition. Radio is targeted and each radio station is operated with specific market segments in mind, so despite there being many radio stations nationwide there are particular stations that target your specific market. Sound is stored in the memory more effectively than the written word. Sound, the spoken word offers emotion and encourages the listeners imagination to produce their own desirable image of a product. Radio is the theatre of the mind. Because advertising on local radio broadcasts is not very expensive, it is more cost-effective than television commercials, print advertising and direct mail.

Radio trailers research

Conventions of a radio trailer

• Voice over
• Clips of sound/speech from the film
• Information at the end of the trailer - release date and age certificate
• Include the film's tagline/slogan
• Sound effects
• Persuasive tone so more people will watch the film

You have to think carefully about which radio station you want your trailer to featured on as each station has a different audience. Radio stations like Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 appeal to a younger audience like 13-25 which our film also does so these would be suitable whereas Classical FM as it appeals to an audience which is a lot older.

 

Using a voiceover will enable us to tell the viewer the storyline and important viewing details, clips of dialogue from our film will also be used to give people an insight on what to expect. If we use music from our short film in the trailer our audience will be able to link them together easier.

 

The average length of a radio trailer is usually around 30-40 seconds. Overall the aim of our radio trailer is to encourage people to watch our film as it is a form of advertisement.

Research into Radio Trailers

Research into Radio Trailers

What is a Radio Advert?

A radio advertisement is a type of commercial created for the radio broadcasting medium. Typically 30-60 seconds long, radio advertisements often rely on memorable audio cues, such as jingles or catch phrases, to grab audience attention. With a low production cost and the ability to target specific demographics through station selection, a radio advertisement can be an excellent way to get the word out about a product or company.

What does it need to include?

A radio advertisement needs to be able to grab people's attention away from other pursuits. Since people tend to listen to the radio while they are driving, in line, or in a waiting room, radio advertisements need to be catchy enough to draw attention away from the listener's main activity. A memorable jingle, or short song, may be used in a radio advertisement for this purpose. Jingles are typically very easy to remember and contain references to the product or company involved in the advertisement.

A radio advertisement must use wit, memorable lines, or catchphrases to draw the interest of a listener. Radio scripts often take the form of conversations between two people that reference the product or company being advertised. Slogans are often worked into the dialogue, so the listener draws a subconscious connection between the slogan and the product.

Why a Radio Advert?

Radio advertisement must use wit, memorable lines, or catchphrases to draw the interest of a listener. Radio scripts often take the form of conversations between two people that reference the product or company being advertised. Slogans are often worked into the dialogue, so the listener draws a subconscious connection between the slogan and the product.

1970's and 1980's examples

2013 examples

This shows a clear difference between radio adverts back then and radio adverts in the modern day such as improved sound effects and audio feedback.

Rough sketch poster idea

Rough sketch poster idea

For this poster idea the two main images that can be seen is a car and an Ouija board. The worn down Ouija board is used to straight away convey that the genre of the film will be a Supernatural horror as it has connotations of the dead and the afterlife. A hand is seen holding onto it but the audience do not know who's and this encourages them to be intrigued. The car is used to illustrate danger with headlights beaming through the fog on a dark night. This straight away introduces imminent threat. The title of the film 'Presence' is in bold white to juxtapose the black background along with the cast names making it stand out. Our production logo can also be seen on the bottom right. We chose to use these two main images to establish that there could possibly be a clear connection and leaves the audience guessing as to why they are linked together.

Film Poster ideas

The three main characters stand with each other in a line showing half their faces with a plain facial expression. Behind them at the end of the line there is a dark shadow which is a supernatural presence. The image includes low key lighting, the majority of the light being on the faces, with a dark red-black background. The title of the film 'Presence' is in capital letters in red, the font should either be made to look like blood a faded shadow or sharp. Perhaps with a white outline. The tagline will be underneath the title in the same colour but in a more simple font. The bottom of the poster will include the certificate, credits writing (in the same font as the rest) and the release date or 'coming soon' placed centre bottom in small red writing so that it stands out along with the title and tag line. A review/rating will fit at the bottom too on top of everything else or underneath the title but I believe it will look better places at the bottom therefore leaving a space between the focal image and the film title so that both the image and the title stand out.


A birds-eye shot of the three girls hands placed on the planchette on the Ouija board. Hovering over the board is a dark shadow of a ghoulish looking hand therefore connoting the presence. Low key lighting used again focusing on the hands and board, the background is to be either black or a really deep red. There will be some lighting around the shadow hand so that it will stand out against a dark background, or it will be placed further onto the board since the board is brown. The film title is to be white in a shadow/faded/ghoulish looking font and since it's white against a really dark colour it will stand out and catch the audiences eye. The tagline is to be the same but slightly smaller and in a more simple font but still in white. Reviews, certificate and release date will be placed at the bottom so there is a lot of space between the title, the image and the information.

A hashtag for the target audience to use on social media could also be placed on the poster with the social media icons to create word of mouth online about the film therefore gaining a larger audience and also appealing to a digitally adept younger audience.

Tagline Ideas for poster

Tagline Ideas for poster 

• Do you know the answers?
• Goodbye
• Follow your instinct
• You can't always see who's around
• Spirits are all around
• Embrace the spirit world
• It's just a game, right?
• Believe it even if you can't see it
• Beware of their existence