Evaluation Point 4

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

The internet played a major part on the construction of the idea for the teaser trailer and research into pull off the tricks that I wished to use. It also served as a large database of footage of different magicians, mainly on youtube, where you could pick up inspiration on which tricks to do and in what order.

Another website which was useful in this stage of production was 'WonderHowTo. com', which is a website designed for people to share ideas and tips on how to achieve different effects. It is a video from this website which gave me the idea of using a matte over certain areas of the footage to create the vanishing effect, my explination video for which can be seen below.

This also illustrates how useful final cut was in the production stage of my film, whereas in programmes like iMovie, effects like this wouldn't be possible. It is ultimately the knowledge and ease of use of final cut which allowed me to complete the teaser trailer and allowed me so much creative freedom.

The 'voice over' tool in final cut also came in extremely useful when it came to adding in music over the trailer, and the voice over used within the trailer. It also gave a source for the 'white noise' found in all natural environments. This involved putting the film on mute, and holding a microphone up in a quiet room so any natural noise could be picked up and the entirety of the trailer sounded similar and natural.

My own HD quality video camera also allowed for dynamic effects to be used within the teaser trailer. This allowed crisp HD images to be used, and the inbuilt focus setting on the camera allowed different aspects of the show to be brought in and out of focus at will. This is seen below as the camera changes focus from the character in shot to the items on table, much as an eye would focus on different items.

Evaluation Point 3

What have you learnt from audience feedback?

This video shows how audience feedback played an important role in the final look of the poster especially. I showed the original ideas with the poster fonts to peers and friends and some of the fonts didn't appear to be very popular. So I decided to experiment with the fonts that were popular, moving them to different areas on the poster and changing the size of them within the poster. Still the audience feedback on the posters and the fonts wasn't very good, so I went looking around other font libraries, and finally found the font which I eventually settled on.

User feedback from last year's film also played a big part in the initial planning stage for this year's film. Last year comments on my final video mainly sad that some of the shots I used were far too dark and therefore not clear enough on screen. This led to the inclusion of a spotlight within this year's film. The male character himself had his very own spotlight within an extremely dark environment, which was then shone on his 'victim' . This bypassed the obvious problems of lighting such a dark space 'naturally', by clearly showing a legitimate source of light within the setting.

Evaluation Point 2

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

This video focuses on how the theme of cards and magic ran throughout all 3 pieces. The examples shown are the poster and the magazine cover, where cards feature prominently (as the main focal point for the poster, and as a clear background for the magazine cover). Upon viewing the teaser trailer there are also two memorable card tricks, which will be remembered due to the history of cards within magic.

It also shows how the logo was incorporated into both the magazine cover and the poster to create a link for the audience to recognise. This it an attempt to copy the way most movies use the same logo on every product. I chose to not include this logo within the film trailer because the other title was far easier to animate and I was able to create the optical illusion effect where the viewer was still able to read the word 'Illusion', even though the letter 'I' is missing from the middle of the word.

Evaluation Point 1

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

This video goes through the comparisons between my own teaser trailer style and that of batman begins. The fades are common conventions of teaser trailers, especially when there is a montage of clips. This reassures the audience that its a trailer, and the length of my own trailer coupled with the style (where it gives very little information about the story away), allows it to be recognised as a teaser instead of a full theatrical trailer. This relates to the recent 'Pirates of the Caribbean 4' teaser trailer (link), which is just a clip of Captain Jack Sparrow talking to camera. Much like my own teaser trailer, this gives none of the story away, and provides intrigue into the nature of the story.

Reasons for my own classification

The reason the '15' rating was chosen for the trailer was that it reached out to the widest audience possible, without cutting back on the shocking nature of some of the 'tricks' involved. Due to the involvement of a gun and the element of kidnap and restraint, which go against the rules of not glamourising weapons, and the involvement of mature themes which could be imitated or cause fear amongst a young audience.

However the violence levels within the trailer are not excessive and wouldn't warrant an '18' certificate, which is used for films which contain strong bloody violence. However not all of the violence will be seen within the trailer and therefore the rating on the posters will ned to apply to the film as a whole.

Classification Criteria

To create the film, first we must select a suitable rating for the film, which could be classified by a number of film characteristics.
These include -

• Discrimination
• Drugs
• Horror
• Imitable Behaviour
• Language
• Nudity
• Sex
• Theme
• Violence

Below are the category criteria for films rated 12 and 15 respectively:

Discrimination
Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly condemned.
Drugs
Any misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give instructional detail.
Horror
Moderate physical and psychological threat may be permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not frequent or sustained.
Imitable behaviour
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and
self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied, or appear pain or harm free. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
Language
Moderate language is allowed. The use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’) must be infrequent.
Nudity
Nudity is allowed, but in a sexual context must be brief and discreet.
Sex
Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers. Frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable.
Theme
Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers.
Violence
Moderate violence is allowed but should not
dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood,
but occasional gory moments may be permitted if
justified by the context. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and
discreetly indicated, and must have a strong contextual justification.

Discrimination
The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory
language or behaviour.
Drugs
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not
promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily
accessible andhighly dangerous substances (for example,
aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.
Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic
or sexualised.
Imitable behaviour
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and
self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be
copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
Language
There may be frequent use of strong language (for example,
‘fuck’). The strongest terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be
acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated
use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.
Nudity
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without
strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a
non-sexual or educational context.
Sex
Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail.
There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour,
but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable
unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is
sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.
Theme
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is
appropriate for 15 year olds.
Violence
Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction
of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to
be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also
unlikely to be acceptable.
There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence
but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and
have a strong contextual justification.

Linking the Products 2

The final versions of the media products each contain the common theme of cards, and two of the pieces also have the logo (also containing a cards theme) on them somewhere.

Final Font

The final font I've chosen is not any of the examples shown below, as I've found a new font in a different font library. The new font is in a similar style to those shown before in the sense that it is not very modern, and has a slight feel of entertainment about it. It is a similar font to those found on old entertainment posters for performers such as magicians.

Linking the Items

With the different products all needing to be interlinked, i've decided to take a common theme from all of them and use it to create a common theme within the print work.

I've created a logo for the film title, which contains bold colours and an outline, meaning it can be placed within any piece and not look out of place.

This logo also continues with the common 'Cards' theme which I've chosen to use, and therefore all 4 card suits appear within the logo itself, with clubs acting as marks at each end, a spade and heart make up the background, and the diamond is incorporated within the second 'I' of illusion.

Poster Font Feedback

Upon showing people my font choices with an explanation as to why I've chosen them, i got mixed thoughts on which one should be used. The fonts I've chosen were used because they all easily readable, will stand out on a poster, and look like they would be used to advertise something important or serious. The two lower versions of the poster were not well received, even though the font chosen was meant to look like it was promoting an important event (the release of the film). The top two versions were much more preferred because they were much easier to read and were far more interesting. The handwriting font was very popular, due to its simplicity and the personal nature of it, with one person saying 'you can imagine that the character is asking you a personal question.'

I shall now search for a better font, which is more the style I am looking for, which looks like a 1960's style font.

Poster Font

I've mocked up numerous versions of my poster, each with a different style of font, as it is only after i can see them all together and compare them that i can choose the appropriate font to use on my final poster. The original ideas for my poster font are shown below.

Poster Image

I've found an image on the stock image website which would be useful when it comes to creating my film poster. The image contains a stack of cards, with a number of corners showing that could be used to spell out the letters of the movie poster. There are a number of the corners towards the back of the image which are out of focus, which allows the card corners towards the front of the image to be focused on. The original and edited images are as shown below.

Poster Ideas

For my poster I've decided to use the theme of cards to imply the magical theme of the film, and it also interlinks with the film by linking to the cards within the teaser trailer. But because the film is about magic, illusions and misdirection, I will try to integrate the title of the film into the cards in some way, which isn't immediately noticeable. My first idea is to use a fan of cards to spell out the word in the corners of the cards where the numbers would usually be seen.

Final Magazine cover

This is the final version of the magazine cover to accompany my film. I've made it to fit with the common conventions of most magazine covers and adhering to the Z pattern rule and the rule of thirds.

Preliminary Magazine Cover Ideas

The above images are the ones I considered for use in my magazine cover, due to their relevance to the 'Magic' genre within my film. The decision is wether to use the curtains as a background or the burnt out cards, under my own image. I think it would be best to use the image containing the cards, due to the ability to manipulate it, the more subtle background colour and the fact that I used cards in my poster campaign.

Costume - Female

In contrast to the plain black and white nature of the performer, his reluctant assistant is dressed in much more colour and appears to be a far more vibrant person. This is typical in all the films that i've seen which include an assistant, and it appears that they often wear very expensive looking dresses, which would also fit in with high society the magicians appear to represent. On the top is an image of Scarlett Johansson from 'The Prestige', and below is my own actress, dressed in what i believe to be a similar standard of costume.

Costume - Male

As there are only two characters within the piece, the costumes wont have to be expansive and I've decided they should conform to certain stereotypes. It is also important to realise that this is a scenario trailer and not a montage of clips, where there are a range of costumes and looks to convey a change over time. This means that there in only one costume required for each character.

In terms of the magician, my research has come up with a common theme throughout everything i've seen.

The above images are all from film set in the early 20th century, but the common theme throughout them all is the smartness and class portrayed by the male leads. All three images show the characters in dark suits as worn by people who at the time would be seen as high class society. Although this is set in a much earlier time than my own trailer, the theme of performers dressing smartly has continued throughout time. This is shown in the stage performances of Derren Brown in his productions such as 'Enigma' and 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'. He often comes out on stage in a suit complete with waistcoat, and has been known to change into a dinner jacket suit for certain sections of his shows as seen below.

Special Effects

A range of effects were used in the completion of the tricks performed in the piece, most commonly used were the removal of frames to make it look like the item had completely disappeared from my hands. This involved staying incredibly still as an item (either the coin or the pen) dropped to the floor, before the hand action resumed. Cutting out the frames where the item was visibly dropping meant that it appears like the hands had not moved and the item had just vanished. This was used on two occasions within the teaser trailer as the performer takes you through tricks progression as it moves from the small coin to the significantly larger pen.

The trick where the hand slammed down onto the nail was significantly harder to achieve due to certain complexities with the position of the light and shadows cast by the nail. With the camera placed in a fixed position, the nail was placed on the table, removed, and then the hand came down onto the point that the nail previously occupied. Due to the body staying very still, the middle sequence of the nail being removed could be taken out, and a still image of the nail on the table could be created. This still image of the nail was then put on a different layer within the project, and the nail was made into a matte which was placed over the moving clip. The difficulty came when the shadow appeared on the jacket of the performer and the table, so in all there were three different mattes. Then, frame by frame, they were edited to match the movement within the scene, and appear as realistic as possible. As the hand came down to the table, the matte was removed, making it appear as if the hand had passed all the way through the table and made the nail disappear.

Image website

The main problem with creating posters and magazine covers will be the quality of the images that are used on them, if they are not good quality, then they wont look as professional as possible. This is where stock image websites are useful, because they allow you to acquire copyright free images for use within your own work. However the images for my work must all relate to each other and contain a common theme, and the images should not be used simply because they are of good quality if they do not apply. The other problem with stock image websites are that you often have to pay for the images. This is where my discovery of www.sxc.hu comes in handy. It is a stock image website which you can join and use some of the services free of charge as stated on the homepage below.

Double

I have decided to take on the role of the main protagonist within the teaser trailer myself, meaning that the tricks would not have to be run through with another actor and would not have to rely on someone else for filming. However through a recommendation I've found someone who is extremely good at card tricks, and would look far more professional than myself. These clips i could easily film during school time, and by cutting out most of the body, keeping the same lighting throughout and the costume exactly the same, there should be very little obvious difference.

*Update*

Below (top) are my hands, used in most of the filming, Below (bottom) are the hands of my tricks double, although the hands don't look too different, there is a size difference, however with the costume being the same, its very difficult to tell them apart.

The Tricks and ease of completion

The tricks that i've come up with for this piece are:

• Disappearing Coin
• Card Tricks
• Disappearing Pen
• Nail Through the Hand
• Coin Jumping

Some of these may require some skill to complete, however with the amount of technology available and knowledge of how the tricks work, it is possible to pull them off within the teaser trailer.

Shock

One of the tricks I have chosen for the new idea involves shocking the audience, and attempting to get a reaction from them. The trick would involve a sharp object disappearing from underneath the character's hand, as they slam it down into a surface. The shock comes from the fact that the audience expects something to happen, yet the character is unharmed. The idea of someone impaling their own hand is a horrible one, and is not commonly seen on tv, and can be grouped with the very sensitive topic of self harm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHk7mUtC3To&feature=related

Above is a video of a magician getting the spike trick wrong, and as the audience, it gives you a horrible feeling.