1. A2 MEDIA STUDIES
ADVANCED PORTFOLIO
RESEARCH & PLANNING
CENTRE NO: 11049
ST FRANCIS XAVIER
COLLEGE

2.  Name: Jonathan Twumasi
 Candidate No. 1546

3.  My main portfolio project is the Teaser Trailer.
 The 2 ancillary tasks for my project are the
Movie poster and the Film magazine front
cover.

4. Genre
 The genre of my A2 project will be Horror.
 The title of my trailer will be ‘Rise Of the Dead’.
 The target audience will be 18+; as it is a Horror movie it will not be
aimed at younger audiences as some of the images may be
unsuitable for such an age group.

5.  MODEL 1 (28 DAYS  MODEL 2 (DEAD SET)
LATER)

6. What I learned from the
examples:
 From 28 days later, The main generic conventions  A generic convention that I analysed in Dead Set
I was able to pick up were related to the and I will implement in my own trailer is the use of
camerawork and editing. As my trailer has a make up to convincingly transform the ‘normal’
similar scenario to that which is shown in 28 days actors into zombies. The use of make up in Dead
later (a single survivor, a continued existence Set is highly effective and, as seen from the
against the odds concept). The shot selection is screenshot on the previous slide, can be used to
varied and a number of them really encapsulate provide a gory, believable effect that is true to my
the isolation of the chracter through the use of genre.
objective camerawork. A number of the wide, long
 Although it is not a convention as such, the title of
shots, as seen above, highlight this.
the production aided me in my decision to name
 I also learnt how to use sound for a variety of my own product. For a potential audience
effects to extract differing emotions from the member to hear the title ‘dead set’, they would
viewer; the sound used in the trailer ranges from easily think about a zombie, horror production and
dark, twisted howls from the zombie-like infected this is an effect I wish for my title and other
to an almost tranquil, soft sound played at the tail products to have on my target audience.
of the trailer, encouraging sympathetic feelings
 Dead Set also influenced my decision on what
from the viewer.
type of editing to use and the lighting that would
 28 Days Later is easily recognisable as a horror feature in my trailer. Throughout the trailer a
film due to the use of dark lighting in certain areas dark, murky gradient is on the screen to give it a
to increase the inquisitiveness of the audience cold, threatening feel and can act as a
and leave them engaged in the story. foreshadowing the danger the main characters. In
chase sequences quick cuts between clips were
 I have also learnt to use a variety of shot angles in
used including a tracking shot for a particular
my trailer; using close-ups allow for more focus on
scene.
the emotion of the character to be captured
whereas long shots are better for chase
sequences.

7.  For my main project, the target audience will be people of both genders
aged 18+.
 I arrived at such a conclusion fairly easily. Firstly, as my trailer will be a
Horror trailer, I realize that some of the images seen may be unsettling or
unsuitable for younger audiences and therefore have to act accordingly as
it is likely that people of a younger age group would get scared from what
they are viewing.
 A possible criticism is that the audience is not specific enough. If I were to
specify further, I would suggest that the age group ‘boundaries’ would be
18-24 as I believe that this group of people are very socially active and
socially orientated and would be very likely to go out to watch a film with
friends. Also, whilst conducting audience research, the most popular genre
selected was Horror, by people of my approximate age (18).
 I do not believe that my audience should be specified by gender; I believe
that both males and females will be entertained and enjoy my
film, therefore there is no need to aim it at a certain gender.

8.  Characteristics of audience:
 Young
 Outgoing
 Socially active
 Film enthusiasts

9. What I learned from audience feedback about
planning my main task
 My audience feedback proved valuable in the planning of my main task. I
conducted interview sessions with people from the target age group (18-
24) and asked them a number of questions such as ‘Would you go to the
cinema to watch a horror movie?’ and ‘What would you normally expect
to see in Horror movies?’. Asking my target audience such questions
was similar to my initial research in analysing trailers as they provided
me with further conventions that they had seen in other movies and
would expect to see in a traditional horror.
 Another of my questions asked the audience what concepts they would
like to see in a potential horror movie, if they could create one. I
obviously could not incorporate all of these ideas into my concept, yet
the answers allowed me to see what kind of a twist I could apply to the
synopsis or concept to make it all the more interesting for the audience.

10. Here are four images taken from
my trailer

11.  The image above is the
original and the image below
is the edited version in the
finished product.
 I have added a blur effect to
the clip that distorts the
original image. It could also
act as a p.o.v shot as it could
represent a character’s
blurred vision.

12.  This image was taken from
my completed trailer and has
been edited. In the editing
process I used a grayscale
effect to edit the clip and
produce a ’cctv’ like image
which is enhanced by the
high angle and static camera.

13.  This screenshot is also
extracted from the trailer. It
has been darkened to band
with the overall dark theme of
the trailer. Also, the lack of
light in the left lane produces
a sense of fear in the viewer
as they are uncertain of what
is chasing the character, who
through the use of a close up
has visible distress on his
face.

14.  A final screenshot from the
trailer, similarly to the
previous image, it has been
darkened to sync with the
horror film. The darkening in
contrast enhances the
shadows seen on the wall to
create further fear in the
audience.

15. What I learned from audience feedback about my
main task
 There were variations in the feedback I received from my audience.
Myself and my partner held a screening to a number of fellow
students to receive their thoughts on our trailer.
 Some viewers stated that considering the budget was limited, the
trailer is suitably a part of the horror genre. They also commented
on the use of lighting to darken certain clips and the use of make up
to make the zombies look as realistic as possible.
 Others believed that the zombies weren’t as believable due to some
scenes being too bright thus reducing the effect of the make up.
Also I was suggested that we use darker locations to create more
fear in the audience.
 All of the feedback was very constructive and allowed me to retrace
my progress and re-shoot or re-edit where necessary.

16. Professional model for Ancillary
1
 Things I have learnt:
 The use of a billing block.
 The use of an interrogative
as a tag line.
 The use of props that can
link to the style and
content of the film.
 The use of a single image.
 A simple colour coding.

17. Professional model for Ancillary
1
 What I learnt:
 The use of a single, main
image featuring more than
a single character.
 The ability to use separate
layers to add features such
as the special effects seen
in the background.
 The use of a bold, central
title.
 The layout influenced my
use of pull quotes and
where I decided to put the
actors names on my poster.

18.  I believe my poster appeals to the
target audience in a number of ways.
The use of pull quotes and a start
rating at the head of the trailer will
entice the audience to watch the film.
Because they will trust the reviewers
opinions. Most people will watch a film
with high star ratings and/or good
reviews from established movie
magazines. Also, I have added a
certificate rating sign in the corner of
my poster to inform the audience that
they need to e a certain age to view it.
This could also appeal to the target
audience; knowing that a film is
exclusively for their age group.
Also, the use of make up has allowed
the zombies to be instantly
recognisable and the title of the movie
also informs the audience of the genre
of movie.

19. This is how key concepts link main task and
ancillary task 1
 I feel my genre is easy link between my main task and this ancillary. The
title of the film and the use of make up are inform the audience but also the
pose of the actors and the horror on the main characters face all highlight
the genre to the audience.
 From the poster, I believe the audience will be able to sense that the
narrative is of a single survivor attempting to outlast zombies due to the
framing.
 I believe it is easy to see the central character due to the framing and the
use of make up on the other actors.

20. What I learned from audience feedback about
ancillary task 1
 From my feedback I learnt that the use of pull quotes and reviews
really helped to ‘sell’ my trailer to the audience as many people
admitted that having such features would encourage them to see a
film. They also stated that the title was easy to spot and the glow
effect linked well with the ‘bloody’ make up used. Also, the use of
the certificate rating made the poster look realistic.

21. Professional Model 1 for
Ancillary 2
 What I learnt:
 The use of a bold
masthead which can be
covered up due to the
popularity of the magazine.
 Varying the colours of text
and text boxes to make
them bolder and
noticeable.
 Giveaways.
 The use of subheadings
and banners detailing
more content.

22. Professional Model 2 for Ancillary 2
 What I learnt:
 Changing the colour of the
masthead to match or
contrast with a costume
 Listing of magazine
contents compared with
bullet points or banners.
 Use of colloquial language
on the front page.

23. Professional model 1 for Ancillary 2
 The magazine will appeal to the
target audience through the
usage of a number of images;
the use of a main and further
screenshots provides the
audience an insight on what to
expect in the film. I have also
alternated the text colour and
raised the text to make it
glossier, more pronounced and
easier to read. The alternation of
text also separates the headings.
The genre is easy to identify and
the use of red on certain
headings helps this identification.

24. This is how key concepts link main
task and ancillary task 2
 The use of the colour red is bold and relates to the blood on the
zombies faces which relates to the overall theme of the movie. I
have used a variety of screenshots on the movie to give a sense of
the narrative, what to expect in the film, to the audience.

25. What I learned from audience feedback about
ancillary task 2
 I have learnt that by using screenshots from the completed movie it
will engage the reader and aide them to understand more about the
movie concept whilst also retaining an enigma; a suspense about
the film. Also, many people said they preferred the use of a variety
of images compared to just a single main image. The feedback
praised the use of filmstrips in which I placed the screenshots. The
masthead is bold and would be easy to read and the listing helped
the audience see the content quickly and efficiently.

26. Changes made in the re-draft of main task
 I sped up the transition between clips by reducing the clip size
therefore allowing me to fit in more clips of varied shots and
locations. I also edited certain shots to retain a sense of suspense
and used some video effects to darken certain clips o make them
more relatable to my genre. My initial draft did not feature intertitling
and it was recommended to include it so it would act as a narrator
and provide detail of the synopsis.

27. Changes made in the re-draft of ancillary task 1
 I was encouraged to edit the main image as initially I had not edited
the eyes of the actors playing the zombie roles and many stated
that they looked ‘too human’. I also added my institution logo from
my completed trailer and the certificate to inform the audience of the
age restrictions. I darkened the brightness and contrast of the
image to keep in line with the generic conventions. I added the pull
quotes and movie reviews as that was a feature found on many
movie posters. I believe this feature added to the realism of my
movie poster. The colour red also symbolized danger and death and
was used as a glow on the main text.

28. Changes made in the re-draft of ancillary task 2
 I made the masthead much larger than the original, to make it more
pronounced and easier to see for the audience from a store shelf. I
moved the position of the barcode to accommodate for the use of a
banner across the foot of the front cover. This banner and headings
were included to add more detail of the content of the magazine. I
also added a ‘world exclusive’ tag line to engage the reader who
may be interested in the main article.

29. How my 3 products work together to appeal to
target audience
 I believe my products work well together to engage the target audience into
wanting to view the film. I believe that in the construction of both the movie
poster and film magazine front cover I had a certain design scheme in mind
consisting of the use of white and red for the text. In both examples I edited
the images, darkening them suitably for my genre. This is but one of the
generic characteristics that featured in all 3. In my trailer I aimed to use
close ups, quick cuts and short clips to produce an enigma; suspense to
keep the viewers engaged. I believe that the target audience will receive
each product in a positive and reactive manner similar to that shown in the
uses and gratifications theory. If a single member of my intended target
audience consumes either of the three texts it is likely that they will pass it
on to they friends and so forth. I ensured that on my trailer I included a
certificate stating which age group I would target as the representations
shown in the products are ideal for that age bracket. Although the central
character is a male, the product can be received by either gender.

30. Link to Blog
 http://jta2media.blogspot.co.uk/