Planning - Magazine Cover

Next we wanted to mind map the name of our magazine cover and what we would include on the magazine cover as we now know what we have that we can include:


Possible names for our magazine cover:
- Up-Coming
- Catch Up
- Coming Soon
- Just
- Latest 
- Weekly Thrills
- Thriller Week
- Film Times


All of these possible names our based either around our films genre; so a magazine that is dedicated completely to thriller films. On the other hand other possible names have stemmed from the idea of a magazine which shows the new releases and upcoming films that are going to be released. The second choice would reach a much larger audience as it would not just appeal to thriller audiences however the first choice would promote our film very well as to be a thriller


Aspects that we must include on our magazine cover is:
- 'New star answers your questions: 'D.I.D You' - this is relating to a special feature inside the magazine as the actress appearing in our film is new to the industry and answers questions sent in by readers e.g. Did you enjoy doing this movie? 
- The main image of the front cover - this will be our main character and we will also say who took the photographs 
- We will include the Name of the magazine, the barcode along with the price and date - this will be make our magazine look more realistic. 
- 'Top 10 films this Christmas' - another feature inside that will include our upcoming film 'D.I.D You' and other films that are out this Christmas and this is often a good feature during December to have within a magazine.


We decided on the name: Latest. We didn't want our magazine to be named specifically to a certain genre like thriller. We felt that 'Latest' as a name was short and catchy and memorable. 

Completed Film Trailer

This is our final trailer, and we have added captions to our video on YouTube to explain what certain features have been used. Our film trailer is relatively short, but we feel perfect for television. From audience research we found that over half of our audience watch trailers mainly on television and therefore this will reach more people.

As you can see, we de-constructed existing products like trailers, posters and magazine covers therefore with the products we created I'm going to de-construct them to give an insight as to why we have done certain things. 

The first still represents really the heart of the story. The whole plot revolves around the mother, Helena and the events that occur due to the death of her baby therefore this shot introduces the characters. By having this as a first shot we see happiness and innocence due to the white colour themed setting. However, immediately in the trailer it soon goes very negative. As you can see the rest of the stills in comparison to the first are very dark and creates an eerie atmosphere. The costumes and setting manage to convey where she is well and this is the hospital.

The second still introduces the company who produced this film: S.E.R Productions and as you can see we have a colour theme throughout our trailer. The main colour scheme is red and black which is typical of films with dark themes therefore conventional of trailers. The black background allows the red and white to appear more vibrant and therefore catch the eye of the audience. The red smoke represents blood but also anger for the loss of her child and her not finding answers.

The third still shows the baby in his cot in a darkened room which creates an atmosphere and indicates that something bad is about to happen. Due to the lighting we were able to create shadows and we’ve created a shadow of a hand going over the baby’s got which we thought would be able to represent the baby being taken away from her  mother. Although we find out that it is actually her who kills her baby, by doing this we through the audience off as they think that it has been taken from her therefore they do not realise any twist and turns in the plot which is crucial for a successful thriller film. We also used a high shot to show the baby as inferior to whatever this is and seem helpless.

The fourth still shows our main character sleeping and drifting into a dream. We have managed to convey this by using the camera to pan up to wall as this is often associated with dreams. The dark lighting indicates night time which is when bad things tend to happen and this is iconic of films.

The fifth shows the dream that our main character and we did have trouble with the lighting however it is clear what is happening, this conveys the killing of the baby but it is not clear who did it. This is essentially one of the most important parts of the film as this is what is going to unfold as the storyline continues. We also made it a mid-shot as we did not want to make this scene to graphic as it is a sensitive subject.

For the sixth still, we used a low angle here to show the private investigator arriving at Helena’s house in the film. We felt that a low angle would convey how superior he is to Helena. He has the power to give her answers that no one else can and therefore this shot conveys this well. It also establishes the location of her home; this location is very thrilling as to have these things happen in her home where she feels safe it just adds to the tension of the film.

The seventh still displays an extreme close up shot of her eyes, this part of the film is when she is really suffering from her illness and the close up of the eyes manages to convey emotion and feelings but is also quiet unnerving for the audience.  This shot also allowed us to really show the make-up of her face that we have used. We used dark eye-shadow to convey bruises which only adds to the mystery of this. The audience will be question how did she get these bruises? This will be an aspect which will hopefully motivate them to go and watch this film.

The eight still is crucial to the trailer as it is the title, D.I.D YOU? Special effects are in use with the red smoke that we used and also with the star flashing through the middle of the title which together really emphasises the title.

The final still is of the release date, the production companies information/logo and website, however we have constructed this part of the trailer so that the release date and website are on the frame before to give the audience time to concentrate on that image, but then fades into the production and distribution details.

Audio Track for Film Trailer

When mind mapping ideas for our film name, we came up with 'Rock-a-Bye-Baby' which would represent the innocence of the new born baby but also the alliteration in the title 'Bye-Baby' would mirror the story line as the mother is forced to say good bye to her baby. From this we decided that we wanted to continue this nursery rhyme theme however create a creepy and mysterious version of one to ensure it fitted with the thriller genre. 


Our initial software which we were going to use was 'Audacity' in which would could create our soundtrack however we were not confident in using this software as we were not sure we could get exactly the right effect that we wanted. Especially as we had a very specific idea of what we wanted. If we had started from scratch and not had an idea, then this software would have been useful. However, we decided to look on YouTube for a nursery rhyme that we could possibly edit instead of starting from scratch.


We found 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' edited on YouTube in a way that was very creepy and therefore we thought we would use this for our trailer. We also asked permission for us to use this to avoid any copyright issues. Although 'Twinkle Twinkle Littler Star' is in the public domain (meaning that anyone can use this song) we still wanted to get permission. We also ensured that we made it clear that we would include their names in the credits.

We did get a reply and therefore were able to use this music in our trailer. Here is the link for the audio music:    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfKem06m7Ys

We felt that this audio was perfect for our trailer because of the structure: it begins slowly, very calm and peaceful which reflects the situation in the beginning of the trailer. As it continues, small sections begin to get louder, but then go quiet which unnerves the audience. Mid way through the trailer, the pace begins to speed up dramatically which creates tension and an atmosphere. However, very sharply and quickly the music goes quieter again which just adds to the drama. We felt that combined with the trailer picking up the pace, the music would work perfectly with it.

This is audio is non synchronous which is defined as audio-track sounds that are mismatch or out of conjunction or unison with the images in the visual frame (or screen) sometimes accidental but sometimes intentional. This is intentional as our soundtrack does not exactly match the frames however this has been done to represent the unstable nature of our character.

Difficulties - Editing Film Trailer

When editing our film, we did encounter some difficulties. Firstly, we couldn't add the files from our camera as we used an upgraded version of premier pro, Adobe Premier Pro CS3. Therefore we had to download a converting program to covert them from VLC so that we could import them. 

After this, a similar problem we had last year was the lighting, any dark shots we took while filming where very bad quality when put onto the computer. One scene of our trailer was when the mother suffocates the baby, this was key to be dark and dull as it was a dream and to create a tense atmosphere. However when putting it on the software it was barely visible. Therefore we had to do our best to make the brightness effective. It is clear what is happening, however it's not as clear as we would have hoped. 

Another problem we had was adding text. We had a video of red blood/smoke floating on a black ground. We wanted our writing to go on top of this, unfortunately we were unable to do this on premier pro. We therefore did it on windows movie maker, we added the writing and made multiple videos with all the writing we needed for each section. We then uploaded them to YouTube as we were still unable to add it directly. Once on YouTube we downloaded our video from our account. Converted it to a compatible format so that we could add it to our trailer. Thus managing to solve this problem successfully. 


We also had issues with the size of our trailer, on Adobe Premier Pro CS3 the video was the size that we wanted and therefore thought it would be on all programs, however when uploading the video onto a DVD disc and YouTube the video was extremely small. As you can see we can still see the video and understand what is going on however it was very disappointing to see. We are currently trying to look for a solution. 

Editing - Film Trailer

We edited our film clips to create and put together our trailer on Adobe Premier Pro CS3. When we imported our clips from our camcorder, we had taken many so that we had a lot to choose from. We sifted through them and chose the ones we thought would work best in our trailer. Although we have used the older version of premier pro, we wanted to familiarise ourselves with the new version, therefore the clips that we didn't use, we imported onto adobe premier pro CS3 and did some editing on them so that we could use some of the features and it would not matter if we made a mistake. 

Transitions: one transition we used was dip to white, this meant that one shot faded into another shot in white. We did this during the hospital scene when Helena had just had her baby. We did this to represent the purity and innocent nature of the situation. However in contrast, as the trailer continues, the themes and atmosphere become a lot darker, therefore dipped to black we used to convey this

We couldn't actually add text on the program, we therefore did it on windows movie maker, but when imported, the writing went blurred we therefore tried to change this with deepen, contrast, trying to make it brighter. We used dip to black these two shots, fading from the text ‘from the makers of…’ to ‘distorted’ this emphasises and draws out this feature. 

With the main title, we knew we had to make it stand out above everything else to make it memorable. We did this by using white writing on black background, we found a feature on the program to add a star flashing in the middle of the D.I.D and YOU. Along with the red smoke it emphasises this title. 

This shot is of the shadow of a hand grasping the baby, we had to therefore adjust the lighting to ensure that the shadow of the hand could be seen clearly. This is where we used ‘Brightness & Contrast’ tab and changed the levels. This was the outcome, we can clearly see the hand shadow as well as can be expected. 

Here we used cross dissolve, to illustrate the use of match on action and her actions of walking into and coming into her home.

We also used dipped to black so that our logo of 'S.E.R Productions' would appear slowly from dark to light to emphasise this.


We had trouble with the writing as it went blurred. This is when we tried to use different levels of brightness.

Also, we created this production company to increase how realistic this is, 'S.E.R' stands for Sarah.Emma.Rebecca. and we feel that its a catchy and memorable title for a company.

Audience Theory

Audience theory is defined as the study of the audience's role in any kind of mediated communication. For example like films, television etc. 'Active audience theory' arose from a sub-cultural and Marxism inflected view.

Active audience theory is the idea that people receive and interpret media messages in different ways, dependent on what their age, ethnicity, social class and gender are, along with other factors. The audience isn't just passive and accepts what happens. This is in relation to Katz & Lazarsfeld who in 1955 came up with the two step flow theory in which people discuss the media text they have seen with their friends and social networks where they will be opinion leaders. There opinion on a certain media text sets the tone for what the rest of the group will think. 

David Morley found that viewers tend to interpret media text in three ways.

1) Oppositional - those who disagree with the message and reject it

2) Negotiated - overall the view is agreed but slightly altered

3) Dominant - the message is fully accepted by the viewer

The Hypodermic Needle Model:

This theory suggests that audiences passively take in the information they receive from, they directly take in the intended message and wholly accept it without question. This is as if the information was 'injected' into the audience and was not challenged. This theory suggests that individuals don't have their own opinions but instead can be easily manipulated.

An example of this was the Nazi Propaganda, the powerful in society controlled the mass media and reflected their views through the media and the audience did not question it. 

Uses and Gratification:

This theory suggests that there is a highly active audience who use the audience to their advantage and needs: such as entertainment, information and identification. The main areas in this model are;

1) the need for information about our geographical and social world (news and drama)

2) the need for identity, the use of characters and personalities to define our sense of social behaviour (film and celebrities)

3) the need for social interaction and to experience the relationships and lives of others (soaps and sitcoms)

4) the need for diversion and entertainment (quizzes and game shows)

The Two-Step Flow:

The hypodremic model soon became to simplistic and a more detailed and accurate over view of the audiences relationship to the media was needed due to the mass media becoming an essential part of life. It was found that the media was not directly taken in by the audience but the information was filtered through 'opinion leaders.' What would happen is that a person may watch something on television or a film however, through their soical network 'opinion leaders' e.g the dominant speakers, change others perception of media text. Therefore they do not passively accept the information directly.

By researching all of these media theories, once we have created our trailer, poster and magazine cover, we can apply these theories to them and understand more about our key demographic audience. 

Research - Age Rating

When making our film, we will have to think of what age our audience will be and what rating the film will recieve, therefore we have researched into the british board of film classification to read the guidelines and how they classify films in order to classify our own and apply these guidelines to the content of our film.

U - Universal meaning suitable for all
This means that a film recieving a rating of U should not upset any child and should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over and should diplay positive moral framework. There should be no disciminatory language, no refrences to drugs and aspects like Horror, language, violence and sex should be very mild. For example only kissing, no nudity in a sexual content and horror should no cause anxiety to the children.

 PG - Parental Guidance

This refers to genral viewing but some scenes may be unsiutable for young children. A PG film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older, however parents are advised to make a judgement as to whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children. Aspects like Horror should not be prolonged or intense, along with violence and imitable behaviour should not be dangerous that potentially a child could copy. Aspects of drugs should be to a minimal and should only be referenced briefly unless it is carrying a suitable anti-drug message. Moderate sexual references and none detailed violence.

In terms of our film, we feel these two particular ratings are not suitable as our film involves a certain degree of violence and horror which is unsuitable for children, along with the theme and plot that shouldn't be exposed to as the murder of a baby is not something children should watch and may cause upset. Therefore we will not be rating our film PG or U.

12A/12 - Suitable for 12 years and over
Simirlar criteria are used to classify films that are a '12A' or '12' rating. These catogories are given when the work is suitable in general for those aged 12 and over. Works classified as this may upset children under the age of 12 and/or contain material that parents do not think is suitale for them. The '12A' catergory exists only for cinema films, no one under the age of 12 may see this film without being accompanied by an adult as they are not recommeneded to children below 12. However, parents can make a judgement regarding the film whether they think its suitable and therefore responsibility in some cases lies with the accompanying adult. This rating should only contain moderate violence, sexual scenes that are only suitable for young people and must be discreet along with nudity. Themes like suicide should not be dwelled on and strong language is not permitted.

Again, for our film this may not be a suitable rating the theme is quite adult as we are dealing with mental health issues and death of a baby, violence is likely to be a strong aspect and we don't feel this rating is best suited for our film.

15 - Suitable for 15 years and over
No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work. Drug use may be shown but as a whole should not promote misuse of drugs. Strong threat of horror is permitted unless in the context of sexualised, Any theme is acceptable but themes like suicide and self harm, along with use of weapons should not be glamorised. There may be use of strong language but the strongest terms must be justified by the context, however repeated strong language is probably not acceptable. Any sexual activity must be portrayed without a lot of detail. Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain, like torture. Sexual violence should be discrete and have a strong justification as to why it is used.

We feel that this age rating is the one most suitable for our film and when looking at the criteria on the bbfc website, it is the one most adaptable to our plot and what we intend to include in out film.

18 - Suitable for adults
No one younger than 18 may see an '18' film in the cinema or buy/rent an '18' rated video. This rating mainly links with the principles that adults have and the freedom of choosing their own entertainment. However expceptions will be made in the following areas:
- where the material is in breach of criminal law
- where the material or treatment appears to the BBFC to risk harm to individuals through there behavious to society, for example endorsing sexual assualt.
- Explicit content which cannot be justified by the context.

This rating we feel would be to strong for our film, we are not displaying explicit sexual content or explicit violence which may glamorise the idea of violence. Therefore we feel that our film would not be suitable for the '18' rating.
After researching each of the individual ratings we feel the best rating suitable for our film is a '15' This appeals to many people in our age range and by reading the guidelines of the rating we feel that our film is in line with the rating '15'.