Unit 14: Print Magazine cover and DPS

For this assignment I have been asked to develop materials for magazine production and to produce magazine layouts in the codes and conventions of a genre. This will be making a front cover and a double-page spread for a magazine of my choice, I will have to select the platform (either print or digital) and see if it will be suitable for the specific audience it is targeted for. The magazine that I have chosen to do a front cover and double-page spread for is a movie magazine, specifically because a lot more people are watching movies via streaming devices so I thought that it would be a good idea to make a magazine with articles talking about how movies have changed from 50 years ago and what direction they could take in the future.

The below images are both possible ways in which I could set out my magazine because they both feature a dominant image which nearly fills up the whole space and they both have articles talking about the movies and pictures used. They both also feature pull-out quotes talking about specific parts of the article,

I could use some ideas from this magazine, most notably the bright colour scheme and also the layout choice. I could also copy the way that the pull-out quote is used where it is placed next to the article title so that it stands out to the reader.









I could also take some ideas from this magazine article, for example I could use the layout of the article, because again it prominently features a dominant image but this time it's a still from Ted 2 and it also features a pull-out quote from a interview with one of the actors.

Another reason why I could base my magazine off of this one is because of the bright colour scheme, this will be eye-catching and easily noticeable so it would stand out










The legal issues that come about using other people's work is that they might want to keep control of it and not give it away because they possibly will lose creative rights. This will be a massive issue if I'm trying to use of their work, to avoid this problem from happening I will credit the creator.

I could possibly set out my front cover to look like this because it prominently features the main character from the movie looking in the direction of the camera in a action pose. This front cover also features a few sub images, in the bottom banner.

I could also use some ideas from this front cover, for example I could use the countdown list for the 25 best horror movies and put it in my article but do my own version of this list and lower it to a top 10.

I could also use the other list for the worst horror movies and put that into a top 10 too, and get ideas from the image where it takes up the majority of the cover.

This is the beginning stages of what my double-page spread article will look like. It features a article talking about how movies have changed and what this means for the future of movie making and viewing.

This is the updated version of my article. In this updated version of my previously mentioned double-page spread article this one features a background image to clearly show the audience/readers that it's a double-page spread article.

This is the beginning stages of what my front cover will look like, this will hopefully include a few images relating to the movie article and have a plug and a strapline on there too, to be properly advertised as a legit magazine.

This is the updated version of my magazine front cover, where it now features a full image, a main title headline, a strapline featuring other movies that will be reviewed and talked about for the main article.

This is fully finished version of the article for my magazine, it has all of the features that were in before with some new ones including the full list of my favourite movies and also a piece about how movies have changed in the way of them having cameos a lot of the time now but even a few years ago before the Marvel universe really took off they were uncommon.

Secondary Image considerations

http://globalmedicalco.com/group/Calm%20Wallpaper/

http://bsnscb.com/calm-wallpapers.html

The above images were ones that i was considering using for my background image for my article but I chose to not use them instead because I would have to edit them more by taking out some parts of the image so that it would be totally clear but it would also make the text more difficult to read so I opted for the image that I chose because the writing for the article is clear.

Primary image

This is what the front cover image looked like originally when I took it a few months ago for another project. So I decided it would be good to use it here also because it's a really good picture and works quite well as a front cover image. The simple way that I changed the image was by using the magnetic lasso tool and cropping the image so that it could be used for work use.

How I prepared my images

When looking at a background for my article I chose to use a image that would be clear for the writing to be on so to get that across to an audience I enlarged the picture using the free-transform tool so that it would be stretched to fit the whole screen. The below images is what the background originally looked like.

Then after that I used free-transform again to change the size of the picture so that it wouldn't be too blurry, after doing this I then edited the picture seen above under the Primary Image so that it would be much better and more presentable for a front cover. The way that I edited it was by using the magnetic lasso tool so that I could crop the image and take out the background that was there when I took the picture originally. After cropping the picture I then used the free-transform tool yet again so that I could resize the picture so that it would fit into the space I wanted it to be so I could put some text around it.

Flat-Plan

This is the flat-plan for my magazine front cover and double page spread, so that there is a clear outline for the way that my magazine will be shown to a reader.

Evaluation of my magazine

When I was thinking of ideas for my magazine there were a few things that I had in mind for what it would look like and what would be on the front cover, I also had a few ideas about what would be on the double-page spread. The reason why I chose to name my magazine “Daily Movie Reviews” was because I thought that people would be intrigued by the title and would want to read on to see which movies would be getting reviewed and what my personal/honest opinion would be of them.

During the early production stages of making my magazine I had a few ideas for what way it would be set-out, but some of them didn’t make sense for the type of magazine I wanted to make so they were scrapped. However, one of the ideas that I went for was to have a picture background then have my article to be over that, so the reader could look at a static image as well as read the article

The reason for setting out my magazine the way that I did was so that it would be more appealing to a younger audience if they were to read through it. It was also important because readers wouldn’t want to be bored with a bland background because this will turn them away, so they wouldn’t want to read it. So, to counter this issue I put a colourful background behind my article so that it will be less distracting than it would be if it were just a blank screen.

When making my magazine I had a set audience in mind for who would want to read it and what kind of things that they would be interested in, therefore I gave a brief intro to how movies have changed and how a lot of movies nowadays heavily feature cameos. For example, Stan Lee very often features in Marvel movies in very minor roles often as a background character or has little dialogue. This is the kind of thing that I thought my audience would want to read about if they weren’t aware, speaking of my audience I think it will mostly be teenagers (13-19) that would be interested in this specific type of magazine and they might be interested in my movie list for my favourite movies of all time.

When looking back at the early stages and then now when my magazine front cover and double-page spread are finished there are a few things that I would’ve done differently and possibly better if I were to do this task again. The first of these would be to stick to a consistent idea all the way through instead of changing my mind every time when looking at my work because I had an idea the day before (when looking at my work after having an idea I thought it didn’t fit or wouldn’t work well).

The second and final thing that I would change is the fact that I took a while to get a good idea for what my article would be about and how long it would take to get it wrote and chose what images I would use for both my front cover and double-page spread. This the issue that took the longest to iron out and get right because I wanted a clear image for the background but also wanted to make sure the reader wouldn’t get too distracted by what the image was.

Unit 10: Creating a short movie

Attack in the Dark

During the beginning stages of coming up with ideas for my short movie, it was all about what would be suitable for a college movie project. So, for my short movie I went with a simple idea of a killer hunting down some college student for all of their wrong doings. The short starts of with the camera placed at the killer's feet, to start of the movie with a intriguing opening that will get the audience interested, and it will also show the audience that they will be watching a horror movie with this opening.

The next camera movement will be the camera slowly moving upwards towards the killer so that it shows the audience that the killer is ready to do some evil things in order to get what he wants most...vengeance.

*cut to black and name of movie appears*

*music plays over opening credits*

Two weeks earlier...
Opens back up on college students standing in the corridor smiling, laughing and talking.

*cuts to long shot of a "mysterious figure" standing still with their hood up* Students still laughing but the "figure" has "disappeared"

*cuts to black, killer gets closer with each cut to black*

*on the last cut to black, the killer tilts their head at the camera and smirks*

The ending and the beginning will be the same shot because I will try to show that my movie will be shot out of order wherein the start will also be the ending point so the middle section will be telling the audience what happens in between and what has happened.

This part will mostly be about what the killer has been up to and how he plans to "take out" the students, and will include his motivation for doing so. (This turns out to be vengeance, for all of their wrong-doings). The ending of the movie will be the same as the beginning because it will give the impression that the killer is always watching what people do and is sub-consciously judging them on their various actions.

Self-evaluation:

In the beginning of making my movie there were a few things that went as well as I could've hoped that they would, this included the plot and how the movie would be filmed. This would be very helpful because I need to know which parts of my movie would work well while also knowing which parts would need to be changed or cut out all together. For instance, the part where the killer stabs the camera-man has been removed because it doesn't fit well with the rest of the movie and overall my movie will be better off without it being in.

Another thing that was changed was the fact that the killer was originally going to be more threatening and sadistic but while filming it didn't really work that well and would've been a bit of  a waste. One thing that will be in my movie is the scene were the killer is seen walking towards a door to get to the students and stare at them before looking directly at the camera (This will be included because it's important to know what the students are up against and what the dangers are when they meet this killer).

In the latest portion of filming I wanted to try and get a sinister feel to make it a bit mysterious where the "killer" would walk through a door that would have the students talking and laughing. This would be where the "killer" shows up and stands between the students, looks at both of them then stare at the camera.

During today's portion of filming, I took the movie outside to see how well it would work and what the differences would be with doing so. There were quite a few differences, the first being how much more room there is so I could use a bigger space for my movie and it would make the audience think that it was set over a number of days. Another thing that was different was that now the killer has his victims cornered and where he wants them ready for their attacks.

Below is a screenshot showing the clips in a certain order ready to be edited together with other clips to make my movie.

This is showing the order that the clips are in and how they've been edited, also showing the title card for my movie.

This are screenshots of the clips that I recorded for my movie but I only used a few of them because I didn't want my movie to be too long and boring.

These screenshots are of the ending credits and of what the editing looked like a few days ago when it was a first go through but now that it's finished the updated version of this screenshot is further above.

Magazine pitch

Unit 14 magazine pitch v5 cc from Connor_Crampton

Unit 10: Film Production - Pre Production

Unit 10: Film production – Pre-Production

GENRE

Horror

NARRATIVE/PLOT

The story follows, a few college students walking home then they get jumped from a stranger who pulls out a knife and attempts to stab them but they get away. However, the stranger follows them and gets close to stabbing them on a few occasions

COSTUME/PROPS

I will be using some props that are lying around the college area, but if I have any that would suitable I will be using them. The costumes won’t be changing much from the clothes that the actors how up in since it won’t really matter much.

LOCATION SCOUTING/RECCE

For the filming of my short movie I will most likely use the college campus and the surrounding area, this needs to be done to make sure the areas for filming are safe. I will also look for other locations as well to see which will be the best filming space for my short.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

When scouting for locations/possible filming areas I will make sure that there aren’t any dangers in my way, by taking the correct safety precautions. I will also complete a risk assessment form so that I am fully aware of the dangers/possible hazards that could come about during the filming portion of the assignment.

STORYBOARDS

This will include a brief outline of the story in my short movie, and will also include the different types of camera shots that will/could be used. This will help me to be able to understand how my short film will be shot.

SHOOTING SCHEDULE

We will be starting to film in the next few weeks, and I think that my short movie would take a few days to get right and make sure everything is as good as it can be. This could take a while to get it the way that I want it, it will also take a while to get the recordings the way that I want them.

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL LOGS

For my short film, I might use a Foley but I’m not too sure yet. However most of the sound (music and sound effects) will likely end up being copyright free, so that if my film does get published on YouTube or other video broadcasting websites (Vimeo) it won’t get taken down for copyright reasons.

I would also need to source the websites if I’m using some information that would be helpful to me, this could be in the form of a moodboard or any other information that would be used during the pre-production stages.

Unit 10: Film Production Assignment

Unit 10 Film Production Assignment (By Connor Crampton)

SECTION 1

For the task that I have been given I have to analyse and compare the stylistic codes and conventions of fictional genre film in reference to its target audience. The genres that I decided to look at are action and horror, the reason why is because they are the most popular and most recognisable. By looking at two iconic action movies Die Hard (1988) and Hot Fuzz (2007) I will be able to compare the conventions and characteristics and see how they are linked.

As the most used film genre, action films often use the same conventions these include; fights, weapons, explosions etc. These have made action films stand out and always seek attention from an audience, and help them to have an emotional attachment towards the protagonist. These films would be mostly aimed at people who enjoy 80’s action movies (Die Hard) or other action movies (Hot Fuzz). I will also be looking two horror movies (Shaun of the Dead and Saw), and try to find a link in both movies to connect them together.

There is a popular theory by theorist Steve Neale suggesting that “genres are instances of repetition and difference”, this means that cinema genres are made up of repetition and that often movies include the same things in other movies. For example, in action movies there are always gunfights and explosions and that audiences enjoy seeing the same things over because they will be able to recognise it. Neale’s theory and ideas are seen in both Die Hard and Hot Fuzz where both movies have gun fights and explosions. These movies both share several recognisable genre stylistic codes and conventions.

Arguably the most iconic scene from Die Hard, where McClane kills Hans after shooting a window behind Hans and killing one of his guards, and Hans stumbles towards the window but grabs onto Holly’s wristwatch so McClane unfastens it Hans falls to his death.

The camera movements when Hans dies are on full display changing from close ups to a medium shot when Hans is starting to fall from the Nakatomi building, then finally changes and ends on a long shot of his plummet towards the ground. Also in this death scene the mise en scene is very clear showing the bright lights shining on Hans before and during his fall, these lights are also seen on McClanes face when he’s staring at Hans. In ref. 1 the camera uses a medium shot to get a clear look at Hans’s body and facial expressions which are both connoting fear to show that he has lost power, he is also showing worry as he slowly plummets towards the ground below.

Ref. 1.

Edgar Wright’s action comedy Hot Fuzz is another film that uses stylistic codes and conventions of the action genre. While Die Hard is set mostly at night so the lighting is perfectly visible at certain times but other times it’s low key, for example at the end where Hans is about to fall to his death the bright lighting is used to show Hans’s facial expression (see ref. 1.). Whereas in Hot Fuzz, the lighting is bright and full of colour, this is shown to the audience so that they can tell that it’s a normal village the movie is set in. (see ref. 2) 

In Hot Fuzz there are many camera cuts and different camera movements (pans and dolly shots), there is also rapid editing to create a sense of panic and action to keep the audience enthralled. These are mostly done during intense action scenes, however there are a few times when there are extreme close ups of the character’s eyes to show the emotion they are conveying and how much danger they are in.

Included in the opening scenes of the movie there are uses of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Firstly, diegetic sound is used when the protagonist walks through a door to start of the movie, (diegetic sound is sound that the actors acknowledge and exists in the scene). Secondly, non-diegetic sound is the voiceover that the protagonist does over the footage of him describing his time as a police officer (this gives the audience background information about the protagonist).

SECTION 2

Another popular movie genre that people tend to enjoy watching is the horror genre. This is mostly because people watch these movies to get enjoyment out of them and to be scared so they can count that film as being scary. The first movie that I have decided to analyse in the horror genre is Shaun of the Dead, the reason why I chose to do this movie is because there is a lot to describe. For example, the mise-en-scene for locations has lots to talk about because the film is in lots of different places for instance, a normal street in London, a corner shop, a pub (called the Winchester) and Shaun’s workplace. Normally in horror movies the character’s wear dark and weathered clothes so they aren’t spotted by the killer as easy, however in Shaun of the Dead all the characters are wearing bright colours so that they stand out amongst the crowds of zombies.

Another thing that stands out in Shaun of the Dead is the props that are used throughout the movie. The props that are used are mostly common household items, but once they leave the houses and move onto the pub (The Winchester) they find pub related weapons (darts, pool cues, Winchester rifle, fire extinguisher etc.) See ref 3 & 4.

Ref. 3.

Ref. 4.

Another thing that stands out to the audience is the way that the camera is constantly moving to find action and always making the audience think that something bad could happen at any time and that any character could get killed off. This would stand out because it follows the same conventions that most if not all horror films follow where there is a “shaky cam” effect to emphasis the action scene or that there could be danger.

Tzvetan Todorov, once had a theory about narrative saying, “that all narratives follow a three-part structure”. The way that this is set out is that at the beginning of a “traditional story” everything is as it should be, then there is an event that happens disrupting the equilibrium, the third step is that the event/disruption is recognised. The fourth step is a way to fix the disruption and the final step is everything goes back to normal. 

This theory works very well in Shaun of the Dead, with Shaun going about his normal working life (equilibrium), then on the bus home he sees someone collapse and swat their hands at pigeons but they (“zombie” and pigeons) disappear when another bus goes past. This then sparks the beginning of the zombie apocalypse with the news talking about how people should barricade their homes and isolate loved ones if they have been bitten (disruption). Then Shaun and Ed are attacked by three zombies, one that walks in the front door and two others who are in the garden and break some windows. After killing these zombies, they remember that their flat-mate Pete was bitten when he came home from work and they suspect that he is now a zombie. (Recognition of disruption)

 The next part of the movie is about Shaun and his group (Ed, Liz, David, Diane and Barbara) trying to find somewhere to stay (The Winchester) until this mess gets sorted. This is also where things start to go wrong for the group as zombies start to invade the Winchester, cornering and cutting off the group as some of them fall to the zombies. The zombies continue to cut off Shaun’s group as only Shaun, Liz and Ed are the only survivors, then the army show up to eliminate the zombies outside of the Winchester (an attempt to repair the disruption) then it cuts to Shaun in his flat with Liz with their lives back to normal. (a return to equilibrium)

The second movie under the horror genre that I am going to be analysing is World War Z (2013). The reason why is because there is a lot to write about the different camera techniques and most importantly the narrative. In the opening scenes of the movie, it shows how peaceful the normal world is but then that contrasts with the issues that are affecting us in the “real” world.

In the opening news report, “Researchers still don’t know what’s causing dolphins to swim ashore” sprawls across the bottom of the screen informing the audience that something unusual is happening or about to happen. Like most horror movies World War Z, also uses Omniscient narrative (this is when the audience knows what’s happening then the protagonist finds out). This is commonly used in horror movies to add tension and to make scenes more tense for the protagonist and the audience.

Additionally, in World War Z establishing camera shots are used throughout to let the audience know where the characters are in reference to the story. These camera shots that are used are used in a way to show comparison because it shows people living normal lives and showing the audience how happy life can be but then show the horrible realisation of this new world that the characters have to live in now. This is a well-done comparison as it could be related to today’s society as there are positives but many negatives.

Also, the sound that is used in the movie is different to what would normally be used in horror movies. Normally it would be screeching and loud bangs to get the audience’s attention however in World War Z piano music is used which normally connotes peace and relaxation, but it’s used in a way that it’s unnerving and quite unexpected. The way how it is unexpected is because it’s used when a news report is on a tv and the music on a news report would normally be kept to a minimal, so the audience would be able to hear the news reporter.

The way how the news is presented is also different because in “the real world” the audience is told one news story at a time, but in World War Z the news is shown overlapping each story to build drama and tension as the news goes along with the music which keeps building up how loud it can possibly go.

Websites used:

https://www.slideshare.net/KamilaGlomska/hot-fuzz-textual-analysis

https://www.slideshare.net/GabyV45/shaun-of-the-dead-more-research

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Hard

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Fuzz

https://prezi.com/y5gvfc_pngwb/todorovs-narrative-theory/

https://www.slideshare.net/phoebe29184/world-war-z-analysis

https://prezi.com/dn7gz8yxzgu6/restricted-and-omniscient-narrative/