Agent Fifteen

Advertising Methods

This hyperlink is the link to our teaser trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJh-JFaU2lI

This is the hyperlink to our offical website
http://www.wix.com/adm_oli/agentfifteen#!home

This is the hyperlink to our various posters
http://www.wix.com/adm_oli/agentfifteen#!gallery

1 In what way does your media product, develop or challenge forms of real media products?

2 How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillery tasks?

3 What have you learned through audience feedback?

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

What have you learned through audience feedback?

We have learned through audience feedback that everyone that would have seen a horror movie would all have their own opinions on what would suit their idea of perfect aspects in a horror film. These opinions would then help us as we would look at what the majority select and then look at how we could incorporate it most effectively into our media production.

To research get our audience feedback we used questionnaires asking specific multiple questions related to our genre of film. These were effective as we could then easily see what was the most selected and least selected to inspire our media production. We also sent the link to our blog around to all other media students for feedback asking for them to comment on what they felt could be improved and what they thought they found most memorable. Most importantly we asked for feedback from our media teacher so we could create a media product to the best of our ability.

1In what way does your media product, develop or challenge forms of real media products?
2 How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillery tasks?
4 How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research and planning and evaluation stages?

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

Throughout the duration of our project we used questionnaires created on survey monkey to research into our audience and to create a media product that will be successful appeal to our selected audience.

Blogger allowed us to post our work online to monitor group progress successfully by allowing us to add and edit posts daily enabling us to plan effectively. Blogger also allowed us to track our progress as we progressed through the project showing us what aspects we needed to research further into if that was needed.

Within our media project we used the Imovie11 editing software to construct our teaser trailer, this allowed us to use filters over our footage that were relevant to our genre such as a blue filter to reflect the coldness of the killer. We used transitions for continuity and black and white tints to show future scenes where the victims murdered, therefore conforming to the conventions of a slasher movie. (46 seconds in).

We used a variety of YouTube clips to make the narrative more obvious and to give clear connotations of war, we selected our iconic war clips to help show this. We used the, at the start of the trailer so the connotations are the first thing the audience see’s helping the flow of the trailer.

We also used the garage band software to find a great drumming sound for our teaser trailer. Garage Band allowed us to edit and distort sound, speed it up and slow it down so we could effectively add o soundtrack into our teaser trailer. You can find this drumming sound at the end of the trailer were we built up tension to make a climatic point in our teaser trailer.(1 minute 2 seconds in).

Digital technology allowed us to research into lighting by enabling us access to the internet. To research into lighting we watched ‘How to’ videos on YouTube such as, ‘how to effectively use lighting in a media production’. We could also look into other film websites to inspire our own by looking at the use of transitions between 2 different screens and drop down menu bars. This helped our research within making a media production because we could then take these effective ways of capturing an audience’s attention on a website and incorporate them into our own product.

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

The ancillary tasks poster and website combined with the main product teaser trailer help to form brand recognition throughout our work, this will help with promotion of the film to draw in a selected audience. We decided to use our villain to help create the brand recognition; films such as Saw and The Texas chainsaw massacre used their murderer to help create brand recognition.

By using a masked murderer as the main villain this follows the set codes and conventions of slasher horror films. The poster for Saw 3 focuses mainly on the costuming of the villain concealing his personal identity whilst exposing the crazed nature of his character through the choice of mask. We followed this convention by using the mask of our villain as the iconic feature; our poster focuses on this to emphasise the impassive features of the gas mask which represents the former shell of the villain after the experience of war has removed all emotion. We designed various posters and chose the one which was the most effective. When creating the posters we used the gas mask as the main feature. we designed a poster with an explosion as the main image to draw in a selected audience which portrays the war scenes shown at the start of our teaser trailer but we decided to use a more simple design which would focus on one aspect of the film rather than making the poster appear overcrowded and give too much of the plot away.

By using a poster to advertise our film this presentational device could be seen virtually anywhere from magazines to bill boards which is vital when advertising as this can reach a vast audience. By adding the website address, located at the bottom of the poster, this would appeal to the vast online society more specifically at our target audience aged between 15-22. Our final design focuses on the blunt features of the gasmask made ominous with the use of the red lighting.

Although our iconic feature is the gasmask this wasn’t shown on our home page on our website, the design again was kept simple and having the Title appear on the home screen gave a heightened sense of isolation conforming to the conventions of a slasher film. We wanted the typeface for the title to conform to our theme of warfare and the military division which is where the tagline arrives from. The typeface is used throughout our ancillary tasks and our main media product helping to form a recognisable house style amongst the products. The colour red is used frequently throughout both of the ancillary tasks which is a feature that follows the conventions of horror films which was found whilst researching various other websites such as

The Crazies, another characteristic which we used that follows the codes and conventions of slasher films throughout our media tasks was the use of low profile lighting this is used in our main task to depict the darkness within the villain that is yet to be exposed.

1 In what way does your media product, develop or challenge forms of real media products?
3 What have you learned through audience feedback?
4 How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research and planning and evaluation stages?

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

Plot

Our main inspiration for Agent Fifteen was taken from the Saw films where the theme of isolation was common with connotations of fear of the unknown, we took this and used it to suit the plot of our trailer; the psychological effects of war on ex soldiers, we then twisted this to create fear amongst a local community.

Codes and Conventions

Throughout our trailer, set codes and conventions were followed to maintain a professional standard. Following these set conventions also help attract a target audience in order for our media product to be successful.

Colours/Poster

Our chosen genre was horror therefore the colour red which is has a high level of significance due to the connotations it has within horror films, more specifically to our sub genre slasher horror. When researching poster ideas the colour red was used frequently in films such as my bloody valentine where there is a red light shining on the pickaxe held by the villain; this draws the audience’s attention to the weapon whilst adding a deeper sense of aggression and violence.

As posters can be used almost any where (online, magazines, billboards etc) this is an essential way to target an audience.

The poster consists of three colours black, white and red this gives the poster a darker atmosphere which is suited for our chosen genre. Due to the simplistic design the main focus is on the gasmask which is given a sinister look due to the lighting effect; the harsh emotionless features are emphasised which represents the former shell of the ex soldier before his experiences in war transformed him. We used white for the text which carries connotations of innocence and being pure; this challenges the idea of the villain being completely consumed by his murderous rage or is their any hope for him to return to his previous mind frame before warfare altered his mental state. The text is positioned in the centre of the poster therefore the audience is drawn to it automatically whilst drawing the audience’s attention to the tag line. The small print at the bottom of the page with actor’s names / director’s names etc will help gather an audience for the film bellow the small print is the website which encourages the target audience to visit it to find out more about the film.

Editing

A convention of teaser trailers is the time length they are shown in, we used this convention by using fast editing. At the start of the trailer we used royalty free online clips of war footage; we used longer shot lengths so the audience can try to gather an understanding of the narrative without giving too much away. Shots of the villain walking through fog then followed and we used faster editing the pick up the pace of the trailer and creating an ominous atmosphere around the villain. The fast editing also helps build tension this tension reaches its peak at the end of the trailer where the villain is in a dark room looking down and then slowly looks up into the camera. In the trailer Crazies the use of fast editing is effective as it shows enough to intrigue the audience but doesn’t give too much of the plot away. The genre is clearly highlighted by the scenes shown which helps to draw in a selected audience.

Sound

At the start of our trailer we used non diegetic sounds to create a peaceful ambience contrasting to war clips shown, this is a convention used by many horror films to lure the audience into a false sense of security which adds effect to the scenes later on ( 0.00-0.17). At the end of the trailer we used a non diegetic sound of fast paced heavy drumming which juxtaposed the actions of the villain looking up into the camera even thought this was happening slowly the intensity of his actions are amplified to create an uneasy atmosphere for the audience to leave on.

Props

A convention for slasher horror films is that the villain is masked challenging the idea of hidden identity amongst local communities, we used this convention and made the gas mask our iconic feature for the film; this is clearly shown by our poster and in our trailer. We also used a meat cleaver as the villains choice of weapon this is common throughout many slasher horrors such as in Texas chainsaw massacre the preferred weapon of the villain is a chainsaw , in Halloween the weapon is a knife.

Narrative theories

Vladimir Propp

Vladimir Propp suggested that characters took on the role of narrative “spheres of action”. One of theses rules is that of the hero, in our film we have subverted the expectations of our audience by using an ex-soldier who would stereotypically be considered to be a hero and twisted this into making him the villain who has been traumatised by warfare.

Todorovs Theory

Todorovs theory suggests that a film starts with an equilibrium (calm period) then as the plot unfolds disequilibrium occurs which is then followed by a renewed state of peace and harmony for the protagonist and a new equilibrium brings the chaos to an end; by using footage of warfare to start our trailer it automatically brings a state of disequilibrium, by subverting Todorov’s theory we conformed to the conventions of a teaser trailer by never creating a sense of equilibrium instead a constant state of chaos to reflect the psychotic nature of the murderer.

Website

As accessing the internet is now easier then ever, creating a website helps to conform to the needs of the target audience (mainly aimed at males aged between 15-22). By using features which makes the website user friendly and interactive this will engage the audience more. We have embedded the teaser trailer into our website which will encourage people to go onto the website; we have also included other poster designs on the website which might entice people to go onto the website.

Tagline

The tagline “you know when you’ve got company” works well with the theme of war as “company” is another term for regiment, it also plays with the sense of fear in the safety of your local community and not truly knowing the people around you even though you may think you do.

Title

I researched into chemical warfare and came across the name blood agent which was a chemical used in poisonous gases, after researching into blood agents I came across a blood agent called Agent Fifteen; this also has connotations to the army which is clearly represented by the costuming of the villain.

2 How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillery tasks?

3 What have you learned through audience feedback?

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

Equilibrium Chart

At the start of our trailer tension is relatively high due to the war clips being shown, the murderer is then shown walking through fog the levels of tension then falls due to the simplicity of the shot. Tension continues to rise after this with the location being revealed and the murder being exposed for his brutal rage. At the end of the trailer tension is much higher than the start , this follows the codes and conventions of a teaser trailer, leaving the trailer with a level of high tension will encourage an audience to go and watch the film.