Evaluation Question 1

3. Cloverfield
A Girl Like Her A Girl Like Her Submarine
Warm Bodies
Fish Tank
Buried Mean Girls
This is the company ident that we created for our
teaser trailer. We took inspiration from other company
idents in the teaser trailers we had researched and also
made sure that it kept within our established colour
scheme. We also made sure that it stayed on screen
for 2-3 seconds as this is how long most of the idents
we researched were shown for.
Below are some of the main company idents from trailers
we researched. Most idents are made up of a white logo
on a black background so that it is simple but stands out.
Furthermore, the films with the simple black and white
idents are independent or low-budget films, so these
were more useful for us to research because our film is
not a big-budget Hollywood film. In addition, the major
films are produced by major film companies so have more
detailed and colourful idents, such as those of Lionsgate
and Paramount. Lastly, the ident at the beginning of
‘Warm Bodies’ has been adapted to fit the trailer’s colour
scheme whilst also clearly showing the company ident.
We took the most inspiration from this ident because the
colours link to the rest of the trailer and the promotional
materials and the ident itself is black and white.

4. These are the titles we used in our teaser trailer
A Girl Like Her
Submarine
Warm Bodies
Fish Tank
The Social Network
These are some titles from the teaser trailers that I researched. They are all
simple and feature plain text on a coloured background. Furthermore, they
only stay on screen for a short amount of time, but long enough that they
can be read easily. We kept this convention in our teaser trailer so that the
text could be read but was not on screen for so long that it would detract
attention away from the rest of the trailer. We also took elements from the
examples we had researched, choosing to use a black background with
basic white text that fits into the recurring theme in our trailer; typing. We
chose a simple typewriter font with a typewriter effect and keyboard sound
so that it looks like someone is typing the titles. This links to when you see
the character typing on a computer later on in the trailer. The trailers that we
took the most inspiration from were the ‘Fish Tank’ and ‘The Social Network’
titles because they used simple white fonts on black backgrounds to make
them stand out and so that the text is the only focus of the screen. We
thought this would be effect in our trailer because it linked with our
established colour scheme and gets across the message in a easy and
straightforward way. It also looks professional and doesn’t look crowded,
which it could have if we had used a picture background, so it is effective
for our trailer. We have also kept to this convention for the film title so that it
is also simple like those we researched.

5. Typical camera shots used in teen dramas are medium shots, close ups
and extreme long shots. The medium and close up shots are often used
when characters are talking or the emphasis is on a specific character.
They also allow the audience to learn more about the character and how
they are feeling. We used a medium shot to show the characters and
emphasise their relationship.
Panning is often used in teen dramas to introduce scenes and to create
more interesting shots. We used a panning shot of polaroid photos to
open our teaser trailer so that it looks more creative and different to
most teaser trailer openings.
Free-hand shots are also used a lot to demonstrate fast moving action,
such as teens running from the police or to replicate camcorder footage.
We used a free hand shot when filming Shola’s character walking
through a tunnel as it looked more realistic and added a different feel to
the shot.
Point of view shots are often used to allow the audience to understand a
situation. For example, a typical teen drama corridor scene uses point of
view shots to show the audience the character’s perspective. We used a
POV shot to show the message that appeared on the phone as it
allowed the audience to see what the character saw.
Extreme long shots are also commonly used to establish the setting or
situation of the shots. For example, an establishing shot of a school or
of a group of friends. We used a extreme long shot to show the
characters walking together as a transition into the proceeding text
screen.

6. We have used a range of shots throughout our teaser trailer, but have used
mostly close ups because they allow us to choose which important elements the
audience will see, whilst suggesting things about the narrative. We also used mid
and long shots to make the trailer interesting and to avoid giving too much away,
helping to create some suspense and mystery about the film. Furthermore, as it is
a teaser trailer, we mustn't give too much information to the audience, this is for
the full theatrical trailer. We chose to use mid shots and long shots to emphasise
the relationship between the characters and to highlight certain aspects of the
trailer, such as the girls talking on the sofa. We also used some over the shoulder
and point of view shots to give different perspectives on the action and so that it
puts the audience in the position of the character. Above are a few examples of
the shots that we have used throughout our trailer.

7. When creating our teaser trailer, we paid attention and took
inspiration from the trailers we had researched, including
‘Warm Bodies’, ‘Submarine’ and ‘Fish Tank’. We thought that
the first shot (shown 2nd down [from ‘Warm Bodies’]) was
effective because it allows the audience to get to know the
character and the magazine gives a quick insight into what is
occurring in the current time in the film. It also helps to make
the film more realistic because it is a real magazine and is
shown clearly to engage and interest the audience. Therefore,
we thought that a good way of appealing to the teenage girl
audience was by including a book that was aimed towards
teenage girls. However, unlike ‘Warm Bodies’, we did not show
the whole book cover because it is distinctive enough to be
noticed and we wanted the focus on the character and what
happens in the next shot. The second shot from ‘Warm Bodies’
is a close up shot of one of the characters holding the other,
which is effective because it enables the audience to clearly
see the main character and emphasises that he has changed
since the beginning of the trailer. We chose to use a similar
shot to end our teaser trailer so that the emphasise would be
on the character’s facial expressions, which in turn indicates to
the audience that she is hiding something, also linking to the
voice over of this shot. This shot also allowed us to easily
reinforce the relationship between the characters, enabling the
audience to understand the trailer and narrative better.

8. Submarine
Fish Tank
Furthermore, in ‘Submarine’ there is a close up shot of the
main character typing something on a typewriter, which
links to the titles in the film as they have the effect of being
typed and use a typewriter font. We used a similar shot but
showing a laptop keyboard as our film is more modern and
appeals to a slightly younger audience, so we can engage
them by showing the technology that they are familiar with.
We also decided to use titles with a typewriter font and
typing effect because it links well with our trailer and gives
the impression that the character is typing them.
Lastly, we liked the shot from ‘Fish Tank’ that shows the
main character walking away from the camera because it
gives the audience a different perspective, rather than just
seeing the character’s face all the time. We use a similar
shot but decided to have it as a mid close up because it
links well and looks better in our teaser trailer.

9. Most of the teaser trailers we have researched are face
paced and have short shot durations to create a sense of
urgency and to build up the tension and mystery
surrounding the film. This also links to the drama and teen
drama genres, where quick edits are used to create
suspense and entice the audience to watch the film.
Furthermore, in teen dramas cross-cutting is often used to
show different scenes that are occurring simultaneously.
Therefore, we have used cross-cutting in our teaser trailer
to show what both characters are doing and how they
impact each other. This also allows the audience to
understand that the friend is the person behind the mean
messages and betrayal that the other character is facing.
For example, we cross-cut the clips where Katy’s character
is opening a letter from a university and where Shola’s
character is walking to her house to meet her. To keep the
continuity of the trailer, we used straight cuts rather than
exciting transitions so that they don't detract from the action
and keep the focus on the trailer and what is happening.
We also chose not to use any visual effects as they are not
highly used in teen dramas because they are often meant
to be as realistic and natural as possible. However, some
trailers do still use visual effects to make the trailers look
interesting and to appeal to the audience, but we
challenged this convention by not adding any in ours.

10. The lighting used in teen dramas is usually high key to
make the scene look as natural and realistic as possible.
High key lighting is used because these type of films tend to
be quite light hearted and to make the scenes look as real
as possible. It also helps to create the right atmosphere for
the film. However, low key lighting is also used in more gritty
dramas to create a negative and intense mood.
For example, we have used high key lighting throughout
most of our teaser trailer because it looks natural and helps
to create a positive atmosphere that we contrast with low
key lighting. We have used high key lighting at the most
important parts of the trailer, such as when the girls hug
because it shows the positive atmosphere between them. It
also highlights the facial expression shown and indicates
their relationship to the audience. In contrast, we used low
key lighting when showing that the friend was writing the
letter to her and sabotaging her chance of going to
university. This also gives the shot a negative feel and
emphasises to the audience that it is something bad that will
negatively impact the other character. We also used low key
lighting when the character opens the letter, so that the
shots link together and, again, indicates to the audience that
it is something negative.

11. In some of the teaser trailers we researched, and teen dramas in
general, the main character narrates the action so that the
audience can understand more about what the character is
thinking and feeling. This also helps to create empathy towards the
character as the audience knows how they are feeling and can
potentially relate to that. Some examples of the teaser trailers that
use voice overs are ‘Mean Girls’, ‘Submarine’, ‘Warm Bodies’ and
‘Paper Towns’. We chose to use a voice over because it gives the
audience further information about the film and what the possible
outcome could be. Along with the title screens and film tagline, it
also hints that the friend is behind the betrayal, whilst also giving
an idea as to how the character feels. This is indicated by the tone
she uses and the way she pauses in the middle of her narration.
We did this so that the most important part of the narration was
shown at the end of the trailer, accompanied by the close up shot
of the other characters face. The shot shows her looking slyly into
the camera whilst hugging the other character, so links perfectly to
what the voice over says. We decided that it would be effective if
we used the saying “Keep your friends close, but your enemies
closer” as our voice over because it links to the film and helps to
give more information about the film. We also reinforced this with
the titles throughout the trailer.

12. Throughout our teaser trailer we used background music to build the tension and
suspense and to create a tense and strained atmosphere. We chose to use two
overlaying music tracks, with one building in the middle when the action shows the
betrayal and bullying. This is effective because the music builds as the action does
and complements the tense and almost dark trailer. It also creates a an almost sad
atmosphere for the viewers because they realise what is going on in the trailer and
that it is the friend betraying the other character. We found that most teaser trailers
faded in the music, rather than it beginning suddenly and followed this convention by
ensuring that each of the soundtracks began gradually from a low volume to a higher
one which we found was extremely effective.
In addition, we used some sound effects, choosing to record the sounds ourselves
rather than downloading them. We then layered them over the clips so that they were
louder and clearer. For example, we did this with the typing sound and the phone
ringtone because they were not loud enough to be heard clearly on their own. Sound
effects are often used in teaser trailers to emphasise certain sounds and to make the
on-screen action appear more realistic to the audience.

13. The first track that plays throughout the entire teaser trailer is slower
and very repetitive so that it really puts the focus on the action and
creates a steady pace that will increase when the next tracks starts. The
music is also slightly more happy than the first, although not entirely
happy, so it matches the on-screen action when the characters are
hugging. We also chose to use slower piano music because it is soft
and matches the editing pace as, in the beginning of the trailer, the
shots are cut together slowly so that the audience can familiarise
themselves with the characters and settings. Conventionally, the music
used in teen drama films is usually light-hearted and upbeat to match
the on-screen action and editing pace but we decided to challenge this
convention and use darker, slower music to create suspense and build
up the tension throughout the trailer. This is because, although our film
is a teen drama, it is more drama and we wanted the music to match
and convey this.
Furthermore, as the editing pace in our teaser trailer increases, the
faster and tenser music begins, along with the action building on-
screen. We did this so that, as you see the betrayal and bullying
occurring, the music helps to set a dramatic tone and emphasise the
emotion in the shots, especially when the character is crying in the
mirror. Because the music is so tense and dramatic, it helps to
exaggerate the on-screen action, creating a more thrilling experience
for the audience. It is conventional for action and teen drama films to
begin with slow-paced music that quickly builds as the pace increases,
which is effective in our trailer and is why we decided to conform with
this convention. An example of this would be the ‘Paper Towns’ teaser
trailer because it begins softly and becomes increasingly up beat and
loud.
Music description: A
suspenseful track about feeling
alone, yet not realising there is
someone right beside you
Music description: Ambient piano
piece for a derelict house, laced
with past memories and sadness.

14. Most of the teaser trailers we researched were between
1:00 and 1:30 minutes long, as opposed to the longer length
of theatrical trailers which last around 2:00 minutes. Our
teaser trailer is under a minute long because we didn’t want
to give away too much to the audience, but wanted them to
understand the genre and basic storyline of the film. This
meant that it would appeal to them and attract them to see
the film, creating an effective teaser trailer. Our trailer is a
good length because it allows the audience to see the
characters and what will happen in the film, whilst being
able to decide if they would want to watch the whole film.
They also see a number of different shots that imply the
genre and give clues as to what will happen in the film,
meaning that our trailer, though short, is still effective.
1:11
1:23
1:17
1:020:51
The teaser trailers we
researched also adhere
to this convention.

16. This our final film poster for
‘Best Friends For(n)ever’
Film posters are promotional materials used
to advertise films. They are usually placed in public
places with a large audience, such as on buses,
billboards, bus stops, tube stations and cinemas. It is
therefore essential that film posters portray the best
parts of the film and make the film look interesting so
as to draw in the audience. It is also important that the
poster indicates the film genre as well as the actors,
producers and release date because they will give the
audience more information about the film and may
further entice them to watch the film. There are also
certain institutional conventions and genre
conventions that the film poster must adhere to, such
as including a billing block that lists the companies,
actors, directors, producers, and other crew members
behind the film.
These are some of the
posters that we researched
and made reference to
throughout our research and
planning process and in the
final poster.

17. When creating our poster, I took the most inspiration from the
‘Frost Nixon’ film poster because I liked the interesting layout as
it was different from most other posters that I had researched. I
also liked the idea of using darker coloured images
accompanied by black and red text so that the red stood out
and was the main focal point. In addition, I thought that their use
of grey text for the billing block was an effective idea as it
helped to avoid the text detracting attention from the main
elements of the design. This is also effective because the poster
does not look crowded or cluttered. We also used close up
pictures to introduce the characters and long shot photos to
highlight their relationship and give the audience and idea of
what could happen. This also links to the tagline because it also
highlights that they are best friends but that something will come
between them. Moreover, the close up photographs allow the
audience to gain an insight into the characters and their
feelings, whilst also emphasising the characters so that they are
easily recognisable across all of our media products. Overall,
these elements, specifically the black and white images, help to
build up mystery and suspense surrounding the film and what
may happen to the characters. Furthermore, our clear use of
characters on our poster helps to reinforce the film genre
because the characters are teenagers and the tagline helps to
emphasise and hint that there will be some kind of drama and
bad occurrence in the film.

18. I also took the some inspiration from the ‘Warm Bodies’ and ‘Scott
Pilgrim vs the World’ film posters because I liked the bold red text as
a focal point of the design, as well as the use of photography as the
main design element of the poster. Furthermore, I think that the split
images on the ‘Scott Pilgrim vs the World’ poster is effective
because it clearly shows all important characters in a way that
doesn’t take over the whole poster and still keeps the focus on the
main characters and title text. On the other hand, I also like the use
of dark imagery on the ‘Warm Bodies’ poster because it foreshadows
that the events in the film may take a dark turn, but that they will get
better. This is also indicated because the characters in the
foreground are bright and have a white glow effect surrounding them
and and separating them from the dark
background. In addition, the use of
simple text at the top and bottom of the
poster is effect as it helps to keep the
main focus on the images of the
characters and the title text, whilst
conveying the most important information
in an easy and simple way. Finally, these
film posters use a black, white and red
colour scheme like ours which helps to
highlight that something bad will happen
in the films and the main characters will
have to overcome it.

19. I took inspiration from the layout of the ‘Mean Girls’ film poster because I like
the unusual layout of the text and the way that the title text is vertical rather
than conventionally horizontal. This could represent that there is some kind of
barrier between the girls and that this could be the cause of their conflict. The
use of bold typography to create a divide between the title words is also
effective because it makes the word “Mean” stand out and further reinforces
that there is conflict between the girls featured on the poster. We decided that
because the use of different typography worked well on this poster, we would
use two different colours in our title text to highlight the ‘(n)’ and split up the
words. The tagline “Watch Your Back” also indicates that there will be some
conflict or betrayal between these girls and links well to the title because it
gives the audience an insight into the film without giving too much away.
Therefore, I chose a similar style of tagline but made sure that it linked to our
film and title. In addition, I particularly liked that the character images were
not used as the background image because it is different to most posters and
challenges the conventions of traditional film posters. I think that this also
makes the images stand out more as they are presented on a contrasting
coloured background. Just as with the ‘Frost Nixon’ poster, I took this as
inspiration because I wanted our photographs to stand out against the
background whilst looking effective with the poster layout. Lastly, the actress
on the left of the poster is bigger and has more focus on her than the other
girls which indicates that she is the main character in the film. Furthermore,
the fact that she is own her own on the left and the other girls are in a group
also foreshadows that could be separation or conflict between them. I thought
that the use of a bigger picture of one character on our film poster would also
be effective as, like in our teaser trailer, shows that she is a big part of the film
and that the focus is on her. The fact that we also see all of her face, as
opposed to a close up shot we used of the other character, allows the
audience to see how she is feeling and, again, puts the focus on her.
Add
poster

20. The title font on our poster is quite simple so that it is easy to read, but is a more creative and
interesting font so that it stands out and adds some extra detail to the poster. The titles on the posters
I have researched are simple but suit the films and their audiences. This also gives them a
sophisticated and professional look because the titles are the focal points but they do not detract from
the other elements of the design. We chose to use a font that was clear to read from a distance but
that that linked to our film and its narrative themes; which is why we chose to use
the font that looks like paint strokes as it could be interpreted as if one of the
friends had painted it. I also chose to colour the title black and red to create a
contrast between the letters and words and to highlight the (n) in ‘for(n)ever’
as it is a clue to what may happen in the film and what the film is about.
These colours also link to the genre and colours used in our teaser trailer, and
stand out against the white background. In addition, the colour red connotes
the friendship and love between the best friends, whilst also connoting the
danger that will be shown and explored in the film. We also wanted an
interesting font that would not detract attention from the main images as these
are the focal points of our poster design.

22. This our final magazine
cover for ‘Best Friends
For(n)ever’
We decided that we would create a magazine cover for
‘Entertainment Weekly’ because the magazine has featured
many teen dramas, such as 'The Fault in Our Stars' and
'Twilight‘. This means that our film could also be featured in it. In
addition, because of the reader demographics and content of
the magazine, we decided that our film could appear in this
magazine. The chart below details the magazine's audience
demographics. It shows that 63% of the audience are women,
with the biggest age group being 18-49. Most of the readers are
also either in education or unemployed, so mostly students,
which is the age category that we are aiming our film at.
These are some of the
magazine covers that I
researched and made
reference to throughout my
research and planning process
and in the final cover.

23. Whilst creating our magazine cover, we looked at some example
elements on the existing covers. The first cover that we saw as
inspiration was the 'The Fault in Our Stars' because it has a real
background rather than a block colour, so we did this on our
magazine cover. It also has a close up shot of the two main
characters so that the audience can familiarise themselves with
the actors in the film. We also looked at the 'Avengers' cover
because we liked the text at the bottom that lists the magazine's
content and decided to add this on our own cover. We thought
that this was a good element to use because it makes the cover
look realistic and professional. Lastly, we looked at the 'Boyhood'
cover because they used the film's own title font on the
magazine cover to create a strong brand identity. This is
effective because it links to the film and trailer and, therefore, we
did this on our cover to create a consistent brand identity.
Our magazine cover for ‘Best Friends For(n)ever’ follows the typical format
conventions of other ‘Entertainment Weekly’ covers. On most of the examples I
researched, the masthead would be positioned at the top of the cover but would
be placed behind the head of the main image. Therefore, we did this with our
cover so that it looked professional and followed the conventions of the
magazine. Furthermore, the main focal point of the magazine cover designs is
the large photograph of the main magazine feature. The photographs are usually
mid shots, mid close ups and close ups so that the emphasis and focus are on
the person rather than on the text around the image. We chose to use a mid
long shot because it allows the audience to see most of the characters and it
leaves room for the text elements of the design. As seen below, some of the
existing magazine covers also use mid long shots as the main image, so I took
inspiration from these covers.

24. The colour schemes on the ‘Entertainment Weekly’
magazine covers are always different and depend on
the theme of the cover. For example, the ‘Scream
Queens’ cover has a pink and red theme determined
by the colours that the characters are wearing, which
is why the masthead and part of the text are pink.
The rest of the writing is white and yellow so that it
will stand out against the image and link to the white
and yellow text at the top of the cover. Pink is also a
prominent colour in the TV series ‘Scream Queens’,
with most of the characters wearing the colour in
each episode. This is why the main character on the
cover is dressed in pink and why part of the text is
pink. We took inspiration from this because our teaser
trailer and poster both have a red, black and white
theme and, therefore, we used these colours for the
text on our own cover.
The layout of most ‘Entertainment Weekly’ covers are very
similar, with the image being the main focal point and the
text explaining what is included in the magazine. There
are several "double issues" of the magazine each year,
such as the two above, that are available for two weeks and
are counted as "two" issues so that it can fulfil its marketing
claim of 52 issues per year for subscribers. We decided
that as an extra element on our cover, we would make it
one of the double issues, linking to the ‘Twilight’ cover
above because we used a similar red mark on our cover.
This is the "double
issue" mark on our
magazine cover

26. The plots in teen dramas often revolve around the protagonists and
are usually based upon the interests of teenagers, such as first love,
rebellion, bullying and conflict with parents. Therefore, we decided
that the themes of bullying and betrayal among friends was a good
narrative for our film. Often these normally serious themes are
presented in a superficial, stereotyped or trivialized way, which is why
we have exaggerated the bullying so that it is clearer to see and
understand.
Teen dramas tend to have quite simple narrative structures as they
are aimed at teenagers. These films are normally light-hearted and
easy to understand. We have adhered to the convention of having a
simple structure but have gone against the convention of them being
light-hearted and fun, choosing instead to create a darker drama that
explores the betrayal between best friends.
Teen dramas are most often set in high schools or revolve around
characters of high school age. We have conformed to this convention
because some of the shots in our trailer are set in a high school. Also,
the characters are indicated to be at high school because they are
applying for universities. The settings in teen dramas are normally
consistent throughout the film, with the most common settings being
small towns, character homes, streets and neighbourhoods. Because
of the target audience they are often set in cities or popular towns so
that the characters have realistic interactions with the world, such as
going to cinemas, cafes and schools.

27. There are many common characters in teen films, and the
representation of stereotypes and social groups is an important part
of this. The representation of teens in these films are often
negative, with there only being a few positives. For example, the
geek/nerd, new boy/girl and loners are all portrayed quite
negatively to make them look weak and defenceless. However, this
is not always the case in real life. Furthermore, the jocks and
cheerleaders are almost always represented as being arrogant and
obnoxious, whereas this is not always the case. In our film, we have
represented one character to be a scheming bully, which is a
common view of teenagers and a situation that most people will
have experienced. We have represented the other character to be
intelligent and clever but naïve because this is another common
negative view of teens.
We have used iconography in our teaser trailer, including phones
and technology, fashionable clothing, education and relationships.
These all help to indicate the genre and link to the narrative. We
also used social media in our trailer so that it gives an idea of the
character’s ages and also links to the genre and theme of bullying.

28. The clothing worn in teen dramas is fairly simple as they are just teenagers, who are usually at
school where they may have dress codes. Because of this, most teens wear everyday clothes,
such as hoodies, tracksuits, caps, trainers, t-shirts and jeans. The clothing helps to give each
character their own identity and allows the audience to understand the type of character that
they are. This can also be a big indicator of the character's wealth. Because Jaime is from a
tough council estate and isn't as privileged as Tilly, her outfit is grungy and ripped. Her outfit
consists of black ripped jeans and a dark coloured hoodie to represent that she is not as rich as
Tilly and that she has a darker personality. Tilly’s outfit consists of a light coloured jumper and
white jeans to represent that she is well off. Also, the light colours and white show that she is
naïve and innocent. Make-up is also used a lot by teenagers so many teen dramas include this
element into the character's overall appearance. For example, the most popular girl, or a
female love interest, will often have a lot of make-up on to enhance their natural beauty.

29. On a poster and magazine cover for a teen drama film, you
would expect to see the main characters in order to
understand the themes and narrative of the film. Our poster
and magazine cover both feature the two main characters, Tilly
and Jaime. Furthermore, the body language shows that they
are close friends but the facial expressions of one character
indicates that she is keeping a secret from the other character.
The settings on both the poster and magazine cover are also
featured in the teaser trailer and link to the film genre because
the most common settings are small towns, streets and
neighbourhoods. This also implies that they are just normal
girls who live in a normal town but something will happen to
them.
We made sure that all of our products suggest the same genre
by ensuring that the teenage characters were shown clearly on
all of them so that the audience understand that the film
revolves around them. We also used the title and tagline to
indicate that there would be drama between the girls, further
reinforcing the film genre. Furthermore, to highlight the genre
on the magazine cover we decided to write it underneath the
film title so that it is subtle and conforms to the magazine
house style.