Media Work Master Post

AS Work

A2 Work

A2 Evaluation: Question One

A2 Evaluation: Question One

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A2 Evaluation: Question Two

A2 Evaluation: Question Two

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A2 Evaluation: Question Three

A2 Evaluation: Question Three

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A2 Evaluation: Question Four

A2 Evaluation: Question Four

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A2 Construction: The Woods Movie Trailer

The Woods- A2 Media Studies from Sophie Hooker on Vimeo.

A2 Construction: The Woods Trailer Analysis

The Woods Trailer Analysis- A2 Media Studies

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A2 Construction: Film Magazine Front Cover Final

Love Cinema Magazine Analysis

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AS: Evaluation Questions

AS: Evaluation Questions

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AS Construction: Contents Page Final

This is my final attempt at a contents page created on Adobe Photoshop CS5. I have taken inspiration and worked on conventions similar to the content pages in magazines such as Look and NME.

AS Construction: Contents Page Analysis- My Music Magazine

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AS Construction: Music Magazine Front Cover Final

AS Construction: Front Cover Analysis

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AS Construction: Double Page Spread Final

I created my double page on Adobe Photoshop CS5. I have used similar conventions found in Q and NME magazines.

I have stuck to a colour scheme of black, white and red; this is continuity through my magazine. I have only used red to highlight the name of the subject of the interview. I have done this as the red grabs attention through the traffic light theory and so that the double page spread isn’t too dull. However, red is most effective when used in small doses and the effect works with the other simple colours used.
The title contains the signifier ‘conversation’, signifying that the interview is down to earth and personal. This will allow the consumers to feel that they are on a personal level with her. I have used the same fonts from my contents page, Elephant and Perpetua.

I decided to use one image on an entire page as this is a convention for music magazines where an interview is accompanied with a photo shoot. I decreased the vibrance by -35 and the saturation by -13. The effect is that the image is not bright and there’s a vintage look to it. This appeals to the target audience for my magazine and is simple and understated, just what they wanted in a magazine. The quote on a black strip is used so that it stands out.

AS Construction: Editing Images

A2 Construction: Film Magazine Front Cover Attempt

This is my first attempt at a movie magazine cover. I have decided to not use this as the masthead is not clear enough, the content features is too busy and obstruct the image too much, there is minimal editing in the image and the fonts don’t look professional enough. In my next attempt I plan to rectify these problems.

AS Construction: Music Magazine Front Cover Draft

I have decided not to use this cover as part of my music magazine as the extra content features on the left looks too busy and overcrowded.

A2 Research and Planning: Fertile Ground Trailer Analysis

Fertile Ground Trailer Analysis- A2 Media Studies

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A2 Construction: Movie Poster Final

A2 Construction: The Woods Movie Poster

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A2 Research and Planning: Empire Magazine Cover Analysis

Empire Magazine Cover Analysis

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A2 Research and Planning: Storyboard

This was my initial filming storyboard. I used this on the day of filming to get the shots I planned.

A2 Research and Planning: Location

Before filming my movie trailer I need to decide on locations to film at. I need scenes which are set in the woods and with an open heath.

I used a feature of Google maps called street view to decide on a suitable location to film.


I decided on these woods for my movie trailer

I initially planned to film in these woods but found that due to transport problems for my filming equipment and actors this was not possible

A2 Research and Planning: Magazine Cover Questionnaire Results

I handed my questionnaire out to a sample of sixteen to twenty year olds. In order to get some honest feedback on my movie magazine, I have completed this study before construction of my cover begins so that I can make necessary changes to suit my target audience.

I used a sample size of twenty people, all between the ages of sixteen and twenty. I separated my sample size into groups of four and put examples of our work on separate tables. The respondents were given five minutes to fill out an individual questionnaire on my magazine cover before they moved on to assess my movie poster.


What is your gender?



Ten males and ten females answered my questionnaire. This gives me an even distribution of boys and girls, whilst my target audience is predominantly male, my magazine caters for females too. It will give me an even and fair series of results.


Does my magazine look professional?


The majority of the respondents thought that my magazine conformed to typical codes and conventions of magazines. This is very important as I want my magazine to look authentic.

When analysing the qualitative answers to the ‘Why?’ half of the question, many of those answered listed colour scheme, the fonts, barcode, issue number and date made the cover look more professional. The minority who didn’t think my magazine looked professional thought that the colours were too bright and the editing wasn’t good.


Would you feel more or less inclined to see the movie that this magazine featured?



Eleven of the twenty respondents replied that they would feel inclined to see my movie after seeing it featured on the magazine. The reasons for this in my qualitative follow up questions said that they thought the cover looked mysterious- the two people on the cover looked sombre and they wanted to know why, and that they liked the look of it.

Nine respondents said that they felt less inclined to see the move after seeing the magazine as they didn’t find it interesting enough and thought that it looked boring. However, the majority of the respondents felt that the magazine promoted the movie well.


Which features of my magazine cover do you like?


This question was multi optional as respondents were asked to circle more than one answer, so I have thirty two answers to this question.

The majority liked the colour scheme, which consists of red, black and white. They said that the red is effective and stands out, but because it’s used in a small dose it doesn’t look too bright and busy. Eleven liked the image I used, reasoning for this as they thought it suited the genre it needed to convey. Ten responded that they thought the fonts were effective and eye catching without looking unprofessional.


Which features of my magazine cover do you dislike?



The layout is the most unpopular feature here, as they believe that there is not enough content features and it doesn’t look busy enough. Five didn’t like my image as they thought it was too dull and five didn’t like the fonts used because of their personal preference.


Taking these findings into account, I will make the necessary alterations to my movie magazine cover.

A2 Research and Planning: Movie Poster Questionnaire Results

I handed my questionnaire out to a sample of sixteen to twenty year olds. In order to get some honest feedback on my movie magazine, I have completed this study before construction of my cover begins so that I can make necessary changes to suit my target audience.

I used a sample size of twenty people, all between the ages of sixteen and twenty. I separated my sample size into groups of four and put examples of our work on separate tables. The students were given five minutes to fill out an individual questionnaire on my magazine cover before they moved on to assess my movie poster. This is my first attempt at a movie magazine cover.

What is your gender?


Ten males and ten females answered my questionnaire. This gives me an even distribution of boys and girls, whilst my target audience for my movie is predominantly male, my movie caters for females too. It will give me an even and fair series of results.


Does my poster look professional?


Sixteen respondents thought that my poster looked professional and authentic. My qualitative results show that they thought the greyscale suited the genre, the font was suitable, the image looked professional and the credits at the bottom looked authentic.


Would you feel more or less inclined to see the movie that this poster featured?


Thirteen of the respondents felt that they would feel more inclined to watch the movie after seeing the poster. Reasons they gave for this were that it was mysterious with the image of the woods with no human activity and wanted to know what it was about. Reasons for those who replied that they wouldn’t want to see the movie said that the poster was too dull to drab their attention. However, the majority believed that the poster promoted the movie well and suited the genre.


Which features do you like about my movie poster?



This question was multi optional which is why I have thirty six answers. Winning the majority vote is the image, reasons for this being that it was simple yet worked really well and the angle and greyscale effect looked mysterious. Second was font, reasons being that it looked menacing and sited the genre. The layout was praised for its simplicity and authentic looking credits. The colour scheme appealed to the respondents as although it greyscale, it works with the poster.


Which features do you dislike about my poster?


This question was also multi optional and received thirty responses. The most unpopular feature of the poster is the colour scheme, some thinking that it is too dark and dull. This is followed by the layout, arguing that the layout is too simple and it doesn’t grab their attention.

I will make the necessary alterations to my product to suit the answers to this questionnaire.

A2 Research and Planning: Vanity Fair Cover Semiotic Analysis

A2 Construction: Poster Idea 2

I decided not to use this poster as the colour scheme used makes the image appear too dark. Although this allows the white and grey text to stand out the image is too dull and uninteresting to use for my poster. The trees are slightly blurred so the poster doesn’t look professional.

A2 Construction: Poster Idea 1

I decided not to use this poster as the image is far too dark and dull. The text effectively stands out but features in the image are hard to see. Although it fits with the ‘eeriness’ of the genre I don’t think the poster is fitting for my film poster.

A2 Research and Planning: Semiotic Analysis of Stir of Echoes

Stir of Echoes is a supernatural horror / thriller released in the United States in 1999, starring Kevin Bacon and directed by David Koepp. The film is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Richard Matheson.

The colour scheme used in this poster consists of black, brown tones and white. The image is shot in sepia tone which denotes nostalgia and the image appears older than what it is. The slash effect across the poster enhances the old fashioned portrayal of the film. This is commonly used in supernatural thrillers to create a sense of eeriness and of the supernatural.

The image is a low angle shot of some stairs and a person’s legs standing at the top, which creates a shadow all the way down them. The shadow and the lack of a face on the dark figure denotes the unknown and mystery. The use of stairs in the image has connotations with a journey to find whatever’s at the bottom of them. This subtly foreshadows the outcome of the movie. This is emphasised by the tagline ‘some doors weren’t meant to be opened’ which suggests that what the figure finds at the bottom of the stairs is imperative to the film. The tagline attracts consumers by leaving them wondering what is behind the door.

The font used is bold and the white contrasts against the shadows in the image, the effect of this is to make the title stand out on the poster. The same font is used for the actor’s name at the top of the poster.

A2 Research and Planning: Film Poster Image Edits

This was my original image before using Photoshop to change it to black and white and increase the brightness by 52. I decided to use a black and white image as I wanted to emphasise the eeriness.

This is the edited version used in my film poster:

A2 Research and Planning: Movie Poster Image Edits 3

For this image I have increased the brightness by 56 and contrast by 10. This allows the features in the image to stand out.

A2 Research and Planning: Movie Poster Image Edits 2

For this image I enhances the brightness by 67 and contrast by 15. The trees and floor are now a lot more visible.

A2 Research and Planning: Movie Poster Image Edits 1

I converted this image to gray scale and increased the brightness by 10. However, the image is still too dark to properly make out what it is.

A2 Research and Planning: Location Shots

A2 Rsearch and Planning: Moodboard

I created this moodboard using relevant images I found on Google. I used a ghost picture in the woods, a grey scale and a green tint image of woods and an image of a tent. All of these images involve the plot of my film.

I decided to use the image of the ghost in the woods as this directly relates to the plot of my movie. The grayscale used in the image denotes eeriness which is the effect I'm aiming for in my construction.

The image of the tent in the dark again relates to the plot of my movie. The darkness juxtaposes the illuminous tents, creating a contrast against darkness and the unknown and human activity.

I used the image of the woods shot with a green tint as it has connotations with the supernatural and has the same setting for my movie trailer.

The image of the woods which is shot in grayscale is a further example of what I'm hoping to acheive with my movie poster. The eeriness and darkness amplifies the plot.

A2 Research and Planning: Semiotic Analysis of The Last House on the Left

The Last House on the Left is a 2009 American film directed by Dennis Iliadis and written by Carl Ellsworth and Adam Alleca. It is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name. The film follows the parents of Mari Collingwood, who attempt to get revenge on a group of strangers, led by a man named Krug that have taken shelter at their home during a thunderstorm. The Collingwoods discover that the Krug and his group have shot their daughter and left her for dead.

The colour scheme in this poster consists of black, white and red. The use of red is strong and denotes violence and anger. It stands out against the black and white, commands attention and adds emphasis to the signifier ‘house’, which is a larger font size than the rest of the title and is illustrated by the main image. The blood splatter over ‘house’ further denotes the use of violence and gore portrayed in the film. The rest of the title is in a simple white font and is easily readable against the black.

The image used is a long shot of a house in black and white. The connotation of this effect is to create a sense of eeriness which enhances the film’s portrayal of a thriller/horror. The effect may also be used for nostalgia purposes and creates a sense of the movie being a classic portrayal of the genre. The white used around the house juxtaposes the dark shades of the sky and the house to allow the image to stand out.

The image itself is a portrayal of a classic horror/thriller setting. The house itself looks imposing and the trees surrounding it further emphasises the spookiness and eeriness associated with the genre. It also portrays a lack of human life away from the house, which foreshadows the family’s desperation to escape and find help.

The tagline under the image contains signifiers such as ‘bad’, ‘hurt’ and ‘love.’ These are all associated with conflicting emotions which suggests the characters will face danger and conflict in the film. The white font used is simple and contrasts against the black.

A2 Research and Planning: The Thriller Genre

Thrillers are a genre of literature, film, video gaming and television programming that uses suspense, tension, and excitement as the main elements. The primary subgenre is psychological thrillers.

Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer's moods such as; a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, suspense, excitement, tension, terror. Literary devices such as red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively. The cover-up of important information from the viewer and fight/chase scenes are common methods in all of the thriller subgenres, although each subgenre has its own characteristics and methods.

Common methods in crime thrillers are mainly ransoms, captivities, heists, revenge and kidnappings. More common in mystery thrillers are investigations and the whodunit technique. Common elements in psychological thrillers are mind games, psychological themes, stalking, confinement/deathtraps, horror-of-personality, and obsession. Elements such as fringe theories, false accusations, paranoia, and sometimes action are common in paranoid thrillers.

A genuine, standalone thriller is a film that provide thrills and keeps the audience cliff-hanging at the "edge of their seats" as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension usually arises when the character(s) is placed in a menacing situation, a mystery, or a trap from which escaping seems impossible. Life is threatened, usually because the principal character is unsuspectingly or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation. Plots of thrillers involve characters which come into conflict with each other or with outside forces - the threat is sometimes abstract or unseen. Thrillers with a crime-related plot mostly keep the attention away from the criminal or the detective, where they focus more on the suspense and danger that is generated.

“...Thrillers provide such a rich literary feast. There are all kinds. The legal thriller, spy thriller, action-adventure thriller, medical thriller, police thriller, romantic thriller, historical thriller, political thriller, religious thriller, high-tech thriller, military thriller. The list goes on and on, with new variations constantly being invented. In fact, this openness to expansion is one of the genre's most enduring characteristics. But what gives the variety of thrillers a common ground is the intensity of emotions they create, particularly those of apprehension and exhilaration, of excitement and breathlessness, all designed to generate that all-important thrill. By definition, if a thriller doesn't thrill, it's not doing its job.” —James Patterson, June 2006, "Introduction," Thriller