Q2: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Q1: In what ways does your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

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

Question 3: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

1 from meg2606

This is the link to my magazine cover and film poster survey.

Click here to take survey

Problems with our original location

Managing time with regards to filming has been difficult for our group as a result of problems with our chosen location. We originally made a shooting schedule, planning to have all of our filming done within three weeks. We were told however that we would have to postpone this by a month due to building work on Mulberry house.

We were initially prepared for this to be an issue as we were warned about it whilst shooting the animatic. In this regard, it was a shame that we weren't allowed to do any filming at the time we were photographing the animatic. At that time, the building had more of its original period features which added to our mise-en-scene, as our film is set in the past. When we were able to film we were slightly disappointed by the changes that had been made in the building, but at least we were still able to film in the cellar, conference room and canteen and chapel. We managed to shoot scenes of Harri (the psychiatrist) being led into the building up the steps, the interview scenes, and some patient scenes. We filmed Rachael as an extra patient, as well as a shot of Sean having a fit of anger in his room. We were also able to film Gethin being threatened by a knife,as he is one of Sean's suspects, (sean believes that Gethin is withholding information from him, and siding with the head of the asylum.)

It seemed positive when we were able to secure the first few filming sessions, but soon there were problems arranging dates again, due tobuilding contractors and health and safety supervisors.
In order to meet our deadline and get as much footage as possible, we decided to find a new location, whilst editing the footage we already had.

New Location

As a group we began discussing potential new locations. We felt that this would be more productive than waiting for possible dates to film at Mulberry house which our actors may not have been able to make, (especially if we were only given one day to complete everything.)

We started doing extra research of local locations, and discussing whether they would be appropriate, and what their advantages and disadvantages would be. We concluded on three main realistic locations, and contacted all of them. These were:

The Drama Centre

This building is just down the road from Mulberry House. It was one of our original considerations, but at the time we contacted, nobody was available. The building is large, spacious and also has period features. It is open regularly as more of a public building, so we felt that this would be good in terms of easily arranging filming dates which could last all day. 





The Hill college mansion house
The Hill college is directly behind our school , which again would be perfect for accessibility. As a college, it has shut down and the building remains unused except for occasional venue hire. We hoped that this would perhaps mean that the owners/ whoever is now responsible for the building, would allow us to film there just for a day or two. The grand exterior would have been perfect for some extra exterior asylum shots, and the corridors inside the college building would have created a good representation for corridors in a mental hospital. We decided that this building would be the most ideal choice, and so called numerous numbers to find out who was now responsible for the site. It was difficult to gain permission as Coleg Gwent are still responsible overall for the buildings. 




The Skirrid Inn
The Skirrid Inn has a massive reputation in Wales as one of the most haunted places in Britain. There are multiple stories about ghosts and hauntings as the building is so old. For this reason, we felt that the old features would create really effective mise-en-scene and create an overall creepy atmosphere. There is also an old stairwell which has an authentic noose hanging from the beam, where people had genuinely been hanged in the past. We felt that this might add some realism and clearly it was the perfect pre-set prop for a horror scene. It was however, the furthest away location and most difficult to access. We made calls to the Skirrid Inn but it was problematic asking for any more than an hour or two, and we were asked for payment to use the building for any longer than this time. As a result, we dismissed this location as a possibility, as it would also mean arranging transport for our actors and would limit our time.

Enclosed trailer: Official finished product

Film trailer: Audience Feedback

As part of our audience feedback, we asked our target audience to watch our official completed film trailer and answer a questionnaire we produced for them. We asked a total of 9 people during this survey, whom did not have to disclose their identities so it would be a confidential survey, but were only asked for their gender and age. These are their answers.

Question 1:

Please list 5 shots/scenes that were the most memorable.

Answers	Tally
Rape scene	9
Gas mask/table card scene	3
Boy reacting violently scene	7
The hanging scene	9
Doctor argument scene	1
Train scene	4
Patient "Shhhh" scene	1
Knife to man's throat scene	5
Baby in bucket scene	1
Establishing shot	3
Blood in sink	2

Altogether, out of the entire trailer, 10 scenes were most recognisable for our target audience. It is clear to see from these scenes that they are all dramatic which would've caused the impact on the audience to stand out to them as the most memorable scenes. The hanging scene was the most memorable scene, which was near the end within the montage, and right at the end before the credits. This could have been due to the explicitly hanging man, and the assumable "innocent" soundtrack in this scene which is a significant contrast between sound and picture, making it extremely creepy. 

Question 2:

How did the trailer make you feel, both physically and emotionally? 

As evident from the answers, they're all positive responses to the film trailer as it is a psychological thriller. It shows that it stands out, and doesn't make the audience "happy" or "careless", and shows it reaches the target audience well.There are both physical and emotional responses to their feelings, and "intrigued" and "on edge of seat" were the most popular responses, which was a great response. There were even responses of the audience feeling "sick" and "distressed" showing that the film trailer made them feel physically rather than just emotionally.

Question 3:

Please give your interpretation of the plot synopsis, and the genre that you think was represented?

1)      Girl raped, baby given to father to turns him into a patient within the mental asylum, when a doctor arrives and helps the patient.

2)      Mental asylum, patients go off the ropes, causing distress to the owner. The baby was possibly brought up in the asylum?

3)      Based in an asylum, mental patients, and abnormal happenings.

4)      Asylum, story based on the young boy.

5)      Mental institute, patients are abused and everything starts getting out of control, whilst trying to reconnect the mother with her son who is the patient.

6)      A nurse is raped by an unknown individual, who then becomes pregnant. Too ashamed about the whole situation, the child then stays in the mental asylum where he is brought up and becomes mental.

7)      Rape in mental hospital results in a baby being given up and raised as a patient.

8)      Mental institute set in the past.

9)      The nurse was raped and her baby grew up in the mental asylum. The baby was not treated very well and had a mental breakdown.

This proved our product successful, as every response we had showed that the audience had understood our trailer's narrative, and had an idea of what was going on, and was not confused or misunderstood.

Question 4:

Would you be interested in seeing the full feature? Please give your reasons why or why not.

Intriguing	2
Gripping	2
Interesting	2
Scary	1
Want to know what happens at the end	2

These responses were very positive for our film trailer product from our target audience, as our target audience proved it was the right choice and they all wanted to see it. This means that our film trailer had gripped the target audience's enough that they would want to see the full feature film, meaning it was successful.

Question 5:

What age group you think our trailer is aimed at? Please give reasons for your answer.

Rape scene

Distressing images

Violence

Torture

Mental patients

Disturbing

Too complex and scary for younger audience

Characters represent the age target

Directed to men because of aggressive nature, directed to females through the plot

Murder

These answers show that 1/3 of our audience thought that it would be a suitable production for 15+ year olds. However, 2/3 of our audience agreed that it would be most suitable for 18+ year olds. The target audience agreed that it would be too complex and scary for a younger audience, and that there were very sensitive scenes such as the rape scene, and a continuity of violence and torture within a mental asylum. One target audience member also agreed that it would be directed towards both males and females, because of the aggressive nature that would appeal to males due to a lot of action being involved, and females because of the narrative, as there is a lot of nurturing and maternal nature within the film. 

Question 6:

How well do you think our trailer compares with real existing film trailers? Please tell us the reasons for your opinion.

1)      It is similar to real horror film trailers and is set up well to look like a real trailer.

2)      Well because it grips the audience.

3)      It had a good, gripping atmosphere but the acting could have been better.

4)      I think it sums up to a real existing trailer. The trailer pointed out some of the main features from the film, just like the real trailer. The trailer is also intriguing just like real life trailers.

5)      It had a good atmosphere, thrilling, keeps you on the edge of your seat, interesting, a bit too long but very informative. Good use of music.

6)      I think this trailer is unique compared to others but would fit in with existing trailers. It is a really good trailer including good transitions/soundtrack.

7)      It was very good. Provided the necessary information for the audience to understand the plot but not enough to give away all the details before watching the whole film.

8)      I think it was really good because like professional trailers it built up the suspect well throughout. I think the atmosphere it created was brilliant.

9)      A bit muddled up at times and needed some fuller explanation, however left me wanting to see more which is more than can be said for most current trailers. 

These responses showed that the majority of people agreed that it would compare well with real existing film trailers, and pointed out parts of the film trailer which could have been improved. This has helped myself and my group to understand how we could've improved it which will help us in the future, as we were grateful for both criticism and positive comments.

This is an example of our survey and target audience member's responses:

This is our audience's reaction to the film trailer. At first it is clear they are having nervous laughs and smirking, but throughout it are gripped and at the end they are truly scared and feel unsettled through what they have just seen.

Final magazine poster

Draft 3 Magazine Cover

With this I have added a plug with the opportunity for customers to win free tickets to see Enclosed in tickets in order to be able to add promotional value to the magazine so people will buy it.
I have also added a bar code, date and price as it is conventional. However, I found most film magazines when analysing them were around £4, sometimes more expensive depending on their offers inside such as special editions. As this is the case, I brought my price to £2.99, as it is a relatively reasonable price for a film magazine, but it also is a good way of marketing through putting £2.99 instead of £3, as it will seem cheaper.

Draft 2 Magazine Cover

With this draft I have added a website just underneath the masthead which reads "www.filmography.co.uk" as it was simply but effective and easy to read to an audience.
The main coverline has been added which reads "Enclosed - 32 page special edition" so it will stand out as an important magazine that won't be found again as it is a "special edition".
There is also the taglines of an interview of the "Enclosed" main actor, which will appeal to audiences who love psychological thriller/horror films and are interested in watching the film.
There is also the tagline of a list of other horror movies within the magazine, which are considered the top 10 horror movies of 2014.
In the next draft I will move my 2014 top 10 movies up slightly so there is more space, i will add more selling taglines and add a bar-code, date and price.

Magazine cover first draft

Magazine Cover Photo Edited

I edited this photo with a background of black and white because I wanted to represent the doctor in this being surrounded by the black and white which in the trailer represents the past and the flashbacks. As he has "HELP" on his hand, I feel that because he is surrounded by black and white it looks as if he is surrounded and overwhelmed by the asylum's past and it's secrets, and it is dragging him back.
i also felt that the black and white would make it easy and clear for me to add magazine cover headings and titles and they would be able to stand out better alongside the black and white and dark colours.

Magazine Cover Photo