Analysis of a Student's Project

Amelia Crossley's A2 Media -

I have chosen to analyse another student's work so that I can determine what I should and should not do when it comes to making my own trailer. Analysis of another students trailer will also give me an idea of the level of quality that is needed for the magazine, blog, poster and trailer.

Strengths of the Teaser Trailer -

The trailer follows the conventions of teaser trailers; it is about a minute long and gives a basic storyline without giving away too much.

All of the characters were in appropriate costume and there were no obvious logos on clothes that could be seen.

The change in music is very effective; for the first half of the trailer the music is quite normal but when the trailer starts to get more sinister the music suddenly drops. This changed the mood of the trialer and allowed me to see that it is a horror.

I thought the voice over was also quite effective when combined with the music; I can imagine that it would be very difficult to do a voice over on an amateur trailer without it sounding stupid as there are limited resources and technology available to the average student. However the voice over on Amelia's trailer sounded very realistic.

In the second half of the trailer there was an image of a girl who appeared to be dead; the use of make-up and stage blood was very effective and she did not look false or comical.

Nearly all the camera shots were focused, steady and clear; there was also a wide range of shots used such as long distance, eye level, downwards and close ups.

There was also a particular piece of camera work/editing at the end of the trailer that I was particularly impressed with; there were lots of flashing images of a girl being held at knife point by a boy, a boy picking up a knife, a girl who appeared to be dead or dying, a girl screaming in the bath and a boy sneaking up behind a girl. This built up suspense and it was very exciting combined with the music. A lot of careful editing must have been done to produce such a good end result and I look forward to learning these editing skills myself.
The end shot was also very good too; it appeared to be a boy sneaking up behind a girl with a knife and then the camera quickly cut to a reaction shot of the girl turning around. The shot used was an extreme close up so the audience can see her expression. I thought this was a good ending to the trailer as it mystifies the audience and is likely to make them want to see the film.

Weaknesses of the Teaser Trailer -

I did not think that the background noise in the 'party scene' at the beginning of the trailer was necessary as there was already music playing as well and sounded a little muddled.

I also think that the music should have been stopped temporarily when the girls were sitting on the bed talking as it was difficult to hear what they were saying which related a lot to the storyline of the film. This shot was also a little long too; teaser trailers tend to have very short clips as they are usually under a minute.

Instead of one of the characters articulating the story it may have been better to include captions to give the audience an idea of the story line; nearly every trailer and teaser trailer I have watched has captions to explain the film.

There is a shot in the trailer of a mobile phone with a text saying: 'I AM OUT WITH FRIENDS' this is a original idea but the shot was a bit blurred; I had to pause the trailer to see exactly what it said.

At the end of her trailer she has displayed credits; sometimes these are not used in teaser trailers but it definitely added to the level of professionalism for the trailer. She has also appeared to have created her own production company; 'AJ Productions' this is very creative makes the trailer more realistic too.

Overall I think this teaser trailer is very well done and a lot of effort has clearly gone into it. The weaknesses in this trailer are due to lack of resources and/or experience. I think that if this was a real trailer I would probably go and see it at the cinema as I enjoy horror/thriller films and not too much of the story has been given away.

'Think Closer' by Amelia Crossley:



Strengths of the Movie Magazine -

The use of colour in the magazine is very effective because it is very eye catching; she has used a lot of red and the yellow triangle in the left hand corner relates to her own film so it will grab an audiences attention as it is the only yellow feature on the cover.

The features are well spaced out from each other and look very professional; particularly the strip across the top of the magazine: 'Exclusive! First look at 30 Days of Night'

There are two features which relate to 'Think Closer' a large one on the left of the cover with red writing at the top and in the middle which makes it stand out from the dark background and another large one in the bottom left hand corner with shots from the film; this is a very good and original idea as it looks very professional and is likely to intrigue horror film fans even more.

The feature in the star: 'Win! 2 for 1 premier tickets' also adds a professional touch as many prizes and competitions are advertised in this way on real magazines.

The main image is a good choice as the boy with his hood up is easily recognizable from the trailer so the audience are able to identify with the film better. The boy's blank expression is a good thing as it does not look comical and it identifies him to those who have not seen the trailer as both a main protagonist and antagonist of the film due to the dark nature of the photo.

Different fonts have been used in this magazine cover without making it look muddled and unprofessional.

Many conventions of a magazine have been followed, she has included:
Price
Barcode
Date
Website
Catchphrase ('Your monthly fix of movie mayhem!')
Features relating to the main image.

Weaknesses of the Movie Magazine -

The first word in the title (THE) is smaller than the second word (LIGHT). This may be intentional but it looks like a mistake; it is also above one of the features for 'Think Closer'. This may confuse potential audiences and they may not take the magazine seriously.

The use of different fonts works well on this magazine apart from the top strip advertising '30 Days of Night'. It looks like there are 2 or 3 different fonts and this makes the feature look untidy; different fonts should not be used in the same sentence, if the feature had been on more than one line this technique may have looked better.

There is a logo on the boy's jumper that is quite noticeable as it is white; this should have been edited out or he should have been asked to wear something plain.

Many monthly magazines have issue numbers but this one does not; this is not that noticeable but it should be included as many film enthusiasts collect monthly film magazines such as 'Empire'.

The magazine has also had a lot of effort put into it and has not been neglected because of the trailer. Apart from a couple of small things, this magazine is very creative and professional and the main feature has been advertised very well. It is clear that a variety of editing skills have been used to make this magazine cover.

'The Light' Film Magazine by Amelia Crossley:



Strengths of the Poster -

The ratings from newspapers and magazines follow the conventions of a movie poster. These ratings from 'The Sun' and 'Fangoria' make the poster more professional and realistic.

There is a faded out image of the main characters in the film. This allows potential audiences to see what characters are in the film and also identify what the genre is because of the sinister nature of the poster.

The caption: 'IN THE ARMS OF A KILLER...' is consistent with the one used in one of the features on the magazine cover. This is a memorable phrase and audiences are likely to remember when they see it advertised.

The identity of the antagonist of the film is hidden by his hood; this is likely to mystify the audience and make them want to go and see the film.

The production company which Amelia has created 'AJ Productions' is displayed in the bottom left hand corner of the poster; this also adds professionalism and creativity.

The film's certificate is also shown, it is a 15 so audiences won't be mislead as some horror films can be a 12 rating.

The writing on the mirror is a very creative idea.

The credits and website at the bottom are in keeping with conventions of a film poster and keep the poster looking professional.

Weaknesses of the Poster -

The rating from 'Fangoria' would look better if it did not have the white space around the title as it breaks up the colour too much; it is inconsistent.

The positioning of the two ratings should be changed to give a sense of balance in the poster; there should be one on the left and the other on the right.

The image is a little unclear; this may be intentional but it looks as if the camera is out of focus. The character in the poster appears to be holding something but I can't tell what it is.

The release date at the bottom is a bit small and it is in a different font; this may be so that it stands out from the credits but it looks a little messy. The release date should be above the credits rather than under them.

There is a dark shape in the top right hand corner; I can't tell what it is and it does not appear to have any relevance or connection to the poster.

This poster is the weakest piece of work comparing it to the magazine and trailer. It is clear that a lot of planning has gone into this poster but it may have been over-thought; e.g. the blurred image. It is clear that PhotoShop skills have been used and the poster would be so much better if the image was clear.



I have briefly looked over Amelia's blog and it is clear that she has put a lot of thought and effort into it. Her blog contains 35 posts; each one is detailed and shows the development of her skills throughout the course. The most important thing I have learned from analysing another student's project is to show evidence of my work and show research before each task.