Coursework Outline & Deadlines

Week Beginning:

6th Sept- Group organisation, briefs, main & ancillary tasks discussed and decided upon, a look at the differences between AS & A2, notes on brand identity, blogs started.

Research into existing media products for main & ancillary tasks, production logo/channel ident research- all added to blog.

Begin analysis of 5 moving image texts & 6 print texts.

13th Sept- Finish analysis of 5 existing moving image products and analysis of 3 print products for each ancillary task (so 6 print analysis in total). All added to blog, with embedded video & images.


20th Sept-  Create final production company logo or channel ident and add to blog.

Detailed Target audience research & profile creation, all added to blog. 

Add final idea to blog, add 'What is your brand identity?'

Planning of main task, inc: script, storyboard, resources, personnel, locations and costume. Add to the blog, with pics & animatic.

27th Sept- Drafting of both ancillary tasks. Pitch for complete portfolio, with a focus on all planning & research, audience feedback, brand identity & cohesion. Pitch recorded.

 

RESEARCH & PLANNING DEADLINE- THURSDAY 6th OCTOBER 

11th Oct- Start filming & take any key photos needed for print tasks. Add filming diary to blog, as either text, podcast or video diary.

18th Oct & Half-Term- Finish filming. Introduction to InDesign & re-cap on Photoshop.

 

ROUGH FILMING DEADLINE- MONDAY 1st NOVEMBER

1st Nov- Capture all footage & edit to rough cut. Class feedback on rough cut, added to blog. 

8th Nov- To finalise any filming in response to feedback & to complete blog up to a best standard, with regards to previous research & planning posts.

 

15th Nov- Continue editing, score composition, any outstanding photos for print tasks taken.

 

22nd Nov- Final edits & post-production. Start ancilliary print tasks using Photoshop & InDesign.

FILM COMPLETION DEADLINE- THURSDAY 24th NOVEMBER

29th Nov- Complete ancillary tasks, get feedback from class- add this to the blog. Any final changes then upload final print pieces to blog, with notes. Upload films to YouTube & embedd in blogs.

6th Dec- Evaluation draft, read through and teacher feedback. Vox pops filmed for audience responses to film & print tasks.

 

PRINT TASKS DEADLINE- THURSDAY 15th DECEMBER

13th Dec- Evaluation commentary continued, feedback on this- add to blog.

Christmas Hols- Any final changes or enhancements to blog.

4th Jan- Evaluation commentary finalised.

 

FINAL COURSEWORK DEADLINE- 
THURSDAY 12th JANUARY

Blog Checklist

Your blog should contain at least the following items:



1. Analysis of at least 5 Moving Image Texts


2. Analysis of 6 Print based texts (3 of each from poster/article)


3. Research into any other influences & inspirations (text/images/photography/art/music etc)


4. Initial Idea Proposals, both initial and final ideas (Main & Ancillary Tasks)


5. Production Company Logo/Channel Ident Drafting & Final Version


6. ‘What is our brand identity?’ Post


7. Target audience research (questionnaire/interview & target audience profile)


8. Any audience interviews before filming


9. Storyboard (animatic on blog)


10. Script


11. Location Scouting, Costume & Props (all with detailed images & reasons for suitability)


12. Character inspirations


13. Draft Layout of both Ancillary Tasks


14. Rough cut/text footage, with reasons why done & any audience feedback


15. Production diary- which outlines all the stages that you have gone through


16. Production schedule- Filming dates & shot lists


17. Original photos for draft tasks, with detailed analysis of composition & reasons for your final choice


18. Editing tests/clips/stills- detailing the effects that you used and what your intentions were/how happy you or your audience were with the result


19. Screen grabs of Final Cut, Photoshop, InDesign, Motion etc, explaining techniques used


20. Analysis of previous student work & comparisons with professional texts- do one for each of the video, poster & magazine AND EVALUATION with images etc


21. Post of your finished film, magazine & poster. If possible, with audience feedback on each of these.


22. Plan of your evaluation, including: planned answer for each question, different roles/who is going to discuss what, reasons for images used.


23. Upload your evaluation as a slide show (suing SlideShare and/or as the movie)

Unit G324- Advanced Portfolio In Media - General Outline

The coursework for the Advanced Portfolio in Media consists of a main, moving image task and two ancillary print-based tasks (see below for specific briefs).


As with AS the marks are divided like this:


20 Marks for Research and Planning, which will again be completed in groups on blogs


60 Marks for the Construction, divided further into 40 Marks for the main task and 10 marks each for the two ancillary tasks 


20 Marks for the Evaluation, which will be in the form of an enhanced DVD commentary


In the evaluation the following questions must be answered:

• In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
  
• How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
  
• What have you learned from your audience feedback?
  
• How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Set Briefs

For the coursework this year, you will have a choice of the following briefs:


1. A short, complete film (5 mins) based on a strange experience or encounter.

For this you will create:

• A short film of no more than 5 mins, with titles, production logo & original score.
• A poster to advertise the film.
• A two page film magazine review featuring your film.

or


2. A promo package for a new soap opera aimed at young people from an urban background.

For this you will create:

• A TV Trailer to launch the soap.
• A front cover of a TV listings magazine featuring your programme.
• A poster to advertise the launch of your new soap.

(Also, if you would like to discuss undertaking the Music Video brief, see Mr. Hull)

Evaluation Outline

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? Compare and contrast your own sequence and one which you think has generically influenced you. Focus on how you intended to adhere to or subvert existing conventions of your chosen genre.

Aspects to discuss:

• Camera shots (whether you used any conventional or unconventional ones in particular)

• Costumes

• Locations

• Lighting

• Props

• Dialogue

• Soundtrack

• Characters

• Narrative

 2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks? Look at the nature of your brand identity as a whole. How successful are the three products together? What kind of brand identity do they create? Think about & discuss how they would be used in a real marketing campaign, given the chance. Have stills from your film and compare them to stills of your magazine/poster/review, noting coherent aspects within each.

 3. What have you learnt from your audience feedback? Collect feedback for your final products (both main and ancillary tasks) and collate this together with the rough cut feedback gained earlier on. You could do this via interviews (on camera) and edit together as vox pops, after which you could offer a response to the comments, using stills/mini-clips from your video as evidence. You need to have a clear response to the initial feedback on the rough cut, noting how and where you adapted your product to meet audience needs. Again, you need to use stills/video clips as evidence.


 4. How did you use technologies in the construction stage, and in the research, planning & evaluation stages? Have a clear account of how you used different technologies at each stage, focusing on how you used the Sony HVR-A1E HDV Cameras, Rotolight, M-Audio Digital Recorder. Final Cut Pro, Motion & GarageBand to edit your film (or other software used). Then on using Photoshop and InDesign for your print tasks and finally the M-Audio, QuickTime Screen Capture, Final Cut Pro & PowerPoint for your evaluation. Once again, you need to have pictures of the hardware used and screen grabs of the software used, as you discuss these. It would also be useful, where possible, to have screen capture of particular editing & post-production techniques ‘in-action’, as if in a tutorial.

Research & Planning Guidelines

Your research and planning should include:

- Details/record of all the work that you have completed, including all the planning & research into existing media texts, for both the main(moving image) and ancillary (print based) tasks, work on the pitch, logo, location scouting and all other aspects of research and planning that you have undertaken.

- Analysis of 5 existing media texts for the main task and 3 for each of the print-based ancillary tasks (so each group should have 11 analyses in total).

- Research into texts/music/images/art that has influenced your creative thinking in any way.

- Detailed target audience research (interview, questionnaire, survey) & profile.

- A completed storyboard (as an animatic) and script (final draft) as well as details of resources needed, personnel, location scouting, costume & prop use. All with reasons for your choices.

- A fully realised production logo, constructed on the computer.

- A completed & filmed pitch, covering all the areas outlined previously.

All of this should be added to your blog and embedded with images, video, sound-clips, annotations etc.

Analysing Short Films

• Start by looking at the opening shot/sequence. How is the audience drawn in or attracted? What aspects of mise en scene, camera work, editing and sound are used?

• How are characters and narrative introduced? How is information about the characters conveyed in a short space of time? (Think about visual shorthand through mise en scene and camera work, and aural shorthand through sound and dialogue).

• What kind of narrative does the film have (linear, non-linear, realistic, surreal etc)? How is the narrative re-enforced through the mise en scene (esp setting, lighting & costume) and camera work? Make sure that you clearly discuss how the film manages to tell a whole, complete story in such a short space of time

• How does the film end? Is there a sense of completion? Or is it open-ended? Does the film appear to have a particular message or theme? What kind of feeling did it leave you with? Why?

Overall you should be looking to write a thorough analysis of the short film, focusing on how characters and narratives are introduced and information relayed in a short space of time, as well as looking at technical areas such as mise en scene, camera work, editing and sound. Short films are an art form and one that is used for a variety of effects; try to consider each short film as a work of art and approach it with this in mind.







Example of Short Film Analysis

The film begins with an iris out revealing a desolate office, presumably sometime at night. The camera travels past a cluttered desk over to a medium close up of a man, standing by a photocopier, looking dejected and tired. The colour scheme of the film features heavy use of grey and black. This could possibly be to convey a sense of how the man is feeling – he is extremely bored, exhausted, wants to be anywhere but at work. This good use of visual shorthand gives us a clear insight to the man’s state of mind in a very short time.

The beeping of the copy button is the only sound heard, and it is heard at a very loud volume. It may have been presented to us in this way so that it may add to the irritation of the man not being able to work it properly and to make us feel sympathetic to his plight. A piece of paper with a large black hole printed on it is shown sliding out on to the printing cradle from a high angle. As the paper with the black hole on it slides out on to the cradle, the shot slows down somewhat, possibly to add emphasis on and draw the audience’s attention to the piece of paper – this is the black hole of the title, and something odd and eerie may be about to happen.

There is a close up of the man’s face, which is filled with confusion and alarm. The filmmakers may be trying to convey, through the character of the man, what they possibly want the audience to be feeling, and that they are following the events with the man and seeing them unfold with him.


The use of camera shots and sound become more bizarre and elaborate after the man is shown dropping a coffee cup through the black hole. The man is shown peering over the black hole, looking down at us from the black hole’s point of view. This possibly presents a shift in power – the black hole, in some way, is in charge here, and it is slowly drawing the man in, possibly leading him to meet a dire end. There is also a low, ominous drone which accompanies the black hole. This adds emphasis to the idea that there is something not quiet right about the black hole’s existence.

The man is then presented as taking the black hole over to a vending machine and using it to steal a bar of chocolate. This is a key character change in that the filmmakers now establish the man’s greed and gluttonous nature and sets up the events which are about to ensue. There is a tight close up of the man as he stares greedily and covetously at a door reading “Keep Out.” This further makes his greedy nature apparent, and also perhaps infers the idea that a terrible and awful occurrence is about to take place. A medium close up follows of the man shown entering the room, turning the lights on (which flicker, ominously, giving out an eerie, strange, and truly bad feeling to the audience) and sticking the black hole over the door of a safe which is locked inside the room. The man is then portrayed as looking about him suspiciously; possibly paranoid that he is being watched. This, again, indicates his greedy nature, and also the idea that there is some guilt in him over what he is about to do.

The man is then shown, through a single tight shot, crawling through the black hole, into the safe, wanting the last of the money. The filmmakers show his crawling in an uninterrupted take, presenting to us the full extent of his greed and where his endeavours are about to take him. The paper with the black hole printed on it then falls, keeping the man seemingly trapped in the safe for good. The camera begins to pull back away from the safe, until it is at a fair distance from it. The sound of the man tapping on the door from the inside, along with the beeping of the copy machine, fuse together to create one final burst of sound before cutting to an almost bottomless black hole.

The film, which has a very surreal feel to it, comes full circle with the ending. It ends in the only way it could, that is with the destruction of man as a result of his curiosity. as it managed to convey a very serious message about the greedy nature of man in only a couple of minutes and still managed to be extremely effective at the same time. The film overall makes great use of diegetic sound to portray the story in an effective and evocative way, following clear conventions of short films to have little or no dialogue, whilst also using great visual shorthand through costume & lighting to quickly establish the scene and situation.

Analysing Soap Trailers

 Start by looking at the opening shot/sequence. How is the audience instantly drawn in or attracted? What aspects of mise en scene, camera work, editing or sound are used?

• Key aspects of soap trailers tend to be narrative, dialogue, characterisation and use/style of music. So try to focus on how these elements successfully convey a sense of the show and, crucially, a sense of the narratives/drama that is present within the show.

• How are characters and narrative introduced? How does the trailer convey the overall feel of the soap in this time? What information are we given and how are we given it? (dialogue, sound, music, setting, action)

• Focus on particular moments of tension in the trailer. How does it leave you wanting more? What are the key aspects of the trailer that promote the soap? How are they used?

• How does the trailer end? Is there a cliffhanger or moment of suspense? Does it have a ‘final shot’ after the credits, what effect does this have? What information is given to us at the end? How is this presented? What is the feeling at the end of the trailer? Is there a logo for the show/channel? Does it end with the theme tune for the show?

Overall you should be looking to write a thorough analysis of the soap trailer, focusing on how characters and narratives are introduced and made accessible and attractive, as well as looking at technical areas such as mise en scene, camera work, editing and sound.








Example of Soap Trailer Analysis
This trailer of Eastenders dominantly conveys emotions and characters through camera work and sound. The opening shot is a close up of a character’s feet that lingers to create suspense for the audience. This is followed by a mid shot of Max which shows the audience the character in trouble. The high angle shot of Max gives the audience a judgmental position. The next over the shoulder shot introduces his son, Bradley, whose costume is a security guard’s uniform, perhaps offering a sense of moral superiority and power. We see aspects of self-parody when Stacey is presented as a cleaner, as this can be seen to be mocking the low morals and generally ‘dirty’ nature of her character.

The blues-style soundtrack helps add to the suspense and mystery of the trailer, creating a low-down and dirty atmosphere to the whole trailer. There is no dialogue so everything is conveyed through body language and eye contact; this emphasises Max's isolation from his friends and family. The sound is echoed through the trailer and they also use non-diegetic sounds, including several whooshing slides of doors opening and trolleys being pulled out, which also helps to create an increasingly empty and isolated atmosphere. The female voice over is delivered in a deep and husky way, in keeping with the soundtrack and the heavy feel of the trailer overall.

The lighting in the trailer is very distinctive. At one point the light is only shining on Max which puts him in the spotlight as if he is being judged. There is good use of shadows too, perhaps suggesting that Max is hiding something or is being deceitful in some way. There are also very effective uses of slow motion, firstly when Stacey walks towards Max the slow-mo heightens her sexuality and the impending doom for Max. Slow-motion is also effective when we see Tanya, Max’s wife, pulling out a trolley in the morgue, hinting at the possible future for Max if he continues on this path.


At the end of the trailer we get a twist where Max turns around and Jack, his rival, appears. Jack is holding a death ticket with Max's name on it, connecting with the blackly humorous line "He's made his bed, but will he lie in it?” followed by the suitably dramatic “Judgement day for Max”. The trailer ends with the iconic drumming of the Eastenders theme tune and its accompanying satellite picture of the East End of London, helping to reinforce the brand identity of the show.


Multiple narratives are common in all soaps as they follow the lives of the characters from different viewpoints. Even though we are following one main narrative in this trailer, it is clear to see how this narrative can affect a number of characters and we see multiple viewpoints, such a Tanya’s & Bradley’s.


The trailer plays with the conventions of soaps, presenting an everyday storyline of infidelity and hurt in a hyper-dramatised and highly stylistic way. The use of costumes, with Stacey in a slutty maid’s outfit and Bradley absurd in his security uniform, the severe lighting and use of shadows and the non-linear narrative that shifts between characters and places all create this sense of hyper-drama. Leading on from this the trailer does not take itself too seriously either, offering a clear and knowing self-parody of the characters and their situation; none more so than Stacey as the bawdy maid.

Analysing Print Based Media (Poster, Magazine Front Cover & Article)

Poster (Film & Soap Advert Poster)
 • How is the poster composed? Where is the text/images/information positioned? How does this affect where our eye is drawn to? What about use of colour/lighting? Is it a photo image or a graphic or animated image? What effect does having it in this format have?

• Consider what has been included in the poster- are there any characters/settings? Why have these been chosen? Any writing? What? Is it a tag-line or slogan? A pun or a play on words? How does it excite the audiences’ interest? What information does the poster give us? How is this important or relevant?

• When analysing the content and any symbolic meaning in the poster, think about what is implied or symbolised by the images/language/colour/font? What does the poster suggest to the audience about the film or soap? Does it raise a level of intrigue, and if so how?

• Is there a sense of brand identity with the film/soap itself? How? How successfully do you think the film or soap is promoted by the poster?

Example: Sin City
The poster makes excellent and extensive use of contrasting light and dark images. This could give many different connotations to the poster. The constant use of the black/dark in the poster gives it a mysterious and sinister feel establishing a sense of intrigue for the viewer. It also offers a contrast with the bright red of the title, allowing it almost jump off of the page. This could have been done for many reasons; red can symbolize danger, death and blood. The characters are standing in the rain which echoes this grimy and dim feel. In addition, the light reflects off the rain and helps show more of a contrast between light and dark.

The poster is composed and balanced in a slightly unsettling way, with the characters shown at a canted angle and the title presented at an opposite angle, helping to reinforce the jarring effect. From the poster you can tell that the film has a male protagonist; a male is standing at the front of a group of people, which indicates he is the 'leader' and the main character. The shot they have chosen makes the male character at the front look tall and powerful, this makes him look different from the other characters in the picture. Also, the male character has his eyes shut which makes him look unemotional and cold. Weapons are also present in the poster which immediately indicates violence and action. The male characters have guns in the poster which suggests they are the protagonists and are the more controlling and leading characters in the film. This also helps attract their target audience. The awareness of guns in the poster may indicate action to the audience, which some people might like, therefore will see the film. The characters are all wearing black; in keeping with the overall feel of the poster it seems to represent death, power and secrecy. The poster looks very effective and interesting because they have used a lot of red and black, in keeping with the thriller genre, and helping to create a strong sense of brand identity with the film.

In general, I think the poster is successful and has been promoted extremely well since it gives us an idea of what the film will be about, it shows that the film is a thriller and that it contains action, violence and maybe crime. Moreover, it attracts the audience to watch the film and to see if the film is as effective as the poster.
There is a strong coherent style to the poster with the film and trailer. The innovative use of green screen to create a stylised, cartoonish black and white city-scape is echoed in the poster campaign. This gives a clear link between the poster and the film and helps the audience recognise the brand of the film. By reviewing all the posters of the film, I also recognised the similarity of the use of the red title, the rain, the night time and the low angle shots of the characters.

Example: Desperate Housewives
Here we see a poster for the new season of 'Desperate Housewives', using all 5 main characters together, all standing at an equal height. Even though Eva Longoria, for example, is really short in real life, she has been altered to look like she's of similar height as the others, giving them all an equally powerful status. Together they convey authority and break through the stereotypes of women being the weaker sex, becoming incredibly symbolic in America and many other western countries. They are all very glamorous and appeal to a more female audience.

They are all wearing blue dresses, connoting a sense of femininity. Also all the dresses are different, which could suggest every character's different, and has their own style or way of thinking, even though they are in a close group of friends. As well as this, they are wearing different shades of blue, using these complimentary colours to reinforce their sense of unity. Blue is seen as a calm, cold colour which contrasts against the fiery background. Fire connotes danger or anger, and the fact that they are wearing a cold colour, suggests they are in control of the situation and in control of their lives.

The caption at the top of the poster saying 'It's a hell of a day in the neighbourhood' is a play on words with the background, which is fire/hell. This also suggests that living in this neighbourhood isn't as easy as it looks. The use of dark background against the fire and the contrasting characters really brings them out and immediately catches your eye.

The title really stands out and by making the word 'DESPERATE' red and in bold, capital letters is makes the word more powerful. The fact that the word 'HOUSEWIVES' is written in simple, white font could suggest that it's complying with the stereotypical suburban lifestyle, that everything is perfect, the men work whilst the women stay at home and look after the children etc. Also suggesting that the characters comply with certain stereotypes linked with suburbia. This poster conveys a glamorous feel overall, but also shows female dominance and power. Their unity appeals to the female audience members and show they are a force to be reckoned with.

Finally the channel ident for abc at the bottom of the poster tells the audience where to watch it, this helps to promote the abc channel as well as the program itself. This poster follows the conventions of soaps and dramas, as it is highly engaging, catching the audiences attention by taking real-life drama and adding an extra sense of glamour and style. However this also subverts conventional posters as many do not include an all female cast, showing strong and empowering women on posters to attract their target audience of women. The use of bright, vibrant colours is instantly eye-catching and is used in many posters to draw in the audience. The font is kept very simple and the play on words is very common in posters, to engage with the audience as well as humouring them.

Magazine Front Cover (TV Listings Mag.)
• Start by looking at the main image on the front cover, how is this presented/shot? Has there been any noticeable post-production work done on it? If so what and to what effect? Is it anchored with a main-title and/or sub-title? Any play-on-words/puns used? Alliteration? Direct address?

• Analyse the title in terms of font, colour, size, angle, placing and the actual word/phrase. Look also at the other sub-titles, are they the same/different font/colour/size? What effect does this have on the overall composition of the front cover? Is it in keeping with the genre of the magazine? How?

• Does the front cover have a particular colour scheme and/or overall style? Does it use lots of graphics (eg. skyline, splashes, boxes)? What is the effect of this?

• Is there a sense of brand identity with the soap itself? How?

Example: TV Choice
The front cover of this TV Choice magazine the main image is of a man and a woman, Syed and Amira from Eastenders. The image uses direct address, with both characters looking directly at the reader, helping to immediately connect and draw an emotional reaction. This is accompanied by the main cover line underneath saying 'THE SECRET'S OUT' in huge yellow letters. This really catches your eye and draws the audience in. Outlining the yellow font with black makes it bolder and instantly grabs your attention. There's a smaller caption that anchors the lead article, carefully positioned between Syed and Amira saying 'Has Amira rumbled Syed and Christian's affair?' telling us the main soap storyline this week is about these two characters.

The way the page has been laid out makes sure all of the week's main events are shown, to appeal to the audience. A skyline at the top of the page, and other cover lines at the bottom and occupying the lower-third, are focused on the different story lines from other soaps, with pictures and captions for example; EMMERDALE: 'Charity's shock return!'. The price of the magazine is shown twice as a bright lure, once at the top left corner of the page and again in the middle of the page, in a jagged, orange splash saying 'ONLY 40p' with emphasis on the 'only' making it appear cheap. Also, by using orange it contrasts against the blue background and again stands out, immediately catching the reader’s eye. There is very little background showing, helping to keep the magazine looking busy and interesting.

The masthead of the magazine, 'TV Choice', is positioned on the top left side of the cover in a red bubble, however part of it is being covered by the character's head, this might have been done to suggest the story line is more important or it could haven been done to highlight the fact that they don't need to show the whole name, as the magazine is well-know and the audience will recognise it anyway. Underneath the name, there is the magazine website, www.tvchoicemagazine.co.uk, for any fans that would like to get more information on the topics and features in the magazine. This adds a new modern edge to the magazine and appeals to a younger audience.

The use of mainly primary colours in very conventional for TV magazine covers, using these bright colours to contrast against the characters and catch the audiences’ attention. The font is very bold and bright to be the first thing the readers see, this is done in many magazines. Also the layout is very conventional as in the middle of the page is the main narrative strand, with other, maybe less important, narratives underneath.

Magazine Article (Film Mag.)
• Your analysis will be focused on two areas- use of images and use of language. Start by analysing the main images of the article; how does the image clearly represent the film? What elements are emphasised and focused on? Is the main image anchored by any text or title, if so how?

• What type of font is used for the main title? What effect does this have? Look at colour, positioning, angle and the actual language used? Is it a pun or play on words- why/what effect?

• What type of language is used to describe and discuss the film? Pick out words and phrases that typify the review and comment on these. What is the tone of the review- serious, humorous, cynical, excited? Look closely at the start and end of the review; what information is relayed to us, any facts and/or opinions?

• What is the layout of the review like? Use of secondary images, sub-titles, splashes, pull-quotes, information boxes? Describe and discuss how the review is composed on the page.

• Is there a sense of brand identity with the film? How?

Example: The Orphanage

This review of “The Orphanage” displays 3 images which guide the readers eyes across the pages. It is a three page spread, the page with the white background has more detailed information into how the film was produced and what influences the producers had.

The first two pages have a large image spread in the background of a young child standing in a dark corridor with a bag on their head which looks quiet bizarre and frightening. The other images are screenshots from the film in a sideways collage style which draws your eyes back and fourth making you take in more information each time drawing you more interested which is also quiet deluding. From the moment you place your eyes on the page you can tell that the images connote the film is of the horror convention.

The text on the left image is slightly blurred and blended into the wall, it says “HOME SWEET HOME” this at first suggests that there may be a comical element within the film but then gets you thinking and feeling its and even more cold and evil story behind the walls of this house which is exactly what happens in the story.

It is explain in a short section on the second page that the family move in to the house feeling it as their home but then the evil starts to take over. This is good as the audience gets a direct idea of the story and theme from the first glance.

The first page is just a review of audience reactions to the film which mentions youngsters gathering to go to a horror festival. They watch the film and are shocked with the same screaming and jumping reaction throughout the film which draws the audiences’ attention and also identifies a target audience.

Once you reach the third page you start to understand the story behind the idea which is more appealing to older viewers as there is also a small box in the bottom right hand corner which shows related and inspirational films to the story which attracts their attention further as they understand what they’re getting into.

There are some small quotes in highlighted text like “The Orphanage” which opens a question in the viewers mind and directs them to the story outline which is handy for those who want to just get a brief synopsis, these then direct you to the area you wish to read about in the main text body.

Altogether the article describes briefly the outline of the story for those who wish to consider watching the film but then move on through the magazine and them more in depth information for those who wish to reminisce over past experiences and get deeper into the idea of the story. There is a lot on offer to all sides of the audiences’ information wise although it could do with some more standing out text titles or images like the speed racer review.

This review is conventional, throughout this magazine article we see a strong sense of brand identity and the layout is a very conventional magazine article as it is very easy to follow, the descriptive language engages the audience to read more therefore creating a successful conventional magazine article.

Overall you should be looking to write a thorough analysis of the two print-based texts, linking common stylistic features where possible and offering a ‘complete brand analysis’ through detailed discussion of moving and static images and how they have been manipulated to entice and engage an audience.

Where possible it would be useful to look at posters/front covers/magazine articles of the same films or soaps (and shorts of the same film, although this may be harder with the short films) to help aid observance of brand identity.

Old A2 Videos

Short Films













Soap Trailer

Old A2 Posters

Film Posters

Soap Posters