Poster Final Version

Essay

The uses and gratifications theory created by Blumler and Katz in 1970 seeks to identify why people consume media. Many of the sub-theories within the uses and gratifications theory can be applied to our film, Her Majesty's Wasteland, even though they are not as obvious as many more conventional film genres, but applicable non the less.

One of the most prominent factors in our film is the loneliness experienced by the main character. Many people consume media to relate to the characters, one of the factors identified in the uses and gratifications theory and the one of the main reasons dramas and soap operas are so popular, and one way the audience can relate to the characters in the film. The main character experiences many events throughout the film that are pretty common in the real world, although not completely the same. The characters loneliness could be translated to the audience as just that, being lonely. The audience members that are experiencing the same thing at the time of viewing the film will relate to this and make them feel that they have something in common with the character, subconsciously pushing them to continue watching to see how things turn out for the main character, perhaps for an insight to what will happen to them in the end. Some of the other events that happen to the main character such as being beaten could also relate to people in the real world, bullying being the most obvious. The main characters personality may also reflect some of the viewers personalities, which will make the character even more rateable than just the event that unfold around them alone.

The way in which the audience relates to the character leads nicely onto another part of the uses and gratifications theory, escapism. Many audiences consume media texts as an escape from the real world that they live in, seeing a fictional character deal with their problems offers an escape from any problems the audience may be going through. Not only could the audience relate to the character on a more personal level, but they could also be going though tough times, and watching someone else deal with their problems offers valuable time away from their own.

On a more lighter side, many audiences consume media text purely for entrainment. Our film features many aspects that are entertaining to a wide range of audiences, form fight scenes to stealthy 'hitman' style scenes, there is something for any audience member.

The last aspect of the uses and gratifications theory is education/information. This our film defiantly does not offer. It is based in a fictional world with fictional characters with no similarities to the real world. The only people that would be educated by our film would be those tin foil hat doomsday preppers. Our film was never designed to be educational and only a fool would take anything in our film as being factual.

Our film fills many aspects of the uses and gratifications theory, some more than others, and of course there are many other theories that can be applied to our film.

Evaluaion task 3

The feedback on the whole that we received from the audience was good, this was to be expected as the audience giving the feedback was the target audience. One of the complements we received from the audience was that the trailer had a dark and gritty feel, which is what we were aiming for. They also commented on the locations used in the trailer saying that they suited the style and feel that we were going for. They also complemented us on the props that we used saying that they were a good choice and really gave the trailer the impact that was necessary to pull off a trailer like this.

The music used was also greatly appreciated by the audience, they said that the music was unique which went well with our unique style used for the trailer. One of the things that we are most proud of is that the audience said that we conformed to the genre conventions enough to make it clear what genre the film is, but subverted the conventions just enough to give our trailer a unique feel and look that has not been done before in mainstream films, which is of course what we wanted to achieve. Some of the ways in which the audience said we had broken the conventions a little bit is the use of colours but that is something that we were going for.

The audience also complemented us on the use of titles saying that they fitted the feel of the trailer and even added to the impact of the trailer, they liked the range of shots types that we used saying that is gave the trailer a very cinematic feel. They also liked the title chosen for the film saying that it gave a clear indication of where the film will be set and seeing as the location of the film is the main selling point, this is excellent to hear.

Some of the questions that arose from the audience watching the trailer included how come the flash backs were not really clear, to which we replied it was to create a sense of isolation and to also invoke the curiosity of the audience more. One audience member also questioned as to whether the trailer was in chronological order to which we no as the trailer is not in chronological order in terms of the order of the film however the trailer does have its own little story. One of the other questions was why did we put the last sequence in order, as an answer to this we said that it was to give the trailer impact at the end of the trailer and we also said that breaking this up into smaller sections and injecting them into the rest of the trailer would have ruined the emotion we were trying to create with the rest of the trailer.

One audience member asked why we cut up some of the shots, this was done simply to make those certain shots less boring to watch and to not disrupt the flow of the trailer. Some of the cuts were uneven but this was done deliberately to make the trailer feel more gritty and was not done as an accident in editing.

Overall the feedback that we got from the audience was good and we are very happy with the final trailer and it seems that the audience are also impressed by our trailer.

Evaluation task 1

Title of the film

Like most other trailers, the title of the film appears at the end of the trailer at the climax of the whole trailer, this offers a dramatic ending to the trailer leaving the audience hooked and wanting to go and see the film, which at the end of the day is the purpose of a trailer. The title itself is has a simplistic white on black style which makes the font prominent and eye-catching to the viewer. The font used has a weathered effect with an inconsistent tone and texture, this is to conform to the genre and also give a final indication to the audience what genre the film is if for some reason they had not figured it out by this point.

Location/setting

For the setting of the film we wanted to choose a location that gave off a huge feeling of emptiness as that is the main selling point of our film. The screenshot taken at Wisley airfield shows the main character sitting looking off into the distance. Behind the main character is an abandoned trailer which makes the scene feel really lonely. The scene in the background is an empty field with not a single person, building or vehicle in sight, this scene was chosen for the reason that is is empty and desolate, what we were trying to achieve as its the unique selling point of the film. Not only does this scene make the audience feel some of the same emotions as the main character, but it might also invoke the curiosity of the audience and make them want to see the complete film. This type of cinematic scenic shot is common in films of a similar genre such as I Am Legend and has the effect of keeping the trailer pace slow until the climax of the trailer at the end. Type of shot also does not give away too much of the narative of the film as it is done for more cinematic effect than to explain the story. For our trailer we did not want to give any of the narative of the film and i think that we have done this with our choice of setting, the setting does conform the genre conventions, but only gives away the genre and not the story.

Costumes/props

As our film is based in the UK, we wanted to make it feel as far from a military Hollywood film as possible, so we opted for a very casual looking costume for the main character as possible, deciding on a black hat, a blue jacket and a check shirt as well as jeans and boots. We wanted the costume of the main character to be very unique and original looking, but to still have the post apocalyptic style, which I think we achieved. The costumes for the other characters that are not shown in the frame are much the same as the main character but due to the nature of those characters they are dress a little differently than the main character, it still has the same non-military style but they are less organised and prepared, which is an accurate reflection of their character. The prop featured in this shot, the black m1911 is a pretty common weapon, which once again is there in an attempt to make the film feel non-military but it does have a hint of military styling which makes the genre of the film easy to identify. Other props not included in this shot are a mask, for protecting the characters from contaminates, other weapons such as a revolver. I think that our choice of props allowed us to succeed in our attempt to make a trailer that is a little less conventional than other films, but still preserve the genre identity. This new breath of life into a now pretty stale genre will hopfully appeal to the mass audience and make the full film extremely popular.

Camera work and editing

The camera work and editing throughout the film varied depending on the emotions we were trying to provoke in the given scene, but in this scene, a high paced action scene, the type of camera work used was a fast using close up and medium shots with the camera always in motion, not on a tripod to make the action look more intense, the mild shaking on the camera also adds to the effect. the editing of the scenes also reflects the situation. During the panoramic shots at the beginning of the trailer the shots are long and smooth flowing, creating a feeling of security, then once the action begins at the end of the trailer the cuts become more choppy; deliberately, to give a feeling of insecurity and to up the pace alot. The sound is another thing that is varied in the trailer, the sound starts off quite and then becomes progressively louder as the trailer climaxes. in this shot the the music and sound is at its loudest. The colours are also changed throughout the trailer, at the shots of the main character in the "present" are much more cold looking then the flash back shots which are mixed into the trailer. This was done to give the flash back more emotion showing that the protagonist longs for the boring life that once was. This is typical of films of the same and similar genre, the characters didn't realise what they had until it was gone. This also helps the audience relate to the film even though it is set in a fiction world.  

Special effects

For the special effects we decided to be more conservative than last year opting for some simple muzzle flashes and added gun sounds. The reasoning behind this was to make the trailer feel more raw and gritty than a Hollywood blockbuster of the same genre. In this shot we can see the main character returning fire on other survivors, you can see the muzzle flash added into the shot and there is also gun shot sounds added that obviously you can't hear from this still image. The muzzle flashes were added in for obvious reasons such as we didn't have real guns or even blank firing guns that would produce there own muzzle flashes and if we had not added them in it would have looked weird. The gunshot sounds were also added in for the same reasons.

Story

|I feel that this shot does a really good job of summing up the story in one frame. This scene shows the main character lying on the ground after being beaten half to death by two of thugs from the malitia that the main character stole from completely by accident. This shot is an indication of things to come as the main character seeks revenge for what they did, I think that this frame really does a good job of summing up the story of the film. Not much of the story however is given away creating an enigma code invoking the audience's curiosity and making the final film more appealing. 

Genre

This shot of the main character scavenging though an old trailer looking for supplies really sums up the genre of the film. The fact that the main character is scavenging allows the audience to identify that there is a shortage of supplies and that the character has to scavenge for resources in order to survive. The setting of this particular shot also provokes the audiences curiosity making them ask themselves what is the main charater doing in this situation and why does he need to be armed? The abandondened trialer which the main character is searching is also in the middle of nowhere suggesting that the events that occured happened quickly and the people that once owned this trailer did not make it out in time. As the character is armed it suggests that the sistuation  he has found himself in is a dangerours one as well as suggesting that there may in fact be other survivours that could pose a threat to our protagonist.

Characters

I belive that this shot really portrays the two main characters well. This shot shows their contrasting personalities, our protagonist has a more submissive personality whereas the main antagonist has a very volotile and unpredictable personality. The main character is shown to be down on his knees and just taking the beating that has been placed upon him. The main antagonist is the one giving the beat down and does so with no show of remorse. The two main characters have completly different personalities which I feel will make the film more engaging to the audience as it will add a high level of unpredicability to the film.

Trailer version 1

Poster draft no.2

Magazine cover draft no.1

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