The Big Issue Poster Evaluation

What Went Well:

I think that my cover turned out pretty well with the use of a consistent colour scheme and style and use of key core conventions of magazine covers such as using a focal image, tag line and use of brand logo. I also feel that the style of edit matches that of Big Issue through bright colours, bold font and direct eye contact between the audience and the person in the focal image. 

Even Better If:

I feel as though the actual image itself could’ve been edited better to seem more natural. Additionally, I could’ve done more with the blank background that would bring more attention to the focal image. The way I used the Big Issue logo could’ve also been more conventional as they do not alter their logo in any other cover and therefore my version does not fit the Big Issue style and branding. 

Compare and Contrast of Big Issue Covers

Issue 1327

My Attempt

For the big issue cover I have created, I have tried to emulate and match Big Issue’s style as much as possible. For example, I took reference of the Joe Wicks (issue 1327) cover layout such as having a person as the focal image in the center of the page. Both people have direct eye contact with the audience in order to create direct engagement and address and therefore encourage readers to buy the issue. Despite this, I’ve edited my focal image unlike the other cover. I’ve also chosen to write in a bold font that would catch the readers audience with the theme of the cover as largest font (‘Easter’ and ‘Poverty’). This is done so that the audience will be able to see what the issue will be about and whether or not they would be interested in it’s potential content. I’ve also tried to create a consistent theme in colour and style with the same styles font and red and white as the colour scheme in order to make it look more together. As my colour scheme was red and I had the tag line from ‘rags to riches’ I also included a red jacket to pay homage to the uniform of vendors of the Big Issue. Despite this, I strayed away from the convention of having the Big Issue logo as rectangular and in the corner of the page and instead tried to incorporate it into the clothing. 

Disney Trailer Analysis: Hannah Montana: The Movie

The trailer that I analysed was the Hannah Montana movie. I chose this as it was one of the first movies to be made from a show from the Disney channel.

The trailer follows trailer conventions such as fast paced editing, intertitles, scheduling information, and telling a story throughout through three parts. However it goes against the expectations of previous Hannah Montana watchers as the settings are completely different to that of those in the sitcom. They are realistic and not built up by the production team however it manages to maintain the Disney style through the rich saturation of colours shown when Miley rides the horse and the grass is a vibrant green.

The large Disney budget is also shown through the expensive looking locations and settings such as a waterfall, the props (a large chicken coop) and the actor cameos (featuring Tyra Banks). This, combined with the great but still classically PG and cheesy Disney style acting from Miley Cyrus builds up audience expectations for a good film.

Finally, the majority of the audience will come from watchers of the TV show, however, more people will be attracted to the coming of act plot, and more from fans of musicals.

Continuity Practical Task 2

1. What was your role in the task and what did you actually do?
    I acted in the video and helped write the script whilst the first few scenes were being filmed in order to save time.

2. As a group, what factors did you take into account when planning, filming and editing?
   When we were planning, we create a simple storyboard in order to be able to figure out what type of shots we were filming, what sort of actions were going to occur and what sort props we were going to use. This helped us figure out how we were going to film efficiently and maximize our use of time. It also helped the entire group understand what we were doing better and have a clearer idea of the outcome. When we were filming, we used a clapperboard so that later on in edit, it would be easier to find the shots that we needed and therefore save time editing. Additionally, we filmed the full action that the characters would do, such as opening a door, so that the cuts in the edit would be more seamless and wouldn't have pauses or seem awkward. We also refilmed the whole conversation 3 times, abiding by the 180 rule to allow us to have more editing choices. Whilst editing, it was key that we lined up the shots together correctly in order to prevent glitches and maintain flow. This including things such as the door closing when Kush opens the door, when Simon opens the door which bangs shut, and when he walks into the conversation.


3. How successful was your sequence? Did you fulfil the demands of the brief? Did you manage to demonstrate match-on-action, shot-reverse-shot, and 180-degree rule? Did you achieve continuity overall? (WWW/EBI)
   I feel like our sequence was successful as we did demonstrate a match-on-action (Kush walking into the room), a shot-reverse-shot (used throughout the conversation), and the 180-degree-rule (also shown from the three angles that the conversation was shot in). Therefore, we achieved continuity overall. Also, we didn't use music, however, we did use it at the end of our second 'fun edit version' which I feel added more suspense and comedic effect.


4. What have you learnt from completing this task? How might this learning impact on future video production work?
   From completing this task, I've learnt several techniques in how to achieve continuity which I believe will become very beneficial in upcoming practical tasks. Additionally, as this was also an editing task, unlike the previous task which was shot and cut in camera, I've also been able to refresh myself on how to use the editing software which will help me managed my time whilst editing better.

Reflections on Practical: TV Drama Stills

A sketch of my initial idea for the shot.

My final shot.

1.       Provide a brief summary of how you planned out your photography practical.

We planned out our photography practical by quickly drawing out the general idea of our shots, their compositions, framing and poses. It helped us stay organised as it helped illustrate to us which shots were easier to take in order for us to prioritise more time to the trickier shots.

2.       Analyse your chosen shot and identify in what ways it could be described as signifying your chosen TV Drama genre/subgenre.

My chosen TV Drama genre was horror and I tried to convey this in my shot in several ways. The first was by creating a frame in frame shot that is frequently used to show the victim in the drama hiding in a tight space from their hunter. The second was the dead, off-guard expression of V (the girl) which creates an off-putting atmosphere. The third was to go against audience expectations to create a sense of unfamiliarity which I tried to convey in the stark contrast in the white doors and the dark red room behind them.

3.       How did you intend the audience to interpret your still? What narrative moment were you attempting to create? What meanings were you attempting to communicate?

I wanted my audience to feel that something was not right when they saw my shot in order to create a sense of tension and enigma. For example, the extreme difference in lighting from the doors to the darkroom was meant to look unnatural and almost surrealist in order for the audience to have to look harder at the frame to see V (symbolically creating a sense of everything is not what it first appears to be) question aspects of the shot and such as ‘why is there a girl in a dark room?’ and ‘what is she doing in there?’ Additionally, the frame in the frame shot in a horror genre is usually to show the victim hiding, however, due to V’s blank face, we disassociate ourselves from her going against our expectations; we also question if we are meant to be her as the shot suggests that we are peeking into a room.

4.       Identify what is successful about your shot.

The contrast of colour in the shot is effective in making the audience lose their sense of bearings at first. The frame in a frame shot also helps to create an interesting and intriguing mise-en-sense that is aesthetically pleasing to look at. There is also a lack of detail which I intended to have in order to create an enigma.

5.       What would you do differently if you were to repeat this activity?

If I were to redo my shot, I would focus the camera more on V as the camera’s focus was more on the door which brought the attention away from her. I would also reduce the starkness of the doors and they are very overwhelming. Finally, I would increase the tilt in order to make it more obvious and impactful; it would also give a shot a very interesting composition.

Continuity Practical Task 1: 'My Property'

1. Explain the story of your video.

The plot of the video is that V (the girl) is angry at her friend Ben (the boy in the first shot) as he is being antisocial and ignoring her for his phone. Their friend Kush (the boy that sits with them) decides to fix this problem by stealing Ben’s phone and running off with it, however, in his rush, Kush runs into a pole and Ben takes back his phone.

2. How did you attempt to create 'narrative flow' (continuity)?

We attempted to create narrative flow in several ways. The first was to have relevant shots that were linked with the characters actions. For example, the link from shot 2 to 3 where Kush is running, we tried to cut it to avoid a jump or a lag in action. We also made sure that the changes in shot types weren’t extreme, such as going from a long shot to an extreme close up, this is seen in shot 1 to shot 2 where we zoom into the characters after creating an establishing shot for the audience to have spacial awareness.

3. Did you achieve full continuity? If not, why not?

We didn’t achieve full continuity as our editing was done directly with the camera and without editing software. This made it hard for us to have our shots as closely knit together as we would like due to a delay in action at the beginning or a delay in cut at the end. This is evident in the delay from shot 4 to shot 5 in Kush and the change in his speed. These delays are fixed in the edited version however there were also some acting errors that we couldn’t fix. These were things such as shot 1 ending with V looking at Ben but then shot 2 starting with her looking at Kush or Kush running towards the left side of the pole in shot 4 but then crashing and falling on the right side of the pole in shot 5.

4. In hindsight, what would you do differently to improve the narrative flow of your video and tell your story more effectively?

In hindsight, I think that having an extra shot of V or more dialogue from her would be effective as it would allow the audience to connect and feel for her and therefore understand the reasoning behind Kush’s action better. Additionally, showing a shot of Ben getting up would be important for continuity and could also show Ben’s fire in wanting his phone back allowing the phrase ‘my property!’ at the end to be more impactful.

TV Still Analysis

The still that I am analysing is from season 1 of Stranger Things.

It depicts an alien creature or monster stood in a primary or elementary classroom. We can tell this is a primary or elementary classroom by the poster board behind the monster suggesting that the monster is looking for a young child or children. This is reinforced by the low POV shot that we have which implies that the child or children are hiding in the class watching the monster but it also makes the monster look more powerful and intimidating.

Behind the monster is also a black board and an old TV which may imply that this series is set a couple of decades ago as this is old classroom equipment. Not only this but the monster is a scary looking alien-esque creature that we are unfamiliar with, suggesting that the show’s genre is a sci-fi horror or thriller. The dark cold lighting reinforces this and juxtaposes the expectation of classrooms being well lit, making the audience feel uneasy.

The monster’s stationary stance shows us that it is looking for, and not chasing after, it’s prey, and, as we can see the exit of the classroom on its left, we can infer that it has just entered the room and it scanning its environment which shows that this shot is slow paced and is used to build tension. It creates a sense of enigma, getting the audience to think about questions such as “who is the monster after?”, “why?”, “will they be found?”, and “what happens to them if they are found?”