Film Magazine Analysis

Film Magazine Covers - Codes and Conventions

Filming Dates

29th January - Martelle, Dom and Alex filmed the classroom shots. Timing was a slight issue as we only had the hour to film and set up, however the majority of shots managed to be filmed.  

11th february - All four of us met at 10 o clock with the aim to film the majority of the shots in the house. The shoot was successful, but a few were unable to be taken as we needed to use a different house for some in order to cater for the props. Dom took the camera home to take these.

Witht the majority of shots completed, the following week we all took it in turns to go into the editing suite. We uploaded the shots we had done and placed them in order to get an idea of how it was coming together before taking the remaining shots. This also meant we could use our time more effectively by making a start with the editing process whilst continuing filming.

5th March - During our lesson we reshot a few of the class scenes. We then spent the rest of the day taking additional shots in the hosue. When editing we also found we needed to add shots in which would create a narrative for the female character in the film. Again Dom took the camera home to do these.

Second Draft of Poster with Textual Analysis

Repression is the attempt of an individual to repel one's own desires and impulses towards pleasurable instincts. This suggests a psychological element to the film and gives a brief overview/ sums up the basis of the plot. This is written in a bold blue font as I thought this would fit in well with the dark colour scheme, and blue is often a colour associated with melancholy. 

The main image is multi-layered. The main emphasis is on the large clock face, this causing the audience to question the significance of time. In the foreground is a man stood vacantly, where we also see vein-like brain cells trailing to the outer edge of the clock, this supposed to suggest connotations of memory. The size comparison between the clock and the man make the clock appear overpowering as if time is tormenting/ controlling him. The brain cells are supposed to appear as if spreading/ gripping on. This emphasises the idea of his memory getting the better of him. The clock is the iconographic image here, drawing the theme of time.

The tagline "Lost time is never found again" suggests someone is reflecting on the past as if in a battle with time. This strengthened by the imagery, it again draws the theme of memory and time. 

The actors name can be found directly above the male character. This makes the actor recognisable to the audience, and with only one actor on the poster it suggests he is the main character and focus in the film. This could also be a possible USP. Positioned in the centre of the poster appearing vacant and expressionless shows him to be vulnerable. He is dressed in his work clothes, with his shirt half hanging out, his collar and tie loosened. This emphasises his state of being, one in which is breaking down. 

The billing block will be found conventionally at the bottom of the poster.

I think the main pleasure/ experience being offered to the audience is the mysterious element. Nothing is given away of the plot, only addressing the main themes. The audience will be intrigued as a result, wanting to go watch the trailer to gather a more detailed picture, then leading them to watch the full length film. 

First Draft of Poster

After producing the first draft of my poster, both the class and the teacher evaluated my design. I will take their comments into account to produce an improved second draft. The title “Repression” appears to be effective as it was said that it suggests someone who is dwelling on memories and is trying to repress thoughts of their past. This therefore gives hints towards a psychological element to the film. However, I found my main image needs to be improved/ changed.  They found that the main image was a bit vague, and although leaving the question of who the images are of and there significance, it was suggested that they perhaps gave too much away from of their relationship.  It was also suggested that the main image didn't convey a particular genre. Although the poster offers a puzzle in that it doesn't give much of the storyline away, it is important the genre is recognisable. As a group we decided that continuity needed to be carried across each of our posters, and so decided on the date, actor’s names, and tagline that would feature on everyone’s poster.

Full Storyboard

Storyboarding

After finishing our trailer plot for our new idea, the next step was to storyboard this. In order to make good use of our time and so we could start filming as soon as possible, we divided the plot into four, where each member was to storyboard a section. From this, we are able to plan out time effectively by planning what shots will be filmed on what days. This will organise the production whilst also making sure we meet the deadline and gives us plenty of time to work on editing .I will upload the full storyboard in the next post.  Below are some examples of the storyboards I produced: