More editing of the z-ombie photo

After receiving some feedback from one of my media classmates. I have decided to edit the strip on the poster containing the eyes. My classmate said they need to look more inflamed and sunken in. Therefore I have used photoshop to do this.

 

Step one:

 



To make the eye sockets look sunken in, I used the burn tool to darken under the brow bone and in the inner corners of the eye. Then I increased the opacity (so the lines were not as harsh) and made dark circles under the eyes.

Step two:

 

Then, I used the paint tool to add a light line of dark red to the waterline, this ensures the eyes look more sore and inflamed, almost like their is an infection.

Photo editing for magazine main image

Here I have used Photoshop to edit my main image, whether it be by removing blemishes, small imperfections or  flyaway hairs.

Step one:

 Firstly, I wanted to remove any flyaway hairs from the image, I used the clone stamp tool to clone the sections of the background and replace the flyway's with that. The use of a detailed background with a repetitive pattern of the trees means cloning is easy. The reason for removing flyway's is for the overlay process I will undertake when I layer part of the main image over the masthead for emphasis, flyway's would make the image look more messy and less professional.

Step two:

 Again, I used the clone stamp tool to remove the bobbles from the jumper, this makes the image more refined and neat.

Step three:

 I wanted to remove slight imperfections such as blemishes to make the overall image look more smooth. Using the clone stamp tool, I cloned areas of perfect skin to blur small spots. The first image is the before and the second image was after. As my actor doesn't really have any spots, my job was pretty easy!

Step four:

 To improve the overall look of the image, I adjusted the contrast by increasing it, this makes the image more sharp and well defined, thus emphasising its professional look.

Step five:

For the final step,  I adjusted the tone by making the image look more lively and bright (increasing the tone), this will make the magazine have an overall bright appearance.

Here is the final image:

Film Magazine survey

Here is a survey on survey monkey for my film magazine. I have had to split the survey into two separate surveys as I have too many questions.

Click the link for survey one: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BPKV8QS

Click the link for survey two: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HKKTN78

Poster colour scheme ideas

I wanted to go one of two ways with the colour scheme. Having looked  at various film magazine covers, I realised that the colour schemes are interchangeable depending on what film is featured on the cover or what type of edition the issue is. Film magazines can either use a colour scheme corresponding to the film represented, for example when the film 'X-Men Days of Future Past' had special covers on the front of EMPIRE magazine, EMPIRE replaced the usual red of the masthead with a metallic grey to correspond with the colour scheme of the film, it also relates to the sci0fi genre where modern colours such as silver and blue are represented. On the other hand, if a film magazine has a theme to the issue such as a 'blockbuster issue' the colours evoking that theme may be represented, yellow often connotes to blockbuster films in magazines. I have created two colour pallets, one depicting colours used in the film I am representing (REPLACED), whilst the second depicts the colours relating to the theme of the issue (Thriller films).



Colour scheme 1



Colour scheme one relates to the colours used in my film poster, muted greeny greys and reds. The use of this on the cover will create coherence as the film I am representing will be evoked in the whole magazine.  

Colour scheme 2

Colour scheme two relates to the type of issue my magazine is, in this case a thriller special. After colour researching different films, I realised that bold reds, blues and blacks are used for thriller films.

In my questionnaire I will ask which colour scheme the audience prefers.

Photoshoot for the main image

For my photo-shoot, I wanted my character in a natural outdoor environment, the use of natural would add an ethereal glow to the image without the need for artificial lighting. From my research into the main images used in regular film magazine, I have gathered that mid shots are used. This is to allow the reader to see all of the character, it also allows for room for text to be edited around the image. In most film magazines, a specialist photo-shoot is used of the actor in character (in full costume), however, I have decided to subvert these stereotypes by including the main image of the actor not in full costume. This makes the main image more realistic and personal, emphasising the genre of my film magazine, an independent magazine, as images tend to feature just the actor.  

 

For these three images, I chose to use a mid shot at a vertical angle. The actor is making direct address at the camera, therefore establishing a coherent bond with the audience. Their is an element of eye line matching as the camera is placed at eye level, this is a convention I found with most film magazines who have the actor looking straight at the camera.

 

 

 

For these images, I decided to use a landscape mid-shot, this allows more of the background to be seen. Like the first three images, the actor is looking directly at the camera.

 

 

 

I realised that using a landscape image would require more editing to resize it and crop it, therefore the image resolution wont be as perfected, therefore I shot these images from the same distance to allow more of the background to be seen, but as a portrait image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 These final two images saw a location change, the use of the green background provides colour contrast with the actors red hair, the image therefore stands out and 'jumps' from the page.

 

Here is a link to a presentation I made giving more fine tuned detail about the different aspects of the image:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1TJYPi3DlPi11hLHNJhjDuHIZMLTydJ5SSKxrEfzZ5vQ/edit?usp=sharing


I have narrowed it down to these three images, I will ask my peers in my magazine questionnaire which image they prefer:

 

 

 

Magazine Computer mockups

On fireworks, I have created mock-ups for my film magazine. I wanted to do this to see how they looked on the computer and If their are any changes that could be made. I have made three designs based upon my analysis and research of existing magazine layouts. I will put each image in my survey to see which layout my peers prefer.

 

IDEA ONE:

 

 

IDEA TWO:

IDEA THREE:

 



Comparison between EMPIRE and TOTAL FILM front cover

Total Film and Empire Comparison

Magazine Name ideas

I have come up with a few magazine name ideas, hopefully they are original and effective as I hope my magazine will attract people who watch independent films.

My Ideas are:

ReelFilm: this idea is effective because the use of two simple terms makes the title stand out. The word film obviously connotes to the genre of the magazine, therefore their will not be any brand confusion between other genres of magazine. The term 'reel' will attract my target audience, the use of 'reel' refers to the old fashioned film reel, film buffs will understand this is a cinematic reference. 'reel' is obviously pronounced as 'real' meaning the films portrayed in my magazine are real, independent films who depend more n narrative than the visuals, this attracts my target audience of those who are interested in independent films.
Film Plus/+films: film plus or plus films both evoke the same sense of meaning, that this magazine has more to offer in terms of content. It is concise and easy to understand, however it may not attract my chosen target audience as the term 'plus' or '+' suggests a blockbuster film that has had a big budget and an enormous amount of visuals. The term 'plus' also sounds like something you would get with a broadband package, again, I want to avoid brand confusion to prevent readers from being mislead.
Final Cut: final cut is clear, concise and effective. It really drives home the point of a magazine that is fast paced and relating to film. However it could be seen as plagiarism as it sounds too much lie the editing software final cut pro, again, this could create brand confusion.
Take Two: Take two instantly evokes the film magazine genre as it is an example of film jargon. Film buffs will understand the connotations. However it does sound like a dating agency or that Strictly programme on BBC 2, this could again be seen as plagiarism.
Action Match: action match again is an example of film jargon, it is short and succinct, but it will not attract my chosen target audience as the term 'action' suggests the magazine solely focusses on films of the action genre. It also sounds like a football magazine, therefore brand confusion might occur (a bit of a theme with my ideas!)
Indiefilm : Indiefilm provides obvious connotations of an independent film magazine, the term 'indie' is obviously a contraction for 'independent'. This title is short and clear, providing immediate connotations to the reader about the genres of the films discussed.

To help me decide on my film magazine title, I will ask members of the public for their opinion in a magazine questionnaire, which I am currently constructing.

Conventions of a film magazine

Here is a list of codes and conventions of a film magazine, I will use these conventions to aid me in the production of my film magazine.

Conventions of a film magazine

Revisited schedule

Project Plan2

After filling in most of the schedule, I have realised I need to finish my magazine research and my poster research, also I need to finish editing my trailer. I am behind schedule but I have plenty of time in the next few weeks to finalise my research. I pretty much already know what my magazine will look like, I just need to do the research to back up my ideas.

Film magazine research Case studies: Total Film and EMPIRE

Editing of the poster main image

Taking inspiration from the posters of the films 'Rabbit hole' and 'Before I go to sleep', I have edited my main image for my poster by dividing it up into sections. The whole point of this distorted image is to create an almost optical illusion effect, thus creating a disorientated feel. My plan is to replace certain sections of the image with sections of the character as a z-ombie, this relates to the title as it shows an almost 'transformation' feel.

First attempt:

At first, I decided to section the image lengthways. I used fireworks to achieve this. I decided to section the image in reasonably small sections at first, this gives an optical illusion effect. I used the marquee tool to select the areas I need; then dragged them either a bit up or down using the pointer tool.  

 

After, I used the marquee tool to select and delete the top edges to neaten the edge.

 

Here is the final image:

 

 

Second attempt:

 

After receiving feedback from one of my classmates, it was suggested that I section off the image horizontally and to section off larger sections. This is because when I add the z-ombie sections, the audience can see more of the z-ombie sections, thus the poster will conform to the desired shocking effect. I used the same process as above; but I sectioned off the image horizontally and in larger sections.

 

Here is the final image:

 

Comparison of poster genres

Here I have analysed posters that are genre specific to gain a background into the conventions of each genre. I have chosen to analyse stereotypical elements of certain genres.

Results of Poster questionnaire

Here are the results to my FILM POSTER questionnaire, I decided to use survey monkey to ask the questions and converted the responses into tables using word. Click on the link to see the results. 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1541bv1gu0gv0vn4ze5Q0LN4V62DA8l_7BhFnIpCb4iU/edit?usp=sharing

Poster ideas moodboard

I have used pinterest, a visual discovery tool, to map out some basic ideas for my poster, this could be font, camera angles and iconography. 
Follow Erin's board Film poster moodboard on Pinterest.

Types of film magazine

In the world of magazine publishing, their are roughly two types of film magazines. regular and Subscriber edition covers. I want to research these types of magazines to investigate which type of magazine my cover will be. They often differ in terms of cover design.

Original:

 

Regular magazines are the most common type. Magazines such as SFX, TOTAL FILM and EMPIRE are all around the 2.99-3.99 price bracket. Regular magazines feature all of the headlines, pugs, by-lines, taglines and secondary leads on the cove for extra information.

Subscriber:

 

 

Subscriber edition covers have no extra features or leads other than the image, headline and the masthead. As subscribers are exclusive members, the image often features exclusive cover art specially designed for the subscribers. Regular magazines often feature long shots/mid shots whilst subscriber editions tend to feature close-ups. These covers could feature a different character, a different location, a different costume, or, If the actors on the regular cover are heroes, the subscriber cover may feature a villain.

From my research, I can gather that I will do a version of a original paid magazine, and I might do a special edition subscriber version with a different image (maybe one of my character as a z-ombie to show the transformation.

Colour research of various posters

 Here I have decided to research the various colour schemes of posters of different genres, this will allow me to easily establish set conventions for the colour schemes of different genres.

Thriller: PRISONERS

 

The poster for the thriller film 'Prisoners' uses a muted colour pallet to establish various conventions about the film. Using light greys and dark greys creates a sombre tone, yet it adds mysterious connotations. White is used as an accent colour for the text as it stands out from the grey of the rest of the poster. Generally, thriller film posters deploy the use of monochromatic colours such as black, white and grey as various iconographic imagery needs to take pride of place to convey the films message. However, red is often used as an accent colours on important persuasive devices such as the release date, title or tagline.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Sci-Fi: AVATAR

 

For the sci-fi film poster of AVATAR, the colour blue makes a frequent appearance, it is mainly used on the main image as it is the colour of the skin of the alien. The colour blue is also used in the title, however it is glowing to distinguish it from the predominantly blue background.  The colour blue is often used in sci-fi film posters as it evokes 'alien themes' or 'creatures form another world', film posters such as TRON:legacy and Star Trek use blue to emphasise the obvious 'space' themes involved with the films plotline.



 

Romantic Comedy: Bridget Jones The Edge Of Reason

 

 In this poster, the feminine colours of pink and purple are used, this is used to reassert the fact that the film is from the point of view of a female character and deals with romantic issues. The colour pink features regularly in romantic comedy posters to emphasise the 'romance' element of the film. Posters such as '27 dresses' and '13 going on 30' use pink to attract a female target audience. Often in romantic comedy posters, the background is white, this is deployed to cement the characters framing on the poster while making the colour scheme more noticeable.

 

 

Horror: CARRIE

Horror posters use a pretty obvious colour pallet, red, black and grey most always feature, red obviously evokes violence and bloodshed, whilst the black creates an aura of mystery. This may seen a similar colour scheme to thriller poster, however the colour red is used much more provocatively in horror posters, often depicting crude representations of blood and gore. In the CARRIE poster, red is used on the actors costume, this is a key iconographic image for the film as the use of blood plays a vital role in the films plotline. 



Comedy: Grown Ups

 

Comedy films tend to take a more playful approach to colour, red, yellow and blue regularly feature as they are stereotypically happy colours. I have noticed that the colour pallets on comedy films are most likely strong primary colours that put a fun spin on the poster. For the 'Grown Ups' poster all three primary colours are used, this gives a sense of colour blocking, therefore giving the poster more structure.

Final tagline deciscions

Here is a mindmap displaying my various tagline ideas.


Overall, I feel that the 'on the doctors orders' tagline will be the most effective as is adds an element of dark humour to the film, this is because the typical connotations of the phrase 'on the doctors orders' are subverted.

Text used on the magazine

Here is a list of the text I will be using on the magazine front cover. I might not be able to include all of the elements because I might not have enough room on the cover.

Masthead: 

• REELFILM

Headline:

• REPLACED

Subheadline:

• Faye Wiggins stars in this years most anticipated thriller 

Skyline: 

• EXCLUSIVE 2015 THRILLER PREVIEW

Coverlines:

• Next generation: Britain's new filmmakers
• Review: Good Times
• First Look: Once Lost
• Interview: Emily Warner
• Top 10 cult classics of the 80's 
• Dead End
• Behind closed doors
• Dangerous privilege

Kicker:

• plus: sundance winners and losers revealed

Puff:

• win years film pass and blu-ray bundle

Tagline: 

• The uk's only independant film magazine

Picture captions:

• The coffe break
• Runaway
• The prime initiative
• Secret decay

Tagline research

Here, I have researched various taglines regarding various generic film genres.This will enable me to establish various conventions of the taglines for films of different genres.

ICT mockups of my poster

Here I have created 3 layout ideas for my final film poster. Having looked at various posters, I gave been able to gather that the billing block is generally located at the bottom while the tagline is more or less at the top, it is also a typical convention to have the main title at the bottom of the poster to allow the image the majority of the frame space.

IDEA ONE: 



For my first idea, I decided to place the cast at the top while adding the title and the tagline at the bottom. This follows the typical rule of thirds convention, thus allowing the image to take up the middle third, the text on the top and bottom third 'frame' the image, therefore giving it structure. The poster of the film Shutter Island  follows this structure, however the cast is at the bottom and the tagline at the top, this format allows the central image to be in full display. 

 

IDEA TWO:

Idea two does follow the same conventions in terms of text framing as idea one, however the title is at the top rather as well as the cast, this template would be used if the title was more detailed and was part of the imagery itself, therefore more attention will be drawn to it. The tagline would be located at the bottom as a small 'resonant' sound bite, this means it would be the last thing the audience will look at on the poster, hence it will leave a lasting impression. The jaws poster uses the rule of having the title at the top, this relates to the plot of the film as the shark is coming from below, like it is on the poster. 

 IDEA THREE:



Idea three subverts the typical framing conventions of ideas one and two, all of the information will be located at the bottom of the page, this will give the poster a more simplistic 'rule of halves' (may have just coined a new term their!) this will make the poster more simple to navigate as the text will be at the bottom while the image will be at the top. The pirates of the Caribbean poster has all of the text at the bottom of the page, this allows the iconographic logo to take pride of place, this makes the poster more recognisable as the logo is more clear.  

Overall, I am more inclined to go with poster idea one, simply because it frames the image well and follows the typical conventions of film posters. however, I may add the tagline at the top and the actors name above the title, this is because, in my posters case, the tagline will be more important than the actors name as my actor is not a 'star' like Robert de Niro or Meryl Streep, if actors like that were featured in my poster they would have top billing at the top of the poster, no doubt featuring a nod to their many academy award wins.

Final font desicion

For my poster I have chosen to use the sans serif modern font BARON NEUE,

 this is because it is a practical font. Because of its simplicity I can edit it with ease using photoshop, It will also integrate into any colour scheme I choose and can be easily applied onto any of the films promotional packages. Its sharp edges connotes to the harsh plotline of the film, also as it is not a condensed font, the spacing between letters allows the reader to absorb the title of the film easily. I will most likely use a simple, muted colour for the font, this will give the font an insignificant feel, connoting to the insignificance of the character.

Poster analysis: z-ombie

Here is an analysis of the poster of the z-ombie horror film 28 Days Later

28 Days Later Poster Analysis

Edting the z-ombie photo

After coming up with my final poster design, I realised I needed to use a photo of my actor as a z-ombie in certain sections of the film poster. I already took a photo of my actress with the full z-ombie makeup, however I found that after sectioning certain parts off, the whole z-ombie effect was lost, I needed to edit the image more using Photoshop to make it look more un-dead.
Here is the original image:

 

As you can see, the makeup is effective, but not effective enough to make a bold impact.

 

Step one:

 

Firstly, on Photoshop I used a mixture of the dodge tool and the paint bucket tool to create the typical glowing white z-ombie eye with a small pupil. The paint bucket tool was useful to create the white base colour, however I had to increase the opacity so the colour didn't look too harsh. Also, I had to use the blend tool to blur the harsh lines between the paint lines so they didn't look too fake. Finally I used the dodge tool to add a glowing quality to the eye

 

Step two:

 
I then used the burn tool with the 'shadowing' format to contour fayes cheekbones even more to make them look sunken in. This therefore adds more depth to the image to make it look three dimensional. I used the blending tool to blur any remaining harsh edges.
 
Step three:  

 
Then I used the burn tool again to create strong shadows under her jaw to give a gaunt, almost malnourished appearance. Again, this was designed to add more depth to the image.
 
Step four:

 

To emphasise her collar bones and ribcage, I used the burn tool in different opacities to create the illusion of protruding bones. It does look a bit fake, however, as I am only going to take a small section away from the image, this will not matter.

 

Step five:

 

Finally, I used the burn tool on the hairline and forehead to emphasise the sunken in look. Not forgetting, I also filled in the other eye with the previous technique.

 

 I feel the image will create an impact because the makeup coupled with the editing makes it look quite striking, this is key when it comes to posters as the image needs to grab attention.