Magazine cover

This is the magazine cover I have made. I wanted to keep it simple, like the poster was simple, so I used black and white because I thought it gave it a simple artistic feel. I have put an image from my film in the centre because that is the main focus of the magazine with the film title below it also quite big. I used a camera lens for the 'O' in the title because I thought it looked good and suited the type of magazine it is which is a film magazine. Without the camera lens as the 'O' I thought it looked to much like a normal celebrity type magazine such as 'Heat'. I also put film related articles at the right hand side of the cover to make it seem more like a genuine film magazine. I originally wanted to have the cover all in black and white with my main image being in colour to make it stand out but I personally thought it didn't look good because it looked out of place so I changed it all to black and white. I didn't want bright colours all over the magazine because my film I am making is a drama which is quite a realistic film that usually are quite serious so I have tried to make the magazine look like one that would advertise a magazine whereas an action film would have a lot of bright colours and effects.

Film Poster

This is the poster for my film.I have tried to keep it simple and make it look like the film poster for a drama film. Having the main narrative images in the middle of the poster shows they are the main focus. I made them slightly faded because in the film he has a bad illness and might die so his life is sort of fading away. I used a plain font (Myriad Pro) because again, I wanted to keep it looking simple and not use bubbly text which might be used for a comedy or a font that looks handwritten that might be on a romance film poster. I chose to use a waterfall scenery as the background because the film is about him making a bucket list and usually they consist of travelling so I thought scenery would make a good background. Even though dramas are usually quite a seriour genre of films I wanted to use bright colours to signify the happiness in the film aswell which contrasts with the facial expression of the character on the poster.

Audience

How the audience reads media text
Audiences can choose to read any form of media any way thay want to:

Preferred Reading: The people who produce media texts have a certain meaning in mind when they create it. They hope the audience will decode their text in a specific way (especially when it comes to advertisement).

Dominant Reading: The way the majority of people in society interpret a text.

Oppositional Reading: Audiences can chose to read a text in anyway that pleases them.  Frequently when an audience (for whom the text was not originally targeted. e.g. girls looking at boys magazine etc.) will interpret it in a completely different way to how the producers intended.

Audience theories

1. Hypodermic needle theory

The Hypodermic needle theory suggests that audiences passively receive the information transmitted via a media text without any attempt on their part to process or challenge the data. This theory suggests that, as an audience, we are manipulated by the creators of media texts, and that our behaviour and thinking might be easily changed by media-makers. It assumes that the audience are passive.

   2. Two step flow

This theory suggested that the information does not flow directly from the text into the minds of its audience unmediated but is filtered through "opinion leaders" who then communicate it to their less active associates, over whom they have influence. The audience then mediate the information received directly from the media with the ideas and thoughts expressed by the opinion leaders, thus being influenced not by a direct process, but by a two step flow.

   3. Uses and gratifications

Blulmer and Katz expanded this theory and published their own in 1974, stating that individuals might choose and use a text for the following purposes (ie uses and gratifications):

• Diversion - escape from everyday problems and routine.
• Personal Relationships - using the media for emotional and other interaction, e.g. substituting soap operas for family life
• Personal Identity - finding yourself reflected in texts, learning behaviour and values from texts
• Surveillance - Information which could be useful for living e.g. weather reports, financial news, holiday bargains

Influences

One of my main influences in the drama genre is Steven Spielberg because he has directed a number of succesful drama films such as War Horse and Schindler's List. I was also inspired by films such as Seven pounds and The Shawshank Redemption. The camera work and sound in these films are similar to what I want to use in my film trailer. The music used in my film will be slow and downbeat to go along with the emotions of the main character.

Film Plot For My Film 'Joy in Existence'

The main character for the film (Aaron) is a young, warm hearted man who loves his life as it currently is. He has a girlfriend and lots of friends because he is a popular person. He starts to feel a bit funny and so decides to visit a doctor. He eventually receives some very bad news that he has cancer. He gomes home and starts to get worried and nervous about what will happen to him and his current happy life comes crashing down. He eventually decides he can use this as an oppertunity to do the things he has always wanted to do with his life and creates a list. He begins to set off and gradually complete the things from his bucket list. Before he gets to finish his list he receives a letter from the doctors saying they have discovered how to cure cancer and he can be cured. He is over the moon by this news. This experienced tought him that you should do the things you want to do and not wait for an excuse.

Target audience profile sheet

Drama Film Posters

What do Drama film posters usually look like?

• The main characters are usually the main focus of the poster
• There is some kind of link to the storyline which is usually an item or something that tells you that it is important to the storyline
• Scenery to do with the film is in the background and usually gives you an idea of the setting and period of time e.g. The poster for 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin' has war planes on the front which gives the audience the immediate idea it is set in World War 2
• The title is usually in big letters in a plain font because dramas are usually quite serious and not far from reality therefore they would not want to use an out of the ordinary font.

In my film poster, the background will be scenery to do with the film which will probably be to do with travel because that is what makes up most peoples bucket list. It will have the main image as the main character and the list. The title will be towards the bottom of the poster in a large but plain font.

Drama genre codes and conventions

Conventions of the Drama genre;

• Traumatic, realistic event
• Realistic characters
• Realistic settings
• Close up shots of main character to see emotion
• Simple editing techniques
• Clear dialogue
• Main character is often in conflict with themselves or others

My film will include all of these conventions of the genre.

Target audience

The target audience for a Drama film is anyone from young adult to old age, any gender. It deals with specific, unique events with stories that a lot of people can relate to. I think teenagers and younger audiences wouldn't be the target audience because they would be more interested in fast paces, action-packed films. People can only be interested in a film if they have some sort of emotions towards the main character and the Drama genre is mainly based around emotions.
Most people go to the cinema the be entertained. And most people are stimulated by sight, sound and emotion.