Grow Your Own Trailer

Our trailers begins with this establishing shot of the Millennium Bridge in London as this shows the context for the scene. We chose to include this specific shot as we wanted it to be obvious that our genre was British Gangster. We also chose to include this shot as our film poster has London Bridge in the background therefore making the location, being London, consistent made sense. When shooting this shot i chose to used a head on angle yet i did tilt the camera ever so slightly up so i was able to see the people walking over the bridge yet still include the boat passing on the water. I think this shot worked well as it makes the audience feel as if they are actually standing there looking over the water, therefore it feels realistic which is what i was looking for. If i was to film this shot again i would experiment a little more with the camera angles as i think having a slightly more tilted camera would have made the audience feel a little uneasy and on edge, making them want to continue to engage. If we were to make the entire film we would also have a majority of it set in London as this is a well known place to everybody and typically related to Britain. We chose to speed this shot up, we did this by clicking 'Modify' from the toolbar at the top of the screen on Final Cut Express and selected 'Speed' where we were able to adjust it. We chose to speed this shot up as it was very slow, this created a really good effect and wouldn't make the audience lose interest. As we included a few shots of London in our trailer we decided to speed all of these up to not only show consistency but also make the audience aware that the setting is London, overall i think this was very effect as we have used a slow beat song as the non-diegetic music and the fast clips juxtapose well with this.

                        

This text is shown after the previous establishing shot of London. We chose to keep the font rather simple as we wanted it to be clear for the audience to read. We chose to use white font on a black background as this keeps the consistency of colour we had used, for example we used both white and black on our magazine cover and poster. Our reasoning for using the text '5 Men 1 Journey' is because it begins to tell a story that the viewer is able to follow. The shots that then carry on after this text will then make sense and the consumer will then be able to patch the story up for themselves. Seeing font and tag lines throughout a Crime and Gangster genre are typical for example the trailer for Snatch uses text but instead of telling the story it states the actors names staring in the film. Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is also known for using text in the trailer as i found out during my research. All text is kept relatively simple, in the same colour and capital letters. This ensures that the text it readable, fits in well with the genre and stays consistent. We used this font for all of our text apart from the title and the release date as we wanted the audience to be able to distinguish the difference between the story being told and then the important information. i think this works well as it its clear and readable which is very important. It also works really well as it sticks to our chosen colour scheme and looks professional. When it came to editing this text we chose to keep it fairly simple but wanted to add an effect so it caught the audiences eye, I created this font on LiveType which is where i also added the effect 'Strange Appearence' this made it look as if a line was going through our text and it faded a little. We also had to ensure that we kept the effect subtle as we didn't want to take the attention away from what the text said. Originally we were going to use the text '5 Men 1 Mission' as we were really fond of the alliteration. By using this kind of alliteration a phrase such as this would stay in a consumers head giving them a constant reminder of the film and story behind it making them want to see it. Although we were really fond of the phrase we thought that 'Mission' sounded too much like something from a spy/agent film therefore we chose to use 'Journey' as we follow the men (gangsters) through their journey in the hope of getting rich, or die trying.

This is the scene that comes after the previous text. We wanted to get a shot of all the men together walking towards the camera. We got our inspiration for this shot from the film Reservoir Dogs and also this is England. This was an extremely effective shot as it allowed the audience to see the authority in the group as they are staggered behind one another depending on their rank in the pack. We had to shoot this certain shot quite a few times to ensure it was perfect. We found it challenging to make sure all of the boys were in the correct position/stance in order for it to look symmetrical on the screen. I like the way this starts off as a long shot yet as the boys walk towards the camera more detail is able to be seen, such a them smoking etc. When we originally took this shot we tried to zoom in on the boys to see if this looked effective but unfortunately it did not. Therefore we kept referring back to our research, especially into film trailers, to see which shots and camera angles had been used and which ones were effective and would compliment our film well. When it came to editing this specific shot we wanted to put it in slow motion, so originally we chose to do this to half of the clip as the boys were approaching the camera. This location worked really well as it looks quite grotty and run down, the garages juxtapose well with the gangsters looking smart in their suits and conform well to the typical conventions of a gangster film. It also works well as it makes the gangster distinctively stand out whereas if we were to film it in a posh club or bar it wouldn't be as effective.   After rendering this and watching it through we didn't quite think that it worked therefore we had to brainstorm and think about what would compliment this specific scene best. We then chose to put a glow around the second half of this clip as well as putting it into slow motion. I think this works well as it highlights the fact that the gangsters are smoking, which is a typical attribute for wealthy men. I also think the glow worked well as the light shot fades into our main character, Jimmy's, shirt. It also looks as if the smoke from the cigarette is covering the screen which then fades onto the next clip.

Like the font we used for '5 Men 1 Journey' this is the same, this text continues on from the last one as it is telling a story throughout the trailer. I think this works well as it keeps the audience engaged as they are following the story, also by adding text to the trailer is makes the audience engage as it gives them something to do and gets them involved. Again we chose to keep the font the same colour and style to not only keep it consistent but also so the audience knows this is a continuation of the story, so they don't lose interest. I think the font works really well as it also looks a lot more professional this way. Like the previous font I also created this on LiveTpye and used the same effective 'Strange Appearence' to keep the consistency going which again keeps the flow going nicely and gives it a professional look. We used the quote 'When morals decline and good men do nothing, evil florishes'. As this quote was too long to use as one clip we thought it would be even more effective if we chopped it up throughout our trailer and played it that way. This meant that the audience stayed hooked. Also when there is too much text on the screen the audience may not be able to read it quick enough or they may lose interest and just want to watch something happen. Therefore I think we chose the right decision in cutting the quote up throughout the text and it was more effective than we originally thought it would be, therefore I am really pleased with the outcome.

Our next shot was a ground shot, where we literally had to lay on the floor and line the camera up so that it was straight, steady and captured the shot. We chose to use this kind of angle as i think it is very effective, not only do we, as the audience, get a closer up on the attire the gangsters are wearing but we also feel quite intimidated as we are unable to see who this is stamping the cigarette out. Therefore this is teasing the audience and creating intrigue keeping them engaged and on edge. I think the location or this shot is very effective as you are unable to see too much of the background therefore this adds to the suspense of the audience wondering who the person is where they are etc. This technique is really effective as it keeps the audience in suspense wanting them to not only continue watching the trailer but also go and see the film. When it came to editing this shot we didn't want to add an effect that would take away the power from this shot. Therefore we just added in two subtle transitions called 'Addictive Dissolve', one before the shot and one after it. This made the shot flow well and fit in with the clips before and after. Another reason as to why i really like this shot was because it showed a variation in angles and made the trailer increasingly interesting and built upon the suspense as the audience will want to know who it is stamping out the cigarette, where the person is and they will begin to ask themselves lots of questions. 

Although this shot appears to be really dark I think this works well as it limits the audience to what they are able to see, keeping them in suspense. The reason being that we didn't want the audience to see what he was stamping on, this keeps the audience interested and is a tease element to make them want to go and watch the film. When filming this shot we chose to tilt the camera up slightly so we were able to capture all of Michael's body, this meant placing the camera on the floor and tilting it up. This mid-long shot works well as you are just about able to make out what our character is doing. This also matches the typical conventions of a gangster film as they all involve violence. I think this shot works really well as it shows the violence that would take place in the film and also conforms to the typical conventions of a gangster film. I also think this shot works well as it isn't too violent therefore it will be suited to our target audience well, i also think we had taken the knowledge we had gained from our research and reflected it well in our own way to fit our genre of film. I am really pleased with the location we chose to film this shot in as it looks like the sort of place gangsters would go to do their dirty work, it looks as if this is in the back of a shop. We got the location ideas from the film Snatch as they also film in a similar location when they kill the man who has the briefcase. When it came to editing this specific shot we wanted to emphasise the violence, we did this by again by adding a slow motion effect to half of the shot. This worked really well as it almost went against the typical conventions as violence is usually quite quick giving off an adrenaline rush whereas putting it in slow motion not only challenged the conventions but also matched up perfectly to the music. I really like the fact that we put this shot in slow motion as i think it is so effective, although people may think the slow motion will make it less engaging it actually heightens the violence and makes it a lot more interesting. And surprisingly it actually emphasised the violence. We got our inspiration to put this scene in slow motion from films such as Reservoir Dogs, The Matrix, Sherlock Holmes and The Untouchables. Another reason as to why this works so well is because tough guys in matching suits already carry a certain cache but slowing it down heightens the adrenaline. I was really pleased with this shot as i think it was really effective but if I was to do it again I would probably make the lighting a little brighter as it is very dark in comparison with our other shots. I would also experiment with Michael stamping on the camera instead of the floor to make it look as if the camera is the victim which would add realism.

This shot is extremely effective as our main character, Jimmy staring as Tony 'Don' Milano, is covered in blood. This reflects violence without actually having to see any fighting etc. We chose for our main character to have his shirt unbuttoned and be wearing a vest underneath as this shows he has been fighting, it also shows that he isn't doing business as he isn't dressed in his suit. I think this works really well as it allows the audience to see both sides of the character. When shooting this specific clip we chose to take it as a mid shot, this is because it gave the audience a good view of what our main character is wearing and the blood dripping from his face, it also allowed the audience to see the weapon he is holding, yet didn't make it the main focus of the shot. Originally we experimented with a side profile shot but we felt that this didn't work well as not only was this not as effective but it also didn't allow the audience to see Jimmy's full facial expression, body language or costume. Therefore i am really pleased with this shot and think that it works well, not only does it highlight the violence but also the split personality of our main character and the ruthless actions he isn't afraid to do. When it came to editing this shot we chose to shorten it slightly as the clip was quite long. By making the lip long we had an advantage as we were able to keep the shot long or make it as short as we want, this was a good move made by the group as it was really helpful when it came to editing. Although I am fond of the location this shot was taken in I think we could have also used a better location. This setting works really well as it is quite plain therefore it doesn't take the attention away from our main character but it also doesn't look as daunting as I had hoped. If I was to film this shot again I would possibly experiment with the lighting for example filming in the evening and using a spot light on Jimmy. I would also experiment with tracking the camera around jimmy in a circle to show him losing his sanity. I think this would be really effective as it would show Jimmy from all different angles alluding the audiences as well as showing him breaking down. Although this shot would be really tricky to achieve we would have to ind the right equipment to do this so it looked professional ensuring the camera was steady.

We took this shot from a low angle as it creates suspense, it keeps the audience wondering whats in the boot/what the characters are looking at etc. I really like this shot of the gangsters opening the car boot as it expresses his aggressive characteristics; it also portrays them as stereotypical characters to this genre as the ultimate bosses tend to have tall intimidating, hostile looking men do their physical work for them, this is shown by our main character Jimmy standing with the shovel whilst the other men do all of the work. As the angle is positioned facing up it makes the gangsters look superior and dominant and as the audience we feel a little vulnerable looking up at them. We gained inspiration for this shot from the film Snatch, as there is a scene in the film where Vinnie Jones aggressively slams the boot and the camera is looking up at him portraying him to be very aggressive. i think this shot works really well as we really get to know the characters characteristics, we also get to see the action involved in the film as this scene foreshadows events which would take place. For example the person in the boot must have had a fight or running in with the gangsters to be in there now etc. When it came to editing this shot we wanted to make it relatively short as the title comes immediately after it therefore when the boot blacks out after it has been shut it would fit in perfectly with the title shot afterwards. Although we did experiment with having this shot of the boot closing in other places throughout the trailer it didn't quite work as when we places transitions in after this scene it didn't fit in well and didn't give it a nice flow which we were hoping for. The boot scene puts a dramatic cut on the end of our trailer fitting in perfectly with the title afterwards as it leaves the audience on a cliff hanger. We used this technique so that it would make the audience want to come and see the film, I think this worked well as after people had watched our trailer they said they would go and see the film which is very positive feedback. If I was to film this shot again I would probably not have Jimmy in the shot as typically the leader of the group doesnt do the 'dirty work'.

This is the font we used for our title, originally we had the font in white which did work well as it kept the consistency of colour going but on the other hand it didn't work as well as we had originally hoped as it was hard to distinguish the different between the text telling the story and the actual title of the film. I again made this text on LiveType and changed the colour to red, I chose for the colour to start off faint and then become bold. This worked better than i thought it would as it gave off vivid connotations of blood and violence and made the title look as if it was bleeding. Not only does this link in with the genre of our film really well but it also leaves an impression on the audience of what the overall film will be about. Overall I am really glad we chose to keep the style and effect of the font consistent yet changed the colour as this makes the title distinguishable and obvious giving off connotations which reflect the genre of our film well. The colour of this font also matches the colour scheme we have been keeping consistent throughout our main product, for example the title 'Grow Your Own' is also red on our film poster and one of our magazine covers which gives a strong link between the three. This works really well as it will become recognisable to the audience heightening their interest towards the film.

This is the final shot in our film before the billing block at the end appears. This is one of my favourite shots of the entire trailer as I think it is incredibly effective. We gained our inspiration for this close up shot from the film This is England. Our reason behind this shot is because it not only uses a direct address where our main character is staring directly at the audience but it also reflects the characters attributes and emotions. As our film is about our main characters sanity this shot almost shows how he has lost all sanity, this is complimented well by the blood and expression and his face and shows that he has just given up. This shot is also effective as This is England used this exact shot at the start of the new series, if we were to make a film we could also use this shot. I think this would work well as the audience would be able to recognise this shot from the trailer and relate to it. I was pleased we chose to use a close up shot as again this shows a variation between shots keeping the audience engaged. I also like the way this shot comes after the title as its a shot which doesn't really consist of anything apart from our main characters face therefore it doesn't take our audiences attention away from the title but keeps a constant reminder of what the genre is. This shot is also similar to the picture we have used on our magazine which targets the younger audience which again highlights the strong link between our production.

Choice of Title

We chose the title for our film to be 'Grow Your Own'. Our reasoning behind this is that it is an euphemism/innuendo therefore it has two meanings and it is up to the audience to decide which way they would like to interpret it. Originally we were going to set the film in an allotment and make it as if the gangsters kill people and bury them to make their vegetables and flowers grow. Therefor it would link in nicely with the title 'Grow Your Own'. From this idea we came up with names such as 'Beetroot' and 'Flower Pots' etc. Unfortunately we decided to slightly change the plot of our film so that our main character loses all sanity as he rises up in status and supremecy and one by one kills off his loyal men. As we were so keen on the title we decided to keep it and fortunately it still related to our film well. I am really pleased with the choice of our title as it doesn't immediately make our genre obvious, it also allows the audience to make their own interpretations of the film. The title does have connotations of drugs but also emphasises the derogatory term.

Target Audience

When it came to creating our film magazine we had a range of different ideas which we wouldn't be able to fit onto one magazine. We wanted to create two different magazines using different pictures, background, colour and text so we are able to attract two different target audiences. By targeting two different audience we had to be very careful that we met the specific wants and needs. Such as the colourings that would appeal to a young or older audience. To ensure we were using the correct techniques, colours and fonts we kept getting feed back from this age range of people whether it was from people in our class, our, friends, parents or teachers to ensure we were creating advertisements appropriate for the people we were targeting. Although making two magazines was very time consuming as a group we found it difficult to decide on who our film should target. We kept referring back to our research into film trailers etc to compare to the films which had inspired us and to see what age range they were targeting. The film James Bond helped us decide on who we should target as that genre of film can apply to pretty much all ages. Although we have certificated our film to be an 18 we still think it should be appealing to an older audience.

  The first magazine I have uploaded is to attract a slightly older target audience for example 25-40 year olds, this is because the magazine is relatively simple. The background colour of the magazine links in perfectly with the colour scheme of the poster and brings the advertisement together well. ( As I have previously posted about this magazine I wont go into detail again about the different styles and techniques used) In comparison to the second magazine this one is a lot more toned down and doesnt strike the audience to be too gory or violent. This would be more appealing to the older audience as it looks a little more sophisticated. This would then lead to them picking the magazine up and taking a closer look to see what the film consists of, whos starting in it etc.

This is the second magazine we created when it came to advertising our film 'Grow Your Own'. This magazine is targeted at a slightly younger audience such as 18-25 year olds. This is because the colours scheme is a little more interesting, which would appeal to the younger audience. For example the background on this magazine is a Union Jack flag whereas the magazine above remains relatively plain. The picture on the front of this magazine would be able to relate to the younger audience better as it may catch their eye more so than slightly older audience. This is because the picture looks eye-catching and exciting which will draw the consumer in and encourage them to take an interest in the film, whereas an older audience may stay away from violent shots such as this. We chose to keep the layout relatively similar as we were fond of the way it was set out and thought it worked well around the picture and didn't cover too much of our main actor up. Another reason as to why we chose this specific picture to be on the front of this magazine was because it was a frame taken from our trailer, meaning that our actor was in character. This works well as it gives the audience an insight as to what happens in the film, almost foreshadows it. In comparison to the first magazine our main character is also holding a weapon, in this specific magazine it is a baseball bat whereas in the magazine above it is a shovel. Our main character looks as if he is ready for action as he is holding hit bat up high which shows connotations of the violence and action which would take place in our film, another good selling point for the audience but especially the younger audience we have targeted. Like the first magazine we chose for our main character to be using a direct address (extra diegetic) gaze as this looks more sinister as if our main character is looking directly at the audience. This links in well with the theme of our genre. We chose to stick with the three main colours being red, white and black and this was a consistent colour not only in our poster but also our trailer. In contrast to the first magazine we also chose to add a splash of blue into this magazine as this reflected the colours seen on the Union Jack emphasising that our film was a British genre.

Production and Studio Label

We made our own production and studio names up to be shown before our trailer after the bbfc certificate screening, they will also be shown in our billing block. Although we were allowed to use existing studio and production labels such as 'Ska Films' and '20th Century Fox' etc as a group we decided to create our own in order to shown our own capibility and originality. We made up the name 'Woodstock Productions' and 'Willow Tree Studios'. We created a logo for our studio and used photoshop to add text to it. We used the programme Livetype to create and add effects to our font. We wanted our font to remain simple and stick with the colours black and white so our colour scheme stayed consistent. I am really pleased that we made the decision to create our own production and studio names as it made us stand out above the other trailers in the group. It also gave us more freedom to create what we wanted to not only fit in with the genre of our film but also didnt limit us. I think our own production and studio labels worked really well as they did fit in with the genre of the film well and also linked in well with the colour scheme. By creating our own logo it enabled us to express our originality as well as use our creative flaire to interpret what we had researched regarding production labels.

Poster Progress

When I edited the poster for our film I wanted to ensure that I had chosen the appropriate effect for the genre of our film. I did this by experimenting with a number of techniques to ensure i found the correct one. As we got a lot of inspiration from Reservoir Dogs I also wanted to limit our colour palette so the poster remained eye-catching for example narrowing the colour scheme down to black, white and red. As a group we decided on the picture below for our poster yet as it uninteresting I wanted to make it as striking as possible, to do this I used Photoshop.

As our film genre was British Gangster I wanted to include something which reflected this, therefore I thought having an establishing shot of London in the background would not only compliment the theme well but also make the mise-en-scene appear more obvious to the audience/consumer. I then went to London to get some still shots of famous land marks to use as the background for our poster.

Firstly I experimented with this picture of the Millennium Bridge that I took whilst in London. I originally thought that this was a well recognised land mark and could work well as the background for our poster. The original picture was rather dark therefore I had to adjust the Lighting Levels on Photoshop to brighten the picture up and highlight the finer details so they were more visible making the photo look better.

Once I had copy and pasted the boys onto the London background I then chose to change the colour scale to black and white as it made the picture look a little more realistic. Although I was happy with the outcome of this picture I wasn't fully convinced and was more than sure that I could do better. I knew what kind of effect I was going for in my head and wanted the background to be extremely eye catching, my reasoning for this was because my entire poster was going to be in black and white therefore it really had to stand out to compete with the colour scheme.  I then looked through all the shots I took on that day and found a still that I knew would work.

This is the picture I finally chose to use as the main picture for our background. My reasoning for this was because the picture was incredibly clear therefore it would be ideal to use when it came to editing. I chose to use a sharp depth of field by reducing the lens aperture to small diameter, this meant the photograph was fully in focus and all minor details remained visible. As it is London Bridge is it incredibly famous world wide and would be recognised by all audiences, especially the British. I was also very fond of the lighting in this picture and thought the clouds looked very effective. I firstly opened this picture up onto Photoshop and improved the lighting levels by adjusting the input levels. I then opened the picture of the boys onto a separate layer and again adjusted the input levels so the lighting and contrast appeared sharper. By lightening the picture of the boys not only did it look more professional but it also highlighted their facial expressions which would then tie in with the title and genre of the film extremely well.

  I then had to get the picture of the boys to lay on top of the picture of London Bridge. To do this I used the Lasso Tool to cut around the boys and the wall. I ensured that i zoomed in so I was being accurate so I would get a better outcome at the end. Although this was incredibly time consuming it made it easier for me when copy and pasting the cutout of the boys as i didn't have to adjust it too much. Once I was happy with how I cut around the outline of the boys I then used the feather tool to soften the edges, i did this by changing the pixel radius to 1, this meant that the boys would look more realistic when placed onto the London Bridge background. I then pasted them onto the background and used the clone tool to fill in some of the missing colour for example blending in the edges of the boys with the background, again this was really time consuming but all worth it in the end as i was really pleased with the outcome.

Once I had copy and pasted the boys onto the background of London Bridge I then chose to experiment with the colour scale. I chose to change the picture to black and white as this made the overall picture look more realistic as well as effective. Although I was really pleased with the outcome of the picture being in black and white I was worried that it may not be colourful enough to be a film poster, therefore it may not appeal to the audience. As I was a little worried about the lack of colour on the poster I really had to put a lot of thought into the colour and style of the text I would later be putting onto the poster such as the billing block, the title and the tag line we wanted to add. Even though I was really pleased with the outcome of the picture I wanted to try one more experiment to ensure I was making the right decision.

I chose to put an old fashioned paper effect frame over my picture on Photoshop as my final development to ensure i didn't want to edit the photo further. Although I think the frame looks good over the picture I don't think it fits in with the typical conventions of a Gangster film and juxtaposes with the time era our film is now set it. If we hadn't changed the time era of our film I think this effect would have worked well and would have been a direct link to the era we would have been reflecting. Although I didn't want to use this effect for the poster I didn't think creating it was a waste of time. I think the time was spent effectively as it made me certain that the decision of the black and white poster was the right one to go with. My next step towards creating the film poster was to add the billing block, title and tag line. I had previously made the billing block on a PowerPoint presentation. At first I thought making a billing block would be relatively easy but until it came to making it I realised it was quite a challenge. My first difficulty was getting the correct font for the text, I kept referring back to other film posters such as Public Enemies to ensure I was doing it correctly. My second difficulty was the layout of the billing block as I had to ensure it fitted on my poster accurately and didn't cover the background picture too much. And my final difficulty was adding the pictures of the production companies to the billing block as I found it to be really fiddly. I found myself correcting the billing block about five times as I kept noticing minor mistakes or things that needed to be included.



My next step towards creating the film poster was to add the billing block, I did this by copying and pasting it from PowerPoint to Photoshop. Once I did this I then had to change the blending mode so the background of the billing block became transparent. I then had to use the move tool to rescale the size of the billing block, ensuring I held down the shift key whilst doing this so the writing didn't go blurry. I then had to add the title to the poster, I wasn't entirely sure how to do this as I wasn't sure on a colour or font. I knew we had to inject colour into it some how but wasn't sure if making it red would look scruffy. I firstly tried with the title white and made the tag line red so there was a splash of colour.

I was really fond of the style and colour of the font, which I created on live type, as I liked the way the white a little transparent. I was fond of the way the wall showed through the font as it added a shabby effect. I also liked the way the tag line was in red as it drew the attention to the title more so. Although I was really fond of this poster I was a little disappointed with the lack of colour therefore I wanted to try the poster with the title being red and the tag line in white.



This is the final draft for our film poster. I was really glad I chose to change the title to red although this was the most time consuming job of them all. I had to ensure I was really accurate when it came to colouring the outline of the title. I did this by zooming in and using the lasso tool along with the paintbrush to colour the title in. I then chose to stretch the title across the bottom of the poster so it represented a police line. I chose to use the colour red as it has connotations of violence, this created a catharsis allowing the audience to relate to the poster.  I then added the tag line 'Loyalty Is Everything' by using the text tool from the left hand side tool bar, i chose to put this font in white so I kept to the colour scheme and it contrasted well with the main title. Overall I was really pleased with the outcome of the poster and took a lot of pride in it. To ensure the poster looked good I printed it out in A3 and A4 and held it up against the wall to see if it was eye catching enough, I also showed the poster to a few people and asked them which genre I was trying to represent, luckily everyone answered correctly.  

Magazine Cover

When it came to creating the front cover for the magazine I again chose to use Photoshop as I was familiar with the tools and I would be able to do it quickly and efficiently. Originally I tried to start the magazine on PowerPoint but this turned out to be more difficult than necessary. My first step towards creating the magazine cover was thinking of a title for it, we chose to make our own magazine as we would then have more freedom when it came to fonts, layout and colour schemes etc. I chose the title 'Enigma' as it means an inexplicable occurrence or situation it could also represent a puzzling or contradictory character therefore I think it falls in well with the genre of our film and also reflects the main character really well. Like our film poster I wanted to keep the colour scheme limited as these are the typical conventions of a magazine, therefore I stuck with the colours black, white and red. As I wanted to ensure I got everything perfect on the magazine I kept referring back to the previous magazine research I did on the empire magazine as it was really detailed and turned out to be a great help.

  I wanted the theme to represent a sinister mood therefore I chose two similar shades of colour, grey and black, for the background and made them descend in colour. I chose for the master head of the magazine to be bold and black, my reasoning for this is because it keeps the consistent sinister theme going and also draws immediate attention. The centre of the master head is partially covered by the image of our main character 'Tony Milano' yet it is still readable.

 I chose to use this picture of Jimmy as I liked the way he was holding the shovel which links in well with the connotations of our film title. Originally the picture was of all the boys together but i used the lasso tool on Photoshop to cut Jimmy out. I then feathered the cutout of Jimmy, like I did on the poster, by again changing the pixel radius to 1. I then had to adjust the lighting levels as the original picture was really bright. Once I pasted it onto the magazine cover I then had to use the clone tool to edit around the outline of Jimmy to ensure there was no white spots and so he blended in well.

From my research I realised that a large majority of Empire Magazines, which I was using as a reference, tend to use close up mid shots of the main characters on the front cover of the magazine. But after researching a little more and using my own magazine master head I realised I didn't have to conform to the typical conventions. Also by using a long shot of Jimmy the consumer is able to get a full view of the costume and props. As our aim for the magazine is obviously that it appeals to the public and gets sold the picture used on the front is vital. We decided that Jimmy should be in character and this emphasises our title and theme further. As I previously did research on 'The Gaze' I chose this picture because 'Tony Milano' looks carefree yet practical which injects a smug effect which not only portrays but foreshadows his attributes and role in the film, Grow Your Own. We also chose to use a direct address (or extra-diegetic) as it comes across as being almost intimidating to reflect our genre and make it look effective. Milano's facial expression shows that he is ready for action as it looks as if he is about to start some kind of confrontation and the shovel in his hands represents a weapon but plays on the title 'Grow Your Own' which stands as an euphemism.

  At the very top of the magazine I used the selling line 'Limited Edition British Special' I did this so it made our theme, British Gangster, stand out even more and only added images and actors/actresses names which were British in order for this specific element to stand out. I chose to use red for 'British Special' as it emphasised the semantic field of British films and highlighted the central focus being our film 'Grow Your Own'. The date, price, and website of the magazine\film are located underneath the title and are in very small font yet they still fit in with the consistency of the colour scheme. Both bits of information are perfectly clear yet are in small font as it isn't the most important detail on the front cover. The other typical conventions include the issue date, the issue number and bar code, I added these on as I researched into this and it makes the magazine look more realistic. I was really pleased with the colour scheme as I kept it relatively simple yet all the colours our symbolic in relation to our film. For example red can be related to passion, love and violence and black has connotations of mystery and deciet. I chose to keep the same style for for all the text on the magazine as I thought this looked a lot more professional and as i kept referring back to other magazines I realised this was also the conventional things to do. As I was using the same font consistantly I had to ensure the magazine remained eye-catching , I did this by varying the font size for example 'Top 20 must see movies'. I chose to make the 'Top 20' a larger font than 'must see movies' as this would catch the readers eye and draw them in, it also emphasises what the is in the contense on the magazine. On the top left hand side of the magazine I added a list of rcent films which will also be advertised inside the magazine, I kept to the colour scheme by using white and red fonts to show the seperate films, this would be eyecatching for the consumer as they would be interested in the newly released films, which would then draw their attention to the film we are trying to advertise. I used the tag line 'Jimmy Gore Steals Spring!' as he is the main character in our film as well as the character on our front cover. Not only does this advertise who is starring in the film but the verb 'steals' injects enthusiasm making the consumer want to go and see the film. This is a technique i learnt whilst deconstructing other magazines during my research.