Evaluation

AS Media Evaluation on Prezi

Mirror Image - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Title:
The first two frames are of the opening shots. It consists of the production company "Playground Productions" and the title. We used LiveType to create them and kept the blue colour scheme to match our company logo. For the title, we felt that the white font against the black background would give it a more sinister effect.
Having the "R" reversed, it reflect the title and is a unique way of presenting it.

Setting/Location:
The setting for the movie was our local children's park and one of our group member's houses.We felt that this would be an appropriate setting for the storyline whilst also being practical for us to use.

Costumes/Props:
In frame 4, we can see the two characters, Amber and Izzie, in the park. The prop here would be the swings that they are sitting on. You see Amber wearing a blue hoodie with jeans and Izzie is seen to be wearing a grey hoodie with jeans. We chose this to be the overall look for the two characters as this would be what teenagers would 'typically' be thought to wear.
In frame 7 we include a camera as part of the props to be seen with the 'stalker'. We felt that this fit in with the stereotype of being a stalker.

Camerawork/Editing:
We used a variety of different shots throughout the opening of our film and these are shown in frames. The film starts off with a close up of the back of the stalker's head with the girls in the distance on the swings. This would raise questions for the audience and make them ask who this person is and why they are watching the girls. A series of long shots then follow, allowing the audience to establish the relationship between the different characters. The final frame is a close up of the music box. This leads the audience to once again question what significance the music box has to the rest of the story.

Title font and style:
The font used for the titles was Times New Roman. We decided to keep the use of this basic font as we wanted to make it creepy and make it seem powerful without having to try too hard with different styles and animations.

Story and how the opening sets it up:
I feel that the story is set up through the first shot; a hooded figure watching the girls on the swings. This links into Roland Barthes' theory of action and enigma codes as it directs the audience to question what is happening and make links throughout to try and guess what the story is about.

How the characters are introduced:
The characters are introduced through their association with each other and how they behave. There is no direct introduction and the audience are able to make their own interpretations of how the characters are perceived.

Evaluation

As Media Studies- Mirror Image

Analysing DVD Cover Eight

On this cover, the first thing that catches your attention is the figure of the woman at the window. The audience would immediately ask questions such as who is she and why is she by the window. Also as she is pressed up against it, looking in, it makes you feel trapped like you have no escape. The window pane looks grimy and dirty so makes us question where this is and why it is so dirty. There is a eerie feel to it as we cannot see the woman's face and all that is behind her is foggy woodland.
The title itself tells us that the woman is not wanted. The font used has a creepy feel to it also.

Analysing DVD Cover Seven

The main focus of the cover is the characters. The woman's face stands out as its very pale with bright red lipstick on. The blood dripping down from her mouth leads the audience to believe that she is the victim. The other characters are all placed behind her, which could denote the meaning that they were behind her death or that they are all linked to her and that she is the main focus in the film.

All the characters shows different emotions on their faces. Josh Hartnett comes across as looking worried and anxious, Aaron Eckhart makes it look like he is sure of something and looks in charge of things whereas the two actresses look like they both have something to hide, making the audience question if they were involved. Questions that may arise from the audience could be who is the woman, why is she dead and how did she die.

The colours used in the title fade from red to black. This may be done intentionally as the blood from the woman's mouth drip down to the title.

Analysing DVD Cover Six

On this cover, the way that the characters are positioned and the props that they are holding mean significant things and show the relationship between the two of them. For example, the fact that she is imitating the way he walks and looking at him shows that she looks up to him and that he is possibly a role model to her. We can see that he may not be an "appropriate" role model as he is carrying a gun while she is carrying a teddy bear. This shows an important difference between them and that he may be out of his depth with the young child.

The title being in red could represent danger. The background sets the scene and allows the audience to see where the story is taking place. A possible enigma to arise from the poster could be he question of why she is with him and why he is carrying a gun.

Analysing DVD Cover Five

The colour scheme used in the cover are quite warm but the reddish tones and shades of black add a dark, sinister feel to it. These warm tones could also be seen as a connatation for the antagonists passions and motives. The seven sins being listed down the middle and then being crossed out with a red line may also give the audience a insight to the antagonists motives; the tagline: "Seven deadly sins. Seven ways to die" add to this and give them a sense of his inspirations.
The eyes of the two characters are emphasised the most out of their whole face and I feel they portay two different emotions; fear and determination. The title is styled and written in a way as if it were blood and had been smeared on.