First Photo ShootEvaluation – By Lydia Hughes

The first images that Ella took on our photo shoot represents myself staring directly at the camera, causing direct address. As displayed in my final film poster draft, the antagonist is wearing a hoodie and a bandana around his neck. As a result of this, not all of my facial features are present in the image. Even though my draft illustrates the male antagonist in our film (Michael), we came to realise that when shooting in school, it was very practical to shoot the antagonist as both me and Ella also. In our film, our viewers will later realise that Sarah (Lydia) and Jessica (Ella) work alongside Michael and are therefore the side antagonists too. The idea of a hidden identity is explicit in these images and therefore portrays the mystery of a thriller film. By staring directly at the camera, we felt that the sustained stare creates discomfort for viewers since there is ultimately no exit from the fiery stare. In addition to this, the second image pictures the same content as

the first, however from a different perspective. This side shot view of myself depicts me turning my head to stare at the camera. By accident the picture revealed my movement, which denotes me holding onto my hoodie. Fortunately, this spontaneous act of movement enhanced the idea regarding my ‘hidden identity’. It appears as it I have a double since the focused subject is not moving, however the unfocused image of me shows me adjusting my hoodie. While the subject in focus stays in character, the subject without focus appears to be trying to take off the bandanna. This leads to further mystery about the character and shows that people may have an unidentified side to them – a clear link to the characters of Sarah and Jessica in our film.

Similarly to the images displayed on the previous slide, these images depict Ella (Jessica) looking directly at the camera, causing evident direct address. Yet again, the female model is seen wearing a scarf/bandana covering her mouth and nose. As a result of this, the only features that can be seen include Ella’s eyes, forehead and the beginning of her hairline. In my opinion, I believe these images are extremely effective in exhibiting the hidden identity of Ella and Lydia (myself). As we know, the plot of our film highlights the true identity of both Ella and myself and in turn, we ultimately reveal our true colours, especially in regards to our friendship with Tia (Chloe). As discovered in the majority of my research, a thriller genre must cause mystery for viewers. Immediately, this type of image heightens the mystery as the audience are unable to connect with the character, even though she is causing direct address. However hard the audience may try to understand the character, they are restricted nonetheless, as a result of her covered face. Visually the audience are unable to accept the character since her identity is hidden. Moreover, the subjects’ gender also heightens the mystery since women are typically represented as vulnerable and innocent. However, this woman is not perceived to obtain such characteristics – her hidden identity exemplifies the concept that she is trying to cover up something. This progressive representation of a woman causes disorientation for viewers as it does not showcase the typical ‘norm’ of a woman.

For my first photo shoot, I decided to depict Ella (Jessica) looking directly at the camera, causing evident direct address. As illustrated in one of my drafts for my film poster, the woman appears to be looking right at the camera, however this is not the only image present on the poster. Even though this is the main image, it blends in with a second image of the woman at the bottom of the page. On my poster, the woman is depicted from behind and as a consequence appears to be walking away from the camera. As a result of this, the girl reflects Tia’s kidnap and unfortunately also suggests that she is moving further and further out of reach from her boyfriend, Ricky. The image displayed in the middle pictures Ella staring directly at the camera. Essentially, this position of Ella mimics the position of the woman in the main image on my poster. By staring directly at the camera, Ella’s strained eyes suggest that she is losing hope and is in desperate need of help. Nevertheless, the first image captures Ella turning her head back at the camera. As we know, the plot of our film comprises finding Tia in the end. Unlike the smaller image on my poster, this image of Ella, looking back at the camera suggests that she has some sort of hope for a future, and therefore reflects our films storyline. It is worth noting that if I was to use this design for my final film poster, I would have depicted Tia (Chloe) instead of Ella (Jessica) since it is Tia that is kidnapped in our film. Since taking these images, it has made me realise that the two images appear too alike and therefore will not draw in a great deal of attention from viewers. Whereas, the images displayed on the previous two slides reveal the unknown and consequently heighten curiosity for the audience.

Yet again, the images above denote secrecy and therefore convey mystery. Ella is depicted placing her index finger to her lips, which immediately informs viewers that she is telling somebody to be quiet. As shown in the very first draft of my final magazine front cover, the female like Ella, is also seen placing her index finger to her lips. For that reason, I decided to take similar images during my photo shoot to illustrate the type of image that I would like my magazine front cover to expose. Reflecting back on the brief of my coursework, I am targeting a predominantly female audience. Therefore, I decided to name my magazine ‘Kiss & Tell’. That being the case, the images above relate perfectly to the images as they contradict the title of my magazine. While the magazine title informs women to gossip and ultimately tell their secrets, the image of Ella displays the very opposite of the magazine’s expectations. Instead, Ella is trying to prevent gossip and in turn informs viewers that she is holding something back. Similarly to the images of Ella wearing a scarf around the bottom half of her face, these images once again enhance the idea that her character is holding something back and so she is ultimately trying to hide her identity. Not only does this image feature Ella hiding a secret but her hair also covers half of her face. Once again, Ella’s real identity is constrained, which leads viewers into further curiosity about her character. One may question, ‘What is it about this character that she so desperately needs to hide away from being herself’? On that account, the images above result in further anticipation for viewers and as a consequence enhance the desire for our film’s target audience to watch ‘Obsess’.