The genre of our short film is drama, within that genre our film also represents a sub-genre of a psychological drama.
There are many conventions of a drama;
Climax and Anti-climax
The use of climax and anti-climax (the building and releasing of tension) in a drama is crucial as it creates a sense of expectation for the audience, they can become very tense as they wait to see what is going to happen in the film.
For example, in our short film Grief, the tension was built when the audience realised Carly was no longer there but the tension dropped when, in the next scene, she was there again.
There are many other conventions of a drama including; slow-motion, freeze frames, soliloquy, mise-en-scene, typical props, typical characters, typical settings etc.
I feel like my poster, magazine review and film really represent these codes and conventions of a typical drama.
The Film and the Film Poster
The combination of elements in my film poster and my short film itself creates synergy. In other words, my film poster is an effective representation of my short film.
Purpose of a Film Poster
The purpose of the film poster is for the marketing side of film production. It is done to create a large appeal to their audiences. Posters are displayed everywhere and therefore can be seen in public places, this is so that production companies can create awareness about their film. Using this information in knew that my poster had to represent elements of my film in the correct way to my target audience. Below I have explained elements of my poster that have had an effect on my film.
Text - Titles
The comparison of the text used in my short film and in my poster are very different, however, they both represent an element of the film. For example, the text that I used for the title in my poster is quite a fancy and more decorative kind of text which represents Carly and Jacks ongoing friendship, however, the text that I used in the poster contradicts this as I used block text which represents the more serious side of the story, where the audience come to the realisation that Carly has died.
Here are the different texts we used for both titles;
Film Poster
Film
The combination of both the film poster title and the film title create synergy. The interaction of elements that, when combined, produce a total effect which is greater than the individual elements on their own. For example, both texts, when combined, create more of an effect as it tells the audience more about the different, contrasting sides of the film unlike one of the texts on it's own which only tells one side of the story.
Real Media Texts
The Avengers
After looking at real media texts I can see that they use exactly the same texts throughout their marketing. For example, the text that they use as the title on their poster, they also use the exact same style of text on their merchandise;
Avengers Film Poster
The Avengers Merchandise
This signifies the importance of the same text used throughout all media platforms. People now associate this text with the avengers and is therefore also an effective promotion technique for them.
Colours
The comparison of colours that are used in my film is very similar. The colours that we went for represent the genre and the storyline of the film. For example, the colours that we used on the poster were dull kind of colours like grey and black. This represents the plot of the story as it ends quite badly with the audience coming to the realisation that Carly has died and Jack has lost his best friend.
Film Poster
Film
The combination of both the film poster colours and the colours we used in the film creates synergy. The interaction of elements that, when combined, produce a total effect which is greater than the individual elements on their own. For example, as you can see from the images above we have been consistent throughout both of our products with the colours that we have used. We wanted to represent the sadness throughout both of these products with the use of the dull black and grey kind of colours. It also represents the character of Marc as he always wears black and grey coloured clothing. I wanted to represent the importance in the advertising of the film by using the colours in the poster so the audience can understand the importance of the colours and the fact that both the film and poster link well together.
Real Media Texts
Harry Potter
Throughout the Harry Potter films there is a significant use of very dark and dull colours. The use of dark colours get more and more prominent throughout the film series, as the films go on the darker the colours get, this is to signify to the audience that it is getting closer to a very pinnacle moment in the film and that something bad is going to happen.
Harry Potter Poster
Harry Potter Merchandise
The colours that Harry Potter are known for have also be reflected in their merchandise.
The Images
The image that we used in our poster is very similar to an image from the final scene in our film.
Film Poster
Film
For the main image on the poster I decided to use the image of the two characters in the final scene of the film. The scene is set in the memorial garden which is where the main character Jack comes to the realisation that his best friend Carly isn't coming back and therefore creates a new equilibrium which is a really significant part of the film. Both the main characters are standing with their backs at the front facing away form the camera. I did this to introduce the mystery element of the characters which is reflected by the scenes in the film because there is a mystery elements when we keep seeing Carly disappear from the scenes every now and again. In the poster I also have Marc (Jack) wearing a very dark outfit which again represents the sadness and the emotion of the film.
The Actors Names
We have incorporated the actors names in both out film poster and our film itself. The layout of the actors names are different due to the different type of layout of the film poster and the film itself. For example, in the poster the actors names are displayed at the top of the poster whereas in the film the actors names are displayed at the end in the ending credits of the film.
Film Poster
Film
Actors names are a useful feature of a film poster and so I have incorporated them in my own. In my poster I have included both actors names "Marc Morrall" and "Ellie-Louise Aldridge," it indicates that they are of high importance to and in the film which is true as they are the two main characters. The actors names also appeal to the audience especially if they are well known actors and are therefore more likely to watch the film.
Real Media Texts
I am Legend Poster
As you can see in the I am Legend poster the actors name is in big letters which draws the audiences attention to it. This suggests that the actor plays a significant role in the film. The film is about a man who is the only known survivor of a man made plague and is left alone in New York City. His important role is reflected through the use of big letters in terms of the actors name on the poster.
The Teddy Bear
We have incorporated the teddy bear in both our film poster and our film itself.
Film Poster
Film
We wanted to incorporate the teddy bear in our film poster because it is one of the main features in our film. The iconography of the teddy bear is supposed to symbolise Carly's death and how much Jack is grieving over her. The teddy bear was Carly's before she dies, she carried it around with her everywhere so it is a very important piece of the film which is why we wanted to incorporate it into our poster. In the poster, Jack is holding the teddy bear in his hand as he is standing next to Carly, this represents the fact that he will always have a part of her with him and it also represents how much he is missing her and how much he is grieving for her.
Tagline
Here I am going to explain the link between the tagline and the narrative.
Film Poster
The tagline that we have included on our poster is "He was the soul survivor." This is a homophone which means the word is spelled differently and have different meanings but sound the same. We have used the word soul to represent the fact that his soul will never be the same again after the loss of Carly. Without looking at the poster it can also be represented as sole survivor meaning that he was the only survivor. He was the one that survived when Carly git killed by that car so it represents his inner soul and the fact that he was the only survivor.
The Film and The Magazine Review
The film and the magazine review are quite different in terms of who creates them. The film is obviously created by the production team, however, the magazine review isn't created by the production team it is created by a magazine company which means that the content cannot be controlled by the film company. We wan't to see how well the magazine review works well as a magazine review itself but also how well the magazine review represents the film.
Purpose of a Magazine Review
The magazine review allows the audience to come to a decision about whether they want to watch the film or not based on the review of the film. People aren't going to want to spend money on a film that turns out to be not very good. Below I have explained elements of my magazine review that have had an effect on my film.
The Image
Magazine Review
The image used in the magazine review isn't decided by the film company but it decided by the magazine company so the film company have no say in what the image will be, however, they know that the image cannot give too much away about the film. The image in the magazine review takes up a large proportion of the page. The image consists of the two main characters sitting in the scene that we filmed where they are at the cinemas. Marc (Jack) one of the main characters is looking a Carly, the other main character, this is going to make the audience curious as to why he is looking at her in that way and what is going to happen in the film, it leaves people guessing without giving too much away about the film. The dark colours also represent the genre and the storyline of the film, straight away people will think that it is a film with a dark or a sad ending so are more likely to watch it especially if people like those kinds of films. It also represents the dark and dull colours that we used in the film.
We also used a secondary image in the magazine review. The image consists of the main character Jack sitting on a bench on his own. This is going to attract the audiences attention and make them wonder why he is sitting on his own because throughout the film Carly and Jack are always together so it is going to make it look suspicious as to why he is sitting on his own. It is going to leave the audience guessing. The colours we have used are brighter colours than we have used in the main image, this is because we wanted to contrast the different sides to the story and get across that the film isn't all sad and upsetting and that there are certain aspects of the film that are happy.
How the Main Image Links to the Narrative
The main image strongly links to the narrative of our short film. In the main image Marc (Jack) is looking longingly at Ellie (Carly) but she seems oblivious to his presence. This represents the fact that Jack is still holding on to the memories that he and Carly shared when she was alive. However, the oblivious look on Carly's face represents the fact that she is there is Jack's mind but she isn't physically there herself. This links to the narrative as throughout the film Jack is clinging onto the good memories that him and Carly shared, however, he has to come to terms with the fact that she isn't there anymore.
Mention of the Production Team
Magazine Review
In the Film
At the beginning of the review there are details about the production team that were involved in the creation of the film, such as, the directors and the cast. This is a very common feature of magazine reviews. This means that the information about the directors is easily accessible to people if they want to know this information. They might want to research previous films that this specific director has made.
Quote
Magazine Review
The purpose of the magazine is to outline the best possible reason as to why this particular film would be the perfect film to watch. The pull quote is used to draw the audiences attention to important key elements of the film. The quote I used is one that we incorporated into our film.This makes the audience wonder what the film is going to be about without giving too much away about the film. It also creates a sense of emotion and tension as it sounds quite ominous.
Colours
Magazine Review
Film
The combination of both the magazine review colours and the colours we used in the film creates synergy. The interaction of elements that, when combined, produce a total effect which is greater than the individual elements on their own. For example, as you can see from the images above we have been consistent throughout both of our products with the colours that we have used. We wanted to represent the sadness throughout both of these products with the use of the dull red and black kind of colours. It also represents the character of Marc as he always wears quite dark and dull coloured clothing. I wanted to represent the importance in the advertising of the film by using the colours in the magazine review so the audience can understand the importance of the colours and the fact that both the film and the magazine review link well together. We have used dark red colours in the magazine review to match the main image that we have used in the magazine which also represents the colours in the film, especially in the library and the cinema which we have incorporated the dark red kind of colours.
The Verdict
Magazine Review
This is an important part of the magazine review as it also has a star rating and so it tells the audience straight away whether the film is worth watching or not, which is a very simple and effective marketing strategy, because people aren't going to want to spend money on a film that turns out to be disappointing. For my film I have chosen a rating of four stars which I think is perfect because a short film that is made by a student isn't going to be 5 stars, but I also want people to know that it is worth watching.
Conclusion
Films aren't just marketed on their own, they also come with other marketing techniques like magazine reviews and film posters. I feel like i have successfully evaluated how these products can work well alongside each other to reach their target audiences effectively.
The next post is going to be my Evaluation Question 3.
