Creation of a Short Film : 'Moments' : The Final Film...

Here is m final A2 advanced production short film, after hours of researching into the concepts of short film, the elements that have made a short film either successful or not, the many hours brainstorming my ideas and planning each individual component I can finally say that I have been able to do what I thought would be the impossible - create my own short film! Grab the popcorn and enjoy!

After a surprise lesson, we decided to take the opportunity to screen some of our short films and therefore I was able to receive a quick bit of feedback to it:
Feedback One : "I love the indent and the title, they are very professional. The music works brilliantly with the visuals and the range of shots and the pace of it fit in very well. I love the locations and the facts its snowing! Well done!"
Feedback Two : "Love the ident and titling! Music is fitting and gives it a lovely pace :) Great variation and selection of shots. The plot is very sweet and the audience is able to easily connect and engages with it. Really like the variety in locations, demonstrates the time and effort put into it. Very emotive piece, well done!"
Feedback Three : "Your ident is amazing and really fit well with this piece. Music fits well and seems to set up a kind of intrigue and aids the story telling. Theres something really charming about the narrative. Because there's no narration it draws you in further, you're not spoon fed what you should be feeling"
Feedback Four : "Well shot. Music fits the visuals really well. Think it would have benefited from faint background noise to add to the atmosphere"
Feedback Five : " well done. I love the use of shoes. The snow made it fabulous. Was amazing"
Feedback Six : "Violent waves at the start! I like how the music changes slight from inside to outside. What is she actually doing on her phone? Music makes it a lot more romantic. I bet she's got a cold bum on the bench! Again good music change when finding another pair of shoes! Slow on her bum hehe! Love the quote in big that she sees. Really emphasis on the point of capturing every moment with her photos. Why do the part? :( Maybe they could of gone together?"
Feedback Seven : "I really like the film and its concept especially the music adds a whole new level to the pieces creating a vibrant atmosphere that works really nicely with the mise-en-scene and footage. The filming is spectacular; the snowy London scene are great to look at. Well done!"

I have also personally decided to stream my piece not only on YouTube, but also on my facebook and ask for general feedback to my piece, which I found of great value. On my YouTube account I have received 85 views and 2 likes, which is defiantly an improvement on the 22 views for my AS piece! In terms of my facebook the main comments I received were :
Facebook Responce One : “Alice, I LOVED this!!! I was so intrigued whilst I was watching this, and the music was so beautiful! as was the snow!! WELL DONE!!!!! :D xxxxxxxxxxxxx”
Facebook Resonse Two : “Wow, Alice this was so professional!! Seriously, it was beautiful!! Really well filmed, the transition between shots was so natural and told the story really well, the music and logo were lovely too. It's a really original concept!!”
Facebook Responce Three : "Alice this was so beautiful! I don't think you could've chosen a better title, 'Moments' fits with the Film so well. The music reflected the mood completely, along with the dark lighting (getting in your mise-en-scene!) You used so many different camera angles which kept it interesting for the viewer. The fonts of the credits really suited the whole film.”
Facebook Response Four : "It's beautiful! Enchanting in fact, couldn't look away for a second! Well done you xxx”
Facebook Response Five : "Alice, I enjoyed that. You're very clever! The snow was beautiful”

Ancillary Task : Analysing My Own Review...

So I decided that as I have spent just a little while (or maybe we should say just a little few weeks) researching the conventions of a review and in turn creating a very pretty poster demonstrating these key conventions that I too would do a breakdown of my own review, focusing on my individual elements ensuring that I have shown that each little bit right down to the page number and magazine name was researched and thought about in the creation of my review. Therefore below I have created a fully detailed analyses of my film review.

Ancillary Task : The Big Review of Moments...

Through my research into the conventions of a film poster and after choosing to base my review on the layout of the reviews and pages within 'total film' magazine, I have finally put my drawing into action so to speak and through many solid hours of sitting in the media suit (as I do not have the software at home) I have finally produced my review. The review itself is on a single page however I have created a double page layout, with additional reviews and box office listings on the other page in order to make it seem less like "a review created for the mark scheme" and more like a review of which could be part of a whole film magazine. I have used the name 'Streamed' at the bottom of my page, as to show that it is part of a magazine but also to ensure that a connection was seen between my ancillary tasks and the workshops we carried out with James, as it was within this workshop that I developed my own magazine named 'Streamed'. So here is my review!

I decided to use publisher as a hub for my review whereby I could pull together all the separate elements. I chose this programme as it is one that I am familiar with and although unable to edit images on the programme effectively, I had decided that the editing would be done on photoshop and then I could import my images into publisher. This I also did for the chart which I originally created on word and imported to my final review. In order to be able to upload it onto my blog, I re-saved it as a PDF and then opened this within photoshop allowing me to then save it as JPG image which I could then easily upload onto my blog. I used margins in order to help me place each object in line with another and used three columns for my actual review as this was a common theme I found in many single page reviews in total film, that the majority were in three columns. Overall I am pleased with my review, and feel that it is an exemplar of how research can defiantly pay off in creating a professional looking piece of work.

Ancillary Task : My Chosen Magazine To Base My Review On...

So after conducting my research on the convention of a film magazine, it enabled my to depict each film magazine and therefore decide on which review I feel would be most appropriate to base my own layout for my review on. I decided from this that the magazine that I would focus on was 'Total Film', below are the images of the two pages that have inspired my layout, I am going to do a single page review with the additional page being of the box office charts, flashback and most updated reviews.

I feel that this magazine is most suited for my genre of film, as my film is a silent film and inspired my European films it is not the typical film, therefore it is unlikely that it would be a film focused on within non-film magazines such as closer magazine as these type of magazines focus more upon mainstream films. Also when researching I found a review on total film for 'Pixar short film Collections' so therefore the magazine already shows an interest into short films. I decided therefore that firstly before drawing up a blue print for my review based on the layout of total film that I would conduct some general background history into the magazine

Background Information of Total Film Magazine
 

Total Film is a UK based magazine that publishes 13 times a year, therefore a new magazine is distributed every four weeks by future publishing. The magazine was first launched in 1997 and offers cinema, DVD and blue-ray news, reviews and features. Total film is available in print and can is streamed online. Each month total film provides a range of features, from spotlight interviews with actors and directors, to make of and on-set pieces from new and future releases. Each issue always includes the Total Film interview, which is a six page in-depth chat with an actor or directors along with a critique of their body of work. There are five key sections within the magazine :

Dialogue : This is the section where readers can interact with the magazine, it contains readers letters, emails and feedback from the magazine's social media followers (TF forum, facebook and twitter). A regular feature within Dialogue includes Office Spaced where snippets of conversation from the TF office are shared
Buzz : This is the news section, providing details on upcoming films, including first look photos, on-set visits and exclusive "sneak peeks". Regular features include : Ever met Tom Cruise? (where a behind the scenes person is interviewed), You talkin' to Me? (where stars answer questions posed as famous film quotes) and Red Light, Green Light (this is the whats hot and whats not in movie land). 

Agenda : This section often previews more eclectic and less mainstream releases and players 

Screen : The main cinema reviews section, with every new movie for that month reviewed and mated. Major released receives comprehensive coverage, with a star rating out of five, the magazines own predicted interest curve and a short verdict. Also briefly listed are similar recommendations under 'see this if you liked...' Smaller films receives a concise review and rating. The end of the section is devoted to the current US and UK box office charts, an irreverent flashback to an old issue and summaries of any films that were not shown to journalists in time for the months print deadline
Lounge : Total films home entertainment guide, including reviews of the latest DVD and Blu-rays as well as some games, soundtracks and books. Regular features include 'Is it just me?' (this is where a total film writer gets to rant about a particular often controversial film-related point of view, with readers then given the right to reply via the forum or website); 'Instant Expert' (which gives a rundown of the key facts that you need to know about an actor, director or more genre) and 'TF Loves' (which picks out a certain scene or character rated by the magazine).
Editions of Total Film are release in many countries including Turkey, Russia, Serbia, Croatia, Indonesia and many others as well as the UK.Total films online presence  includes the website and forum (http://www.totalfilm.com/), as well as pages on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. There is also a total film iPhone app. The website includes news, reviews, features, trailer, coming soon films, competitions, screening club and magazine. News is uploaded throughout the day and reviews are uploaded as they come in with a movie database of every film review that in featured in the magazine. It has 2.5 million unique users and 40 million page views a month. The forum had existed since 2004, and bespoke content is uploaded to facebook and twitter through the day. Total films official blog is located on Tumblr, with bespoke content for reviews, news, features, trailers, posters, office talk and covers posted throughout the day. The iPhone app was launched in August 2010. Since April 2012 total film had been available in an interactive version for iPad, the total film iPad app won Film Magazine Of The Year in the 2012 digital magazine awards.

Ancillary Task : Codes and Conventions of a Magazine Review...

 

Similar to how when completing the first part of the ancillary task (the film poster), I had to explore the codes and conventions that were present (example = the main image being on a central position) within a poster to create my own successfully, I have also had to do the same for the second part of the ancillary task (the film review for a magazine). Therefore I have needed to carry out some research and investigation into the current magazines to understand how there film sections or the whole magazine was composed together and what features were unique to that particular review in keeping with the style of the magazine. In order to carry this out I brought three main magazines, 'Closer' which is a gossip magazine and only demonstrates a small column of a film review which therefore acting as my contrasting magazine and two film magazine 'Total Film' and 'Empire Magazine'.

This analysing of the variety of reviews will give me a foundation understanding for the key and necessary elements of a magazine review, from the number of columns, to size of fonts, to the image used. Although I have analysed Closer, my primary research is into the two film magazines and below my analyse I have created a summary of some of the key conventions to the layout of a effective film review.

 

 

 

Images : Within my analyses of all three different magazine I have noticed that for all reviews there is an image from the film that accompanies the text. This is a key visual element as it engages the audience. The image itself is taken from the film and reflects the films genre and cinematic style. The image is placed to the top half of review and if the first place that attracts the audiences eye, therefore revealing to the audience the type of film and even if the film itself has revived a bad review the image to engage the audience to read the particular review. The image is proportional to the amount of text, within total film for a single page spread the image takes up about half the page and is the alone image of the page, however for a feature film review there is also additional images such as a main star. The image is important as not only does it add colour to the page but also enables free and available space of the page to be filled.

Title : The title is positioned below the main image and is usually the largest font on the page if the review is the main element. This instantly means that the films name is encoded in the audience mind even without reading the review. By being the largest font on the page it makes it the most significant verbal piece of text and is the next element that after the image the audience looks at. The style of fonts and sizes is all rational to the house style of the page (example = total film magazine uses three primary fonts throughout the entire magazine which are Jack, Alvar and Farnham).

Text Body : This takes up the largest amount of relatives space on the page, however is usually in the smallest font. Within all professional reviews that I have analysed the text body has been designed and laid out within columns, this makes it easier for the audience to read but also ensures that all available space is used effectively. The style of the text matches that of the house style of the page.

Rating : On every review I analysed there was a rating star system that indicated how good or bad the film was, this system used stars and was rated between 1 to 5. Depending on the magazine this was either positioned at the beginning of the review below the main title and next to the release date or at the end of the review after the text body.

Other Background Information : On all of the review they had to some extent some background information about the film, this was in the same style as the text body. This background information includes the directors name, release date, the cast, age certification ect. The position of this background information depended upon the magazine for example 'Total Film' positioned it at the end of the review whereas 'Empire' positioned it at the beginning of the review.

Authors Name : The authors name is positioned at the bottom of the page, at the end of the last sentence within the text body. Although the same style of font, the authors name is highlighted in bold that made it different from the main content.

Verdict : On every review I analysed there was a verdict or conclusion that summarised what had been commented on within the text body. This in turn gave the audience an overview and final summery of the film to take away from the article. In all the reviews this was position at the end after the text body.

I feel that I have now gained a much better understanding of the needed and necessary elements that are usually used within a traditional review, by investigating into the current code and conventions of a film review.I now have to contemplate whether I am going to base my review on 'total film' or 'empire'. I feel that I shall probably base my layout on 'total film' as this feels a more formal style or layout yet still has a less formal approach to the actual text.

Ancillary Task : Audience Research Into Film Reviews...

I decided that although the Internet and offcourse existing magazines are great resources to finding out key information about reviews, from the different reviews to the code and conventions, a computer cannot give you a human response. Therefore it was crucial for me to conduct some audience research into what my target audience generally think of reviews, what key elements they feel should be included and whether they actually read any reviews. I asked 10 people ranging from a variety of ages from 15 to 56 both male and female and have created a summary of the knowledge I gained from this :


1. Have you ever read any film reviews?
The response I gained was mostly a yes, this was not specifically just to film magazines some had read them within general magazines such 'Closer' and 'Heat' whereas others had read film reviews via the internet on sites such as the guardians media blog and the total film online website. Only a few of my target audience had actually specifically brought a film magazine, and one of these was the one who had studied media as an A-level, with most of the older audience having read them within the radio times or in the newspaper.

2. What elements you would expect to find within a review?
Mostly the response was the obvious "the text, an image of the film, some kind of rating and a title". There was a few who included other information, such as a background to the film, recommondations of other films and maybe how to access more reviews from that particular source online.

3. What kind of magazines are you attracted to within the shop?
Due to my vast range of ages there was a vast range of responces, the younger audience said "look, now and closer", whereas the older generation said "good food". "dales man" and "gardners world". This showed me how infuluential the magazine industry is and the vast product that is available for readers, and therefore although not specifically focussed on film reviews people are still intrested in magazines and therefore is a key source to stream a film review.


4. Would you base your judgement to see a film based on a review?
The response was mixed, some really trusted reviews and stated that it would put them off seeing a film if a repsonse had been a bad one whereas others said that they wouldnt as it was based on a subjective opionion which was mostly biased and that although they make take it into account they would want to see the film to judge for themseleves whether it was so bad or not

5. How important do you think the image is to a review?
The response was that for many the image was of importance if they were flicking through a magazine and saw an image from the film, and thought they were intrested in the film than they were more likely to read the review on basis of seeing the image. It also gives a small snip-pit of the film away as it is directly from the film, tending to include the characters this means that they felt they wrere more likely to watch the film to find out about the particular characters

Ancillary Task : Analysing My Own Poster...

So I decided that as I have spent just a little while (or maybe we should say just a little few weeks) researching the conventions of a poster I too would do a breakdown of my own poster, focusing on my individual elements ensuring that each component that I chose to incorporate from the style of font to the dots on the title to the main image is broken down, and therefore as the audience my choices are understood :

Ancillary Task : 'Moments' Coming Soon To a Screen Near You...

 So drawing on the workshops which we carried out with James at the end of the summer term (yes I cant believe time has really gone that quickly and that the weather can be so different!), and my practice posters of a variety of images for my film, and  the hours of researching into the elements behind a poster, I have finally developed my own main theatrical poster of 'Moments'. From gaining inspiration from the passions that Bill Gold, Bop Peak, Richard Amsel and Drew Struzan I feel I have been able to create a poster that not only reflects my film, but also attracts the audiences eye :

The reason why I chose the image of the shoes, is because within my film it is the primary object that holds all the ties together, it draws together the two characters its transports the protagonists character to open her eyes and see the world of London, behind the work and business sector, to step out of her routine and explore. I chose snow as the backdrop, as it creates that magical element (which thankfully for once the British weather was acting as I wished it too although the train journey home did make me question my wishes when stuck on Ely station!) In term of the editing of the image and putting together of the overall poster I decided that I would not do over the top effects as similar to my film I wanted it to be simple yet informative, therefore I just did a simple manipulation of the image by faiding the image as a background, with the only part being in focus the label and part of the shoe. I have also added the main title to the bottom of the poster, which I thought looked effective when I used this positioning on my practice posters. I decided on a controversial colour for the text, rather than it being bold and brash is more simple and delicate, however I do not think this detracts from gaining the audiences attention and feel that the image would be overpowered with a brighter colour and as my film is a silent film the key element to it is a visual one. The one issue I was having however was because I only have two characters, and therefore only one actor and one actress name to incorporate on my film poster I ended up with a very large space between the names and the shoe image. Therefore through the variety of research that I did on existing film posters. I gained inspiration from the film poster 'My week with marilyn' which incorporates the quote "sometimes you just need to get away", and decided that I could too incorporate one of the quotes that I used within my film "the one thing she liked about the city - apart from all the obvious attractions, the theatre, the galleries- was that so few people ever asked you personal questions". I personal feel that this looks much more effective and eye catching to the audience. However having not noticed this element before my teacher (audience feedback does pay off!) did spot that the quote was the same as the quote on the label (oops!) however I feel that the quote is not that clear on the label and wanted particular to have that quote at the top of the page as although the audience do not see the character on the poster they are already getting an idea of the life that she leads and her overall personality. Overall I am pleased with my poster and gaining feedback straight after the creation from my inital family was a positive one so smiles all round "very effective, it looks eye catching and raises questions in the mind as by being simple it does not give much away about the film, and makes you want to know what is the story behind the shoes, what are their significance, what is the quote about?" (sheila Leng).

Ancillary Task : Audience Research Into Potential Posters...

So overall I feel the best image for my poster is the one of the brogues with the white snow backdrop, however of course at the heart of all film is the audience of which it is made for and therefore I have created two potential posters in order to get a response to which image they feel makes the most effective poster (I decided to leave the third image out of this equation not only making the choice a little easier but also because I am going to use this print screen image within my film review and it is uncommon to have the same image for both the review and poster).

Poster Choice One

Overall Response : This feels a bit too much of a busy image for a poster, which lacks a feeling of a central point in which to fixate the audiences eye on. The writing also ends up being lost in the image and it is not one which will instantly draw an audiences eye and make it the next film you want to see. This feed back I agree with and I am pleased to say that the image I chose also corresponded with my target audiences choice

Poster Choice Two

 

 

Overall Response : This is a much stronger image for a poster, although simple it corresponds well with the genre of the film and the use of shoes is the iconic object that is used throughout the film so an obvious choice to include within the film poster. The central position of the image draws the audiences eye in which was one thing the first image was lacking. I agree with this feedback, and feel that using an image of shoes was really important for film poster as it is from this primary object that my idea for my short film started 



Ancillary Task : Choosing My Final Image For My Poster...

When looking into the code and conventions of a film poster, I discovered that the main image is the most important visual aspect, and for many the most important overall thing on the poster. It conventionally takes up the whole background, with the text overlayed on top. When researching many film posters, I found that for the majority the image was positioned centrally as this is the first place that the audience eyes go. I therefore have decided that especially as my film is a silent film, and that that visual image is of great importance I am going to ensure that I have explored a variety of potential images and that I have thought about the reasons why I decide the chose the final image. I have whittled my ideas down to three potential images, with only one of them conforming to the convention of a portrait poster, two would create a landscape one similar to 'My week with Marilyn'

Potential Image One :
Type Of Photo : Print Screen
Orientation : Landscape
Objects Involved : The two main characters (Jenny and Liam), both sat on a bench looking out at tredegar square
Position of Object : Bottom central location
Strengths : I feel that it is a prime example of rule of thirds, within my short film it is one of my most strongest shots which demonstrate the use of mise-en-scene as well as rules of third. Although the image is at the bottom which is contrasting to the conventions it still creates a focal point for the audiences eye to first go to. The images introduces the audience to the two main characters, however there is still a sense of mystery as only their back can be seen
Weaknesses : The main is obviously the fact that it is a print screen which for a film poster does not always look as effect, the most common way to use print screens from the actual film is in the film review. The actual image is quite small and I feel that it is being slightly over powered by the background
Conclusion : I feel that this image will be best used for my film review

Potential Image Two :
Type of Photo : Edited print screen
Orientation : Landscape
Objects Involved : The back image is of the bench in tredegar square and the image overlayed in of the main character Jenny walking away from her original shoes on the tube station
Position of Objects : There is no set focal image so not direct position
Strengths : The image captures the transition of discovery by using the effect, it creates a magical experience
Weaknesses : There is not focal main image, therefore there is no central point to attract the audiences eye, although as a photo I feel it is effect as a poster image I do not think it will be as effective
Conclusion : I feel that between this image and the image of the shoes this is the weaker of the two images for my film poster

Potential Image Three :
Type of Photo : Taken by separate digital camera (not print screen)
Orientation : Portrait
Objects Involves : The second pair of shoes which she finds next to the bench at tredegar square within the film, on a plain backdrop of white snow
Position of Object : Central location
Strengths : This image most obliges to the conventions of a film poster, the position is central which is first place that an audiences eye will be attracted to. Although it is a simple object, it is the main representation of my film and as an object is the one that my idea developed from. The image does not give to much away to the audience, and results in the audience developing their own ideas of what the film is going to be about therefore it creates the thought-provoking aspect that I was aiming for.
Weaknesses : Due to being so simple, it may not be as attractive as the colours are whites and browns it may not stand out as much as a more brighter posters (example = vertigo's bright red)
Conclusion : Although not as bright, I still feel this is the best image for my poster

My Chosen Poster Image



In summary my image for my chosen film poster is of a pair of light brown brogues of which are the second pair of shoes within my film, attached to these shoes is a label with a famous quote about London on it. The backdrop to my main image is white snow, and the shoes are positioned centrally as to be the first aspect that attracts the audiences eye.

Ancillary Task : The Popular Culture of Film Posters...

The purpose of a film poster is to publicise and market the film. The actual marketing of a film product is crucial in order to ensure profit at the box office, and one of the main and most effective ways of marketing the product is through a successful film poster, therefore within out culture today much time is spent on the design of the poster, ensuring that it entices the audience, provides an insight into the film however still creates a sense of mystery in order to draw in potential audience members. However the posters are not restricted to just paper, they are copied on to t-shirts, enlarged for bedroom walls and copied for DVD covers. Some though see the increase in the number of posters all around as a negative thing rather than positive "Film posters are pasted on every wall, flyover and underpasses, thus defacing the city".

Example of Products Based on 'Jaws' Film Poster

  

The 1975 horror/thriller American  film Jaws which was directed Spielberg and distributed by Universal Pictures had $1.8million spend on promoting it. Beyond the $700,000 that was spent on national TV spot advertising, Universal "devised and co-ordinated a highly innovative plan" for the pictures marketing. There was a logo that would appear on both the paperback version of the book and in all the adveristising for the film, this was the poster image featuring the shark approaching a lone female swimmer which was based on the paperbacks covers (overall it took six months to design the poster). Following the films release more merchandise was created, Graeme Turner in 1999 stated that film was accompanied by was was still "probably the most elaborate array of tie-ins" of any film to date "This included a sound-track album, T-shirts, plastic tumblers, beach towels, blankets, toys, costumes, posters, necklaces, sleepwear and more".

FILM T-SHIRTS BASED ON THE POSTER

This is a t-shirt which I came across on the site www.truffleshuffle.co.uk. It shows the iconic design of the poster. Although when buying and in turn wearing the t-shirt an individual is doing it as a fashion statement, they are wearing them because they like the film and feel that it shall give them a sense of style therefore although not brought purposefully to market the film, the distributing company knows that when wore it will promote their film.

LARGE POSTERS ON WALLS

Although this is not an image of the jaws poster, it is an examplar of how smaller film posters are enlarged to mass scale. They are not only another form of advertisng which is commonly placed outside cinemas in order to inform the audience of the up and coming blockbusters but also avail from music shops to buy in a mass scale in order to have on bedroom walls. They also can be placed within public places such as shopping centres.

DVD AND MUSIC ALBUM COVERS

After the release of the film in cinemas, many films are then released on DVD and the sound tracks released to CDS or as downloads from the internet. By using the poster all the way from marketing to the final release of the film on DVD, it creates an iconic picutre that is reconquisable to all.


Ancillary Task : Audience Research Into Film Posters...

I decided that although the Internet is a great resource to findings out key information about poster, from the variety of posters to the code and conventions, a computer cannot give you a human response. Therefore it was crucial for me to conduct some audience research into what my target audience generally think of posters, what key elements they feel should be included and whether they actually take any notice of posters. I asked 10 people ranging from a variety of ages from 15 to 56 both male and female and have created a summary of the knowledge I gained from this :

1. What elements would you expect to find on a poster?
From the responses I received although only one of them had studied media studies at A-level (and that was a few year ago) everyone gave responses of which summarised the conventions that you would find on a film poster "main image, main title, main actors name, cast and crew, release date, possibly a key tag line from the film and maybe an age certification".






2. Would a film poster persuade you to see a film?
This was a response that I came across was that for some film posters are influential, especially ones that are more unique and stand out such as "the black swan poster". For many the poster is the the sole component that will persuade them to see a film but a collection of elements such as the review and generally hub about the film. If a well known actor was on the poster, one of my audience responses stated that they "may be more persuaded to see the film as they knew from the past work that they have done that
they are good".



3. Do you have a favourite poster?
This was a question that was open and could include any posters, some of my younger target audience said that they had favourite posters of music stars, whereas my older audience said they didn't particular have a favourite poster. The response I received specifically about film posters was that one on their "favourite poster is 'The Cabin in the Woods'", which was also rated on total film as the number one greatest film poster another of poster that came up as a favourite was "This is 40, due to the comical aspect of it, it cant but make you laugh" (surprisingly enough this was young adult males sense of humour!).



4. Do you buy any other products that are inspired by the main image on the poster, such as T-shirts or larger copies of the poster?
Many of the responses were I buy DVDs which have the image on the font of the cover, but I do not buy it specially for the cover. In the past some have brought larger copies for bedroom walls, however out of my target audience members none had brought t-shirts with the poster image on.

5. What kind of image would you like to see on a poster?
Many stated they would like to see an image that either included a main actor which would persuade them to see the film, or an image that left a bit of mystery was simplistic and made as an audience member you wanting to watch the film to find out what it was really all about. For example the response from the one whose favourite poster was 'The cabin in the woods' stated this was so "because it was so simple, it didn't give away the film and though just a single object created a feeling of the genre of the film".

Ancillary Task : Codes and Coventions of a Film Poster...

In order to fulfil the ancillary task of creating a film poster to market my short film I felt that I needed to firstly understand the common conventions of a film poster. The word convention is defined as "a way in which something is usually done especially within a particular area or activity". By taking into account these conventions I will in turn be able to create my own film poster, whether I confined or contrast to these conventions. I have created an in-depth analysis of 5 film posters, two of which are a older style (1958 and 1960 film poster) and three being modern. I have however also looked at a wider range of film posters, in order to create a brief analysis of a variety of genres and eras and therefore also below created a summary of some of the key conventions of each main component to a film poster, from the size of the font to the colour of the image.

 

 

 

 

Main Image :

Object : The visual image on the majority of posters is either main actor or actress or a key object which reveals to the audience the films genre and in turns reflects the narrative of the film in which it is promoting

Representation : Modern day posters are represented photographically however more older posters are represented  illustratively

Position : The image creates a background to the poster and therefore take up the entire poster with the text being overlaid on top, however it is important to ensure that the main image is clearly visible. When looking at a poster our eyes are attracted to the centre then to the top and bottom and then from side to side therefore the central positing of the image draws the audience instantly in

Film Title :
Position : Either central lower third or upper third of the page. This being due to the fact that this is the second place that are our eyes goes and therefore after the initial image the first piece of key information which will attract the audiences eye is the film name

Font : Conventionally the font in one which reflects the genre of the film, for example the font 'Comic Sans MS' is linked to a font used with a primary school font typing therefore would not be reflective of a horror genre so not an appropriate for example for the film poster for 'Se7en'

Size : Largest text on the poster as many film posters are read from about 8ft away therefore it is crucial to ensure that the text is legible from a distance. Therefore it is conventionally in upper case, bold letters

Colour : Contrasting to the back ground colour, as it must be able to standout as the most dominate written part of the poster

Tagline or Slogan :

Position : The convention position for the tag line is a central position on the upper third of the poster Text : They are designed with the aim to grab attention and therefore promote the film. Studies had shows that you only have 11 seconds to grab the attention of your audience from a poster, therefore it is essential that the tag line is short, catchy, enticing and memorable. The tag line must either relate to the film or suggest its genre or tone. Although some film posters incorporate a tag line it is not a neccessarity and some do not feature one

Size : Apart from the cast and crew text, the slogan is the smallest size font on the poster in order to ensure it does not take other. The font is simple, and can be either lower or upper case letters

Colour : Usually in a matching colour to the title or in a simple white or black

 

Actors Name :

Position : Either around the top of the poster or above or below the title of the film. However a less conventional position is to the side of the poster such as for the poster for Hitchcock's film 'Psycho' Font : Conventionally the font matches the title font, with the surname in bold in order to stand out

Size : It is the second largest font on the poster, as it is a key element which draws potential views who wish to see a certain actress or actor. The surname is typically larger than the first name, and the names are in upper case letters

Colour : Usually in in a matching colour to the title or in a simple black or white

Cast and Crew :
Position : This is at the bottom on all posters
Text : It is important that the poster is not overcrowded with information as it is hard for the audience to read and digest therefore only the key elements are included
Colour : It is in a great or dark colour that doesn't not distract from the main content of the poster

Ancillary Task : Exploring The Variety of Sub-Posters...

Teaser Posters : This is a poster which is also refereed to as an advance poster, it is a poster that is released during the development of film as an early marketing promotion for the film in order to 'wet the appetite'. It contains a basic image in order to ensure too much information is not reveal about the plot, theme or characters. The purpose of a teaser poster is to generate hype for the film, therefore within the teaser poster a main tag line or stay may be included in order to attract the audience. The example poster I have used in the 2008 teaser poster of 'The Dark Knight', this was rated on the empire website as one of the 'top 31 stunning movie teaser posters'. The poster conforms to the connotation of employing the famous tag line 'why so serious', however what makes it so effective as a teaser poster is that the the focus that the tag line ends in the bloody smile of the joker and his body is in focus, however his actual face is blurred and therefore makes the audience want to watch the film in order for the character to be revealed

Character Posters : When a film has an ensemble cast there may be a set of character posters, each featuring individual main characters from the film. The poster usually contains the name of the actor or the name of the character played. It may also include a tag line which reflects the quality of the character. For example Warner Bros. released three character posters before the release of the highly anticipated film 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1', the three character posters were of each main character (Harry, Hermione and Ron), each contained the same words 'No one is safe' and the title and release date was in the same format 'Hp7 - Part 1 - 11.19). For each poster the main focus is the character, taking up most of the surface area, beside is one out of three posters this one being of Daniel Radcliffe

Main Theatrical Posters : This contains information about the production personnel, therefore information about the stars and distributors. The example I have used 'Salt' highlights how information is being conveyed about the main star, the proportion of space which the image takes up in the entire poster, this is because it is a from of poster art which helps market and convoy information about the star to the audience, with the name 'Anglina Jolie' across the top of the page this also ensures that the image is not misinterpreted


Video and DVD Release Posters : These are posters that a distributed when the film is released on DVD in order to market the film for sales, it has all the elements of a main film poster however often will include one line reviews from relevant publications in order to entice an individual into buying the film on DVD. The example I have used is a bugs life, it includes the main eye catching image of the background being a leaf and the characters being shown through a nibbled hole. The title is in a bold, bubble writing font with the clever use of the bugs in the word 'bugs', with the production and distribution company located above the main title. One a DVD release poster however their is also the date of the release and a positive quotation about the film ('The #1 family flik of the year')

Ancillary Task : Exploring the Idea of a Film Poster...

Key Art or Film Posters = The main image or images used to advertise a film
A film poster is what attracts viewers, and to one film there can be several versions of the film poster. Film poster's usually contains a strong concept, alongside the image, and there are several key components that are designed specifically to be eye-catching:
1. Large writing for the main title and key actors
2. Director's name
3. Release date
4. A particular tag line (an exemplar used within Batman's key art is "why so serious?")
Initial interest from the audience is drawn before the official film poster is released, through teaser posters which are early promotional posters that contain a basic image therefore it does not reveal much about the film, as the main aim of this type of poster is to generate an initial hype for the film, . Teaser posters tend to just have the title and sometimes an iconic tag line (an exemplar used within Batman's teaser poster is "why so serious?").


Bill Gold
One of the most influential figures to key art is the well known American graphic designer Bill Gold, who has during his 70 year career made thousands of iconic posters, such as 'Casablanca', 'A clockwork orange' and 'The sting'. All of his posters have a distinctive style, each of his posters gave film a unique identity and a lasting impression of the film. His ever changing style reflected a wide range of current tastes, trends and approaches however he never strayed from the tried and tested basics of film  promotion. It was after his first film project that he collaborated with top American producers and distributors, and over his eight decades of work he had inspired a numerous number of other designers.




Bob Peak
Bob Peak is known as one of the most imaginative and prolific illustrators of the 20th century, he is considered to be the "father of the modern movie poster" and has revolutionized advertising in the film industry. He has transformed advertising from basic collages of film stills or head shots to flamboyant artistic illustrations. In 1961 he was employed by United Artist to help promote 'West Side Story' and his innovative solution-painting characters and scenes into a single montage have been used for over 100 posters such as 'Star Trek' and 'Superman'.




Richard Amsel
Richard Amsel did not create the photo digital,photo shopped movie posters that are the norm for us today he instead created "real" movie posters ones that were big and artiful, that had rather than being created from a computer generated technology been created by putting pen to paper. His career advanced whilst he student and the key to his success was the unique quality of his work and illustrative style. He evoked period nostalgia whilst also producing something timeless and iconic, befitting something old and new, and although his approach from one poster to another differed he ensured all had a his recognizable stamp. His career was brief however prolific, and in the 1970's he illustrated some of the most popular and important films such as 'The Champ' and 'The Muppet Movie'. In the 1980's the scene of film posters went under dramatic changes, photographs began to be favoured over illustrations, and movie artists such as Bop Peak work was seen as outdated in order to make room for a new generation of artists such as Drew Struzan. However even in this period Amsel's work remained productive and he produce recognizable pieces such as 'Raiders of the lost ark.'


Drew Struzan
By some Drew Stuzan is seen as the most successful movie poster artist in the history of film. His technical ability was seen as unmatchable, with his aesthetic style being incredibly appealing, his most strongest skill was capturing the best elements of film and in turn making them stronger (example = he was able to take a drama and make it more dramatic) and for some films his posters were better than the actual movie! His work only involved creating key art for completed films however he was still seen as influential on the direction of Hollywood within the 1980's, as films that involved his film posters were financially successful therefore behind his work was the sense of the greatest profit making posters.

Creation of a Short Film : From a Basic Rough Cut to The Final Product...

So after receiving my audience feedback to my rough cut and getting together with Alex in order to compose my music, I have been able to develop my rough cut to the final product taking on advice from my target audience and thinking of other ways in which I could improve my film. The changes of which I have made to develop my final cut was the following :
Sound : I took out all of the natural sounds as there was alot of disruption with the wind. This lead my film to take on the form of a silent film. I then worked with Alex in order to compose my own music, which work perfectly with each other my shots and cuts, adding the atmosphere of which I feel my film needed.
Titles : I have added my logo of which I composed last year to the very start of the film, and I have also added the end credits. Although in my research of titles there was alot that went with the short films, because my crew doesn't consit of many (me and two actors) I shorten this title sequence and made it relevant to my film
Length of Shots : The feedback I got especially from my own media teacher was that some of the shots were too long. I therefore went back to the drawing board so to speak and shortened some of the cuts (example = the shot of Hannah walking down the street). However if I was composing my film again I would also use less of the shots which appear a little unnecessary at the start but because my music has been composed exactly to these shots I am unable to do so now, however this has meant that my film has a more European than Hollywood feel which was the aspect I was searching for, so every cloud has a silver lining!
So here it is the final cut of the short film 'Moments' to get the real experience grab a cuppa, take five minutes from your busy lifestyle, sit back, relax and enjoy a peaceful five minutes!

Creation of a Short Film : Music...Music...Music

Although film is primarily seen as a visual experience, the importance of sound within a film should not be underestimated, a meaningful sound track can be as complicated as the images on screen, and can create an direct effect from the audience. I have created a short video of me discussing my music choice, from how I reflected on my AS piece and chose purposefully not to involved dialogue but to create a silent film, how I decided to compose my own music (well asked my friend Alex to compose a piece for me), the things that I had to give to him in order for it to be compossed so well as to match the action on screen and finally how I feel that the music that I now have helps to reflect the more European slow pace film that I was setting out to create rather than the fast paced, big budget Hollywood film.