Ancillary Tasks

Ancillary Tasks

Hello and welcome to the Ancillary Tasks page of my blog! I will begin by researching and focusing on Film Posters, particularly those for short films and then move on to Film Reviews! We have to create our own Film Poster and then write a film review and these two ancillary tasks are extremely important because you know what they say, every mark counts!

05/01/18

Film Poster

I will begin by researching what makes a good film poster! (this bit is more mainstream but I'll focus on smaller, short films afterwards!)

7 Elements of a Great Film Poster:

1) Attention - jump out from the wall

A film poster must grab the attention of people passing by and encourage them to look and take an interest in the poster and subsequently, the film. A classic example (see above) is The Hangover. None are that beautiful or out of this world but they're so effective at getting people to look and grabbing their attention. The bright lighting, head to shoulder images of the characters and the flashy gradient background make these posters impossible not to look at!

2) Iconography - showing without telling

A film poster must be able to present the themes in the film without having to explicitly say what the film is about. Imagery can be used, whether it's a close-up of a character or item that plays a significant role in the narrative, if you combine this with an amazing design then you create a great way to grab attention and create interest immediately. The Jennifer's Body (see above) poster is a classic example of this and is inspired quite a lot by True Blood (also pictured above). They use sex appeal, contrast and spacing to grab attention, and also give a glimpse in to what the film is about. 

3) Interest - create an incentive to see the film

Another great idea for a film poster is to use an image that provides viewers with an idea of the storyline. Many of the greatest modern film posters put the viewer in the middle of a scene from the film, which creates tension and a major incentive. The incentive is that in order to resolve the situation that the viewer sees, they must watch the film and find out what happens. The Inception (see above) poster does just this, as it puts viewers in the middle of a scene from the film that can only be explained by seeing what occurs before and after it. Clever I know!

4) Appeal - create desire with fans and non-fans alike

Studios can rely on the 'true fans' to see their new releases regardless of its review coverage or promotional materials, as with the studios producing comic book adaptations more frequently, great film posters use this duel appeal to ensure their advertising is more effective. The Inglourious Basterds (see above) poster is made by one of the world's most popular and successful film directors, yet it barely gives him any credit on the poster. This is because Quentin Tarantino fans are most likely already aware of the film itself while newer fans are not that interested in its history. This kind of promotional poster is contrasts the marketing materials used for films that draw appeal from the involvement of a particular actor. Fans of actors are generally not as die-hard as fans of directors or producers, therefore it is the actors' names that appear in large font to grab attention. The stronger the audience's bond, the less significant it becomes to draw attention to features that are appealing to current fans.

5) Style - a look that's consistent with the film

A successful poster that is memorable must have style! Some of the best posters out there use bold, unique artistic styles to their advantage. What makes these posters different from their less appealing art-for-art's-sake rivals is that they have a consistent style, in both the movie's promotional materials and throughout the actual film. The poster for Watchmen (see above) is a classic example of this technique being successful. As the poster has an easily recognisable comic book style, it catches fans' of books attention. It is also accurate in the sense that it uses the same type of stylised imagery as the film itself. This consistency means its a recognisable image for DVD and other releases rather than just being a theatre-based marketing tool. 

6) Lasting Appeal - a look that suits other formats 

Many more films now use contrasting designs for their DVD cover compared to their in-theater promo posters. However, most of the classic and blockbuster films still use the same poster for both. This means that the imagery, titles and primary points of interest  need to be just as recognisable on a small DVD case as they are on a large film poster. The Jurassic Park (see above) poster is a great example of this feature, as it uses imagery which is just as clear as when its really big. For a poster to be successful in the long-term, it must have a scalable, clear and lasting design appeal.

7) Recognisability - if it's a sequel, make it obvious

Sometimes, the whole box office seems to be made up of sequels. Some of the most dependable films - financially - are sequels to successful franchises. Not many films can guarantee studios income like a great sequel, which explains why sequel posters tend to be closely linked to the first release, usually with a large clear title in the top third of the canvas and immediately recognisable imagery throughout it. The Godfather (see above) and the two sequels in the franchise are a brilliant, valid example, as all three use the same style and design, using the critical and commercial success of the previous films in the franchise to attract would-be viewers.

SOURCE - Here's where I found all of the above information 

That's the mainstream bit over and done with, now it's time to research and focus on film posters for short films! Hooray!

10/01/18

Short film posters research

Connected:

Font

- Clear and bold title
- Stands out for the audience
- Links to the title - the Ns are connected

Alignment

- The title is in the centre horizontally, but lower down to give full focus to the image
- The names of the three main actors/actresses are evenly aligned below the title to catch attention

Colour

- Dark and dull colour scheme, gives a hint to the atmosphere the film creates
- The characters are dark with a light background to draw attention to the characters

Image

- Doesn't give too much away
- Links to the title as the two characters are 'connected'

Key Features

- Clear image of the connected men showing the characters in the film
- Clear and bold title of the short film in the same colour as the men. Connects the 'Connected Men' with the Short Film Title
- Details of the Short Film located under the title; including Actors and Directors

Hirsute:

Font

- Font is side ways - makes the poster original and memorable
- White and bold font - stands out
- Title is large and bold - the rest of the font is small and harder to read

Alignment

- Aligned in the centre - sideways but still in the middle
- Title located in the middle - first thing that people see

Colour

- Fairly dull colour scheme - hints at the atmosphere the film creates
- Plain and normal - the faces are a regular expected colour, suggesting this is a film that will not include any surprises

Image

- The same face on both sides of the poster - one with glasses, one without
- The image is engaging and makes the audience want to watch the film to see what unfolds

Key Features

- Close up of the Man's faces lets the audience identify the characters of the short film
- The vertical text isn't really convention for Short Films - adds originality to the film
- Clean title for the Short Film

Must Peeter:

Font

- Bold, stands out easily
- White font on a black background, draws attention ton the title
- Interesting style, not just a boring plain font - suggests the film is in some ways different

Alignment

- Title aligned to the left, at the top, above the image
- Credits and other details in the top right
- The words can easily be identified as they catch the eye above the image

Colour

- Black and white, plain and dull colours - gives the film an old, retro feel
- Colours add mystery and suspicion to the Short Film - makes the atmosphere quite dark

Image

- A man looking away with a cigarette in his mouth - adds to the mystery created
- He looks suspicious, in the centre of the poster, immediately grabs the attention of the audience

Key Features

- Clean and bold title of the Short Film
- Medium close up of a man, showing he is the protagonist as he takes up most of the page
- Awards that the Short Film has won are along the bottom
- The cast and characters are listed in the top right. This isn't very conventional but is put there due to blank space

SOURCE - Link to where I found the information on these short films

13/01/18

Tagline

Today I focused on an important element of Short Film posters - the tagline! Here's a definition:



A Tagline is an essential part of a film poster, as it adds character to the film and can help convince people to watch the film if they are engaging. Let's have a look at some through the years of film.

Taglines though the years:

Silents to 1930s

• The Kid (1921) - '6 reels of joy'
• King Kong (1933) - 'The strangest story ever conceived by man'
• Algiers (1938) - 'The Most Passionate Adventure of Them All'

1940s

• Pinocchio (1940) - 'For anyone who has ever wished upon a star'
• Mildred Pierce (1945) - 'A mother's love leads to murder'
• White Heat (1949) - 'Pick up the pieces folks, Jimmy's in action again'

1950s

• The Asphalt Jungle (1950) - 'The City Under the City'
• Marty (1955) - 'It's the love story of an unsung hero'
• Some Like It Hot (1959) - 'The movie too HOT for words'

1960s

• Splendor in the Grass (1961) - 'There is a miracle in being young...and a fear'
• Romeo and Juliet (1968) - 'No ordinary love story...'
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) - Not that it matters, but most of it is true'

1970s

• McCabe &Mrs. Miller (1971) - 'Name Your Poison'
• Family Plot (1976) - 'There's no body in the family plot'
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - 'The seed is planted... terror grows'

1980s

• The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - 'The Adventure Continues...'
• Blue Velvet (1986) - 'It's a strange world'
• Jaws: The Revenge (1987) - 'This time... it's personal'

1990s

• Dick Tracey (1990) - 'I'm on my way'
• The River Wild (1994) - 'The vacation is over'
• Snake Eyes (1998) - 'Believe Everything Except Your Eyes'

2000s

• Catch Me If You Can (2002) - 'The true story of a real fake'
• I Am Legend (2007) - 'The last man on Earth is not alone'
• Circle (2010) - 'Death is Just Around the Corner'

SOURCE - Link to the website where I found the information on taglines through the years

From my research in to taglines and how they have changed through the decades, I have noticed that they have stayed consistently short and engaging, and throughout the history of films, the purpose of them has not changed at all. I've learnt that I must create a short, snappy and engaging tagline that links to my film and draws in my audience, without giving too much away!

I will now look at a few independent film posters and analyse the taglines on the posters:

From researching these taglines from actual independent film posters, I have discovered that taglines on these posters link to the title and narrative of the film, but only subtly, so that nothing is given away. This draws in the target audience and encourages them to watch the film. Taglines seem to be smaller and less significant than the film title on independent film posters, however in some cases the tagline can be larger than the title. Now this research into taglines is done, it's time to think of my own potential taglines to have on my film poster! Exciting times!

Potential Taglines

Here's a brainstorm I created of six potential taglines I thought of to use on my short film poster:

Potential Taglines:

• 'A COUPLE WITH NO ORDINARY PROMISES'
• 'WAS LOVE EVER STRAIGHTFORWARD?'
• 'A GOOD HUSBAND MAKES A GOOD WIFE'
• 'LOVE IS A POWERFUL FORCE'
• 'THE COUPLE WHO REDEFINE MARRIAGE'
• 'MARRIAGE REDEFINED'

I then created a fun video to discuss these potential taglines, including what I like about each and how each links to my film:

14/01/18

Final Tagline decided!

After much deliberation I have chosen the tagline 'MARRIAGE REDEFINED' because it is short, snappy, and links very closely to my narrative without revealing too much to my target audience.

15/01/18

Font

Having a suitable font for a film poster is an essential element to make it look professional and engaging for the target audience. The font must link to the image on the poster and the atmosphere that the film creates.

This is an iconic font of the film The Godfather. It is easily recognisable on the different film posters for the movie because it is so original and automatically when you see the font, you know what film it belongs to. From this font, I have learnt that for my film poster I must try to have a font that will make my poster easily recognisable and and different to other independent films.

This is an independent film poster, for a film titled Hard Promises. The font is fairly plain however it looks good with the blue, water background as it stands out and almost looks as if it is underwater as well. From this font, I have learnt that a font does not necessarily have to be fancy and extremely interesting on independent film posters because they are independent films with a much smaller audience than mainstream movies, therefore the priority is for the font to stand out and catch the attention of its niche audience. 

Overall, from my research on fonts for film posters I have discovered that my font for my film poster must be bold and must stand out for my target audience. Ideally, an original font that makes my poster and film easily recognisable would be great, however the main priority is having a clear font that does not look out of place and fits in well with the film poster.

Colour

I am now going to look at the colour typically used for independent drama film posters!

From looking at this independent drama film poster, I learnt that colour can be used to draw attention to the most significant elements in a poster that you want the audience to immediately see. In this case in the above poster, there are bright colours for the film title and the costume of the character in the centre, showing that these are the elements of the poster that they wanted their target audience to see first. 

After looking at this independent film poster, I have learnt that again bright colours help to make a poster of this kind appealing and interesting. Unless the film is a dark, mysterious and possibly scary drama, bright colours are very effective on film posters to grab the attention of the audience and encourage them to watch the film. 

16/01/18

Independent Film Ratings

When researching independent film posters, I have discovered there are usually star ratings and/or quotations on them that show what people think of the film. This is significant as a high star rating and positive quote may attract more people to watch the film as there is evidence that it is worth watching. 

Take this independent film poster above; it has eight star ratings and quotations from different film review writers and newspapers. All the star ratings and quotations are positive and quite impressive, which makes the poster and the film overall seem more attractive. 

With mainstream films, the ratings are done by more global, conglomerate companies such as national newspapers e.g. The Daily Mail and The Sun, along with magazines such as Empire. However, as my film poster is for an independent film, I will need to include ratings from niche, independent websites that focus on more indie, smaller films. 

The two websites I found that focus on independent films are: IndieWire, and IndyRed:

IndieWire:

IndyRed:

Both IndieWire and IndyRed focus on independent films and therefore will be perfect to include on my film poster as this is realistic and would hopefully attract my target audience to watch my film.

Age Rating and Target Audience

The target audience for my film poster will be the same as my film - 15 to 35 year olds. Therefore the age certificate that will be evident on my poster will be a 15. We chose to have an age rating of 15 because our film deals with serious issues and has mild violence and aggressive behaviour. We also feel that our narrative may be difficult to follow for young children and therefore people 15 and over should be able to enjoy our film and follow it easily. 

This logo will be in the bottom right corner of my film poster to inform people about what age is suitable to watch the film. This is significant as it will filter people to just my target audience of around 15-35 year olds, as I will make sure the poster also is obvious that it is targeting this particular age group and not anyone older.

17/01/18

Film Poster Drafts - I apologise for my drawing, I am no Picasso or van Gogh!

Film Poster 1st Draft:

Pros

- Clear, bold title and tagline

- Two main characters clearly evident

- 5 star reviews make the poster appealing

Cons

- Layout a bit messy

- Poor drawing (can't help that I'm sorry)

- Still a bit plain - needs a bit more detail in the future drafts

Film Poster 2nd Draft:

This draft focuses on the memory of Gary and Lucy Henderson walking in the forest, with The Observers in the background.

Pros

- Clear title and tagline 
- Ratings/reviews of the film are evident
- Can clearly see the two main characters 
- Credits clearly at the bottom 

Cons

- Layout of actors names and the reviews is a bit disjointed
- Lacks colour and life
- The drawing is poor (but I can't help that!)

Film Poster 3rd Draft:

This draft focuses on the memory of Gary and Lucy getting married.

Pros

- Clear, bold title and tagline
- Image links to the title and tagline explicitly
- Two main characters in the centre - appropriate alignment
- 5 star reviews adds appeal to the poster and film

Cons

- Still potentially a bit plain in places - could rearrange layout
- My drawing is very poor (but again that can't be helped; on Photoshop it'll be fine!)
- Is the poster appealing enough? does there need to be a darker side to it as well as a lighter side

Film Poster 4th Draft:

Pros

- Clear, bold title and tagline
- Appropriate image - shows the wedding and the two Observers without giving too much away
- 5 star ratings gives appeal to the poster and film
- Actors names at the top and credits at the bottom makes the layout neat and clear

Cons

- My drawing is obviously poor as I've said in the previous drafts!

Poster Drafts Feedback from Target Audience

After creating these four poster drafts, I decided to ask 40 members of my target audience of 15 to 35 year olds (20 male and 20 female) to see which poster draft they thought was the most appealing. This would help me what draft IO will use when moving on to creating my poster digitally.

As you can see, my target audience of 15 to 35 year olds like poster drafts 3 and 4 the best, with nothing to split between them. 7 males liked poster 3 and 7 males liked poster 4 the best, and 8 females liked poster 3 the best along with 8 females liking poster 4 the best. This tells me that moving on to the next stage creating my poster digitally, I will combine drafts 3 and 4 to create a brilliant final poster that my target audience is sure to find attractive and appealing. 

21/01/18

It's time to begin the digital version of the poster  - Let's begin creating the real thing!

I have opted against Photoshop due to accessibility and it not being very straightforward to use and will therefore use a website called Pixlr Editor ! I like this editing website very much and am confident that I can produce a good independent film poster.

I begun with the picture of Gary and Lucy's wedding, as I felt that this was a popular choice with my target audience and links strongly to my title and tagline.

Next I have faded the over the shoulder shot in between the Observers to add a mysterious feel to the poster. I have also added in the title The Hendersons in bright white font so it stands out easily.

I have now added the four main actors names at the top of the poster, along with the age certificate in the bottom right corner, the tagline, and the line 'NewVision Productions presents...' to make the poster look more professional.

Completed Poster:
(This is not my final poster, see below)

Here's my completed poster, with all of the features that make it an effective independent drama film poster! I have thoroughly enjoyed researching film posters and creating my own, now on to the review!

23/01/18

Audience Feedback on my Poster

After showing my poster to several of my peers, I received some constructive criticism and feedback which I will use to improve the overall quality of the poster.

Here's what I have been told that must be changed to enhance the poster:

• Make the background image of Gary and Lucy's wedding clearer (it is currently a little blurry)
• Make 15 certificate logo in the bottom right corner smaller and cleaner around the edges
• Remove some of the names from the top of the poster, all of them are not needed
• Move the tagline up, away from the credits below it - possibly reposition it nearer the title
• Crop around the production company logo in the bottom left corner - crystal ball only
• Add exclamation marks to the comments from IndyRed and IndieWire
• The words IndyRed and IndieWire need to be in a different colour font to the comments - red?

After receiving this valuable feedback, it's time to head back to Pixlr Editor and improve my poster!

I've made the improvements and my poster is done!

FINAL POSTER:

24/01/18

Film Review

It's time to move on to the second ancillary task - researching and creating a film review! To begin with, what is the definition of a film review?

SOURCE - Here's where I found this definition

As I am aiming to create my review in the style of a magazine review, I thought I should research the codes and conventions of Magazine Film Reviews before looking at Online Independent Film Reviews.

Empire Magazine

Review from Empire - Full Single Side Example:

Key Features:

• Powerful still image that takes up half the page - gives the reader a basic understanding of the characters and potential narrative
• Relevant and useful information about the film - shows the reader some basic facts
• Four column system - makes the text easier to read as it can be off-putting ans fatiguing on the eyes if it is solid text
• Brief plot overview - provides the reader with an insider in to the context and story of the film without needing to real the entire review
• Film title not in the way - allows more space for the picture and review 
• Written in formal tone - no slang language so it appeals to an adult audience and sounds professional
• Short verdict with star rating - gives a brief thought into whether the film is worth watching, without having to read the entire review 

Review from Empire - Double Page Spread Example:

Key Features:

• Full page image on left hand side - gives the reader a basic understanding of this character and the potential narrative and draws in the reader as the image is mysterious and intriguing
• Bold film title - clearly stands out and shows the reader immediately what film is being reviewed
• Sub-title - gives a a very short hint about what type of movie it is - saves the reader having to read the entire review if they are discouraged by the sub-title
• Columns of text - makes the writing much easier to read as solid text can be difficult and fatiguing to read 
• Interesting monochrome colour scheme - colours reflect both the genre of the film and relate to the image on the left hand side - hints of blue used to attract attention to specific areas 
• Written in informal tone - shows that Empire magazine are probably aiming this review at younger people, as that is the target audience for the film they are reviewing

After looking at two different styles of magazine film reviews courtesy of Empire, I will continue my research and design some drafts at a later date for both styles, before deciding which I believe to be the most intriguing.

27/01/18

Today I am focussing on independent film reviews from sources online, such as the IndieWire website. This will help me to find out typical features of independent film reviews and what makes a great one!

IndieWire Online Reviews:

I began by going on to the Reviews section of the official IndieWire website. I then analysed the review of a movie entitled 'Eva', which you can see in the picture above:

IndieWire 'Eva' Review:

From looking at this independent film review on IndieWire, I have learnt that a critical tone is the key to a successful film review that is informative and professional, but also witty and engaging for the reader. Although this is not the format I will use for my review as mine will be a lot shorter and the text will be in columns rather than solid paragraphs, this particular review was still really significant in enhancing my understanding of what I must do to create an effective independent film review.

The interesting difference that I have noticed between Magazine Reviews and Online Reviews is that Magazine Reviews have the text in columns and are shorter where as Online reviews are longer and tend to be in normal paragraphs. I will definitely create a Magazine-style review, however I do not know yet what type in particular.


28/01/18

What makes a good film review and how do you write one?

Today I am condensing all of my previous research and knowledge to find answer these key questions: What makes a good film review? and How do you write a film review? I found this video online that sums up all the things you must do to produce a good film review (I thought it was very useful and the tense music in the video was wonderful!)

The most important thing I learnt from the video:

One of the most important things I took away from this video is that a film review must appeal to your target audience. This means that say for instance your target audience prefers a more informal manner of speech, it is best to use an informal tone in the film review to attract and appeal to them! The same goes for if they prefer a formal tone, then use that in the review so that the film review is guaranteed to appeal to your target audience. As my target audience is 15 to 35 year olds, I will use quite an informal tone because this is a young demographic which I am sure are not very interested reading a really formal film review. 

How to Write a Film Review - Step-by-Step:

SOURCE - Here's where I found the step-by-step guide above

It must be said that I will not be carrying out all of these steps as I will be reviewing my own film that I made in my group, however some of the steps I will be doing. This has still given me a very interesting insight in to how professionals write film reviews.

02/02/18

What am I going to say in my review?

Today I wrote up what I will say in my review. First, I looked at how to perfectly organise my review in terms of what I am going to say. Below is the order of how to perfectly organise a movie review:

With this in mind, I wrote up my review:

06/02/18

Drafting! - the return of btec Picasso! (i.e. Mr Jordan Sollof)

Film Review 1st Draft - Single Side:

Pros

• Film title bold and not in the way
• Four column system to make the review easier to read
• Clear, relevant image that takes up half the page
• Half a page dedicated to text - enough space for an engaging review

Cons

• May be considered too basic and not exciting enough
• Only has one image - some people like more visual reviews with several images

Film Review 2nd Draft - Double Page Spread:

Pros

• Bold film title along with a sub-title that sums up what is said in the review
• Full page image on left hand side - gives the reader a clear understanding of the two main characters in the narrative
• Text in columns to make it easier to read
• Details such as Cast, Director and Studio found at the beginning of the review 

Cons

• Only has one image - some people like more visual reviews with several images
• May not be enough space to have a fully rounded and insightful review

07/02/18

Audience Feedback on my Film Review Drafts

I asked a sample of 40 people from my target audience (20 male, 20 female) of 15-35 year olds which draft they preferred out of the two. The most popular draft would be the one I stick with and create on Microsoft Publisher.

From these results, I will create a Single Side Magazine Film Review on Microsoft Publisher as 27 out of 40 people from my target audience found it more appealing.

10/02/18

Now it's finally time to create my Film Review digitally! I used Microsoft Publisher to do so, as this program is easy to use but can also do many things, such as edit pictures and structure a review easily.

Although m target audience liked the Single Side draft, I created a landscape, double page spread type of review just to see how it looked.

Film Review landscape/double page spread draft:

After creating this I did not like it at all, and the constructive feedback from my peers is that the layout is simply not engaging and good enough for a film poster as its just a bit messy and unorganised. This confirmed to me that I want to create a portrait, single or double sided review.

*After beginning to create my portrait review I realised that a single side would not fit in my entire write up. This meant that I had to create a review that was two sides! 

Two-page Film Review:

I was fairly happy with the draft above that I created on Microsoft Publisher as I thought it looked quite neat and professional. However, I showed this review to several of my peers, who are in the age range of my target audience, in order to receive some constructive criticism and audience feedback.

Audience Feedback on my Review

From the audience feedback on my review that I gathered, the three main constructive points were:

• Straighten up the columns so that the review looks more tidy and professional
• Try not to have workds broken at the of a line as this makes the review look less realistic
• Change the colour of some aspects to red e.g. the word Verdict, to have a clear colour scheme

After finding out what I needed to do to improve my film review, I went back to Microsoft Publisher and made the changes! 

Here's my final draft:

FINAL REVIEW: