Ancillary Task intro
Hey guys, part of my G324 coursework is creating a film poster and a film review, so in this page i will be taking you through a little journey (again), step by step showing you guys how i have came up with my idea, i hope you guys enjoy.Research into similar products(poster)(25-11-16)
I am going to start off by looking at a number of posters and breaking them down bit by bit, looking at everything in the poster and why it is and isn't effective and how what influences i could potentially take from them.
The thing with our film is that it isn't completely war based, it is a split between war, self conflict, and domestic abuse/murder. I will be looking at war based posters, films which are focused around PTSD and drama.
Poster analysation
Font analysis -
The one thing i have realised about the font is that it is all in capitals, written in black with a white background makes it stand out to the audience making it eye catching, also the sharp font of both the title and sub-title give an insight to what the film will be like; Simple, strong, lethal and blunt.
I like the font because its simple and basic, i love it because i think simplicity is key sometimes and especially with films like American Sniper. Potentially my film poster will include a similar font, because our type of film is very similar to American Sniper, so i believe a type of font like that will fit in.
'The most lethal sniper in us history' i believe this sub title is very effective as it gives it a kind of 'awe' factor to it, but American Sniper is also based on a true story so the sub-title fits really well, i think it will be very difficult to come up with an effective sub title, so i don't think i will use one, however i will keep it in the back of my mind.
Colour -
The colours are very simple again in the film poster. White red and blue. The colour white with the american flag makes him look like a hero, as the colour white is symbolised with purity, holy, legendary etc. The colours work well as the film portrays him as a national hero, and a legend. However i don't think i will be using colours from this, because my film is slightly darker and focuses on a different matter, the purpose of this film is to tell a story of an american hero, my story is completely different and i will be using a colours which represent my film.
Positioning -
Bradley Cooper is positioned in the left side of the poster with half his body covered by the american flag, again to symbolise him representing America and him being a national hero. The title is positioned behind him, same with the sub title, making it look like he is being followed, which can show his power, also the title is placed in the middle which could also show his high status.
Codes and conventions -
The conventions are clear in the Poster for American sniper, the American flag highlights that the film will be patriotic, which is a common convention of war films, especially when the main protagonist is a white american male, who in this film is portrayed as a hero for killing over 250 people in war. However the colour suggests his purity and high respect, it makes him look almost godly, which isn't always a common convention in war films as you'd expect it to be more of a darker tone (like the posters bellow).
The Lone Survivor
Font -
Again just like American Sniper the font is sharp and simple, contrasting with a black background, it seems so far like a common font for War based films, and one i am very much considering of using, furthermore the sub-title is placed right below as the film is based on 'True Acts' of courage, i still don't think a sub-title will be relevant to our film.
Colour -
The two colours are two largely contrasting colours, black and white, its the complete opposite from American Sniper in the sense that the background is black and the font white, this immediately gives the impression that Lone Survivor has a darker feel to the film. This appeals to me more as it has a similar tone to my short film, i am thinking of using darker colours such as black and white, to make it look simple.
Positioning -
Mark Wahlberg's face takes up the majority of the poster, this shows that he dominates the film and is mainly about him, furthermore it shows his facial expression very clearly. People say a picture says a thousand words, the words it tells me is that the main protagonist is scared but determined, ready and 'courageous' like it mentions in the sub-title. This positioning is very good as it shows clear expressions of the main protagonist, this poster appeals to me a lot.
The only thing with this poster is that it is too war focused just like american sniper, i don't think a full war poster will fit for my genre.
Codes and conventions -
This film poster has many stereotypical conventions of a war film. Rough looking white man, with a stern expression on his face, almost intimidating and at the same time scared. The next common convention is the black and white filter put on the poster which gives it that darker feel as the colour black and white brings across negative emotions, furthermore just like Sniper the main protagonist is wearing military uniform.
Font - The font on this is a lot different than the other two, the main difference is that the font isn't in capitals, it is all in lowercase letters with a simple writing font. The first word is highlighted, this is done to tell the audience what the film is going to be about. Along with that 'the mission is a man' tells the audience clearly what is going to happen in the film. I am not a fan of the font because it seems too soft for such a dark matter like war, especially world war two.
Colour - The colours used in this film are only slightly different, they add in green (for military uniform) and orange. Other than that the main focus is black and white just like the other two film posters.
Positioning -
Im not particularly a fan of the poster. For such a well executed film i think the poster lets it down. I like the dark silhouette of the soldier, other than that i think the soldiers in the clouds isn't very effective, i can see the purpose of it however i think it could've been made a lot more effective.
Codes and Conventions -
Saving private Ryan has many typical conventions of a war film, firstly the colours used in the poster, dark colours which don't in any way glorify war, secondly (again) the costume of the characters in the poster, they are in military wear. This poster also has a sense of patriotism as the hero's are in the clouds, which makes them (just like the american sniper) makes them seem legendary and godlike.
Font analysis - Im now going to look at the font of a drama film. The font for Titanic looks like the outside of a boat, this is done because the whole story is about a 'unsinkable boat' which sinks killing thousands of people. The letters are also large as the boat which is named titanic. It is clear that the producer of the poster was trying to relate the title very clearly to the narrative, the colour is also white, which could be used to show the pure love between the actor and damsel in distress in the film.
Colour - The colours in the poster are very light colours, its very bright, this is done to show the love between the two characters, this is also assisted by the sub title, which states that 'nothing on earth could come between them'. The only dark piece of writing is the bottom half of the ship, which covers half of the screen and makes it look like it plays a big part in their relationship (starting and ending it).
Positioning -
I really like the positioning of everything in the poster, the positioning of the two characters i think is very powerful. It shows them in love, together and inseparable which again is supported by the sub title, Furthermore the ship at the bottom is from a low angle, this shows the large size of the ship, or should i say titanic (pun intended). Furthermore the tip of the ship almost looks like that it is trying to break the two up but they are held together by love. Yeah i know cheesy but cheesy did rake up over a billion dollars.
Codes and conventions -
The typical convention of the titanic poster is the strong connection between the two main characters, the sub-title and the ship are both positioned to show how strong their connection is, furthermore they are in the clouds which could symbolise death occurring? As the story is based on a sinking 'unsinkable' ship. Furthermore it is also a tragedy
The titanic poster is powerful but i strongly doubt mine will be similar, titanic is mainly focused on the love between two people processing and getting stronger and stronger. Ours is on a relationship deteriorating because our protagonist suffers from PTSD. I will need to use something which symbolises a deteriorating relationship because of war. I think dark colours and the use of one protagonist work.
Movie poster theory
This isn't necessarily theory yet, but what this poster has told me is that posters are very important into attracting, this is highlighted by the detail put into marketing.
Theorists such as Turner suggest that most of the successful films use similar colours, these colours psychologically appeal to their target audience more.
I have conducted some research into the top 10 grossing films in history and these were my findings.
This picture shows you how audiences 66% of film posters in 2011 featured cold colours. 81% used images and 86% used all caps in titles.
These three findings go to show how colder colours in posters are linked with higher success. Media theory regarding posters suggests that its a psychological element when it comes to film posters and it seems to be the case. I guess the quote used by the 'women' is true. If hollywood payed that much attention to their films they wouldn't turn out to bad either,
I like the font because its simple and basic, i love it because i think simplicity is key sometimes and especially with films like American Sniper. Potentially my film poster will include a similar font, because our type of film is very similar to American Sniper, so i believe a type of font like that will fit in.
'The most lethal sniper in us history' i believe this sub title is very effective as it gives it a kind of 'awe' factor to it, but American Sniper is also based on a true story so the sub-title fits really well, i think it will be very difficult to come up with an effective sub title, so i don't think i will use one, however i will keep it in the back of my mind.
Colour -
The colours are very simple again in the film poster. White red and blue. The colour white with the american flag makes him look like a hero, as the colour white is symbolised with purity, holy, legendary etc. The colours work well as the film portrays him as a national hero, and a legend. However i don't think i will be using colours from this, because my film is slightly darker and focuses on a different matter, the purpose of this film is to tell a story of an american hero, my story is completely different and i will be using a colours which represent my film.
Positioning -
Bradley Cooper is positioned in the left side of the poster with half his body covered by the american flag, again to symbolise him representing America and him being a national hero. The title is positioned behind him, same with the sub title, making it look like he is being followed, which can show his power, also the title is placed in the middle which could also show his high status.
Codes and conventions -
The conventions are clear in the Poster for American sniper, the American flag highlights that the film will be patriotic, which is a common convention of war films, especially when the main protagonist is a white american male, who in this film is portrayed as a hero for killing over 250 people in war. However the colour suggests his purity and high respect, it makes him look almost godly, which isn't always a common convention in war films as you'd expect it to be more of a darker tone (like the posters bellow).
The Lone Survivor
Font -
Again just like American Sniper the font is sharp and simple, contrasting with a black background, it seems so far like a common font for War based films, and one i am very much considering of using, furthermore the sub-title is placed right below as the film is based on 'True Acts' of courage, i still don't think a sub-title will be relevant to our film.
Colour -
The two colours are two largely contrasting colours, black and white, its the complete opposite from American Sniper in the sense that the background is black and the font white, this immediately gives the impression that Lone Survivor has a darker feel to the film. This appeals to me more as it has a similar tone to my short film, i am thinking of using darker colours such as black and white, to make it look simple.
Positioning -
Mark Wahlberg's face takes up the majority of the poster, this shows that he dominates the film and is mainly about him, furthermore it shows his facial expression very clearly. People say a picture says a thousand words, the words it tells me is that the main protagonist is scared but determined, ready and 'courageous' like it mentions in the sub-title. This positioning is very good as it shows clear expressions of the main protagonist, this poster appeals to me a lot.
The only thing with this poster is that it is too war focused just like american sniper, i don't think a full war poster will fit for my genre.
Codes and conventions -
This film poster has many stereotypical conventions of a war film. Rough looking white man, with a stern expression on his face, almost intimidating and at the same time scared. The next common convention is the black and white filter put on the poster which gives it that darker feel as the colour black and white brings across negative emotions, furthermore just like Sniper the main protagonist is wearing military uniform.
Font - The font on this is a lot different than the other two, the main difference is that the font isn't in capitals, it is all in lowercase letters with a simple writing font. The first word is highlighted, this is done to tell the audience what the film is going to be about. Along with that 'the mission is a man' tells the audience clearly what is going to happen in the film. I am not a fan of the font because it seems too soft for such a dark matter like war, especially world war two.
Colour - The colours used in this film are only slightly different, they add in green (for military uniform) and orange. Other than that the main focus is black and white just like the other two film posters.
Positioning -
Im not particularly a fan of the poster. For such a well executed film i think the poster lets it down. I like the dark silhouette of the soldier, other than that i think the soldiers in the clouds isn't very effective, i can see the purpose of it however i think it could've been made a lot more effective.
Codes and Conventions -
Saving private Ryan has many typical conventions of a war film, firstly the colours used in the poster, dark colours which don't in any way glorify war, secondly (again) the costume of the characters in the poster, they are in military wear. This poster also has a sense of patriotism as the hero's are in the clouds, which makes them (just like the american sniper) makes them seem legendary and godlike.
Font analysis - Im now going to look at the font of a drama film. The font for Titanic looks like the outside of a boat, this is done because the whole story is about a 'unsinkable boat' which sinks killing thousands of people. The letters are also large as the boat which is named titanic. It is clear that the producer of the poster was trying to relate the title very clearly to the narrative, the colour is also white, which could be used to show the pure love between the actor and damsel in distress in the film.
Colour - The colours in the poster are very light colours, its very bright, this is done to show the love between the two characters, this is also assisted by the sub title, which states that 'nothing on earth could come between them'. The only dark piece of writing is the bottom half of the ship, which covers half of the screen and makes it look like it plays a big part in their relationship (starting and ending it).
Positioning -
I really like the positioning of everything in the poster, the positioning of the two characters i think is very powerful. It shows them in love, together and inseparable which again is supported by the sub title, Furthermore the ship at the bottom is from a low angle, this shows the large size of the ship, or should i say titanic (pun intended). Furthermore the tip of the ship almost looks like that it is trying to break the two up but they are held together by love. Yeah i know cheesy but cheesy did rake up over a billion dollars.
Codes and conventions -
The typical convention of the titanic poster is the strong connection between the two main characters, the sub-title and the ship are both positioned to show how strong their connection is, furthermore they are in the clouds which could symbolise death occurring? As the story is based on a sinking 'unsinkable' ship. Furthermore it is also a tragedy
The titanic poster is powerful but i strongly doubt mine will be similar, titanic is mainly focused on the love between two people processing and getting stronger and stronger. Ours is on a relationship deteriorating because our protagonist suffers from PTSD. I will need to use something which symbolises a deteriorating relationship because of war. I think dark colours and the use of one protagonist work.
Movie poster theory
This isn't necessarily theory yet, but what this poster has told me is that posters are very important into attracting, this is highlighted by the detail put into marketing.
Theorists such as Turner suggest that most of the successful films use similar colours, these colours psychologically appeal to their target audience more.
I have conducted some research into the top 10 grossing films in history and these were my findings.
This picture shows you how audiences 66% of film posters in 2011 featured cold colours. 81% used images and 86% used all caps in titles.
These three findings go to show how colder colours in posters are linked with higher success. Media theory regarding posters suggests that its a psychological element when it comes to film posters and it seems to be the case. I guess the quote used by the 'women' is true. If hollywood payed that much attention to their films they wouldn't turn out to bad either,
BBFC rating -
Out of the four film posters, three of them (American sniper, Lone survivor, and Saving Private Ryan) were rated 15. This is mainly because they include war scenes, have strong language and show distressing images. Titanic was the only one which was a PG 13, this is because there is very minimal violence. The BBFC rating for my film will be a 15, because there is violence, furthermore i think the narrative will be to complex for a very young audience to understand, it also portrays problems between a married couple, i don't think these realities should be available to kids as openly as it could be distressing.
Tagline -
Looking back now at what i had wrote about Tag Lines was slightly naive and foolish, i began to focus more on film posters when i had been out and noticed more or less ALL of them had tag lines and worked very well with their film. So i thought id look at a few examples of my own other than the four i used above.
'The Expendables' tag line as stated in bold "THE MOST AWESOME ACTION CAST EVER ASSEMBLED" To be honest it was a fairly cool assembled classs but i would have added a few other legends, anyways. This Tagline SCREAMS at its audience, as its in capital letters and bright colours, it gives them an insight that this movie is going to include a bunch of movie legends, as they are also listed under the tagline. 
Well, talk about a tag line. 'He loved the American dream with a vengeance', well isn't that one damn tagline. The Tagline in the scarface poster greatly related to the film, how one Cuban immigrant chased the American dream to become a millionaire, but with a vengeance just makes it all the more exciting, makes me want to watch it for the 57th time. That exact effect it just had on me is what it has on its viewers.
'Courage is stronger than steel' - This is the tag line from Real Steal is effective as it brings in an insight that there will be acts of courage over a greater power.
'Evolution becomes Revolution' This is powerful in return of the planet apes 2 as it directly links to the film, bringing a feeling of excitement.
' He defied an empire and changed the world' - It is becoming to notice how the tagline is so powerful (something that i very much undermined and wasn't clear on)
'The Wolfpack is back' This statement brings excitement to its audience as they are very excitement to see the group unite together as one (which I'm guessing we all were).
When looking at Taglines its is obvious to see why and how they can be so effective. They are like a very short synopsis of what the film will involve and be about . They are what excites your audience, like the cherry on the cake, or the fish to your chips, or your drug empire to Tony Montana. You can't have an effective film poster without one. Now there lies one little problem. How can i become original like they was? Because i can't just plagiarise someones work. Looks like i have to be creative and original with my ideas.
'They gave their tomorrow for our today' - Powerful quote but nothing i can base my film off, it shows sacrifice but nothing for PTSD.
'We don't end war, War will end us" - This one is really powerful. I think that i could possibly use this in my work but obviously only as an inspiration. This quote can mean how war will just kill off humanity, but it could mean something deeper, which is what I'm trying to figure out.
"Not all soldiers die on the battlefield"- This is my quote adapted from the one on the top, i think this tagline shows a lot, it can tell the audience that the experiences our protagonist has had at war has greatly effected him. Now its down to the audience to find out whats happened, what his story is and why he is where he is as a result of it. I think i am going to be using this as my tagline.
Target audience
One of the things i need to consider is my target audience, how am i going to appeal to them? Who even are they. Well we know who they are but how will i appeal to them? "simplicity is key" that is how i will appeal to them. Like in my poster research i have been looking at what colours people like in posters, i have also looked at various examples of posters and realised that big blockbusters are subtle with their posters, i mean I'm not going to be producing a blockbuster film. I'm producing a short film, so i will also take into consideration short film posters and see what the difference is between the two.
Making the poster -
So a problem I'm facing is that, i don't know how to create a film poster. Yeah. I have no idea to use photoshop, this will be my very first time using it. To help me i watched a video on it.
This video has given me a rough idea of how i can actually begin to create my poster, without actually doing a load of trial and error (which i don't have time for).
But firstly i want to break down the layout of my poster to you.
This is going to be the layout of my poster. I like this layout because its simple and i have seen in countless posters such as the expandable and titanic have a very similar layout to this. This layout if proven to work and i believe this poster will work very well for me.
Film poster
I was mid-design when i realised to my self i didn't like what i was doing, well it wasn't just me, a friend of mine in my class (Archie White) said it didn't show enough about the film, he believed that it would've been better to show a picture of the main protagonist. His argument was that people won't be that interested in two objects, he said if there was a face attached to the poster it would make the audience wonder who this character is and what his story is, so the next poster is what i've created based on feedback.
This is the first draft of my poster, i have received a bit of feedback regarding this poster, Lets just say that there has to be a number of changes put in place.
Film review
The second task we have been given for our ancillary task is to create a film review for our film, i think this will be a difficult task because I'm not the best at writing to entertain or writing at all really. But i guess research and planning will help (like always). Anyways LETS BEGIN.
Firstly I'm going to look at a couple of examples and break them down, I'm going to look at the positioning, catchy titles and what makes them effective.
This is done to tell the ready what kind of review this is going to be before it is even read, this is also assisted by the tagline given by the author of the review. Furthermore within the text it gives a brief summary of what the film is about, which may include some spoilers.
At the very bottom there is a chart which shows the reader facts about the ratings and the film. Furthermore the text seems to entertain the reader by using language which can be funny or sometimes even sarcastic.
Looking at this review has made me realise that i need to try and be a bit witty with my words.
A similar setting is in with this review of Step Brothers, it includes star ratings, and a little tagline which usually gives an insight on what the tone is going to be of the text. This just like the other includes brief summary of the film, and then goes on to talk about successes and failures of the film, but when doing do the author tries to be smart, witty and sarcastic. For example when it says 'how much fun you have here depends entirely on your tolerance for ferrel acting like whiny, emotionally stunned brats' These sort of comments is what entertains your reader and what makes a successful film review.
Now of course the soul purpose is to actually review the film, picking out the good and the bad and letting the reader know if the film is worth the watch.
Firstly i need to ask my self, how do i even write out a film review?
This is one of the structures used in film reviews, this method to me seemed the best way to go about it
I mean, this is it in very simple terms and it helps me get a rough summary, but i need to go into further depth to do the best i can, so what really makes a good film review?
You probably aren't going to read all of the things on that photo, but what it has told me in short is to not just focus on the obvious, as stated in the picture 'Plot is just one piece of the movie'. Which means that in my Film review i should focus on other areas to give the reader a real feel of what the film is about and why i have rated the film that high or low.
Now, sure we have watched it a million times in the editing stages, but i realised to my self that i haven't took the time to sit back and and properly enjoy my film, as most of the time we were too engaged in editing. So i will watch the final copy of my film a few more times.
One thing i think is crucial is giving it personality, i mean like mentioned in the picture, if its a boring college essay type of review, nobody is going to read it, people will simply shut off which is very much expected as i feel drowsy reading my own essays, so imagine someone else reading mine in their spare time? Coming to think of it i feel bad for my teachers. Anyways it seems personality and character is KEY.
Things i need to be careful of when writing my film review.
- Giving too much away(spoilers)
- Treating it as a essay rather than a review
- Only focusing on one Area of the film
- Generic arguments
- Trying to be someone I'm not
Film review
With looking at a couple of film reviews, i have the basic structure, looking the key ingredients of how to make the best film review, i have the details, now with my very intelligent mind i am going to create a film review which is in support of my film.
Disseverance
Directed by Ebony Palmer and Nikki Thompson, this masterpiece really shows that you don't need explosions in every action film to leave your audience clapping at the end of the film. Endi Kola Stars as the main protagonist, who is a suffers from PTSD as a result of war. (wonder where i have seen that before). This film goes back to cinemas original roots, as it proves you don't need millions of pounds or dollars to wow your audience, key acting, camera shots and settings is enough to produce a master piece.
This Drama/Psychological/War film is a film set in modern day England, it revolves around the lives of a beautiful couple (all though Miss Thompson or Palmer could've chosen a hunkier protagonist..) who's lives slowly begin to crumble as the husband returns from war scared and broken. The basic narrative of the film is a bit clique as it has been done before. Nevertheless the experience you get from this film is phenomenal. With establishing shots of the beautiful scenery of epping forest to the close ups of war, the cinematography does the story telling in this one.
However i do feel for the amateur directors as they clearly didnt have the funding to get military boots for their two soldiers, or the fact that some of the camera shots have a slight blur, but i suppose everyone has a slip up, or several...
Aside from the negatives, this film has an EARgasmic soundtrack in various parts of the film, which really make you feel like your there, breath taking i know. As mentioned previously the basic structure of the film is clique, but once you give it a chance clique becomes a word of the past.
Disseverance is a film you can only watch once because it will be nearly impossible to get the same feeling as watching it the first time. Which means no Sequals, sorry Rob Cohen John Lasseter Michael Bay and all of disney. You can't quite ruin this film. HAH
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