Anicllary Task- Finished Film Poster

This is the finished poster I have created from my previous shots. i have now added a title, that looks as if it is dripping, creating a scary and haunting feel, as well as adding a conventional tag line, and small print at the bottom, to make it appear professional, and conforming to the conventions expected from a film poster. i would like to use this design as a template for my final poster, as i find it quite effective in its role of enticing an audience who like horror films, with its theme of colours and abstract fonts/images.

Ancillary task- Film poster

To understand more about the importance of a good photo, i decided to take some of a friend. to stick to the theme of horror, i got her to pose in positions that make her appear vulnerable and weak.


For example, the camera at a high angle, looking down on her huddled on the floor with her face in her knees. i also took close up shots of her face, with her hands over her mouth in shock, as well as crouching on the floor and covering her mouth to muffle her breathing- commonly seen in horror and thriller movies.














The camera is cornering her in this photo, making her appear trapped and lost.





















This angle also makes her appear vulnerable, due to the camera looking down on her. her hands covering her mouth and her scared expression work well with the theme of horror.

This is my edited photo i have altered on photo shop i have cut the figure out and pasted it on a clean background. i then used certain tools to highlight her to make her seem ghostly. i also blurred the edges to add to the super natural feel. after that I added some editing to the corners of the picture, to bring something extra to further add to the haunting vibe, and making the whole thing appear eerie. I decided to go half way between keeping it simple, like 'The Strangers' and using editing to create effect, like 'Drag Me To Hell'. this picture, however, isn't quite finished to qualify for a film poster. i still need to add the typical conventions you expect to see on a film poster, such as a title, tag line, and small print.

Simple yet effective

There is a whole variety of film posters out there. Some are very well designed, and include a lot of editing to get the desired final effect. For example, the poster for the film 'Drag Me To Hell' uses a basic image of one character, but has be highly edited to give the effect of the girl being dragged down into flames by a demon hand.

However, not all film posters have to be heavily photo shopped to be effective. a great example of this, is the promotional poster for 'The Strangers'. There has only been slight adjustments made to the photo, but the technique used to make this photo effective will have been in the camera angles and mise en scene. It is the haunting masks put on people who wear average clothing, standing over the limp bodes of two defenseless people that brings a chilling vibe to the poster. The background being a bricked wall also brings something to the photo. This just goes to show that you don't need to spend hours editing a photo to make it good- if you start with a good scene to take a photo off, that is all you need.

Important things to include in a trailer

There are a few important things a film trailer must included for it to appear professional and proper. it will be important for my group and i to use these, to conform to the conventions of a typical teaser trailer.

All film trailers must include the MPAA green band rating at the start of the preview. this shows that the film has been approved, and professionally rated, so to be suitable for its target audience. This green band rating specifically says the film is 'restricted'. this will be due to content that will not be suitable for certain audiences, and this certain band will apply and be used for most horror films.

another important convention of a film trailer is the production company, which is represented along with the green band, usually at the start of the trailer. Here i have included an image of the famous '20th Century Fox' corporation company, which will be recognised bye anyone and everyone, being such a large and well established corporation, it is found to be part of the production of hundreds of films.

I have also done some research into production companies that would be likely to sponsor a British and independent horror film. I thought 'Film Four' would be the most likely candidate, as well as companies such as 'Optimum Releasing'.

This is the logo for the company 'Optimum Releasing' which are specific and found to sponsor independent filming.

Tag line ideas

it is very common for a horror film poster to include an effective and thought provoking tag line. i have looked at a few from good film posters and have noticed they all follow the convention of being short, snappy and effective.
tag lines from the posters featured earlier on in my blog:-
The ring- 'Before you die. You see.'
The Others- 'Sooner or later they will find you.'
The uninvited- 'Fear moves in.'

Some of my own ideas:-
1) You can hide. But they will find you.
2) Death is just a scream away.
3) Fear has a soul.
4) An evil you cannot see.
5) Evil never dies.
6) If you believe, you will see.

Failed Attempt

Although we planned to film on 23rd of October, in portishead surgery, things didn't plan out the way we hoped they would. Soon after we arrived we realised that we were very under prepared. We had plenty of trouble trying to work out the equipment, as well as forgetting many of the props we needed. In the end we decided it would be best to go home, and work this out properly before we returned. Lesson learnt- always test the equipment!

Poster Title Font Ideas

These here are two possible candidates for title fonts. They both bring an eerie-ness to the title, reflecting the genre the film represents. although they are both very similar, the second one bring a more heavy horror vibe to the title. the letters look as if they are dripping, possibly with ink, or perhaps blood? However i think that maybe it might be a little too much. The top one includes small spaces in the colouring, making it appear old and as if it is disintegrating. if i were to use this is would put it against a dark background and ,make it appears as if the lettering is glowing luminous, like a ghost.

Horror film- Plans and Preparation

My group ( James Pemberton and Lucy Williams) and I have developed our ideas and have come with the basic outline for our trailer. We have decided to do something based on the paranormal style of horror. We have decided to have our characters be actors in a ghost hunting style programme, who go to investigate a haunted premises. Beacause we understand that we are making a teaser trailer, we know that we dont need to give too much of a story away, and using a basic, brief, but effective outline will be suitable. We are planning on mixing clips of the film with text to create effect and suspense. the pace will start of easy and then there will be a point wehere it picks up and kicks in. We will have one sort clip at the end to be the climax, along with ambient music to creat atmosphere, and then fade out the the title of the film.

We have all decided on the title to be 'The Senseless'. We thought that this fit in well with the idea of the paranormal, as senseless indicated towards the ghosts not feeling, or perhaps towards the characters not being able to sense their presence. we had a few other ideas, for example, 'Unknow Void', which was a popular runner up, and also 'Lights Out'. We asked our peers and teachers to help us decide which was the most effective name to title our film.

We have also decided on the date we will film on- The 23rd of October. us and our three member cast will be spending the day Portishead surgery, where James' dad has given us permision to film. We are hoping that we will get all our footage done in that day. To creat the vibe of the place looking eerie and haunted, we thought that maybe we will do some shots outside an old manor style house, and incorporate them with the inside of the surgery.

Our cast members consists of two boys and one girl. The main character who will be the show 'presenter' will be Alex Thomas, along with Sam Douglas-Jones, and Rosy Reeves to be the vunerable female.

My group and I have decided we will do the filming and all other preparation tasks together, coming up with a loose storyboard. However we thought it would be more flexible for us to all edit our clips and teaser trailer individually, so to make it easier to show who has done what in the work. This also makes it more flexible when filming, becuase if one member of the group is fond of a certain scene, but the other members not so much, then they're not oblidged to use it.

Ancillary task- Magazine cover

As i have chosen to do a magazine front cover, to promote my horror film trailer, i have decided to use Empire magazine to be the host of this. To make sure it is clear to my audience that i am doing a cover for this magazine, i will need to stick to some precise conventions. For example- The red, white, and black colours to be dominating, as well as the master head.

Magazine covers' analysis

This is the front cover for the film magazine 'Empire'. their typical colours scheme is predominately simple and traditional colours of the tabloid world- white,black, and a bold red. The master head is in a simple font, with bold, capital red lettering to stand out, even if other wording and imaging is placed over it. The two main pieces of writing, being
the masthead and the subheading of 'Inception' (the film being promoted) are in the eye catching red colour, dominating the cover and indicating towards their importance over the other texts. The backing image of this i found very effective, it being a slightly faded and transparent photo of a birds eye view of a city. The texts on the page are all at an angle, giving them an almost 3D effect, as if they are coming out of the page, which sets this magazine apart from others making it really stand out. The main focal
point,however, is the character dominating the cover. he is in a sleek suit, holding a gun, with a concerned look on his face. He gives a classy and sophisticated feel to the cover. Also, his high status of celebrity in the acting world makes a selling point for the magazine.





The magazine contrasts the previous. it doesn't stick to the conventional schemes and ways of empire magazine, but changes to fit the film it is promoting. the cover inst full of text to crowd the page, but it kept clean with just a few important subheadings and extras, to keep the main focal on the image. i like the minimalist vibe it gives off, it leave the cover looking fresh and sophisticated.

The dominating image is really eye catching. the metallic reds and golds stand out against the darker background and contrast with the electric, illuminating blues. the way the robot is stood very strongly, with an almost sinister look on its face, makes the whole cover seem very bold and forceful on the audiences eye.

In my opinion, i find the master head to be the most striking on the cover. the electric blue is so eye grabbing and i like how it has been editing to look like lightening.

Effective Horror Trailers

This trailer set a completely different feel to the previous one. The main different is the setting and era the trailer is based in. The Victorian era is commonly associated with ghosts and ghostly fashions, this alone sets an eerie tone. The first clip is a close up of an old child's doll, with dirt on its face and cobwebs surrounding it. This alone has the power to creep an audience out. The music track then starts to come in- the sound similar to the high keys of a piano, played in an off beat tone. With this, the voice over of a young girl begins to tell the story of a scary house everyone stays away from. The concept of a haunted house is a tradition fear factor but doesn't at all seem cliché. The voice of a young girl, normally associated with innocence and kindness, contrasts well with the words she is say, the picture and the music. we are presented with very old, black and white photos of family's with they eyes picked out of the photo which is mysterious and disturbing. We are also shown quite a few establishing shots of the haunted house, which is presented in a dark gloomy light. the indoors appears to be all blacked and the house is show to be old with lots of cobwebs and dust.
When the trailer reaches it's climax, the clips quickly cut from one to another, of scenes of thunder storms, fire and ghostly happenings. I thought this part was effective and quite stereotypical of the horror genre. the pace them slows right down and the music stops. However the trailer finishes which a shot of a man standing in the shadows looking out of a window, when a mysterious figure suddenly appears. I liked this and though it would be effective to use myself yo finish off the climax with a bad, leaving the audience wonder, 'who was that?'.

Effective Horror Trailers

I thought this trailer for the film 'The Strangers' was particularly effective in the contrast of tones from begging to end. the trailer starts with clips of homely and friendly houses in a slide show style, along with an ambient sound to compliment this, an old fashioned song.but then quickly deteriorates in to something much darker and sinister. along with this 'homely feel' the trailer gives out, there is also the topic of love and two young vulnerable characters alone together. the tone changes with a whisper and the pace quickens along, using the slide show style with clips and images of the scary events. i found the shutter sound added effect to the mood of horror, and the editing of the picture, in dark tones with sepia and reds standing out and appearing as they are old photos from the past. I think the slide show, shutter style would be an effective quality to apply to my own teaser trailer.

Horror Film's Poster Analysis

I find this poster to be quite successful in drawing in the audience, as well as being clear as to what genre the film is, it is effective in its choice of colours- a piercing bright ring against a dark eerie back ground. The poster does give much away as to what the film is about, but it entices you with its mystery and makes you know horror is involved. i also like the slogan used, it's short snappy and scary. i think it would be a good idea to think up i slogan of my own for the movie poster i will produce.











I like the imagery used in this poster. the woman's face looks scared as if she is bracing herself for something and the orange glow of lighting brings a creepy vibe to it. unlike The Ring's poster, this one included the name of an actress quite largely pasted across the front. This shows she must be quite an established actress, and be one of the selling point of the film. The post for ' The Others' also has quotes from newspapers reviews from established companies- New York Observer, and Rolling Stones magazine. This shows that the film is well noted by the media, and further convinces its audience to watch it. similarities with the previous poster is the wording in a luminous white colours, as well as a ghostly slogan, 'Sooner or later they will find you'. its sparks questions as to who 'they' are, brings a ghostly feel to the whole thing.







I find this poster much more chilling compared to the other two. the colourless, gloomy soundings creates a ghostly feel, and the dark, shadowy figure bring mystery and suspense to the poster. the way the figure is looking into a closed door is a creepy indication that they are an intruder. i like the way that the title and other wording is written as if drawn onto a steamed up window, however i think the film title shold be larger and possibly higher up, as it is drowned by the other wording around it. a sligan seems to be a common feature of horror film posters, however again i feel this should be placed on a different area of the poster as it blends in too much with the small print.

Course work- Horror Collage

I have Created a mixture of eerie, scary and creepy pictures for inspiration towards the horror film trailer i will be producing. I included classic horror film traits such as a scary house and misty woods, that are very familiar to the genre of horror.

Media Coursework A2

The option I have chosen to do for my Media Studies A2 Course work, is a promotional package for a new film, including a teaser trailer and the two following options I have decided one to accompany the is a film magazine front cover, and a poster for the film.


I chose this option because I think it will be good to learn new skills in video editing and well as camera work and filming, a change from magazines last year. I also take a strong interest in films so this will help me be more imaginative with my ideas.

I think I will also do the genre of 'Horror' for my teaer trailer. im my opinion, horror is an interesting trailer to emulate, and does well in inticing and drawing in an audience. A lot of the time horror trailers lerave us wanting more becuase of their sense of mystery; they generally end in a bag, leaving the audience filled with suspense, wanting to know what is going to happen and why.

Evalutaion

As Media Course Work

Development of double page spread

Final contents page design

i have now added for structure to this page. text boxes and headings show where i will place information, and clean lines give these boxes more definition.

I have now added my text into the featured box. i used bold red lettering for the main subheadings, and a description in smaller lettering to add more information. i have also added extra features such as '80 Friendly Fires' to fill up some space and added an image for the 'ALT review'.

Contents page development

This is the basic design for my contents page. The layout is based largely on one from Q magazine.i have added in the vital features first, such as the title, my magazine title, the date and the main focus, being the photo. i will be sticking to a colour scheme and black, white, and a nit of red. these colours or typical of the print industry because they are bold and alter your attention.

Final front cover design

This is my complete front cover design. i based certain aspects of the layout on Q magazine, as well as the colour scheme. i decided to keep the colour scheme very simple, using mostly white with certain areas being red to give it a bit more colour. these colours are also typical of music magazines such as Q and NME and tabloid newspapers, mostly because they are eye catching. i like the page flip i have added in the top left hand corner, its just something a little extra that gives the whole cover a more professional feel. i can afford to not crowd the page with text and extra images because the angle of the people allow a lot of page to already be filled, so makes it seem busy even with lots of subtitles and boxes.

Process of front cover

Almost finished. i have added a tag line under the title as this is a common feature for magazines. i have also put in the price, issue number, date, and a bar code, as well as adding an extra subtitle to fill in the blank spaces.






















Now the cover looks more developed. i added extra text such as other bands included in the magazine, and some extra information in the exclusive article on 'Clear the Coast'.






















This is what i started with. it took me a while to find the perfect font for the title because i wanted something that would fit the genre of the magazine but i think this one fits in well. at the moment things are very basic and the cover looks more like a poster then a front page.

Photo choice for front cover

This is the photo i decided to use for my front cover. i chose this photo for a number of reasons, but mostly because i like the angle and think it will fit well for a front cover. there are empty areas to add text and room at the top to fit in a master head. i could imagine this photo on the front of NME or Kerrang magazine. i think this photo also captures each person as well, no one is out of focus or too much to the back.

i Slightly edited the photo becuase i thought the colours looked a bit too dull for it to be a music magazine. i wanted it to be a bit brigter so i bought some warmth to the photo my bringing out the yellow tones and highlighting the shadows to make the colours stand out further.

Photos for front cover

This is an example screen shot of how i tweeked the contrasts of a photo to give it more depth. i dragged the contrast up and the brightness down to create more shadow. i think it gave i more grungey look to my photo.

This is screen shot of how i changed a picture to black and white, by using the grey scale filter.

e filter.

Front page ideas and developments

This design was my first idea for my music magazine. i wanted to go for a modern, young vibe so i used futuristic fonts and bright colours. i liked the title font and i also likes the ink splatter in the corner of the page. However i found that it was hard to over lap words, and also when a picture background was applies behind, it was hard to erase the white box surrounding the splatter image.

I Tried a different style and approach to my front cover. i decided to do something a little more basic and simple. i wasn't as fond of this title as the previous one as i thought i looked unprofessional.

Contents flatplan

For my contents page i chose to emulate the basic layout of the Q magazine contents page I uploaded previously. this is the basic flat plan i created.

Contents pages

this NME contents page is also quite similar the the Q magazine contents. the same coulour scheme is used (red black and white) which are calssic colous of newspapers and tabloids. However, this contents page is more filled with alot more writing. Although this may seem more fussy, it could be useful as it had a band index, making it easier to locate the pages a certain band feature on.