Film poster

Ancilary task - FILM POSTER

Conventions of a short film poster

• Don’t tend to have the protagonist or any other characters on the poster. If they are, then will have been altered in some way
• Have the title of the short film, the production team, where it’ll be showcased
• There are very experimental. This allows there to be less limits, as they can pretty much do what they want. As there aren’t any limits, then it means that they can be more artistic and be more unique, making them stand out
• Use a small amount of colours, as they can then alter the use of them to help with artistic side to these type of posters
• Though they look very effective, they tend to be quite simple. By just using a couple of pictures, but because of the way that it’s been created it looks a lot more complex than it probably is
• From the simple but effective pictures, there is a clear mood
• They create a stronger impact on the viewer, because they’re experimental, which is clever so it’ll remain in the viewer’s mind

What short film posters influenced my own

With my poster, I wanted the eye to be the focus of the poster. As there’s the expression “the eyes are the window to the soul”, but this contradicts because my protagonist doesn’t know what her soul is. The first poster – Festival Of Short Films – influenced mine, as its only picture is an eye, as I liked the way that the viewer’s eye was instantly drawn to it. This was because of the different bold colours and the eye being broken up. I found it interesting as I thought it was symbolising what might happen in the synopsis or the characters and may also reflect the mood of the short film. After looking at this short film poster, it gave me a lot of ideas as I thought that I could have lots of different words around my eye. There are several different colours for the different parts of the eye. This too influenced mine, as I decided to have the colour red over my eye. I chose this particular colour as it represents lots of different emotions – love, anger, hatred – ones that my protagonist feels about the way her identity is perceived by others.

Gros Coup also influenced my own short film poster, as it combines an object with a face. After looking at this one I thought that I could do something similar. I thought that I could replace the protagonist’s face, so you’d only see the eye against her hair. This would reinforce that it was the focus. It also helped me with definitely deciding to have the eye red. As in this one, the gun is a dark shade of green, making it stand out and the focus of the poster. I wanted to achieve the same with my eye and thought the colour red would do this.

How I made my poster

When creating my poster I originally had several ideas. Originally I was going to have the word ‘identity’ written all over the eye. Once this was created I got feedback about how I could improve it, and was confirmed that it would confuse the audience whether the film was called ‘Acceptance’ or ‘identity.’ From this I started thinking about how I could improve it. We came up with the idea of having quotes from my film, written in different fonts and would be really small so it’d create the appearance of wrinkles. I started looking at short film posters, which is where I got the idea to make the eye red.

When creating my final poster, these are the stages that I took

I got a picture of my protagonist and went into transform to change the scale of the picture. I made the picture bigger by dragging the corners of the photo. I then got the picture of the eye and used the elliptical marquee tool, so it’d become the shape of a circle. By it being this shape I could then replace the face with the picture of the eye later. I then I opened the different quotes and with all them they had a white background, with a grey shadow. I used the magic wand tool to get rid of them. Once I had done that, I positioned the quote where I wanted it to be. I went back into transform and clicked on the rotate tool, so it would fit the shape of the eye. If the rotate tool didn’t always work, then sometimes I used the distort one that allowed me to shape it that little bit more. • After this, I went back into transform and clicked on scale to make them really small. This meant from a distant the quotes would look like wrinkles.

When I had done that with all the different quotes, I then used the brightness and contrast tool on the picture of the eye. This then added depth to the eye by making the pupil really dark, showing how she is hurt and lost about what her soul is like, depending on her finding her identity. After that I went and used the hue/saturation tool to get the colour red all over the eye. I did this because I felt that it would symbolise al the different emotions she is feeling when she is trying to figure out her identity. She loves the identity she has, is angry and frustrated that everyone constantly judges her, and hates the fact that she’s considering conforming to what society wants, to make society happy with her. Also using this tool makes the eye appear like it's bloodshot. This can happen with some people when they get angry or frustrated and through this it shows how frustrated she is.

The different fonts that I used were…
• Kathleenie • Devroye • Goodfish • Ketchup Spaghetti • Asesine • Royal Acidbath • Ducky Cowgrrrl • Hesitant • Catholic School Girl • Airbrush • Dirty Darren • Taberhand • You Are What You Eat • Chica Mono • Print Clearly • Tupachand • Radius • Glamourgirl • Ragg Mopp • Girls Are Weird • Sexsmith • Dance Craze • Heather • Keelhauled • Courier • Arial Unicode • Boomerang • HP Hand • Bittersweet

My own short poster

I think that my poster is quite successful as a whole, as like most short film posters it instantly gets the viewer’s eye which is through the protagonist’s eye that replaces her face. This is symbolically saying how important finding her identity is and she is lost because she cannot find it. By the eye having the colour red enhanced over the eye, it creates the mood of the piece and the type of emotions that might have been covered. It tells the audience how much pain she’s in about trying to find her identity. Also, by having all the different quotes from my script in a small font to make them appear as wrinkles, this shows how crucial it is for her to find out who she is and if she’ll be accepted. Even though the viewer can’t really read what the quotes say, it shows how we can all feel that our worries are embedded on our face for the whole to see and judge us. I think that this part of my film poster is successful, as it’s dealing with something that all people deal with – having their actual selves judged. Through this I think that it’s reaching out to the audience and it creates a sense of reassurance that the poster knows what they might have gone through. Hopefully through this they’d be more inclined to go and see the film. By having the eye as the focus, like I said beforehand, it ties in with the expression “the eyes are the window to the soul.” As she doesn’t know what her soul is, having the eye as the focus, it’s almost like the protagonist is questioning the audience what her identity and soul is. Even though they don’t know what the film is about, it’s almost that she needs to here it from someone, but it doesn’t matter who.

The conventions that I used in my short film poster were…

• The title, who created it and where it can be seen
• Not having the protagonist as the main focus
• Being experimental

I stuck to these particular conventions, as I thought that it was more important for the audience to see the worries that protagonist has which is done through the eye being made the focus by replacing her face. This also shows how I am being different, yet at the same time still trying to attract the audience’s attention. I had the title, who made and where it can be seen as basic information, so the audience would know where it could be seen as it’s on a specific website. With my poster I think that I used these conventions successfully to help aid the success of the poster. Though I am pleased with my poster, I think that if I could make it again, I think that would push the boundaries even more so I’d be more experimental to make my poster stand out and stick within the audience’s mind. As well as being experimental, short film posters are know for being very artistic. I f I had the chance to create my short film poster again, I would try to make it more artistic. That way it would fall more into the short film poster category, as I’d be sticking to a classic short film poster convention.

Film Review

Ancilarly task - FILM REVIEW

For my film review, I decided to do my layout and review in the style of the Radio Times. I chose this particular magazine, because I want my short film to speak to everyone, as everyone can realte to the issues that the film covers. I thought that this would be the best magazine to have my review in. Another reason that I chose it, was that if I was going to change the instituion to Channel 4, this would be an appropiate way to promote my short film. With the interview, I liked the clear formal that told you exactly what they thought of the film.

Evaluation

Evaluation

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

One of the conventions of short films is to not stick to Todorov’s narrative structure. With my short film I challenged this by doing the opposite, as it’d be narrative structure that the audience would be familiar with. Though it could allow the audience to become passive, I think that it makes them focus on the conflicted argument scene and the issues the film covers. By focusing on these, it’d hopefully make the audience think more about what the film is saying to them – that even in our society, it’s still important for everyone to find acceptance with their identity.

Short films synopses go round a full circle, which is a convention that I followed. I thought that it was important for the audience to see that the protagonist had questioned her identity, but through this she finds acceptance. Another reason I followed it, was that I felt that it would work well with the classic narrative structure that I was following. It needed the synopsis to go in a full circle as it does the same. I felt that this particular convention would give the protagonist more depth, as the audience would see her overcoming the situation.

A convention that I hoped I challenged was the audience’s expectations, and was achieved through the conflicted argument scene. It could have shown through the conflicted argument as non-diegetic voice over, accompanying the action that has made her come to doubt herself. I feel that this is how it’s shown to the audience with most moving image media. I decided to show mine through having one side of her face being face painted, as it’s the side that she feels society wants her to be. Whilst the other remained plain, as it’s who she wants to be. By challenging the audience’s expectations through this scene, it will create a stronger impact. Hopefully this could make them become an active audience, as they may start to think how the themes and issues in my short film can affect society and even more importantly individuals. Through challenging the audience’s expectations it may allow them to relate to the situation the protagonist is in.

2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

I think that my film is effective. I think this is done through the conflicted argument she has. Through the direct address to the audience in a first person narrative, it shows how the situation can affect everyone. During this scene, both sides and question and justify about her individuality. The protagonist is questioning herself hopefully it’ll make the audience question the situation too. By the audience becoming an active one, as they think about their own identity and if they accept it. This shows the impact of the script and how effective the film is.

My film poster reinforces the confused tone. This is done, by having one picture, which is her eye. I used this because of the expression “the eyes are to window to the soul,” indicating that the person knows who they are. I made the pupil of her eye really dark showing this is a dark moment for her. All around the eye, there are different quotes from the film in different fonts. This shows that she confused and the definition of the expression, doesn’t apply to her. As she doesn’t know who she is. I think that this makes it effective, as there is depth to the poster and that’s why it’s effective.

3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

My film review reinforces the point that the film is about accepting who you are. This is done through the language always reminding you that it’s ok to be an individual. In one of the paragraphs it questions if the role models we have are right to say what a suitable identity is. Hopefully it will then make the reader think about the role models we do have, and if they’re suitable to be our role models. By the reader then becoming an active one, it shows how the film review is effective. It tells them that they should accept who they are and their identity. Not change our identity because it’s what our society and role models tell us to do.

When I was editing and constructing my film together, I was worried that the opening scene before the opening credits wouldn’t work. I wanted to establish who the protagonist to the audience and show the naturalistic environment that I was creating through the handheld camerawork. From my feedback I learnt that the audience thought that it did work. I found that everyone had a different interpretation about what it added to the film and they were...

• It created establishment
• It created the mood of the piece
• Showed her coming back to her comfort zone
• Introduction to the character, setting and pace of the film
• It acted as the resolving point

This was a chance for the protagonist to be introduced, and brings you into the film gradually. When she shuts the door in front of the camera, it’s almost her telling the camera to leave her alone as she’s found acceptance with herself. I learnt that it allowed the rest of the film to be a flashback.

At times when the editing went to a different shot the sound was a little abrupt. After we got our audience feedback, we had the chance to edit and improve our films, which I decided to do. In one scene in the film I had a montage scene of her changing and was interrupted with flashbacks with her sister, which is why she’s changing. With this scene I learnt that the mise-en-scene could have been clearer, because if the audience had seen what she was wearing, it might have added more to her conforming. This perhaps was lost because of the camera shots, which were mainly close-ups as I wanted to create a tense mood and the impression that the audience was there with her. So the naturalistic environment was reinforced.

The institution that I wanted to show my film on was the BBC Film Network, as it shows short films. I thought this would be the best one for my short film. After my feedback I found that it the majority thought that it could also be shown on Channel 4. This institution could also work well for me to display my film, as the channel likes to ‘demonstrate innovation, experiment and creativity in the form and content of programmes.’ This could work as my film is experimental, especially with the way that the conflicted argument is presented to the audience. From this I learnt that I should have considered if beforehand, because if it was on Channel 4 it could break the niche’ audience for short films. My short film involves the protagonist talking directly to the audience about how society perceives women. By having it on a popular channel like this, it could work as the protagonist would be talking directly to society.

4. How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

For my visual research I looked at the public network site BBC Film Network Site, which was the institution that I planned to show my film on. This was a new media technology as it was a public network site, which showed how the internet is growing that we can now upload films and don’t have to put them on a DVD. When constructing my poster I used Photoshop. This is a new technology as when creating my poster it allowed me to edit the size, the quality of the picture by sharpening it. I was also able to put words over the top of the picture and change them through size and rotating them, so they’d fit the shape of the photo. When I was constructing my film, I used the programme Final Cut Pro. This allowed me to use all the skills that I had learnt over the two years to edit a short film successfully, but in one timeline, showing how editing has advanced in recent years.

The most recent new media technology that I used was the public network site Blogspot. As it allowed me to present my work onto an online Blog. I had to create a Blog and for each element of my research, planning and evaluation stages had to have their own posts. Then during these stages I wrote up the information on each different post. If I wanted to put in a photo – such as my storyboards – they had to be changed in Photoshop to a JPG file. Once I had done that I clicked add image and once it was imported I could then edit it. The reason that this is the most recent new media technology is because, it’s a new way to present a project for example. It also means that it’s accessible for anyone to see at any time, because it’s on the internet. Once again this shows how new media technologies are always advancing, as we now use a public network site such as Blogspot, instead of Word.

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