Above shows conventions of a horror in which out group may use some of these ideas in creating our A2 coursework.
Monday, 9 May 2011
Conventions of a horror
Above shows conventions of a horror in which out group may use some of these ideas in creating our A2 coursework.
Research: Targeting and audience & My chosen genre
TARGETING AN AUDIENCE
Films chose a target audience to help them specify who their film is going to be aimed at and how they are going to promote and market the film to get the audience drawn in. A target audience involves age, gender or ethnicity ect. By chosing a target audience it allows film makers to communicate and attract certain social groups, products such as adverts/film trailers/junkets/colours/layouts help promote a film as shown in research shown of magazine front covers and film poster. Advertisment is a main technique used for film makers as it gathers a wider audience. New technologies such as 3D is a huge francentise to attract new audiences, for example people are likely to go and watch a film at the cinema's because they are able to watch it in 3D. Films such as toy story 3D was a successful hit making the film popular and having a wide audience.
MY CHOSEN GENRE
MY CHOSEN GENRE
For my A2 coursework my chosen genre for our product is 'horror'. The reason for this choise is because we previously carried out lots of research in our AS media coursework and produced a good opening scene to a horror therefore i think we could work well at completing a successfull product in this course. Horror is an easy genre to go for as conventions used in the genre are clear and easy to portray than other genres that I have researched. Horror is easy to identify as for instance mise-en-scene that can be used is simple such as the use of murder weapons (knifes ect). Also the iconography is easy to reinforxe as the use of cotumes and props such as blood is easily reffered to.
The audience of horror films are interested mostly due to the thrills and the adrenaline rush from being fearful. The usual age demographic is usually teenagers and young adults. Mostly horror films are reviewed negatively yet sell well as teenagers may find appeal in certain aspects of the film that a critic may negatively review, they might be interested solely in the terror and killings. Because of this, most horror films are targeted directly towards the teen demographic as they will accept the faults of the horror genre more so than an older audience and critics would. Horror films such as Final Destination and 28 Days Later are popular amongst teenagers because they appeal to teenagers. Though they may be targeted towards an adolescent crowd, older generations still enjoy the horror genre almost as much. Through research i have discovered that the majority of horror films have a 15 or 18 age restriction certificate.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HORROR GENRE
Themes: There are themes of good vs evil, normal vs abnormal, male vs female and dark vs light. Often these themes lead to the messages and values presented in the movie. Usually the basic theme for the plot will be for one character or a group of characters to overcome fear or evil an antagonists evoke to them.
Setting/location: The setting/location of the film from the Horror genre is typically set in an isolated environment. The atmosphere is usually intense and fast pace, the disturbance of peace in a quiet location.
Characters: The characters usually each play a specific role in the Horror genre. There is an antagonist which is the villain of the story, 'the bad guy' and the protagonist which is the character that tries to overcome and 'defeat' the antagonist. The role of a woman portrayed in the Horror genre is significant, usually in the beginning of a Horror plot the woman is seen as weak and feeble but then as the plot unravels she is seen to be strong and is the character that defeats evil. This follows the 'Final Girl Theory'. The heroes or heroines have different attitudes towards the antagonist than the 'Human Fodders'. The protagonists usually run away at first to either find a more destructive weapon or an effective method to overcome the antagonist. In addition the other characters that accompany the protagonist depend on them to keep them alive.
Iconography - This is what features in the film to represent that specific genre. With the Horror genre the use of props, music, camera shots and settings can signify that specific genre. The use of iconography can be heavily symbolise conventions of the Horror genre, for example the use of blood symbolises death which then can signify a theme from the Horror genre.
Sub-Genres of Horror
Haunting and Demonic Possessions - These types of films play and evoke the audience's fear of the unknown, superstition and the idea that evil forces such as ghosts and spirits exist in the world. These forces are usually portrayed in a spiritual presence of the dead such as witches, spirits, ghosts or demons. These kind of plots include the fight between good and evil by referencing religion. For example in films like 'The Grudge' which includes an American nurse being exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse.
Apocalypse - Mankind is threatened with extinction of the human race by inhuman creatures of monsters. The antagonists in plot may consist of creatures out of space or a threat of a plague or virus that can spread and wipe out man kind. Films like 'Resident Evil' or 'Rec' portray this sub-plot and the film usually ends with mankind dying out and the disturbing noises of the creatures dominating.
The Human Monster - This deals with the horror of abnormality of the antagonists personality such as psychopathology and murder or psychosis and insanity. This plot explores and takes the audience inside of the mind of the killer who appears to be insane, usually these sort of antagonists seek out revenge on innocent victims. The characteristics of this sub-pot portrays the idea that some people are born with no sense of morality therefore leading them to become a cold-blooded murderer.
The audience of horror films are interested mostly due to the thrills and the adrenaline rush from being fearful. The usual age demographic is usually teenagers and young adults. Mostly horror films are reviewed negatively yet sell well as teenagers may find appeal in certain aspects of the film that a critic may negatively review, they might be interested solely in the terror and killings. Because of this, most horror films are targeted directly towards the teen demographic as they will accept the faults of the horror genre more so than an older audience and critics would. Horror films such as Final Destination and 28 Days Later are popular amongst teenagers because they appeal to teenagers. Though they may be targeted towards an adolescent crowd, older generations still enjoy the horror genre almost as much. Through research i have discovered that the majority of horror films have a 15 or 18 age restriction certificate.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HORROR GENRE
Themes: There are themes of good vs evil, normal vs abnormal, male vs female and dark vs light. Often these themes lead to the messages and values presented in the movie. Usually the basic theme for the plot will be for one character or a group of characters to overcome fear or evil an antagonists evoke to them.
Setting/location: The setting/location of the film from the Horror genre is typically set in an isolated environment. The atmosphere is usually intense and fast pace, the disturbance of peace in a quiet location.
Characters: The characters usually each play a specific role in the Horror genre. There is an antagonist which is the villain of the story, 'the bad guy' and the protagonist which is the character that tries to overcome and 'defeat' the antagonist. The role of a woman portrayed in the Horror genre is significant, usually in the beginning of a Horror plot the woman is seen as weak and feeble but then as the plot unravels she is seen to be strong and is the character that defeats evil. This follows the 'Final Girl Theory'. The heroes or heroines have different attitudes towards the antagonist than the 'Human Fodders'. The protagonists usually run away at first to either find a more destructive weapon or an effective method to overcome the antagonist. In addition the other characters that accompany the protagonist depend on them to keep them alive.
Iconography - This is what features in the film to represent that specific genre. With the Horror genre the use of props, music, camera shots and settings can signify that specific genre. The use of iconography can be heavily symbolise conventions of the Horror genre, for example the use of blood symbolises death which then can signify a theme from the Horror genre.
Sub-Genres of Horror
Haunting and Demonic Possessions - These types of films play and evoke the audience's fear of the unknown, superstition and the idea that evil forces such as ghosts and spirits exist in the world. These forces are usually portrayed in a spiritual presence of the dead such as witches, spirits, ghosts or demons. These kind of plots include the fight between good and evil by referencing religion. For example in films like 'The Grudge' which includes an American nurse being exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse.
Apocalypse - Mankind is threatened with extinction of the human race by inhuman creatures of monsters. The antagonists in plot may consist of creatures out of space or a threat of a plague or virus that can spread and wipe out man kind. Films like 'Resident Evil' or 'Rec' portray this sub-plot and the film usually ends with mankind dying out and the disturbing noises of the creatures dominating.
The Human Monster - This deals with the horror of abnormality of the antagonists personality such as psychopathology and murder or psychosis and insanity. This plot explores and takes the audience inside of the mind of the killer who appears to be insane, usually these sort of antagonists seek out revenge on innocent victims. The characteristics of this sub-pot portrays the idea that some people are born with no sense of morality therefore leading them to become a cold-blooded murderer.
Research: Campaigns (Brand Images)
Saw...
Brand image is key across all media aspects, Including film, trailer, poster, magazine and other promotional medias . The key in brand image research is to identify or develop the most powerful images and reinforce them through subsequent brand communications. Effective, powerful brand images that attract the eye are instantly evoked, are positive, and are almost always unique among competitive brands. Brand image can be reinforced by brand communications such as packaging, advertising, promotion, customer service, word-of-mouth and other aspects of the brand experience. A brand which is widely known in the marketplace acquires brand recognition.
An example of brand image is saw. The same text is shown amongst the trailer and the advertising campaigns including the posters, magazines and billboard etc. Additionally the same concept of the pos
ters is carried on through the sequels and the sequels advertising. 
Brand image is key across all media aspects, Including film, trailer, poster, magazine and other promotional medias . The key in brand image research is to identify or develop the most powerful images and reinforce them through subsequent brand communications. Effective, powerful brand images that attract the eye are instantly evoked, are positive, and are almost always unique among competitive brands. Brand image can be reinforced by brand communications such as packaging, advertising, promotion, customer service, word-of-mouth and other aspects of the brand experience. A brand which is widely known in the marketplace acquires brand recognition.
An example of brand image is saw. The same text is shown amongst the trailer and the advertising campaigns including the posters, magazines and billboard etc. Additionally the same concept of the pos
ters is carried on through the sequels and the sequels advertising. 
Friday, 14 January 2011
Trailor Research
I have researched a few film trailers in order for me to create and idea about what I need to include in our film trailer. I will be able to look into depth to see what film trailers acknowledge and try to achieve for example capturing the key shots and sequences in order to attract the audiences attention.
Micro features:
The media con
glomeration for the collection of 'high school musical' films belong to Disney. Disney is associated with children's films. HSM3 definitly lives up to the expectations of a Disney film as it connotates loads of bright colours and a cheerful atmosphere. The colour scheme for this film is bright colours such as reds (primary colours) to pull the audience in.
The film opens with a montarge of dark establishing shots of different loacations
to show where the film is set.We generally get an idea of what happens throughout the film. The scenes are very slow at the beggining of the trailor, as this is the leavers year and it trys to portray an emotional atmosphere to the audience. However, as the trailor progresses the lighting becomes brighter and the past become faster to build up excitement. The emotional atmoshphere at the start of the film soon changes to happy and lively. The lighting becomes very high key as the trailor moves on. There are loads of fades of different scenes from the film used in this trailor, however, there is not much detail revealed in the film trailer as the aim is to make the audience want to watch the film.
There are many songs played throughout the film trailor, songs that are from film soundtrack. High school musical films use there own sound tracks making the audience more attracted, especially those that love musical films.
Macro Features:
The main setting for this film is in a high school, during the film trailer there are numerous edits and locations each showing snips of the parts of the film in order to make this trailer attractive and making the audience want to watch it. The locations which are shown are mainly areas within the school such as the gym. The main character of 'Troy' played by Zac Effron has become a huge fan after the first release of 'High School Musical' which was shown on the Disney Channel. The genre of High school musical 3 is a teenage romance musical as we can gather from the film title itself. There is a lot of singing and dancing involved with all 3 High School Musical films ha
ving their own soundtrack. The target audience for this film is children and teenagers, Zac Effron is a role model for many 'tweens' so this is a big advantage for people going to watch this film. The film is aimed at both genders, girls are attracted to the music and dancing in the film and the boys will be attracted to the sport scenes of basetball. The hook is a musical, involving singing, dancing and laughing. However, if they watched this film with their parents they may also enjoy the film so it can be aimed at families too. High School Musical films have become huge franchise by releasing products such as barbie dolls and toys to promote the film and musical tours for audiences to watch the film live. This is a popular successful film of Disney.
The media con
glomeration for the collection of 'high school musical' films belong to Disney. Disney is associated with children's films. HSM3 definitly lives up to the expectations of a Disney film as it connotates loads of bright colours and a cheerful atmosphere. The colour scheme for this film is bright colours such as reds (primary colours) to pull the audience in.
The film opens with a montarge of dark establishing shots of different loacations
to show where the film is set.We generally get an idea of what happens throughout the film. The scenes are very slow at the beggining of the trailor, as this is the leavers year and it trys to portray an emotional atmosphere to the audience. However, as the trailor progresses the lighting becomes brighter and the past become faster to build up excitement. The emotional atmoshphere at the start of the film soon changes to happy and lively. The lighting becomes very high key as the trailor moves on. There are loads of fades of different scenes from the film used in this trailor, however, there is not much detail revealed in the film trailer as the aim is to make the audience want to watch the film.
There are many songs played throughout the film trailor, songs that are from film soundtrack. High school musical films use there own sound tracks making the audience more attracted, especially those that love musical films.
Macro Features:
The main setting for this film is in a high school, during the film trailer there are numerous edits and locations each showing snips of the parts of the film in order to make this trailer attractive and making the audience want to watch it. The locations which are shown are mainly areas within the school such as the gym. The main character of 'Troy' played by Zac Effron has become a huge fan after the first release of 'High School Musical' which was shown on the Disney Channel. The genre of High school musical 3 is a teenage romance musical as we can gather from the film title itself. There is a lot of singing and dancing involved with all 3 High School Musical films ha
ving their own soundtrack. The target audience for this film is children and teenagers, Zac Effron is a role model for many 'tweens' so this is a big advantage for people going to watch this film. The film is aimed at both genders, girls are attracted to the music and dancing in the film and the boys will be attracted to the sport scenes of basetball. The hook is a musical, involving singing, dancing and laughing. However, if they watched this film with their parents they may also enjoy the film so it can be aimed at families too. High School Musical films have become huge franchise by releasing products such as barbie dolls and toys to promote the film and musical tours for audiences to watch the film live. This is a popular successful film of Disney.
Dark Knight
Dark Knight is a 'superhero' comical action film. Based on the comic’s of Batman. It was filmed primarily in Chicago, as well as other states in the United States, United Kingdom and Hong Kong.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrJL5JxEYIw&feature=player_embedded#at=20
Micro Features:
The beginning of this film trailer opens with the iconic of the makers of the film including the production and company names. The production company of this film is 'Warner Brothers', this is a succe
ssful company which has produced a majority of popular films. By showing the production company in the in the opening of the film trailer may instantly be attracted to watch the film. The other iconic is then 'Legendary Pictures' sign this appears and then fades to black which instantly shows a thriller type film to the audience.
In this film trailer there is use of panning and tracking shots in order to add the speed of the editing this creates a sense of tension for the audience and for them to be able to see different locations and characters within this trailer giving them an insight of what happens in Gotham City. There is numerous edit and acton which carries through the trailer until it reaches a climax this creates a hook to the audience making them want to watch futher.
Camera angles that are used are very catchy and show the different status of the characters, for example when the character of Batman is shown in high angle shots giving him the most power and this continues throughout where as the camera angles used to clarify the joker tend to be low angled shots showing him as being evil and as the antaognist.
The lighting used within the trailer is very low key adding alot more tension. Dark gritty colours are used throughout making the shots seem more misterious. The characters indicate the particular colours of green, purple, brown and black in their costumes, hair and make-up of batman and the joker.
Also, voice-overs from the characters in the film are used to narrate the trailer it not only gives a brief summary of the story but creates another hook as the characters are well known from pop culture so the audience will begin to get used to these interpritations of them.
Macro Features:
Although the main
setting of the Dark Knight takes place in Gotham city there are different locations shown within the trailer such as back streets, a car park and bat mans house. The locations throughout the trailer are shown in dark light in order to immediatly showing the theme of an 'action thriller'. There is a juxtapostion shot within the trailer od the Joker in prison and Harvey Dent at a upper class party which balance the good and evil characters within the film with Batman playing a grey line down the middle.
The Joker is shown as evil throughout the whole trailer ho
wever, the context of which the Joker is shown adds comedy to the film. The make up of the Joker gives him his identity, he has a huge smile painted across his face and clown expressions, his costume is very run down meanso he is a main character although this gives the insight of him being a 'joker'. Batman is also a main character and has the iconic black all in one suit and cape. This equalling to Batman clearly standing out more than the Joker and his role of the more proffessional hero is shown.
Throughout there are 69 edits, starting of with less edits at the start of the trailer to ease the audience into action then it picks up with alot more edits between the middle and ending making the audience want to see more. Fades are used within the opening of the traile these are indicative of superhero films.
The genre of the Dark Knight is a superhero action film, this has a clear sense of good and evil within the film and the motives behind it. The characters costumes add the sense of identity to their individuallity and type of their character. The superhero's true identiy is conceal with their flaws and are iconography of this genre. Batmans costume indicates his high power compared to the Joker and shows he is more moral and is the good guy. Batman is the central character and his costume is part of his superpowers.
Research into a horror film trailer
The Omen...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv2CQ4ljvDM
The omen trailer in my opinion is basic but effective. You are able to tell the main character and the genre through various macro and micro techniques used. The only camera shot used throughout this trailer is a mid shot combined with a tracking movement which is constant throughout the visual images in the trailer. The shot starts by showing a dog sitting on a step and then the tracking movement moves the shot on to a boy swing on a swing alone, it then moves the shot around the boy firstly covering his back angle which shows the abandoned scenery and tracks around to the front of the boy. The shot is then focused on the boy as he makes visual contact with the camera. The shot is then ended by a black title screen being entered. This is the only camera shot and movement throughout the trailer. The lighting is natural in the trailer as its in an outside environment, however its a dark dull day which is reflective of the genre of the film. There is only seven edits throughout the trailer which is very basic. The music used within the trailer is sound effects of the wind, and the swing swinging. Music is added towards the end of the trailer to make a dramatic ending. There was one location used throughout the trailer as the main purpose was to focus on the boys movements.
The mise en scene used was the dog in order to create a sense of danger, and the swing set to show that the boy is in fact a child. The costume fitted in with the class of the boy and the fashion at that period of time.
The titles used in the trailer were at the ends to show the release date and the tagline of the film. Additionally there was titles at the front of the trailer showing us the producers of the film which is 20th century fox. From the trailer we are able to establish that the young boy is the main character of the film and the narrative revolves around him.
From watching the trailer we are able to establish that the storyline revolves around a horror relating to the devil due to the name of the film and the titles featured at the end of the trailer relating to 6.6.6. which is commonly known as 'the devils number'.
The setting of the shot is important to the storyline as its the boys home and it adds a sense of danger as it implies the area is surrounding by land as there is no other signs of buildings which would be the perfect location for a dramatic event to occur.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrJL5JxEYIw&feature=player_embedded#at=20
Micro Features:
The beginning of this film trailer opens with the iconic of the makers of the film including the production and company names. The production company of this film is 'Warner Brothers', this is a succe
ssful company which has produced a majority of popular films. By showing the production company in the in the opening of the film trailer may instantly be attracted to watch the film. The other iconic is then 'Legendary Pictures' sign this appears and then fades to black which instantly shows a thriller type film to the audience.
In this film trailer there is use of panning and tracking shots in order to add the speed of the editing this creates a sense of tension for the audience and for them to be able to see different locations and characters within this trailer giving them an insight of what happens in Gotham City. There is numerous edit and acton which carries through the trailer until it reaches a climax this creates a hook to the audience making them want to watch futher.
Camera angles that are used are very catchy and show the different status of the characters, for example when the character of Batman is shown in high angle shots giving him the most power and this continues throughout where as the camera angles used to clarify the joker tend to be low angled shots showing him as being evil and as the antaognist.
The lighting used within the trailer is very low key adding alot more tension. Dark gritty colours are used throughout making the shots seem more misterious. The characters indicate the particular colours of green, purple, brown and black in their costumes, hair and make-up of batman and the joker.
Also, voice-overs from the characters in the film are used to narrate the trailer it not only gives a brief summary of the story but creates another hook as the characters are well known from pop culture so the audience will begin to get used to these interpritations of them.
Macro Features:
Although the main
setting of the Dark Knight takes place in Gotham city there are different locations shown within the trailer such as back streets, a car park and bat mans house. The locations throughout the trailer are shown in dark light in order to immediatly showing the theme of an 'action thriller'. There is a juxtapostion shot within the trailer od the Joker in prison and Harvey Dent at a upper class party which balance the good and evil characters within the film with Batman playing a grey line down the middle.
The Joker is shown as evil throughout the whole trailer ho
wever, the context of which the Joker is shown adds comedy to the film. The make up of the Joker gives him his identity, he has a huge smile painted across his face and clown expressions, his costume is very run down meanso he is a main character although this gives the insight of him being a 'joker'. Batman is also a main character and has the iconic black all in one suit and cape. This equalling to Batman clearly standing out more than the Joker and his role of the more proffessional hero is shown.
Throughout there are 69 edits, starting of with less edits at the start of the trailer to ease the audience into action then it picks up with alot more edits between the middle and ending making the audience want to see more. Fades are used within the opening of the traile these are indicative of superhero films.
The genre of the Dark Knight is a superhero action film, this has a clear sense of good and evil within the film and the motives behind it. The characters costumes add the sense of identity to their individuallity and type of their character. The superhero's true identiy is conceal with their flaws and are iconography of this genre. Batmans costume indicates his high power compared to the Joker and shows he is more moral and is the good guy. Batman is the central character and his costume is part of his superpowers.
Research into a horror film trailer
The Omen...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv2CQ4ljvDM
The omen trailer in my opinion is basic but effective. You are able to tell the main character and the genre through various macro and micro techniques used. The only camera shot used throughout this trailer is a mid shot combined with a tracking movement which is constant throughout the visual images in the trailer. The shot starts by showing a dog sitting on a step and then the tracking movement moves the shot on to a boy swing on a swing alone, it then moves the shot around the boy firstly covering his back angle which shows the abandoned scenery and tracks around to the front of the boy. The shot is then focused on the boy as he makes visual contact with the camera. The shot is then ended by a black title screen being entered. This is the only camera shot and movement throughout the trailer. The lighting is natural in the trailer as its in an outside environment, however its a dark dull day which is reflective of the genre of the film. There is only seven edits throughout the trailer which is very basic. The music used within the trailer is sound effects of the wind, and the swing swinging. Music is added towards the end of the trailer to make a dramatic ending. There was one location used throughout the trailer as the main purpose was to focus on the boys movements.
The mise en scene used was the dog in order to create a sense of danger, and the swing set to show that the boy is in fact a child. The costume fitted in with the class of the boy and the fashion at that period of time.
The titles used in the trailer were at the ends to show the release date and the tagline of the film. Additionally there was titles at the front of the trailer showing us the producers of the film which is 20th century fox. From the trailer we are able to establish that the young boy is the main character of the film and the narrative revolves around him.
From watching the trailer we are able to establish that the storyline revolves around a horror relating to the devil due to the name of the film and the titles featured at the end of the trailer relating to 6.6.6. which is commonly known as 'the devils number'.
The setting of the shot is important to the storyline as its the boys home and it adds a sense of danger as it implies the area is surrounding by land as there is no other signs of buildings which would be the perfect location for a dramatic event to occur.
Friday, 9 July 2010
Research into Existing Magazines
I have researched a range of magazine covers.I have identified numerous techniques that have been used and are popular throughout magazine covers. The magazine layouts appear to be quite similar in the way that they present their images and information on the cover. Such layouts consist of techniques such a mast head, strap lines, a tag line, images on a left side third, puffs, most importantly a central image and other extras such as barcode and price.
Film Magazine: Twilight
I have researched into the magazine cover Film In of the film 'new moon' this is a popular film that is mainly aimed towards girls because it is a love story. This cover will target a range of audience particualarly teenagers and fans of the film and novel. Socialisation is important for this novel because everyone will be talking about the novel as it is popular so people will want to read it so they can be involved.Young people look up to these characters played, they are well known characters and people think these characters are good looking and dress well. So they are good models towards them.
I have researched into the magazine cover Film In of the film 'new moon' this is a popular film that is mainly aimed towards girls because it is a love story. This cover will target a range of audience particualarly teenagers and fans of the film and novel. Socialisation is important for this novel because everyone will be talking about the novel as it is popular so people will want to read it so they can be involved.Young people look up to these characters played, they are well known characters and people think these characters are good looking and dress well. So they are good models towards them. The banner line shows that the font of the writing on this film cover is suited to the genre, the writing is bright and white almost trying to represent a moon. There is a strap line on the magazine front cover 'exclusive sneak peek!' making the readers want to read more inside the magazine, this strap line encourages the readers to buy the magazine as they want to know more.
The dinations of the front cover show the three main characters in the film, as shown in the writing underneath the banner line giving the film characters names of 'Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson' infront of a Twilight background. The connotation of the framed positon of the characters shows her hand on his shoulder, represented that she is in love with him and it also shows him looking over his should to show he in in love with her. There is a love triangle shown between the three antagonist. On the left hand third usually promoting other articles in the magazine.
Film Magazine: The Dark Knight
This Empire magazine cover has extremely catchy bright colours. So at a first glance of looking at this magazine on a shelf it would stand out and catch the eyes of the persons attention.
The character featured on the front of the magazine is the 'Joker' from 'The Dark Knight', the joker has very dull colours on but the surroundings fonts and colours make him stand out the most. This is in complete contrast to the film poster for 'The Dark Knight'. Also as the 'Joker' is played by the huge actor Heath Ledger, the magazine has a huge selling point. Also when filming 'the Dark Knight', Heath passed away so this may also sell the magazine.
The cover of the magazine seems to be comical with a sense of horror, if the 'Joker' wasn't smiling then the sense of horror would disappear. There is also a lot of text on the front of the magazine, telling us what articles are inside. 'World Exclusive'. These words attract attention when looking at this magazine because it keeps the audience thinking as to what this world exclusive may actually be. The words 'Joker' are shown to be in illuminous green, the colour of which the 'Joker' wears throughout the film.
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Research into Existing Film Posters
Conventions of a film poster are:
- The image of the character- Ensuring that the audience have an idea on what the film could be about or the type of genre it is, this can be done by the positioning of the characters and the costume, hair and make-up.
- The title of the film - The title of the film could be very attracting towards the audience and it should be shown so the audience are aware of what the film is called as they may be interested in going to watch the film.
- Name of the characters in the film - including the characters names could add popularity to the film as if the audience are a fan of an actor and they are in the film they are more likely to go and watch the film.
- The date of release - This should be included so the audience know when exactly the film is coming out.
As part of our Media Coursework i have beeen asked to look at the conventions of different film posters. I have decided to analyse two film posters these are : Mean girls and Halloween. The main conventions of a film poster i am going to be looking at is related font, related picture, logo, date of release and Stars names.
The first film poster i have research into is 'Mean Girls'.
The target audience for this film is aimes at teenagers as the characters in the film
are young adults/teenagers at high school. The denotation of the poster is the main girl on her own who is the new girl to the school and is an outsider and then the three popular school girls in the background who are represented as being a cool gang who are dressed in fashionable clothes. The connotation of the film poster represents mean girls, the main girl is looking back at the three girls and almost shows that she wants to fit in with them.
The audience for this film poster have been targeted by the use of bright girly colours such as purple pink and grey. The title of the film 'mean girls' also attracts the audience and it shows what the film is going to be based on and the title on the front cover is in big bold writing making it stand out, they title is slanded and splits between the main girl (Linsey Lohan)and the three other girls. They have also used big capital letter writing on the quote on the front cover 'watch your back' this is a bitchy comment and teenagers will be attracted to this. This film is know for girly quotes but they have used this one on the front cover so the audience can make a brief detail on the film.
The unique selling point for this film is the quotes that are used and the characters in the film. The main character is Lindsay Lohan and she who is shown on the front cover. She is a role model for many teenagers.
My second film poster i decided to evaluate is 'HALLOWEEN'. There are many conventions to consider in this film poster. It is a horror genre and they use specific things to show this. The denotation to this film is the collarge of the face in the background, and the showdow of the back of a man holding a weapon in his hand. The audience is able to connotate what this film is based on just by the im
ages and the title 'Halloween' that is writed in bold text. Halloween is aimed at the audience of 18 and over, it is mainly aimed at younger adults as they tend to be more interested in watching horror films. The audience have been targeted by the use of a scary image trying to reflect violence by the use of weapons. They have restricted to the use of two colours in this film poster, orange and black. This gives of different emotions such as hell, evil, fire ect. There is a subtitle used at the top of this film poster saying 'Evil has a destiny' this is also a denotation of the film poster because it is a quote that is used. This helps show that it is a horror film. Also the title of the film 'Halloween' gives away what type of film it is and it also shows the time of year that film is based on, Halloween is an event that we celebrate in society, where people dress up in scary costumes. The use of bold titles and weapons in the image shows the conventions that are used in the horror genre.
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