Introducing Research summary

Firstly, I chose a genre I intended to research based on the genre I want to make a film poster for: Horror. I studied narrative theories in order to understand the typical structures of film, this gave me an initial outlook as to what each film trailer or poster may be advertising, leaving me able to recognise certain qualities within the film that relate to these theories.

To begin my research on film posters, I began by making myself familiar with the correct termonology. This enabled me to clearly highlight the conventions of a poster, understanding the important factors of a film poster. By covering new words such as the credit block, or title I was able to understand the knowledge behind the creation of the film poster. This lead me into researching into different posters, learning the typical layouts and moving on to the mise-en-scene.
By analysing different film posters focusing on the mise-en-scene, again, I was able to learn more conventions of a film poster that will help me later create a succesful film poster. I was able to find typical qualities seen in the genre of horror (my chosen genre, I intend to create a film poster for). Through this again, I furthered my knowledge and understanding of the media product, whilst elabourating further on my media based vocabulary.

Within my research above I saw a perpetual pattern: the mention of 'production companies'. Hence, I extended my research realizing the importance of a production company, and understanding that in order to create my own successful product I myself would need a production company, thus, based on my research I thought it best I made one.

I then created a skills audit in order to realise my own strengths this was so I can assess my skills, so that when I finish my final product I can clearly see the jeourney I have made, and what I have become better at.

Analysing a film poster

This is a film poster advertising the release of a new horror movie 'The Women in Black'. The lighting clearly denotes that the genre is horror as it is high key lighting which is quite unusual, yet it creates the typical unnaturally lit effect that is commonly seen in the genre of horror. This is because it creates dark shadows which makes the face seem more daunting. An effect has been used to make the eye of the protagonist stand out, making them seem unnaturally bright, this could connote fear, it also makes the protagonist seem almost supernatural, or spiritual. The man also seems to be showing a direct address, this could be to draw attention to his supernatural eyes, it could also -supported  by his furrowed brow- could be signifying his desperation and fear. The fog in the background supports this, creating an unnatural, supernatural mise-en-scene. Similarly, the font is made to look as if it were glowing, masked by the fog. There seems to be the shape of a face in the fog, this reinforces the genre, whilst showing the clear villain or evil character in the film, this is supported by the line next to the image 'Do you believe in ghosts?' this is to intrigue the audience. The also seems to be a slight hazed blurr around the image this could be to emphasize the fog effect, it could also be to draw on the surrealism. In order to advertise the film the protagonists name is clearly shown 'Daniel Radcliffe' this is to attract fans in association. This is commonly seen in film posters as it attracts the target audience.

Understanding Genre

To a modern audience, genre, is merely a means of categorising a film, a way of allowing you to find which film you are looking for more easily, making film more accessible. By separating films into a type of genre it allows you to explore film in more detail, experiencing each genre. Which essentially allows you the freedom of choice, the choice to choose which genre is your favourite so you can only watch that genre, thus, TV channels such as 'Sky Movies Comedy' and 'Sky Movies Drama' are created for people who prefer one genre.

However, the creation of genre (type in french) was due to a whole other benefit. Genres were created due to audience appeal, and media development. Initially in the creation of Hollywood the most popular genre was Western/Cowboy movies, although proven popular Hollywood came across a clear problem: that eventually films would come repetitive. Thus, the sub-genres of Westerns were created, adding exciting twists such as romance, or humour to entice an audience. Interestingly with the incoming technology and new CGI technologies genres such as Science fiction were created, to entice a newer modern audience, yet channel's such as 'The Classics' still exist, suiting an audience who prefer older film.

Even with all the genres currently existing however, constantly new sub-genres are created, to entice wider audiences. With more films being created the audience are becoming less and less shocked due to typical conventions, thus, in order to keep the audience entertained production companies are being forced to mix genres, fusing typical story lines to shock and audience. When more than one genre are combined this is called becoming hybrid.

Creating a production company

Films are created by a production company. A production company will fund the film as well as hire the actors etc, for example, Harry Potter's production company was Warner Brothers. When creating a film a production company is a vital part of the process, thus, prior to designing my film, I have created a production company to produce the film.

My production company is called Aperture Productions, the name obviously relevant to a camera. This highlights that the company is modern, and digital. The logo (above) supports this, showing a lens of a camera. The name also clearly links to its content, as it is a media company producing film. When creating the name I debated with other more unusual names, but I chose this name as I thought it was creative and the most relevant.

Researching Classification

Film certificates are used to show an audience what films are suitable for their age range. This is particularly helpful for parents, as it means they are immediately aware of what films are suitable for their children to watch based purely on the certificate given by the BBFC (The British Board of Film Classification). Certificates are given based on the BBFC guideline which is constantly updated to suit the new, ever changing media.

The first certificate is 'U' which means it is suitable for all. This means it is suitable for children under the age of four to watch without parental guidance. It essentially means that is a positive film with no content which is deemed inappropriate for children to see. This means that the film will contain no violence, and will maintain appropriate language.

A 'PG' film is said to be for general viewing, this means that there may be some content which would be deemed inappropriate for children under the age of around 7/8 meaning it is not able to be given the certificate of 'U' but is still suitable. This means that children can be taken to a 'PG' film when accompanied by an adult.

The same criteria is used to classify a '12' and a '12A' based on the BBFC guideline. Films given the certificate '12' mean they are strictly not suitable for children under the age of 12. However films given the certificate '12A' mean it is the parents choice, hence, the child must be accompanied by an adult in order to see the film. Films that are 12 generally contain some form of violence, or language deemed inappropriate for children under the age of 12

This certificate means you cannot be under the age of 15 can watch this film, as it contains either extreme violence or, sexual content not suitable for children under the age of 15, but not too extreme that it has been given an 18 rating.

When films are rated 18 it means that the content of the film is only appropriate for adults. This means there is extreme violence, language or sexual content, which obviously wouldn't be suitable for a child.

If a film has this rating it means that this is extreme sexual content, which involves either strong sexual action or fetish material. This essentially legalises adult films ensuring they are reasonable for adults and not exploiting any illegal behaviour.

Analysing a Film Poster

A quote presenting the film in a positive way and high rating of the film are clearly  shown to promote the film to the audience, to, essentially entice them. Capital letters, and a large bold font, and big stars are shown to attract the audience. Similarly to promote the film, they have shown a clear link to the films ‘saw’ and ‘paranormal activity’ this is to clearly highlight their target audience drawing them in with association to other films that have been popular in the past. A bold font has been used for the title of the film, the fact that the font is slightly broken makes it similar to the font of a ‘wanted’ poster, this is interesting and intriguing for the audience, as it makes it seem there may be a deeper meaning around the word. The slogan is beneath the picture of the poster, this intrigues the audience, whilst giving a deeper insight as to what the film may be about.

In the background is a house, the house is surrounded in dark trees and scary, heavy clouds, this implies that the house may be significant within the horror, it also typically –based on the genre- allows the to deduce that the house may be haunted, or evil in some way. The lighting however is unusual, as it slightly highlights the house creating a positive atmosphere. This could be accentuate the boy in front creating a contrast, making him stand out. It could also be to highlight some kind of higher power, making the house seem spiritual in some way. The composition is particularly interesting as the image of the boy has been layered over the house to almost make it seem he is protecting the house in some way. The contrasting lighting on each also makes it seem that the boy is some kind of dark essence over the house.

The boy has been positioned so it seems he is leaning over the camera, this makes it seem he is the antagonist, or evil character in the film, it also highlights him as a domineering force. It is a relatively modern convention to have the child as the ‘evil’ character, however, since the release of ‘The exorcist’ and ‘The Ring’ using a child as the antagonist has become a typical convention within a horror movie. The boy has been lit unnaturally to create a sense of discomfort for the audience, they audience made to feel uncomfortable as it again highlights the boy as a domineering force within the film. The boys costume is also particularly interesting, as it seems to be pyjamas. Again by bringing in something that is unfamiliar it creates a sense of discomfort, however, it also creates intrigue as it draws on the familiar becoming unfamiliar, typically seen in a horror film. The fact that the boys eyes are scratched out however, is the most discomforting feature. Firstly as it is a child, it touches a more sensitive subject, making the audience question why would want to hurt a child? However, it could also be implying a deeper meaning, as based on the Greek Sophocles of Oedipus where the psychic man is blind, this could be showing that, as the boys sight is taken, he is psychic, however, the fact that it is scratched could imply that he has been forced to be psychic and is taken by some higher power.

Skills Audit

 

From my audit I found that my creative skills are strong, as I am able to think of programmes to use in order to make my Research and Creative process more successful. I was also able to take my written work and interlink it with my creative pieces to make them stronger, showing clear evidence using a range of programmes. For example, I used written research, and mind maps to make my research on audience stronger, by scanning in the image and uploading it to my Blog so my journey is visible. However, I also found that I was weaker at using vital programmes that I will use when creating my current work, such as using film equipment and editing programmes.

Researching the release Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity filmed in 2006, was officially released first in the U.S the 25th September 2009, and universally on the 16th October 2009 by Paramount, however, it was actually first screened as an independent movie in the Slamdance Film Festival in 2007. The marketing campaign itself was similar to one of The Blaire Witch Project, this could be because of the similar 'home-video' style of filming. The film poster itself shows a clip from the film, firstly this highlights the unique style of filming used, accentuating the unique selling point. It also means rather than creating an over edited image, they have used a more relevant screen shot which created intrigue but also adds to the fact that the film is made to seem like a home-video. The posters were shown on the side of bus', bus stops in tube stations, billboards and adverts were shown on the T.V.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_UxLEqd074 The trailer for Paranormal activity when released gained much interest from the audience, as it actually showed footage from an over excited, scared audience watching the film itself. The trailer caused a flourage of interest as it used a method that hadn't yet been used.
However, the strongest aspect of the marketing strategy was the social buzz created by the film, this is proven by the fact the film used a mere budget of $15,000 yet still managed to gain an equally substantial profit rivalling other horror movies released in the same year such as, 'Drag Me To Hell' or, 'The Hills Run Red'. Social websites such as Facebook, Twitter and even blogs spread the word of the release of paranormal activity, giving personal reviews and raising the publicity.