Sunday 16 March 2014

Evaluation

Evaluation


In my production, I wanted to create a sense of danger and to follow the conventions and genres of a gangster/drama film. I carried out a variety of research to allow me to get input towards my production. Possibly the most significant part of my research is that I analysed three film posters which are The Schindler's List, The Shawshank Redemption and The Godfather. The posters I have found all indicated that film posters have a certain layout and contain a variety of conventions such as a main protagonist (The Shawshank Redemption and The Godfather have the main character clear and central on the film poster), a tagline, the title (The Shawshank Redemption and The Godfather have the title underneath the main characters also all of the posters made the title clear, bold and evident to the audience), billing block (all of the posters I researched included a billing block at the bottom of the theatrical film poster) a clear indication of what the film is about. Whereas the teaser posters for these films shown very little information about the film as a teaser poster doesn’t have billing block, a release date, the actor’s names or the production company’s logo therefore when making my teaser poster I made sure not to include these features but rather only use them when creating the theatrical poster. Also I then went on to analyse the DVD covers of these films then this helped me see the conventions of DVD covers and make it appear as part of the industry and professional. DVD covers often have one of the films posters, or a similar image, as the front cover but it will be altered for a DVD cover (The Godfather and Schindler’s list used an image similar to the one used in their respective film posters) such as it will now include any awards the film has won and any quotes from reviews it has to portray it in a positive light. Therefore my production was then altered to appear more professional as it follows the conventions of the film industry. Furthermore DVD covers often feature stills that are taken directly from the feature such as action shots of the main characters, locations, key plot points, memorable moments, etc, etc. For example on the Schindler’s list DVD cover there is 2 clear images taken directly from the film also The Godfather uses stills taken from the film and merged them into one image as a strip on the back of the DVD cover. Furthermore The Shawshank Redemption as taken stills of the main character in viewing the main location and it uses a key turning point in the film as to appeal to the audience who have already seen the film.
Also my production helped me by showing a clear distinction between a teaser poster and a theatrical poster as my examples had teaser posters which had minimal information and mainly had one image in a simple layout whereas the theatrical posters had a billing block, a release date, the actor’s names and the production company’s logo.

I then later asked my target audience what they believed film posters and DVD covers needed and how it needs to be displayed to the rest of the target audience, whether it will appeal to the audience or not. Furthermore this research showed that 80% of my target audience felt that that the film posters needed to clearly show who the main character/star of the film was therefore in my planning I felt it was necessary that the main character/star had to have a central role on the film poster and the DVD cover. Also 50% of my target group felt that it was a necessity for the storyline of film to be evident in the film poster but all agreed felt that it needed to be clear on the DVD cover. Furthermore the feedback I gained suggested that the use of a vague title that doesn't clearly state the plotline of a film intrigues the audience more therefore they would be more likely to take an interest in the film and watch it. My target audience also felt that by creating a link between the film and the text style it makes it easier to recognise and identify the brand of the film. Also the majority of my target audience felt that it wasn't necessary for the DVD covers/poster to have colour therefore this information had a great influence on my production.

The target audience of my production is 18-25 year old males with the psychographic of that they enjoy action films, they hope to have some form of excitement in their life therefore they go to the cinema to view an action film to gain a form of excitement and experience the thrills with the narrative and the character. The theories, which apply to my target audience, are the Uses and Gratification Theory and the Reception Theory. The Uses and Gratifications Theory applies to my target audience as some of my audience members may be using it as a way of diversion and the thought of becoming the character within the poster interests them, some may see it as looking for a new/ develop their own personal identity and others may be using it as a way of creating personal relationships with the characters and escaping from reality furthermore some of the audience may simply use it as a way of gaining information about the film or be entertained. The Reception Theory applies as my production holds many of the conventions that are expected of a film poster/ DVD cover therefore this positions the audience and creates a certain amount of agreement on what the codes mean (this is known as preferred reading) furthermore the experiences of the individuals within the target audience alters the perception of my production for each person. So by understanding the reception theory it meant that I was able to modify my production to create a good mode of address and intrigue the audience as it meant I was able to apply the reception theory and appeal to a greater number of individuals.

My production’s key strength is that it follows many of the codes and conventions of film posters and DVD covers. For example, my production has a clear image of the main character at the centre of the poster, it has the main title of the feature clear, evident and bold at the top of the film poster, which is typical of the crime genre this typography is also used in film such as Goodfellas, the colour scheme of my DVD cover and my film poster are similar therefore it make the brand of the film clear and evident when the target audience hopes to view the pieces of production. Another strength is the creation of a brand as the production contains the same characters/people; it has the same colour scheme which is once again used in the film posters of Goodfellas as both my production and the example use a dark colour scheme as to convey the genre of crime. Furthermore, it contains features such as the billing block; the title is central on the DVD cover whereas the film poster has the title at the top of the poster. In comparison to my research the production I have created is similar as all pieces have a specific colour scheme, it has the main character as the central image, it has the key actors names furthermore it follows the conventions of DVD cover/film posters such as the billing block, review quotes, a release date, production logos, award/nominations, a synopsis, etc, etc therefore my production becomes conventional due to these features and becomes stereotypical of film posters/DVD covers. Another strength is that I was able to create a mode of address that intrigues my target audience and engage the experiences of individuals also to interest them in my production and create a clear message similar those of the existing media products and making it appear professional and stereotypical of the media products. Also another strength is that my production shares the conventions of other media products such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Citizen Gangster, which has the main character present, the title is clear and bold, the billing block is located at the bottom and the main actors are present at the top of the poster. Another example is Goodfellas which has a similar layout, a similar plain black colour scheme, the main characters are present and other conventions such as the title being bold and the main actor being clear and distinct.

However there are some weaknesses such as that the storyline of the feature may not be clear as it may be misconstrued, it may be thought that the feature may be seen as a potential comedy/ drama rather than an action film. Another weakness of my production is that it may not be as clear and professional the existing pieces of media such as the ones I viewed in my research therefore the typography of my production could be seen as a weakness as it doesn't appear to be as professional as the existing media that I analysed in my research. Also the representation of the feature could be thought to be weak as it may not be as clear and professional such as other film posters/DVD cover like the Godfather, Schindler's List and The Shawshank Redemption. Furthermore existing media products appear to have a clearer layout than my production therefore it could be improved by making parts of my production smaller rather than it appear cramped and cluttered. Also DVD covers/posters often feature a greater number of symbols such as the production company however it could be argued that there needs to be the inclusion of these symbols to become more conventional and stereotypical of the already existing media texts.

If I were to do my production again I would look into further detail of what symbols/logos do DVD covers feature and then add similar ones to my production to make it appear more professional. Also to make my production to appear more professional I would include more action shots from the film to follow the convention of DVD covers. Also I would make a greater effort to make a clear layout of my production therefore the narrative of the film is clear and make it appear more professional. And finally I would carry out further research into the typography used on DVD covers/film poster such as the one used in billing block to follow the convention of the already existing media texts.

Friday 8 November 2013

Pre-Production




Pre-Productions 

This is my pre-production which contains two movie drafts and two DVD covers which is a plan of what I hope to recreate for my production. The posters I am going to make are for the crime/gangsters genre.
This is a film poster for the film i have created which is called "The Wrong Guys".  It clearly shows the main characters of the film and follows the codes and conventions of a movie poster such as having the main actors and title clearly displayed, an image which is simple therefore it is recognisable and easy to associate with the brand of the film. Also the font I have chosen to use helps convey the genre of Drama because the font style suggests possibly sophistication which is associated with suits and traditional gangsters. Also by using the same font type it creates anchorage and brand uniformity.

This is a simple teaser poster for the film I have created called "The Wrong Guys" also it follows codes and conventions of a film poster such as giving limited details about the film and having one isolated image (normally the main actor/s) also by having limited text it follows the codes and conventions a teaser poster. One weakness of the teaser is that the poster has very limited information but it because it's a teaser it is a convention furthermore the poster will be made clearer and more professional when it is created in production.
This a DVD cover for the film I have created "The Wrong Guys" it follows the codes and conventions of a normal DVD cover such as using the film poster as the front cover therefore creating anchorage of a brand and making it a possible iconic image also the DVD cover draft follows all the codes and conventions such as the inclusion of a synopsis, a billing block, special features and the production company, the actors and other key people from the crew of the film.
This is another DVD cover for the film I have created "The Wrong Guys" which follows some of the  codes and conventions of a DVD cover such as having the main actors and the title clearly displayed and has the production company, age rating and it contains the necessary information such as a synopsis, a billing block and special features.


Thursday 26 September 2013

DVD Cover and Poster research (Including questionnaire)

Media Movie Poster Analysis

Schindler's List includes the conventions of a dramatic film poster such as by putting the title at the top, a billing block at the bottom, a large powerful image and the monotone colours. The use of a black and white image makes it a more powerful image and creates a heartfelt message of sadness linking to the film. By using Schindler's list as an overlay makes the poster more prominent and powerful also by doing this it puts across the serious tone of the film to people who haven't seen the film. Also the font type used for the title links to the time period of which the film is set and the style of advertising at the time. The use of a black and white colour scheme conveys the seriousness and sorrow of the film. By creating a simple poster it makes the film easy to remember and powerful. Also the schindler's list poster is seen as an iconic poster due to it's simplicity and recognisability.





The poster links to the conventions of a film poster because it has a clear billing block, a title in large lettering and the character in the centre. The fact that the main character is wearing a suit connotes the serious nature of the film and that this character is very powerful which in turn links to the genre of action/Mafia film because it has one powerful individual. Furthermore by including a dash of colour through the use of a rose creates a sub-conscious link in the mind of the audience of violence and the colour red. By using a dark background and only using an isolated figure connoted a sinister undertone and mystery. The image is also looking down on you implying that the character is above you and has a sense of power over you.
The inclusion of the two key actors it grabs the audiences attention and makes it clear to the audience who is starring in the film also because they are well established actors it attracts a wider audience for the film. The other image that is used (located at the bottom) is key plot point within the film making it an iconic moment within the film also it makes the film iconic therefore more recognisable meaning that more people will notice it. It contains bright and dark shadings of colours therefore creating contrast and grabs the audiences attention. Also it includes many of the conventions of a movie poster such as the title, a billing block, key actors and possibly a quote about the film. Furthermore the white text for the title creates a greater amount of contrast making it stand out more therefore gaining more of the audiences attention.






DVD Cover Analysis

The use of the film poster creates brand uniformity and by including the image it makes the casing iconic and easy to identify. Also by including the dark colours it helps convey the serious tone and nature of the film. Also by adding the amount of awards it has won shows that it is a well respected film which is rated highly by the cinematic community. Furthermore by including the Steven Spielberg's name it attracts a greater audience because Spielberg is a well respected director. Also by including prestigious actors such as Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley it will attract a wider audience which rate these actors highly. Also by including Schindler's list written over the image links to the film and gives the DVD cover greater meaning and emotion. Furthermore by using a limited number of colours it makes the design simplistic and makes it more stylish and professional. The text font that is used is also very stylish and a possible convention of the time period. Also the use of the colour red from the clothing is a possible representation of the blood shed within the story. Schindler's list was seen as a recognisable movie meaning that by using a simplistic design it makes it iconic and recognisable due to the large amounts of praise that was given to it. 

The use of "The Godfather" logo helps the audience identify the film and it creating brand uniformity therefore making it iconic. Also the inclusion of the main character makes the DVD iconic and it creates brand uniformity. Also the use of dark colours conveys the serious nature of the film. Also by including the red and black it represents the power within the film and the violence throughout. Also the text style used is sophisticated and conveys the serious tone of the film. Also it includes many of the conventions that is expected within a DVD cover such as a barcode, a production company and a billing block. Also by using a filter on the images it creates a convention of film/ TV shows of 1972.  Furthermore because of the dark colours it also gives the film more of a classical feel and give of the image of a well respected film which is also a classical film. The Godfather DVD cover also uses simplistic colours which are also associated with sophistication and power (the use of black, gold and red makes the cover more sophisticated and powerful). Furthermore, by making the main character wear a suit it creates the image that the character is powerful and sophisticated.

The use of image is vital because it represents a key plot point within the film making it easily recognisable and attract the target audience. Also the DVD cover includes many of the conventions expected such as a billing block, a synopsis, a barcode and production  company logo. By using white text on a black background it creates contrast and makes the title stand out therefore making the film recognisable. Also the inclusion of a synopsis help persuade the audience to purchase the DVD and explain what the film is about. Also by including a separate picture of the main actor it appeals to a wider audience and creates a further link between the character, the actor and the film.  Furthermore by using dark colours it is a possible convention of the time period of when the film was set in (1940's). The use of quotes from film critics gives the image that the film is well respected and credited as a great film. The cover conveys the tone of the movie and the serious/emotional nature of the film.

Questionnaire

1.      Are you male or female?
2.      How often do you watch movies/films per month?
3.      What genre of films do you prefer?
4.      Does the key character need to be evident on the poster?
5.      Does a actor's name affect whether you choose to watch a film?
6.      Does the storyline need to be clear on a film poster?
7.      Does the storyline need to be clear on a DVD cover?
8.      Is colour necessary to attract an audience to a film?
9.      On a DVD cover, would the inclusion of nominations and awards persuade you to watch a film?
10.  Would the use of a vague title for a film, intrigue you to find out more about the film?

Friday 20 September 2013

Pre-Production and Production Ideas

Pre-Production Idea

I plan to draft 2 DVD covers for my own film idea and one film poster and a teaser poster draft which will include all the codes and conventions of a DVD cover.

Production Idea
I plan to create 2 official promotional film posters and a DVD cover for my own film idea which will include all the codes and conventions of a film poster/DVD cover.