A2 Media

The last review page I am using is from Total film. The main focal photo on the magazine is placed on the left side which throughout my research I have found is uncommon. This photo is very eye catching to an audience member due to the use of the main character and the 3D effect. This also connotes a lot about the narrative, it almost looks magic which represents what is included in the film. A second image is included in this which shows the behind the scenes of the film. Although commonly these are not shown, it makes the review more personal. By seeing the behind the scenes, the audience commonly feel more involved with the film as well which could potentially encourage them to watch the film. The length of the review is long enough to give insight to the film and the overall review however no clear large title is given regarding the name of the film. ‘Fantastic beasts’ is written above the page with the body of texts, although its noticable it doesn't stand out as much

When researching review pages to analyse, I came across two different layouts for the magazine new films. I thought it would be beneficial to analyse both due to the large difference. In comparison to the last review page, this review only consists of one page. The length of text is the standard amount compared to other reviews, if anything it may be slightly shorter. As the review is landscape rather than portrait, the text appears to be broken up differently by the use of dotted lines. This makes it easier for the reader to follow. The colour scheme consists of whites, black, blue and red which through all the research I've done seems to be a common theme due to how well the compliment each other and still give a professional appearance. Only one photo is use on the review which overall does not connote much about the narrative, however through the use of taglines underneath the title, more is given away to the audience.’art and death meet in superb biopic’ Although the o

The first magazine review page I decided to analyse was from New films. I feel as the overall effect of the review is good due to the use of one main focal image which takes over half of the page. As the image is directly of spider man it automatically indicates what the movie is about. As there is a chain of spiderman and marvel movies one photo is enough for the audience. The black title stands out in the corner of the left page as it contrasts the red text and blocks placed around the pages. The colour scheme largely reflects the movie as a whole considering Spider-Man’s two main colours are black and red, this shows that when contrasting an article it is important to think of relative colour schemes to the film itself. The photo draws more attention to the article than the title. This would probably the main aspect that would draw the audience into reading the piece whilst flicking through the magazine. The article length is standard length when comparing it to other review

Magazine film review pages are set out to review a certain film to audience members who may be interest in the films critics or in seeing the piece themselves. There are set codes and conventions for magazine film review pages which help audience identify them. Examples of magazines which include these would be ‘Empire’ and ‘In cinemas’. Titles/Tagline: Many review pages will identify the title as a major selling point or a way to gain interest into the review. The title usually will be of a large, black font so it is clear to the reader what they are reading about. Typically the colours are natural as it is easier to read.  Taglines often sum up important details from the film and depending on the genre is a sometimes play on words designed to be humorous. Commonly the titles will relate to the reviews, therefore as someone who avidly enjoy films/reviews will be interested. Director/actors: This information is also seen a main selling point as many people will identify famous

The second ancillary task was to create a magazine review page for our own short film. To begin, I researched into the codes and conventions which then I could apply to analysis and my own construction of the product.

This is the final poster design:

At the beginning of the Photoshop process, I had already chosen the image that I wanted to use therefore it made it easier to start the overall process. The first initial step I took was fairly small and was more of a reassurance to make sure that if anything went wrong I could go back and restore the original photo. This step was creating a double layer of the original photo, by having this there throughout the process was helpful as I'm not 100% familiar with Photoshop. As the original photos lighting is bright I wanted to keep this a common theme throughout the style of the photo. To replicate this through my characters/model I used the 'patch tool' & 'spot healing tool' to retouch and brighten their completions. I tried to focus on Anya (right) as within my plot her presence is meant to be similar to an 'angel' figure. Therefore where the lighting was brighter, it could connote this to the audience. I also believe that most posters tend to feat

I created two flat plans regarding my poster. I based these off previous posters that I analysed.  As I was set on a photo for my poster, It was easier to base any text or imagery around the picture. Anya’s and Becci had large presence in the photo and I believed the overall effect had quite an impact therefore I tried to limit what was put around the photo. It was important to keep the overall appearance simple and light. Both posters follow the codes and conventions of film poster. The minimalistic look allowed more attention to be drawn to the two protagonists on the front. As these are my only two characters, I felt it was important to have these two as the centre of attention. The text does not vary much in size, on the flat plans the two actors name appear bigger than I would like on the actual product, however all text is fairly large in order to be readable for the audience. Comparing both flat plans, the first one I have decided to include a review regarding the film, th

After analysing 3 film posters and handing out a questionnaire to some sixth form students, I decided to begin taking photos that could be used for my final poster. At the beginning of this process I was still unsure of what types and styles of photos I wanted to take, therefore I decided to try different angles and shots to experiment with possible ideas. As my film is a drama it was important to only focus on using natural lighting throughout the photoshop as this is a common convention used. I began by trying out mid-shots of each of my characters. They stood straight on to the camera without pulling any extravagant facial expressions due to the topic of my film. I believe these would connote more about the narrative. As seen below the photo on the left has darker lighting than the exact same photo on the right. I decided that having a lighter background and overall lighting would have more of an effect on the audience than having a grey/un-pleasing look. The light within t

Overall I received 15 questionnaires back from students who attended my sixth form. As my target audience is females of the ages 16-26 I focused on giving students in this category the questions. However a percentage of them were filled out by men as I believed it was better to get an opinion form both genders overall. Out the 3 poster choices presented to them, 6 out of 15 people choice the fault in our stars poster as the one that appeals most to them. Les miserable came in second with 5 and never let me go with 4. Al together the results were close and only out by 1 or 2 choices. When asking if you could change anything what would it be many people pointed out on the never let me go poster that the font needed to be bigger and bolder in order for it to be more eye catching. 2 out of the 5 that chose les miserables said that the overall poster was the best in comparison to the others however said it was too crowed meaning there was far to much too look at and analyse. The main

Before designing and constructing the poster for my own film, I wanted to get feedback regarding the three posters I decided to analyse. I made one short and simple questionnaire to give to people around my sixth in order to work out which layout, design and overall poster was their favourite in order to analysis what I could use in my own, what works and what clearly doesn't. The questions included: What poster appeals most to you? 1,2 or 3? If you could change anything, what would it be? What attracts you must to your chosen poster?

The final drama poster analysis I have chosen to do is ‘The fault in our stars’ which is a follow on film from a well know book by John Green. I have decided to analysis a film that I am familiar with as an audience member. This being both to the film itself and the posters that were distributed. Unlike my previous two deconstructions, this poster is less of a conventional poster due to the layout and information presented to the audience. This tends to subvert many codes and conventions that are expected of film posters. The main focal image of the poster is able to represent the narrative to the audience. From the mise-en-scene the audience may be able to connote narrative meanings from the poster. The medical tube around the girl’s face indicates that she is ill. The image instead of a tagline is used to convey this message. This demonstrates that the careful construction of media products is an essential part of planning to give meaning. Their body language is also able to denote t

The second poster I have chosen to do an analysis on is ‘Never let me go’. I’ve personally have never seen this film, but the initial view of the poster drew me in. On the front of this particular film poster, 2 main characters are shown running towards the end of what looks like a pier. Although the photo caught my attention, it feel it would be more effective having the two characters facing the front so the audience is able to make a connection with the characters face and its emotions that it portrays. The image shown seems fairly impersonal. I think it subverts general posters as it appears to be very vague compared to many others. The minimalism of the entire poster gives not a lot away yet still is able to draw the attention of an audience, this may be due to tension it creates by doing this. The amount of content given through the imagery is also limited, therefore not much is able to be gathered by the layout. Unlike movies such as “Harry Potter’ or any follow on films, these

As my shot film is of the drama genre, it is important to only analysis film posters of this genre in order to get the correct appearance for my own product. The first poster analysis I have chosen to do is ‘Les miserables’ which is a well know drama genre film. I both personally love the film itself and the poster. Unlike many film posters, multiple images of characters are used on the front of the poster as this illustrates the well known cast that plays within. Subverting to many film posters, multiple images of characters are used on the front of the poster. For this particular film this is done due to the well know cast who will be able to draw a large percentage of views. The characters mise en scene reveals the genre, this is heavily denoted by the style of clothing they appear to be wearing. Both men and women are seen wearing more traditional clothing which along with the imagery above the title denotes that the period drama is based around the 1700’s. The imagery of t

The first ancillary task we have been giving is to create a film poster for the short film we produced. For this task, I will research into existing drama film posters as this is the genre I am focusing on. This will include conventions, analysis and audience research as these are all important elements which should be considered before creating a product. Plans and drafts will also be done in order to set out a clear guideline on will be done for my poster. Research and planning from my short film production will also be taken and transferred into my ancillary task as for example similar audience research will be used and revealed.

There are set conventions to a film poster which can be spotted on already existing media products. These can either be conformed to or challenged by institutions. In order to produce my own film poster, it is important to revise these in order to create a product close to real media products as well as allowing it to be recognised by audiences. These are: Image: this tends to be eye catching to attract an audience to view the production or someone’s eye as the past. This often tend to be main characters or a still from the film itself.  The image should portray the narrative of the film and revel the genre in some way. Title: film posters tend to also have the film’s title on it and usually in a bold font to draw attention to the name. The title tends to be located at the bottom of the poster under the main focal image. In some cases, for well known films, titles won't be included on the poster. For example for the end of the Harry Potter series of film, on a couple of the po