Evaluation Question 2

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



Introduction:

For my A2 coursework we were required to work in groups to create a media package for a genre of our choice, we had to a magazine cover, film poster and a trailer for our film and make sure it fitted into the conventions of our genre of choice. My group decided to create a horror film called Lacerate along with a promotional media package. I put together the codes and conventions of the horror genre as well as the unique selling point of our film and used them in my ancillary tasks and trailer ultimately aiming to increase the overall effectiveness of the media package and improve its ability to reach out to our target audience.




The Film Poster:


Before I began to design my own film poster I had to conduct some research into the codes and conventions of film posters honing in on the horror genre specifically. Overall I researched two posters from two different genres- horror and thriller. I analysed two different genres as I wanted to see what conventions made the horror genre and our film had certain aspects that fitted into the thriller genre. I was able to find out what the purpose of a film poster is- advertising the film and exposing it to as many people as possible primarily using the name of the film, any famous cast members, tagline and use of colour to convey the emotions of the film. Our group had to create their own poster rather than work together as with the trailer. Below are links to my analysis of the posters I researched:




http://mattlongya2mediablog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/prom-night-poster.html

http://mattlongya2mediablog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/the-final-destination-poster-analysis.html




Film Poster analysis:

My film poster follows a simple conventional design. I used one singular image that promoted a key aspect of our film in this case the book which contains the demon that will haunt the protagonist Summer. I believe this decision was effective as it created a link between my magazine cover and my film trailer and my target audience can immediately associate my poster with the other areas of my media package. I used conventional colour schemes associated with the horror genre i.e. red, orange, yellow, black I did this because it helped to convey the emotions of our film and made the poster stand out. I thought the use of a colour scheme like this was effective because it immediately links my poster to the horror genre and also links to the similar colour scheme that I used for my magazine cover.




The Magazine Cover:
I followed a similar research and planning method for my magazine cover that I had used when conducting the necessary research for my film poster. For our coursework we had to base our magazine cover on one of the already established film magazines on the market. I decided to base my cover on the most successful film magazine EMPIRE because it is the most effective at targeting a variety of audiences however I also did some research into another film magazine- Sight and Sound so I could gauge the difference between the two and see what other aspects I could include. During my research I discovered that the USP always features on the magazine cover and is the main aspect that drives the promotion of the film. Below is the analysis and research I conducted into each magazine.










Magazine Cover Analysis:


I think that my magazine cover is effective in linking to the other aspects of the media package and engaging with my target audience because I continued with the same theme I used for the poster; focusing on the importance of the book and the connotations associated with it throughout the course of the film as well as using a similar colour scheme to the poster whilst still remaining within the conventions of EMPIRE magazine. Moreover I used the movie tagline "Do you dare to decipher?" on the cover as it also featured in the trailer and on the film poster. This created an association between them and made them more effective as they were easily identifiable with the film. Overall I was happy with the result of my work and I felt it conveyed everything that I had wanted the cover to do when I began the designing stage.






The Trailer:
After researching a wide variety of teaser trailers and full movie trailers of horror films such as The Conjuring and The Babadook I began to understand that the trailer is the basis on which the themes, characters, images, colours and symbols are constructed on. Having completed our trailer I would say my group created an effective and successful trailer that is effective in promoting the horror genre and conveying the message, narrative and storyline of our film. I feel that our trailer adds a dramatic and action packed aspect to our promotional package and also continues the association with the other aspects through the characters, USP, key aspects and colour scheme. For example the book features greatly in the trailer and the emphasis continues onto the poster and magazine cover. The font that is used in the trailer is the same that I have used for the poster and magazine cover thus creating the 'house' style that links all of the package together.






Conclusion:


In conclusion I feel that the designing, filming and producing of our media package has been very successful as my group and I managed to construct the synergy that links our work together thus making it a more effective marketing package. I think that my media package is effective at conveying the message of the film as well as successfully targeting our target audience and fitting in the stereotypical conventions of horror whether it was through the colour scheme, 'house' style, filming techniques or character construction. Overall it has gone well and I am happy with what I have created.