Images for Promo Package

Below are some of the photos my group took on the main filming day, these will be used in our promo package, to produce a film magazine cover and film poster. We planned the set-up of each photo beforehand to make sure that we got the images we needed.

This is the photo that we will be using for our film magazine front cover. It took several attempts to achieve as initially it was difficult to get Jon (the boy in the background) to appear threatening. I think it is a really effective image and I especially like the way it is divided down the middle. There is plenty of space for a masthead and coverlines which makes it a suitable image to use for a magazine cover.

I like this image however, Jon's pose makes him appear more relaxed and less of a threat, which is not what we wanted.

This was the first group image we took. The main problem is that I took the photo in landscape format and as film posters are typically portrait, it could not be used.

We will be using this photo as our film poster image. We took several other similar images, as we were unsure about how far away from the camera the characters should be, we didn't want too much background to cause the characters to lose their prominence. This one was definitely the best of the many that we took. We positioned Grace and Jon in the centre of the group as they are the main characters in our trailer.

Here we have added effects to the previous image. We used a spotlight effect to darken down the edges of the image and draw focus on the centre. This effect has enabled Grace and Jon to stand out slightly more than the other characters, which is what we were hoping for. I think that this effect has improved the image, giving it a dark, eerie appearance, fitting with the genre horror.

Film Poster Designs

This is my initial film poster design. The image I have drawn is a rough sketch of the antagonist dressed in a hoodie, facing a wall full of photos of the victim. We are hoping to photograph an image like this. After analysing the poster for the film 'PANIC ROOM', I liked the way the main actors/actresses names were featured at the top of the page and decided to incorporate this in my design. I also found that in the majority of film posters the film name/title was positioned at the bottom of the poster and so decided to base this design on that observation.

I created this design after we had taken the photos for our promo package, basing the composition on the image we were going to use. I decided to unconventionally put the film title at the top of the page, as I belived that this arranged would woork really well with the image. I also left a small amount of space above the title for a caption. At the bottom of the poster there is space for another quote or caption, the release date of the film, cast/crew name, and the production company logo. All of these are conventional features. I have designated more space in this lower section for the release date of the film, as it is very important that this is obvious to the audience.

Film Magazine Cover Designs

This was my first film magazine cover design. We had a very clear vision of what we wanted the image to look like and so I planned the cover designs around this. Conventionally, the magazine masthead/title will be positioned at the top of the cover, and after aalysing 'total FILM' and 'EMPIRE' I decided that our cover should follow this convention. Here the masthead spreads across the full width of the cover, something that I have often seen when analysing magazines. I then decided to put the date, price and barcode to the right, directly below the masthead. This way they would be easily visible to the audience. I'm not sure if this was the best place to put the barcode as the barcode is not a feature that will concern the possible buyer and so maybe it should be placed in an area where it is less prominant. I decided to list all of the coverlines down the left hand side and include a few other images in the bottom left corner. Having all of this on one side will fit well with the 'split' image. Also, the left third is the section of the cover that will be visible when on a shop shelf and so it is important that this third is able to attract the target audience.

This is my second cover design, again based around the image we are planning to use. This design uses the image as a way of seperating the page down the middle. The masthead, some coverlines and pug on the left (next to the tree) and the remaining coverlines and barcode on the right (infront of the tree). Like the previous design, the magazine name is positioned at the top, however this time it only spreads across half of the width of the page. I quite like this idea however I am worried that it doesn't look as significant as it maybe should. I decided to spread the coverlines, having some on either side as I think it makes th page look a little more random and interesting, which may appeal to the target audience - 16 - 25 year olds. The barcode on this design appears more discrete in comparison to the previous. I think that the right-hand bottom corner is the ideal place for it. I have also included a pug in the left-hand third of the cover. I think it will be a good idea to use this to advertise either an offer, competition or special feature, in an obvious, 'eye-catching' way.

Film Poster Analysis

This poster has a simple colour scheme of black, white and red. Only the film title, 'PANIC ROOM' and the words 'coming soon' are in red. As the rest of the page is in black/white/grey these two text are extremely prominant. This is vital as essentially the film title and release date are most important when promoting a film. The use of the word 'PANIC' and the poster image clearly represent the film as a horror. The two panels of black running down either side of the page draw focus on the middle panel, whilst also giving the illusion that the woman in the photo is trapped and in danger. The image used - a close-up of a woman's face, with a person's silhouete in the background - is very powerful. The main actress' name spreads across the width of the page in white text. The use of white enables the text to stand out against the dark background. As Jodie Foster is a well-known actress, her presence in the film may alone attract the audience. At the bottom of the poster, beneath the title, are the names of the crew and cast - this is often seen in film posters.

Brad Pit and Morgan Freeman are two extremely well-known actors. The poster includes a close-up image of each of them, whilst their names are also stated in bold text across the top of the page. The images have been taken with both actors looking directly into the camera, so to give the illusion of the actors looking out to the audience. This is often done in advetisements as it helps the audience to connect, drawing them in. Emphasising their involvment in the film is a sure way to attract audience members. It is often the case that people go to see a film because of who is in it, instead of what it is about. The poster doesn't give much away about what the film may be about. The title 'seven' and the caption that follows, indicates to the audience that the film is about death and the seven deadly sins, however little more is given away, inticing the audience. The main colours used are gold/brown and white. The colour white is used for the title and actors names only and stands out against the 'old', 'worn' looking background. The seven deadly sins are listed down the centre of the poster, clearly linking in with the title and the proposed focus of the film. The seven sins are each crossed out, which adds to the curiosity of the audience.

Film Magazine Cover Analysis

The main attraction of this cover is its sex appeal. Megan Fox is a well-known actress and sex icon. Her bare upper body and tight leather trousers, along with her pose and expression, not only portray her in a sexual manner but the image also has an element of vulnerability. Clearly this will appeal to the male members of the audience, but also any females are likely to find this appealing as they may idolise her. The cover is quite busy, however it still appears relatively 'neat'. The coverlines are positioned in line with Megan Fox, which helps to highlight her importance. Words and phrases such as 'HOT' and '...the most wanted woman in Hollywood' help reinforce the idea of sex appeal. There is a main colour scheme of blue, grey, black and white. The other feature photographs in the bottom left corner also contain these colours. The bold title however does not comply with this colour scheme and is instead in a vibrant bright red. This is the case in the majority of 'EMPIRE' magazines, helping to make the magazine immediately recognisable to past buyers. The magazine's reputation alone may then attract audience members.

This 'TOTAL FILM' magazine cover is very basic and features an extremely limited amount of text. The magazine cover is not conventional in that there are no coverlines or even a main feature headline. The image of 'Harry Potter' (a world renowned fictional character) is clearly emphasised as being the main focus. This alone will attract the audience. The image occupies the foreground, covering the entire page, and overlapping slightly with the magazine title/header. The use of overlapping helps the character to appear 3-Dimensional. The character's stance and expression indicates that the film is of the genre action. 'Harry Potter's' eyes are looking ahead, as his arm reaches/points outward, directly addressing the audience, helping them to connect. The bright patterned background links in with the known theme of the 'Harry Potter' series - magic! The magazine title is positioned at the top of the cover, spreading across the width of the page. The title is simple, to the point and clearly indicates what the magazine will contain. As well as this, the word 'FILM' can easily be read from a distance, which is essential at point of sale.

The magazine website address is the only other text featured on the cover. This minimalistic approach intices the audience to visit the website to find out more about the new 'Harry Potter' film. This promotes the magazine as a whole.

Problems with filming

One of the main problems we encountered when it came to filming our trailer was arranging shoots. Trying to gather together all of the people we needed to feature in our trailer was very difficult. We needed 7 people to feature in our trailer and several of the shots involved all of them. It was hard to find a day when each person was available to film and so there was a relatively long period of time when our group had little, or no footage to edit. When we finally managed to arrange our main filming day, we wanted to make sure that we filmed all of the shots needed, as it would be very difficult to get all of the same people together to film again. We made a detailed plan for the day and stuck to it.

We also had problems with lighting in some of our shots due to the time of day that we filmed. Many of the individual shots of the main character 'Grace' had to be filmed after school at around 4pm. Due to the time of year, natural lighting was often poor. For this reason some shots appeared very 'grainy' and so could not be used in our trailer.

We also found that once we had finished filming we realised that there were a few key shots that were not suitable to use. To solve this issue we left blank gaps in the trailer that we then filled after re-shooting these shots.

Filming schedule and plan

Below is our group's filming schedule and a detailed plan for Tuesday - the day we plan to film the majority of our footage.