Poster for my short film based on idea of divison

Based on the idea presented by the Valentine's Day poster campaign of including a split between the main focus of the film and displaying the two sides as 'teaser' posters, I created two posters for my own short film drawing upon the different aspects of teenage life which are focused upon in my short film:

 

 

Whilst filming for my short film, I also took the opportunity to take several photos which may have come in handy when creating my film poster, which I have ended up using in the posters above. The first poster presents a student in their uniform daydreaming about all the 'good' things about growing up including parties, hanging out with friends, learning to drive and leaving high school, memorable events which students will usually take part in and remember for life as major stepping stones in growing up. The second poster is almost a flip-side of the first, with the teenager in her school uniform also daydreaming, but about all the 'bad' things about growing up, including writing essays, sitting exams, revising and dealing with arguing parents, activities which most students will usually find difficult, time consuming and stressful.

Video Diary: 28.11.2014

Poster for my short film based on idea of a collage

Based on the idea presented by the 'Valentines Day' and 'Love Actually' poster campaigns (see here: http://beckieeturnera2media.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/collage-poster-campaigns.html) of including each individual main character, I created a sample poster for my own short film drawing upon different aspects of teenage life:

The poster presents different aspects of growing up, from arguing with parents to prom and from revising to going on holiday without parents in a collage format, giving the audience an initial idea of what to expect from the film regarding what footage will be seen.

Poster for my short film based on idea of individual teaser posters

Based on the idea presented by the Les Mis poster campaign of including each individual main character as a 'teaser' poster, I created two sample posters for my own short film drawing upon different aspects of teenage life:

 

 

The first poster presents a student studying for their exams, an activity which most students will usually find difficult and time consuming. The second displays memories from a high school 'leavers' day, a very memorable event which many students will take part in and remember for life as a major stepping stone in growing up. The background is of a corkboard with the photos being lined with a polaroid frame, implying that the photos will remain as memories on the teenagers' corkboard of life.

Video Diary: 20.11.2014

Poster ideas based on idea of using a collage

Based on the idea of using a collage to advertise a film that links to the actors and/or themes within the film, as shown in Valentine's Day and Love Actually, I (very roughly) created a poster as can be seen below:

As you can see from the photo above, the poster will include a series of photos consisting of the best and worst things about growing up and being a teenager with the title across the middle. The idea of this is to encourage potential audiences to weigh up the experiences of their youth and decide for themselves if their teenage years were the best years of their lives or not.

Response to Audience Research: Magazine Article

Video Diary: 20.11.14

Collage poster campaigns

The poster campaigns such as 'Valentine's Day' and 'Love Actually' use a collage technique in order to advertise their films. In the poster on the top-left, the title is much clear than on the poster in the top right, making the title equally as focused upon as the photos. The photos show each of the characters within the film, giving the audience an immediate insight into the film and what to expect from the actors featuring in it. However, the poster shows no release date, so this could mean either the film has already been released or the poster emerged long before the release date. 
In the poster on the top-right, the photos make up a collage effect where there is a photo of each different actor/actress who plays a main role within the film. The title is not fully clear as the potential audience really have to focus to separate the letter from the background image in some cases.
The poster in the bottom-left shows the actors featured in the film in a collage within the shape of a heart, emphasising the topic of love and Valentine's Day, directly linking to the film. The actors names are listed below the heart shape are coloured based on their gender: with blue font of the male actors, and the pink font used for the female characters.
In the poster for 'Love Actually', the same theme of a collage is used to show the main actors within the film with the red ribbon and use of snow emphasising the idea of a Christmas setting with the title clearly positioned at the bottom of the page, however, this does suggest it will be the last thing the potential audience look at.

Regarding ideas for my own collage-theme based poster, I would replace the idea of using photos of the actors and actresses with images of struggles and benefits of being a teenager, focusing upon the idea of weighing up the positive and negative aspects of growing up and being a teen.

Audience Research: Magazine Review

In order for me to achieve the best out of the magazine article covering my film, I decided it would be beneficial for me to carry out audience research regarding what people think are the most effective ways of advertising a film through a magazine article and what they would expect to see. A copy of my survey can be seen here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MBXDP5Z

The photos below show the questions I asked and the responses I received, in a graph:

Poster ideas based on idea of using typography

Based on the idea of using typography to advertise a film, as shown in '27 Dresses', 'One Love', 'The Words' and 'What's Your Number', I (very roughly) created a poster following a similar theme to focus upon weighing up the stressful and enjoyable experiences of being a teenager and growing up:

As you can see from the photo above, the poster will include a main image of a student reading a textbook relating to their studies, however, the inside of the textbook will be filled with words relating to being a teenager with the title featuring, in a much larger size, inside. The idea of the poster is to easily display the most important, stressful and memorable experiences of growing up.

Typography poster campaigns

The idea of using typography in poster campaigns can be seen as very effective in films such as '27 Dresses', 'One Love', 'The Words' and 'What's Your Number?'. In the top left poster, 'One Love', the use of symbols/icons that are typically associated with Bob Marley, the main focus of the film, such as peace signs, music notes, happiness and love which make up the outline of his head. In case the typography image is unclear to some audiences, or they struggle to connect the links displayed in the poster, at the bottom, 'Marley' is printed very clearly, with the release date below. The title is additionally very clear, separate from the image and relates directly to one of his most famous songs. The poster overall is very effective in the way it directly links to the associations to Bob Marley, the main focus of the film.

In the top-right, the poster for 'What's Your Number?', the use of typography is also used effectively. The main image makes up a heart through the use of numbers, directly linking to the title, with the heart shape suggesting a romantic genre. One of the main characters is also shown to be sitting on top of the heart and wearing red, further suggesting romance and passion. The title remains separate from the image with the word 'number' in red, again supporting the idea of romance. The poster overall is effective as it makes the use of the word 'number' in the title and the romantic genre to link the ideas together through a typography manner, clearly linking to the film itself.

The poster in the bottom-left is for the film '27 Dresses' and again uses the technique of typography to advertise the film. The outline of a wedding dress, supported by the shape and background colour of white, immediately relates to the title through the link of dresses. The title is a different colour and size from the rest of the text which makes it easy to read and differentiate from the rest of the text. The main character is also seen to be wearing the 'dress' creating an easy association for the audience. Overall, the poster is effective as the link between the title and the storyline with the poster is presented very clearly through the use of typography creating the shape of a wedding dress and immediately alerts the potential audience as to what the film may be about.

In the bottom-right is the poster for the film 'The Words' where the outline of one of the main characters, Bradley Cooper, is made up out of words that relate to the storyline of the film as a tease to the audience about the content. The title is separate from the image, and the use of the word 'Words' directly relates to the use of typography technique. The poster uses the technique of typography effectively by relating the title to the technique, by including the main character and by teasing the potential audience to the plot and content of the film using the words that make up the outline of Bradley Cooper.

Based on the use of typography to create the poster for my own short film, my initial idea would be the have the outline of a student studying, or another significant event or object, relating to teenager years which will be filled with all the words that people link/associate to being a teenager, which would in turn, also relate to my short film as it weighs up the positive and negative aspects of being a teenager and growing up.

Poster ideas based on idea of division

Based on the idea of using a divide to advertise a film that links together through a particular event, as shown in Valentine's Day I (very roughly) created two posters following a similar theme to focus upon weighing up the stressful and enjoyable experiences of being a teenager and growing up:

As you can see, the first poster focusses upon the best, and most enjoyable aspects of growing up. The image of a teenager, in their school uniform looking fed up will appear in the far right hand side of the poster with a thought bubble featuring photos, taken whilst filming, of arguably, all the best things about growing up, such as funfairs, visiting the beach, having fun with little responsibility. Beside the image of the student will be a list featuring some of the activities that featured within my film, such as holidays, gigs and leavers day. The title will appear below this lift with the other information regarding camera, sound, lighting, release date and hashtag, to encourage advertisement across social media.

 

An identical design will appear on the other poster, but focussing upon the worst and most stressful aspects of growing up and being a teenager. The image of the teenager in their school uniform will appear, flipped, in the far left of the poster, giving the impression the student is being split in two. The image of the thought bubble will also be flipped and filled with photos, taken during filming, that display, arguably the worst things about growing up, such as revision, filling out UCAS and struggling with issues regarding body image. Beside the image of the student will again be a list of the activities that feature within my film, such as homework, deciding on unis and bullying. Below this list will be the film title with other information regarding camera, sound, lighting, release date and hashtag to encourage advertisement across social media.

Valentine's Day poster campaign

The Valentine's Day poster campaign was used effectively to advertise the film by creating a realistic 'divide' that links to the film storyline. The posters mark a clear divide through separating the female and male actors, by changing the colour scheme to blue on the male poster and by changing the wording at the top. It's a stereotypical view that women take Valentine's Day more seriously than men do, hence the words associated with Valentine's Day, such as 'flowers', 'jewellery', 'cards' and 'what a day' featuring on the female poster, and the words ''work', 'trainer', 'ball game' and 'what day is it again?', emphasising the difference between the two genders and their views towards Valentine's Day, appealing to both genders opposed to the stereotypical female-based audience. The title of the film and the release date are both clear, large and bold to attract the attention of the potential audience. The collage of the actors is the centrepiece of each poster, and with their names listed alongside, it's easy for the potential audience to link names to faces, targeting those who are major fans of a particular actor in the film, encouraging them to watch it. For my own poster, I will use a similar technique to the divide one used in the Valentine's Day poster campaign, but use this to create a divide between the most stressful and more enjoyable experiences about being a teenager, rather than to separate gender. This idea will encourage the potential audience to weigh up their experiences as a teenager and decide for themselves whether they believe their teenage years were the best years of their life or not.

Poster ideas based on the use of silhouettes

Based on the idea of using silhouettes in teaser posters to advertise a film that all link together in a trio, as shown in Star Wars I (very roughly) created 2 ideas of themes I could focus on that feature within my film, as can be seen below:

 

As with the previous post on individual teaser poster campaigns, a main image will dominate each poster with an outline image of a student studying, what they should be doing, with an image of what they rather would be doing inside the outline, for example, going to the beach or just chilling with friends, with the title across above the textbook, in the centre. Another idea for a silhouette poster is the main image/outline of a student drinking, what they would like to be doing, with the image of what they should be doing, for example, revising and completing work, as the picture inside. The aim of each poster would be to highlight the main events or activities a teenager experiences whilst growing up, weighing up what they should be doing against what they would rather be doing, all contributing to the aim of the short film itself, to encourage teenagers to make the most of their youth instead of being stressed and constantly worrying, but also to spread their time equally between studying and relaxing.

Star Wars poster campaign

 

The Star Wars poster campaign for the films 'Episode I', 'Episode II', 'Episode III', was used very effectively to advertise the film through the use of a trio 'teaser' posters, focussing upon 3 recognisable characters within each film and also, arguably, the most memorable scene from each film. The first poster on the left advertises the first film and includes a shadow of a droid, a common figure within the first film with the memorable race scene. The second poster follows an identical design with the outline of a storm trooper, again a common figure throughout the film, with the scene of the battle inside, arguably, the most memorable scene from the movie. It is no surprise that the poster for the third film follows the same design with the outline of Darth Vader with the battle scene between two of the main characters. The idea of the trio of posters following the same design emphasises the links within the plot and leaves the poster campaign being easily recognisable. The view of the silhouette figures with scenes of the film inside them acts as teaser/sneak preview for those that had not seen the film, and as a familiar memory for those that previously already had.

Poster ideas based on individual teaser posters

Drawing has never been one of my strongest skills, so unfortunately you'll have to bare with my lack of skills and use of stick men. Based on the idea of using individual teaser posters to advertise a film that all link together, as shown in Les Mis, I (very roughly) created 3 ideas of themes I could focus on that feature within my film, as can be seen below:



 



As you can see each poster features a main image which dominates the poster with only the title, other relevant information, such as the release date, and the hashtag #BestYears, allowing the potential audience to voice about the film over social media. The aim of each poster would be to highlight the main events or activities a teenager experiences whilst growing up, all contributing to the aim of the short film itself, to encourage teenagers to make the most of their youth instead of being stressed and constantly worrying.

Les Mis poster campaign

 

 

The Les Mis poster campaign was used very effectively to advertise the film through the use of several 'teaser' posters, focussing upon the different main characters that featured throughout the film. The posters in the top left and bottom right show intimate close ups of a couple of the main characters within the movie and also detail which song they are most known for throughout the film, an instant link the audience can make between the different characters and the different songs. The close up shots encourage the potential audience to already establish a connection with the characters, or at least recognise the emotions shown and link them to the surrounding context of the movie. The posters in the top right and bottom left are equally as effective but less intimate. The display the main characters in the film, so the audience can already associate names with faces from other methods of advertising, such as trailers and sneak previews. In all four of the posters, the title is bold and the golden colour against the darkened background immediately stands out to the potential audience.

 

I used this poster campaign to aid the design of the idea of teaser posters for my own film. If I were to go with this idea, I would create individual posters like Les Mis, but have the focus on the activity or event within a teenager's life, such as revision, learning to drive or prom, opposed to the main characters. These posters would clearly demonstrate to the audience what they can expect from the film so they would be able to make clear links between the two rather than being confused as to how the two relate or link.

Bad poster campaigns

 

To aid my research into poster campaigns, as well as exploring very popular and effective ones, it is also equally as important to explore badly designed posters to ensure I do not make the same mistakes. Starting with the poster in the top left created to advertise 'Sex Tape', I strongly feel the two main characters are displayed, intentionally in contrasting lights, effectively focussing upon the sexual appeal of Cameron Diaz that some audiences may be drawn to. Although the image of Diaz wearing skimpy clothes relates to the sexual nature of the film title, and essentially the plot of the film, when compared to her co-star, Jason Segal, who appears to be fully dressed, even including his socks, doesn't relate to the passionate nature of the film as Diaz is shown to do. The poster essentially suggests that the revealing nature of Diaz's photo is what will sell the film to audiences, opposed to the plot or the other main character played by Segal, as while it may generate a large interest in potential audiences by doing this, it can be seen to imply a female's appearance has a larger affect on an audience than a male's. Although this poster clearly details to the audience what to expect from the movie and the use of the two main characters trying to cover the title is used effectively to connect with the plot,  in my poster, I will consider both genders and not use one to exploit a different message than may offend potential viewers.

 

The poster in the top right of the X-men first class series of teaser posters advertising the film is boring through the lack of colour and includes very basic information; although this can be seen to emphasise the purpose of the poster as a teaser it could consequently have little appeal and generate little interest. Additionally the title is small compared to the image and date with also no tagline, leaving the audience with very little to significantly remember the film by. The only two images on the poster consist of a silhouette, a technique often used effectively in film posters, and part of a face which fades into the background. The very amateur-themed editing does not contribute to the message of the poster at all; if anything, it even emphasises the audience's confusion as to what exactly it going on in the poster and how it relates to the film, other than it could possibly be one of the main characters. From this, in my film poster, I will aim to make sure the editing is far from amateur, that the title is clear and that the content of the poster relates clearly to the film and does not leave the potential audience feeling confused given the links between the poster and the film.

 

In the bottom left is a better-designed poster than the previous two but still lacks intriguing aspects which successful movie posters hold. The background is very plain and the colour blue appears to have no reference to the film. There is no real 'capture' of the main characters, the potential audience could often be left with no 'feel' of what the characters could be like. The title of the film is clearly indicated as the main focus of the poster, but other than the main characters also featuring on the poster, there is no proper understanding as to what the storyline could be. I ended up watching the film to see how the poster relates to the plot and the only real link was that word 'Hall pass' that is used to refer to a period of time where either one, or both, partners are free to what they like without facing the consequences. Although the film poster in more interesting and effective than the previous two, in my own poster I will make sure that the content on the poster relates to the message of the film rather than leave the audience simply guessing.

 

The final poster in the bottom right is significantly older than the others so taking into consideration the stage technology was at, at the time is an important factor. The poster again, feels very basic, and although this can be an effective way of advertising films, you don't want the potential audience to be left confused or bored by the poster. The title is much smaller when compared to the image and even the tagline of the movie and fails to immediately capture the attention of the audience. The main image however, grabs the attention of the audience due to its size and unrealistic nature; the snake is a clear reference to the title but doesn't explain to the audience nor suggests what to expect from the movie, which could leave them confused to what the film is actually about. The tagline at the top of the poster is an appealing technique, but again, doesn't appear to hold any direct reference to the plot or message of the film. In my poster, I will ensure that all the images and words used clearly relate to my short film to avoid any confusing amongst the potential audience.

Video Diary: 10.11.14

Initial Ideas for my film poster

The mind map demonstrates the different aspects to consider when creating a film poster: the genre of the film, the theme demonstrated throughout the film, the title, the possible images that may feature and the overall presentation. The genre explored within my short was a documentary based on teenagers with realistic feel; considering this, I thought that a teenager, or multiple teenagers, should feature on my poster as the main focus as they are at the centre of my short film. Linking to this is the theme of my short which consists of encouraging teenagers to enjoy their youth and experience of growing up instead of wishing it away by exploring the terrible and enjoyable aspects of teenage life. From this, I believe my poster should consist of displaying both sides of growing up to emphasise the message of my film. The title also plays an extremely important part of the poster and should stand out so the audience are drawn to it. The title 'The Best Years of Your Life?' encourages the audience to question which years were the best, which may further encourage them to reminisce about their teenage years, again linking to the main focus of the film and the poster. An equally important feature of the poster are the images used, which should link to the film but should not be screen grabs taken from the film itself. When filming, I took the opportunity to take photos of the scenes that presented me as that would save me valuable time if I did not have to reconstruct the scenes in order to take appropriate photos. By taking photos of the scenes similar to those in my film, when my audience watch the film they will automatically connect it to the poster, emphasising the strong links between the two opposed to advertising for something that will not appear in my short. When brainstorming over how the best way would be to present my poster, I came up with the following ideas: a series of teaser posters with one central image (similar to that of the Les Mis poster campaign) that all link towards the main plot line, a shadowing effect where the main image is made up of other images demonstrating the main features of the film, a collage to combine all the main aspects that relate to the short, a collage within a shape, similar to the shadowing effect, but completely consuming the outline opposed to just being transparent over it and a typography poster where the words typically associated to a teenager are combined to create an object that plays a role in almost every teenager's life. I aim to create sample posters for my favourite ideas from the mind map above and then finally decide which poster I feel is the most effective in advertising my short film and I will continuously refer back to my mind map of initial ideas whilst researching, planning and creating my final poster campaign for my short film as inspiration.

Response to Audience Research: Poster Campaign

Audience Research: Film Poster

In order for me to achieve the best out of the poster for my film, I decided it would be beneficial for me to carry out audience research regarding what people think are the most effective ways of advertising a film through a poster. A copy of my survey can be seen here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TZK7B87

The photos below show the questions I asked and the responses I received, in a graph:

First draft of my A2 coursework piece: The Best Years of Your Life?

After an extensive amount of filming and editing, the first draft of my A2 short film has been exported! I am really happy with the outcome and I feel that it achieves the main message I wanted to get across to the target audience: to spend less time worrying about every little detail of being a teenager and just enjoy your youth instead of wishing it away.