Question 2 - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Postcards

My ancillary task consisted of three different postcard designs that I later developed into three different postcards of the same design.  Below are screen grabs that gave me ideas for my first three postcard designs, why I chose to use them and my final design. For my designs I wanted to convey the theme of the film yet still have an element of suspicion to the postcard. 
I wanted to create three different designs, which were a combination of stills from the film and additional pictures taken during production. Even though I had designed three different ideas they were all located in the same section of the alleyway.  I decided to pick this location as I felt it was the most significant and represented the character's softer and worried side compared to her hard exterior.

In my first design I planned for LucieAnne's expression to show elements of worry, startled and anxious. I wanted the expression to draw the audience in and question why and what is causing the expression on her face.  For my second design I wanted a picture of LucieAnne as she is walking up the alleyway, which could be taken as a still from the film. I wanted the image to make the audience wonder and question what she is walking away from and what had happened previously to this picture.  In my final design it was showing just the alleyway where we filmed and then to edit the photo in Photoshop and add in signs, which showed the name of the film and represented that Karma is anywhere and everywhere you go.

This still from our film shows where I got the idea for postcard design 1. This is a very similar image to the one I used for my final design. I really liked the emotion in her face and I thought it would catch the audiences attention. 

This still taken from our film was where I got the idea for postcard design 2; you can see the location of the alleyway along with a full length image of LucieAnne. 

After completing all three of my designs I decided to go with my first design of LucieAnne looking over her shoulder with a worried expression. Even though I liked my second design I didn’t feel that the picture would grab the attention of a passerby and make him or her want to see the film. For my third postcard I could clearly picture what I wanted it to look like however, in reality when it came to experimenting and trying to edit and add in the sign post it was a lot harder than I first thought. I decided that it was a lot of time wasted when I had another design that was much stronger.  I finally chose my first design for a number of reasons. I personally felt that this was my strongest design and to make sure it was a design the public would also like I asked my target audience for feedback.  They  agreed with me! I also felt that for a marketing campaign, the image conveyed mystery with nothing being revealed or given away. After deciding I was going to use my first design and I then edited my photo using Photoshop.

Postcard 1

For this postcard I changed the settings to black and white and added in red hints to add warmth to the image. I also changed the level of lighting and decided to change the image to make it slightly lighter in order to make the red more noticeable. For the writing I chose white with a red glow to match the red hint I had added. Even though I liked the black and white effects I didn’t feel that it was eye catching and I preferred a different style and font of writing.

Postcard 2

In this image I used the highlight and shadow tool where I was able to intensify the shadows in the photo. I also changed the colour levels and increased the cyan and decreased the yellow levels. Even though I preferred this to the black and white effects I felt that it had a cold and dull element to the picture, which wouldn’t be suitable for a marketing campaign and I wanted an image that would attract an audience.

Postcard 3- my final design

For this photo I used the channel mixer and changed the yellow and red colours. I also added an 85 filter to bring warmth to the over all image. Even though I was trying to create a look of mystery and coldness in her emotion, I felt that the photo needed to be warm as it brings the image and character to life, for example it highlights her facial features such as her lips and cheeks.  I feel that adding warmth to the photo has been very effective, I think it gives her a look of innocence as well as mystery with her expression. I also think the writing is effective as I have used a simple but bold front that draws in  attention but doesn't take away focus from the focal picture.  To make sure it was a design that the public would like I asked my target audience for feedback on which design they preferred and why, I chose to ask my target audience as they are similar ages and stages in their lives who can relate to the film and its messages. My most dominant audience is people who attend film festivals and have a large interest in short films. Thinking about this I had to make sure my post card followed conventions and was attractive to my target audience and to individuals within the film industry.  

When combining my postcard with my short film there are a number of conventions that have been shared. For example, in both my postcard and film I have included the title, production company, main roles within the group such as directors, camera, lighting and production designer. I have also used a similar image for my postcard as a still taken from our film. 

Film review

For my final film review I decided that I wanted to create an article that would replicate one from magazine 'Sight and Sound'. I decided to choose 'Sight and Sound' as they are recognised as a prestigious, respectable and high end film magazine that is distributed monthly, and brought by those in the film profession. Even though you typically find feature films in this magazine I would expect to see our short film review as part of a ‘short film special addition.’  I decided to go with an article from 'Sight and Sound' rather than 'Empire' or 'Newspaper' as I felt it had much more content and was overall more serious and less comical.  I also feel that this magazine would have a better audience for getting our short film noticed in the film world and was a place where business or investors would be more drawn to.

At the top of my article I used my marketing postcard as the image conveyed mystery however, nothing is revealed or given away, hoping this would lead to the audience reading the article.  I followed the conventions of a 'Sight and Sound' article and had information in the top left hand corner including, director, actors, certificate and duration.  Following the conventions of a typical film review I then went on to a short introduction into the film and introduced the characters and main actors.  Then I went on to giving the location of filming, how it was filmed and the different equipment used before mentioning the criticisms and positives of the film.

In my review I tried to make to make sure the reader was getting a good in depth of understanding about the film, along with the director's aims, whether these were met and the messages Emily was trying to convey. I decided to talk about not only the role of the director but also the camera, lighting and production design pointing out their positives and also improvements that could have been made.  I also talked about the opening few scenes and how they are used to portray the message of LucieAnne having a troubled home life which led to her becoming a bully.  I think the opening scenes are the strongest as the audience can identify and build and understanding of LucieAnne as a character.

Below is showing how I tried to make the film review and film join together. I have drawn arrows showing the title of the film, the information showing roles within the group, location and ideas for the picture used in the review and finally showing how and where I have mentioned her troubled home life which is reflected in the film through the first opening scenes.

Overall I feel that my film review is effective as I have used a number of conventions that are used in professional magazines. I have used the correct layout and included a picture and vital information to give a short overview.

 


Audience Feedback on the effectiveness of my Postcard and Film Review

This video clip is an additional task that I completed. I asked Ryan and Matt, both media students, for their opinion on how effective they thought my Postcard and Film review was.
As a group we all discussed each others products and wrote notes, after discussion we then filmed each other opinions.