Ancillary Task - Magazine Review

A BFI Sight and Sound Magazine inspired film review for the Persistence of memory is simple yet effective; I chose a classic image of my main character as he glances at his watch in his 'dream' setting.  This image is strong in it's meanings; the most effective in suggesting his frustration in losing his time keeping.  The soil can be seen in the image; it's symbolic denotations refer to the brevity of life and the empty crystal glasses a fond, lost memory.  This still image from the film is most effective in implying the main concept of my surrealist feature.  I chose a simple font, remaining neural which contrasts effectively to the white, crisp background.  The review is in essay style, columns keep it simple and tidy without too much clutter.  The 'FILMS' banner at the top is similar to what would usually be seen in a magazine, to identify the type of article being read, with information below such as the heading in large title size.  The large size allows the viewer to identify the name, below are details about the film such as cast, film length and director.  I inserted the dark lines to create a border and allows separation between the magazine sections, and important information regarding the film is highlighted with the use of italics to allow the audience to identify them easily.  I feel that this image works well with my film; being a snapshot of the highest tension point where the character feels all frustration - this captivates readers and audiences in wondering why this character is concerned, and why these props are there.  We want to understand what he is thinking, and what will happen.

Film Reviews - Magazine Format

Film reviews critique releases and features suggesting an opinion in which may sway a reader or audience member to believe the review of the film with certain expectations. Famous magazines especially for movie reviews such as Empire Magazine for film features such as breaking film news and releases and reviews for films or DVD releases. This type of film criticism evaluates a film either individually or collectively, formerly known as "Film Criticism", it is mostly seen in Magazines or newspapers. Journalistic criticism is defined through the evaluation of newly released films by film critics working for large broadcast media. Film reviews will suggest the overall plot and if done so negatively, a financial loss can be caused for a film. It has come however to many people's attention whether box office reviews actually do have an impact on the reception or DVD sales of a film.

Film reviews can also be found on websites on the internet such as Rotten Tomatoes, which make reviews and ratings more convenient by compiling them together to create an overall score for a film.  Many websites, simply such as the IMDB allow users to submit comments and reviews to allow a broad consensus review, and allow the spread of a films word.  Independent films for example have a higher opportunity to be recognized that way, therefore relying on social spread.

EMPIRE MAGAZINE

British Film magazine is the biggest selling in Britain and is also published in America, Australia, Turkey, Russia and Portugal, reviewing both mainstream art house features with a more populist approach.  Well known reviews include Jurassic Park, Jaws and many other so called masterpieces.  After a poll of 10k readers; Steven Spielberg was awarded the honor of being Greatest director.


SIGHT AND SOUND

Published by the British Film Institute, Sight and Sound focuses on art house, limited releases and can often be accused of snobbery in it's approaches.  Famous reviews include Roshomon and the God Father.

TOTAL FILM 

A monthly magazine posting 13 times a year, Total Film is UK based and offers cinema, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features. Total Film is available both in print and interactive iPad editions.  Each issue always includes the Total Film Interview, which is a six-page in-depth chat with an actor or director, along with a critique of their body of work.

ZOO

A film review from zoo however would differ using large screenshots of photos with less review writing found on the website; the layout is also in paragraphs aside to collumns.

CONVENTIONS OF FILM REVIEWS

HEADLINE: Gives the reader the insight into the film's title and a suggestion as to what it us about; a first impression and introduction to the feature.  A release date certification may also be found as these are crucial information for a viewer as they may wish to view the film.

REVIEW:  A film review can range from a sentence to a two page essay; this is all depends on the type of magazine and film being reviewed; genre and type included.

SCREENSHOTS:  Screenshots of film footage will be a main feature of a magazine review to suggest the film and it's content, allowing the reader to enter further the world of the film and what it is about.

My Surrealist feature is an independent, art house feature which will need to be reviewed in depth in styles of  magazine's such as the Sight and Sound magazine; it is not a large, Hollywood Blockbuster requiring too much large promotion.  Therefore the review must be honest and capture the short film in it's best light, simple in it's style and font use, colours etc.    

Ancillary Task - Film Poster

The ancillary task of creating a movie poster has allowed me to challenge the use of technology and ways in which I could effectively, yet simply portray aspects of my surrealist feature for distribution terms.  I choose the aspect that less is of course more; I choose to simply show a black and white blank page with the many alarm clocks used in the making of my film as props.  After importing the images into Adobe photoshop, I used the brush tool to erase the background, softening the edges of the image to allow them to blend in the background.  A white background was most effective to create a subtle hint of these props and the denotations that they present in being very influential and key to the plot.  Due to my main character not actually developing that much in terms of his character throughout the film, I feel that placing his face would be most irrelevant; taking key Independant movie poster conventions and adapting then to present my film subject through the symbollic use of props.
 

 

 

The variety of clock types seem to suggest that we are unaware of the actual era, ironically; such as the digital alarm clock contrasts to the old fashioned, bronze hanging clock in the image.  The book displays a large clock face, the bold titling of 'Timeless Reflections' suggests how memories are most persistent, and regardless of time they are most important to us - which can be seen in the dream like state where the character is exported after he falls asleep.  My poster is in monochrome; the central clock image adds to the effect of time being almost transparent as it is thrown in the centre of the blank page.  It is clearly the most important prop and is up to the viewers interpretation; they can simply see that this concept is crucial to my film's idea.  I chose the font as it is simple; using black as it contrasts and looks sharp against the emptiness of the white background.  I used my ident logos from my AS work; the use of 'Phantasm Films' and 'Illusion Images' can be seen at the bottom of the page; with the Sundance Film logos that are usually used in the promotion of films.  I chose not to add a tagline, to create a mystery and leave the audience to interpret what the film is actually about.  I added a line however which suggests that the film is in Salvador Dali's influences, again this being a central point - simply with the fact that the title in itself is his painting's name.  The web address adds to the formality and promotion of my feature suggesting that audience members and viewers can find out more if they visit the website.  
 



The History of Film Posters

Used to advertise a film, a movie poster can be printed in a variety of sizes for domestic or international uses.  Prior to the 1990s, it was more common for illustrations to be used on a film poster whereas today it is more common to see main actors photographed.  The National Screen Service in the US was where film posters were initially printed then distributed between 1940 and 1984, they would then be recycled and eventually thrown away after they are no longer needed.  Film posters also made great memorabilia for collectors; those from the NSS that were returned would sometimes be stored for collective purposes and have a high value.  In the early 20th century; printing was not easy and expensive therefore the price of promoting was high, this drastically changed over the years.

1920s

• Traditional hand drawn stills, depicting scenes from the movie 

1930s

• Bolder, typographic designs and illustrations focus more towards main characters of the films

1940s

• Character illustrations are most prominent, with typography more defined

1950s

• Poster designs take a more conceptual approach with subtle film clues and content, with more focus on typography than illustrations

1960s

• Film poster are more focused on importance of layout such as the central cast member 

1970s

• Photography begins to play a role for the first time in movie posters; taking up the majority of the space in the canvas 

1980s

• The evolution in film poster is clearly seen; reflecting poster conventions which we usually see today - such as the big photographic backgrounds with more balanced types and imagery

1990s

• Posters become more formulaic; with the large photographic backgrounds, slogans/ taglines and headlining cast members

2000s

• The revolution of movie posters is most clear, following the layout see from the 1980s onwards of large scenic photographs and minimalistic approaches

Film Poster in Popular Culture

Film posters as an item for product exhibition are a way for audience's to become engages with film releases which may perhaps be by their favourite directors, an anticipated release for example.  Global synergy of mass media conglomerates enables studios to distribute their items on a scale as never before, through merchandising of products related to the film - such as simply my owning of 'Frankenweenie's' Victor's plush toy WITH bendable limbs. The film poster simply reflects the product it has released, aiming to intrigue an audience without suggesting too much of the plot.  It allows a sense of community as these items allow the building and expansion of fan bases amongst audiences, simply such as the placing of large film posters on your bedroom wall, to purchasing a T-shirt featuring your favourite character.     

Going back to Tim Burton's spectacular stop motion, black and white animation; 'Frankenweenie' was very effectively distributed with it's merchandising through Disney, created a vast range of products for its audience.  This style of poster is a 'character poster', usually one of many released featuring each an individual character of the film, containing a basic image or design without revealing too much information such as the plot, theme, and characters. I find the poster artistic, this one in particular shows Sparky, the main, animal character who is soon brought back to life by Victor - the black and white colour palette enhance the gloomy, dark nature of the film and gives audience an expectation.  The bright green choice of colour for titling however completely contradicts this dull nature of colours and composition, adding excitement and life to the poster.  This contrasting use of titling is almost striking and effective, it could imply that the film is perhaps very suitable for a children audience and is not so dark - which is soon discovered after watching the film.

Not only is the poster format used simply as a poster which can be sold and stuck on walls; this format is also used in popular, contemporary forms such as clothing items.  Merchandise such as T-shirts, memorabilia, iPhone/ Mobile cases, stationary, toys - the list is endless - media products can be easily exploited to create products that are easily manipulated in a variety of forms.  One poster design can lead to the creation and expansion of a variety of products.  It's not just a poster.

A film poster has a large influence over the release of the film - a simple 'teaser poster' can suggest hints on what is to be expected from the movie's release.  It is not aimed to completely burn a plot - but to engage an audience.  The poster is seen, and adapts according to the genre, style and overall film.  It sets expectations to an audience who will judge straight away according to what a teaser poster they will have seen implies, film trailer in itself put aside - a poster has a large impact on suggesting casting, plot and overall genre.  A thriller genre poster for example will vary in colours - experimenting with aspects of mise-en-scene such as light; conventions would imply dark lighting, and minimal clues to not give away the plot.  Large influences of posters such as album art by bands does not simply be used for album art - but can be used as posters by fans who favour a certain band - such as Two Door Cinema Club's 'Tourist History' album art which is often being used to sell as posters.  

Film posters are also used as an advertisement of the cast featured in the film; this was usually highlighted when film first began.  A lover of a certain actor or actress may see their name on an upcoming Hollywood blockbuster; and will instantly view the film regardless of genre preference or even it's reception.  This is taken to advantage to the way that film as a product is distributed especially through the forms of posters where large font and titling can highlight a loved actress's appearance.  

Ancillary Task - Film Poster Conventions

A film poster is used to market the product and is a suggestion to the films genre in order to attract members of the audience during it's distribution.  It should be eye catching and captivating, with an intriguing focal image that could perhaps show one of the characters, which may be played by famous actors or actresses.  A large readable title is usually present, with a tagline present - and a reslease date - a 'teaser poster'.  The way that a film poster is constructed will usually suggest the genre of a film; such as a mainstream, chick-flick rom com would present the 'blonde bombshell' all dressed in pink as a focal point.  An Indepenent film poster would differ as it may be more intriguing with a variety of medias used to create it; such as a painting, sketch or a minialistic approach to prop use.

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER - 2009

Comedy drama feature with Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an Independent production distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures and was premiered at the 2009 Sundance Festival.  It's teaser poster suggests conventions of how a poster can be used to distribute a product through use of images and titling.

1.  A title placed at the centre of the image being a main feature - 500 is in large bold print being a focal point, suggesting it is of importance to the storyline.

2.  The blue background of the poster is of calm nature and creates a simple effect, being a dominant colour of the poster.

3.  A usual familiar film poster convention is a film critic response - a positive response with a high star rating that usually persuades an audience to see it, and depending who the quote is by would imply the genre of the film.

4.  Short, dramatic tagline is used to sum up the storyline - this way almost quirky as a suggestion to the comedy aspects of the film.

5.  The certificate of the film is required on the promotional poster of the film by the Motion Picture Association. This film will contain mild language and references. Certified at 12A.

6. The names of the two main actors are placed below their image at the bottom half of the poster. Mainly due to the fact that the cast is well known but also to promote the actors.

7.  The credits of the film are often featured at the bottom of the poster is faded out font colour and in a smaller font; suggeting distributors, studio, cast, director etc.

8.  The main character of the film is then the main image on the poster that focuses the audience in to learning more about his soft, comedic, body language. Looking down on his t-shirt that contains “good memory” images of his relationship, displayed on the centre of the poster.  The main image takes of at least two thirds of the poster, placing emphasis once more on the main character.
 

ANCILLARY TASK

In order for me to create an effective film poster for my short feature I should consider the style of film and it's conventions to portray those elements effectively.  For example, being an independent, surrealist feature, I will immediately not aim to conform to stereotypical genres of movie posters, straight away for example I think props will be useful.  With the clocks used as an indication and importance in the film, the concept of time drives the piece and overrides the main character.  The plot is emphasised through concept which defines the character development, not through the character themselves.  I feel that keeping the poster for 'The Persistence of Memory' simple, will have a more effective outcome and is more intriguing to the audience.  For example; a white, blinding background with the images of the clocks in the centre are a suggestion to the audience that the concept of time is extremely relevant - these props are crucial to the communication of my film concept.