Textual Analysis of Posters and Magazine Covers

Research for Shoots - Film Poster

For the general drama film poster, it is clear that there is a very simply continuation in the style of hair.  Everything is very laid back and it doesn't look like there has been much effort put into the hairstyle so that it replicates a much more realistic idea.  This is to create a sense of verisimilitude that would entice and make an audience a lot more likely to want to watch the actual movie.  This goes for the make-up that we see on the poster as well.  The make-up that has been used, is very natural to mimic real life and also to work with the laid-back approach to the hairstyles that has been applied.  Both of these features, following a naturalistic approach, works well with the idea behind the film and gives off a much more relatable feel and also a much greater sense of verisimilitude.  Another aspect, that follows this very realistic approach is the costumes that the characters are wearing.  Especially through the main image on the poster being the male character, wearing a plain white t-shirt, it highlights to the audience that the majority of the outfits that are presented are going to be easy to replicate and will most likely follow a similar fashion sense to actual people.  I think that it is important to follow this idea, especially in drama films as people are expecting to be able to feel like they can really get to know the characters.  Another aspect of the poster includes props and locations that would feature in the film and would represent the ideas presented in drama films.  For example, the bottom image, it is clear that the two characters are in a book shop or library which could represent the characters and the personalities that they have.  It could also indicate the type of activities that you are going to be likely to see in the film.  In one of the other photos on the poster, we can see that one of the props is a cinema cup which would highlight again the more laid back approach and more realistic ideologies that we have been shown through all of the other aspects there is to look at.

The hair and the make-up that we can see in this poster, is used to represent the time period.  This is important to think about when it comes to deciding the type of look you want to go for when you are creating your own poster.  It is clear from looking at this poster that there is a definitely time period of the 1920's.  We can see tell that this is the case through the use of the 'flapper' style clothing with the flamboyant colours and styles which you wouldn't usually see in a drama film set in modern society.  You can also tell through the make-up used on the characters in the poster that there is a lot of extravagance, due to the fact that they look completely flawless and elegant.  This is used along with the luxurious clothing to get the idea across to the audience that they are rich and have a lot of money.  The costumes are very important in this poster as it is a clear indication of the type of characters that you would expect to see in the actual film.  If you don't have the correct clothing on the characters for the poster, then there is not much hope of getting a significant audience to be interested in the film.  The props and locations aren't completely identifiable on this poster, however you can still see some of the props such as the jewellery that would emphasise the extravagant lifestyle that we also get from looking at the costumes, hair and make-up.  There is also a slight indication of a location with the two eyes in the background looking over the characters.  This could signify anything to someone who doesn't know the film which is why it is not necessarily a way to show location, or prop for that matter.  

The hair and make-up in this poster, follow a similar idea to the first poster as they are very natural and realistic.  They are styles that we can replicate in our own way which is what an audience wants to see when they are looking at a poster like this.  Especially when creating a film poster like this one, when the audience knows that the film is based on a true story, they are going to want to view things that are highly believable as it is known that an audience is much more likely to actually watch a film if they know that they are 1. going to enjoy what they are watching and 2. know that they are going to relate to the ideas and storyline that it presented.  This is why the very basic hairstyles that are used in this poster (not make-up due to the fact that we can't really see the faces in this poster), are designed to make you feel more relatable to the characters that are being shown.  This is the same for the characters.  The outfits that they are wearing are used to make the audience feel a lot more relatable to them.  The fact that both of the characters are wearing the same outfit with the same colours, just in different ways, is also important as it indicates to the audience that the two characters are involved in some sort of close friendship or relationship.  This would be interesting to include in my own film poster as it is a much more advanced and developed way of interpreting to the audience a sense of personal boundaries.  The props and locations in this film poster are also a good indication of real life.  There aren't that many props in this poster however the location that seems to be some sort of school environment would indicate to the audience the type of setting that they are going to be most likely to see throughout the film.  It is a clever way of showing the audience the type of location they should expect, without putting it in a highly obvious way.

My Own Shoot for my Poster

When it comes to creating my own poster, I want to follow a similar style to the likes of 500 Days of Summer that I have looked at, as I think that it most relates to the type of film that I am going to create.  After looking greatly into the various aspects of the film, it is clear that there is are similarities in the film that I think would be interesting to include on my own poster. 

Both of these images above, highlight the type of make-up and hair that I would like to use for my own poster.  I took screen grabs from the actual film to demonstrate in more detail how I would like the hair and make-up to be and so that you can see a lot clearer the type of idea that I am talking about.  As you can see, the hairstyles in particular are very relaxed and laid-back and it seems as though it has only been roughly put together.  The male character even shows signs of hair that hasn't even been styled which is something that I would like to incorporate into my own film poster as I think it would emphasise the type of character that the main boy is going to be.  This being, lazy, shy, un-confident, laid-back etc.  I think that the messy style would be a good way to go forward with the hair for the main character.  As for the woman in these shots, it is obvious that she is a little more put together than he is which is what I would also like to represent in my film poster to show the audience that the main female character is a lot more put together than the male character. 

I thought that this was a good photograph to indicate the type of costume that I would like my own characters to wear.  it is clear that the female is a lot more out together, having a very clean cut look about her whereas the male, looks a lot more scruffy and his clothing doesn't look like it has been ironed or put together very effectively.  I think that through using both of these characters together in contrast, highlights their personalities and how they are somewhat opposites.  In spite, of my own poster, I think that I would like to follow the same sort of idea to represent the personalities of my characters. 

I used these two screen grabs above, because I think that there has been a lot of thought into the way that the locations in the background have been shown.  I especially like the way that the first photograph has kind of got the location faded in the background so that we are sure to know that the main focus in on the characters.  It is a good way of identifying to the audience what we are actually meant to be paying attention to, whilst slyly letting us know where they are in retrospect to the rest of the world and the audience as a whole.  I like the idea of a bench with a simple background as a location as I think that they are very personal and you can get some really interesting shots of strangers meeting.  This is the type of idea that I want to use for my own trailer.  I am planning to find a suitable bench and putting the two of my characters at either end so that they are seated far away from each other, but I am going to do so in such a way that the audience is still going to know that they are somehow linked and that you're going to have to watch the trailer or film to find out how.  I also have another idea that I am going to try as well, which is going to involve the two character sitting close together on the bench, engaging in a joke so that I can capture them laughing to show the audience that there is definitely some sort of friendly relationship between the two.  I think that this will work out really nicely and may work out better than my other idea as it is a lot more personal and the audience will enjoy looking at the overall product.

I thought that it would be a good idea to put this screen grab in because it shows a wide variety of props, similar to the ones that I would most likely be using in my own trailer and/or poster.  As they are everyday essentials in the background, I think that it might also be a good idea to include some sort of shot inside a house, to do a sort of variation of posters so that I can appeal to a slightly wider audience and get more interest and excitement surrounding the film.  

In Conclusion

Overall, I think that there is going to be a lot of thought put into the poster production stage of my ancillary task because I think that it is a highly important way to get the audience involved and talking about your production.  If you create the right type of poster and do the right type of research then there is a good possibility that I am going to be able to create a decent amount of hype for the film.  I also think that it will be a good idea to create more than one poster because, it means that more people will talk about the different ones that they have seen and it will flow easier through the grape vine.  I think that I am going to be able to create a really professional and appropriate looking poster for my film as I already have a very good indication of how I am going to create and get everything ready to put together. 

Secondary Research into Ancillary Products

Experimenting with LiveType

Secondary Research into Audience

Viewing Figures

Audience viewing figures tend to be at their peak in the months of July and August as it is generally the time that people will have the most money and are most willing to spend it on going to the cinema.  This type of understanding about viewing figures would influence the time at when films are released.

It is also understood that a lot of people tend to visit the cinema more when it is a seasonal occurrence, such as Christmas or Valentine's Day.  At both of these seasonal times it would be best if you release more romantic films as there is a lot of study into the idea that this is what the audience is going to be more likely to watch.  This is a factor to think about if you want to get the viewing figures of your film as high as possible.

In regards to placement of film trailers, it is highly known that a lot of trailers are placed before the viewing of a film that has a similar idea or storyline.  For example, the trailer for a new Die Hard movie, might be placed before the viewing of a Lethal Weapon movie, due to the fact that they follow similar action themes that would appeal to the same type of audiences.  It is important where you place these trailers as it all depends on who you are showing your trailer to.

The types of people that tend to view movies and go to the cinema, are based on the income and class of particular people and also variates on the amount of time and money people are wiling to spend on going to the cinema.  As the audience is the most important factor when creating a film, the film that is being created must be identifiable to the audience, which means that the producers will look at demographics in order to get a good understanding of the type of people that are going to be most likely to go to the cinema.

In 2011, this viewing statistic was recorded:

It is clear from looking at this that there is a significant amount of people between the ages of 25 and 39. that are most likely to go to the cinema. This is most likely due to the fact that they have the most money and are willing to spend it.  Another factor to consider about this particular demographic is the idea that the majority of the people in this category, will have children, which is the second highest percentage in regards to moviegoers.  This is important as it is clear that a lot of people are willing to take their children to the cinema, which would indicate a rise in animated movies. 

Production companies need to recognise this so that they can produce films that are both interesting for adults and fun for children as they are the main people that attend the cinema. 

After looking specifically at the film The Blind Side, it is clear that there is a very similar target audience to what I am aiming my own film at which is why I thought it necessary to look at the demographics for the film and understand the different types of people that are going to be most likely to watch this film.

This is what I found out about the movie 'The Blind Side':

As you can see, the majority of the people that watch this type of movie are females, mainly ages between 15 and 24, which is generally the type of audience that I am going to aim my own trailer at.  The class is also important as it indicates where would be the best placed to screen the trailers and place ancillary products such as posters.

Media Timeline of Drama Films