1. How effective is the combination of your main
product and ancillary texts?
Charlotte Page

2. A Promotional Package
Originally, the assignment brief for this project was to
create a promotional package for a new film. This had to
include a teaser trailer, together with a film magazine front
cover that featured the film and also a film poster.
Since the teaser trailer is the main product, the purpose of
the ancillary tasks are to support and help promote the film
by raising awareness of its release through multiple
platforms. This is known as synergy as Ancestors is being
promoted through various subsidiary platforms.
For the ancillary tasks to successfully promote the
Ancestors trailer, both the poster and magazine cover have
a similar house-style to the main product to ensure
consistency.

3. Existing Products
Firstly, here is an example of an existing
product. This is a promotional package for
the film Insidious (2010) consisting of a
trailer which is supported by its film poster.
These products are successful since the
poster supports the trailer as it should, due
to the well developed house-style
consisting of the same colours, dark
lighting, font styles and settings. This
makes the film recognisable across two
platforms.
One of the most noticeable aspects to
these products is the choice of font for the
title. The same has been used for both the
trailer and poster making the title become
significant to the films identity.
Similarly, in the trailer, a shot of the house
is shown and this is mirrored on the poster
suggesting the house will be significant.

4. Title
The style of the title for any film becomes
like a logo or unique identity for the main
product. Therefore, to allow our ancillary
tasks to become consistent with our
trailer, all three of our media products use
the exact same style of title.
This includes using the same font, the
same colours and the same size text. This
is to ensure that the ‘Ancestors’ brand is
not only consistent but so it becomes
recognisable across all platforms.
For instance, the ‘O’ in the title can be
seen as symbolic for the red eye of the
doll and forms a brand identity.
Likewise, the colours can be seen as
effective since the grey could connote the
ghostly and chilling atmosphere portrayed
in the trailer whilst the red symbolises an
element of fear or danger. Therefore, even
in our ancillary tasks through the title, the
themes of the trailer are still
communicated through print.

5. Font
Aside from the font used for the titles,
the same text style has been employed
for the slogan on the poster as it is in the
film trailer.
This font style is one which we
downloaded online as we thought this
was successful in symbolising the
childhood plot of the film as it appears to
have a child-like style to it.
Furthermore, as our storyline is based
around the idea of generations and the
past, the grey colour of this text and the
shadow behind it could connote the idea
of the past and history.
By using this font for the slogan on the
poster supports the themes that are
portrayed in the trailer and even though
on print, the storyline of the trailer is still
communicated to the consumer.

6. Images
The images used for the poster and magazine front
cover are very similar to the kinds of shots which feature
in the trailer and therefore this is another way that the
ancillary tasks support the main product.
Firstly, on both the magazine cover and poster, the doll
features. As something that is so prominent in the trailer,
it is clear that this is central to the plot of the film which
is reflected in the ancillary tasks.
Furthermore, the shots of the doll used for the ancillary
tasks are close-up shots in which this is a shot type that
is regularly used in the trailer, allowing the tense
atmosphere created in the video to be mirrored in the
poster and magazine since only its face is seen.
On the magazine cover, the same actor has been used
as in the trailer. In the trailer, the actor can be seen to
reflect the target audience since she is young and
current and so appearing on the magazine cover
enforces who the target audience of Ancestors is,
making the combination of the magazine and trailer
effective also.

7. Colour & Lighting
The colours used on both the magazine
cover and poster are very similar with the
black background used on each, grey and
white fonts with dark shadows and hints of
red throughout. These colours are all
stereotypically associated with horror,
connoting the idea of the unknown, danger,
and evil in which these colours feature in the
trailer too. Through colour, this is another
way that the ancillary tasks are consistent
with the trailer as the horror genre is
emphasised across each platform.
Furthermore, with the poster and magazine,
the lighting that has been used is very dark.
Particularly low key lighting emphasising the
shadows. This is something that has been
employed in the trailer whereby shadows
form and the darkness adds to the
unknown. Again, making the products
consistent.

8. House Style
Overall, I think that the combination of our main product
and ancillary tasks is effective since the house-style is
continuous across each platform with the same colours,
fonts, shot types and overall style being employed. As a
result, the combination of the main product with the
ancillary tasks is successful as the connection can be
made between each of the products as they all appear
similar.
Since these products are consistent, it becomes easier for
the audience not only to be able to recognise the horror
genre but allows the Ancestors brand to become more
recognisable meaning synergy has been successful as the
product is being promoted through all of its subsidiary
platforms.