1. Evaluation
Film4 Productions is a British film production studio; they are known for working with the most
distinctive and innovative filmmakers and were looking for the services of a photographer and graphic
designer (that being myself) to create a print campaign for a new film. Keeping in mind their diverse
selection of genres within their catalogue, i had the opportunity to create a film pertaining to any genre I
wanted- I chose a romantic drama with a tragic twist that I detailed in my proposal. Since then, I believe
I have met the brief given to me and created a satisfactory campaign for the film of Terry and May.
As stated in the brief, Film4 were looking to produce a genre film targeted at an audience both males
and females, aged from late teens to those in their 30s. The film should have a diverse cast with both
genders represented in a prominent role and the main protagonists should be in their early twenties as
it was the goal of the producers to aim for a 15 certificate to entice a mass audience. I decided to centre
the story around two women out of love- and though that doesn’t meet the ‘both gender
representation’ requirement, I believe there's still a good showcase of diversity within the film as its not
often we get films focused on women, if not women in the LGBTQ+. And despite this, by having dark
tragic themes weaved within the film and the poster design, I believe that male audiences and female
audiences alike will be entertained and hooked by the intense narrative. Both protagonists are in their
early twenties, meaning young and older audiences within the target demographic can relate to and
with our characters. Furthermore, by having representation of queer characters- I believe audiences are
more likely to want to see the film as it something modern audiences embrace and resonate with.
Looking at the posters themselves, Film4 suggested images of the protagonists, the antagonist, an
indication of setting (through mise en scene) and maintaining the generic codes and conventions to be
utilized within the poster. Appropriate typefaces needed to be selected as well as a colour scheme. The
theatrical posters must have included the full tagline, billing information, the full names of the main
actors, certificate and release date. Again, I believe I hit the brief here by showcasing the main
characters (and their costumes) on all three posters, leaving only the setting ambiguous to clarify for
audiences the film’s focus on the characters and their relationship. I used iconography (a classic
convention of drama posters) to make the characters come off as memorable whilst giving both their
own distinct style and personality. I used central blocking in all three that fits under universal poster
conventions as well as having text in their conventional allocated spots e.g. the title either at the top or
in the middle, the billing block always at the bottom as with the age rating, production logos and date of
release, the tagline bellow or above the title and the actresses' names (when used) at the top of the
poster as a call back to the style of old early 2000’s rom-com posters. For the most part I stuck to a
consistent colour scheme of the pairs signature red and brown with white and black backdrops keeping
the drama convention of a solid fill background for a simplistic sophisticated look.
Film4 clearly stated the purpose of visual communications is to capture the attention of, promote and
inform potential audiences of the new film. The poster was to have an appropriate design that includes
the correct codes and conventions but offers the audience a variation/twist on what they have seen
before is required. I believe this requirement was met in all three, in my theatrical poster the image fits
the brief as it creates a sense of enigma/ mystery around the characters which is a classic drama
convention as by having it framed in an extreme close up the pairs identities are kept a secret
(discluding the actresses names) whilst pertaining to the romance genre convention by having them
blocked so close to one another and performance wise having the pair in a 'near kiss'. More so the fact
2. that they are the main protagonists and are centered in my image conforms to general poster
conventions: The extreme close up (hidden faces) fits both drama and romance conventions, as is the
colour coordination- representing each character- whilst having subverted the romance genre
conventions by having the character's undisclosed and vague relationship with the pairs towards each
other. it more so did meet the normal conventions of a theatrical poster, having information displayed
for the audience to see like age restriction, date release and the billing block.
In my teaser poster The image fits the brief as it creates a sense of enigma/ mystery around the
characters which is a classic drama convention, by having the characters missing, it allows me to show
not all is as it seems and by having the models blocked to be hugging firmly, it shows the characters
intimate relationship pertaining to the romance genre convention. More so the fact that they are the
main protagonists and are centered in my image conforms to general poster conventions. The solid
backdrop more over conforms to drama- character/relationship studies- conventions as is the vague
imagery with missing/ hidden protagonists. But more so subverting the romance genre conventions by
having unsettling imagery with the lack of characters and ominous black background and by having the
characters not disclosed. It more so did meet the normal conventions of a teaser having very little
information, apart from the date, title and the film4’s logo to keep audiences in suspense.
In my landscape poster the image fits the brief as it creates a sense of enigma/ mystery around the
characters which is a classic drama convention, whilst by having the models blocked to have their heads
on each other's shoulders shows the characters intimate relationship pertaining to the romance genre
convention. It also allows me to show not all is as it seems through the performance of the models by
having Terry's model's eyes open looking at the audience telling us she knows something that May
doesn’t (her eyes peacefully shut) this should hopefully intrigue audiences to want to uncover what's
really going on. More so the fact that they are the main protagonists and are centered in my image
conforms to general poster conventions. The desaturated colour scheme is also conventional to drama/
romance conventions as is the white backdrop whilst having subvert the romance genre convention
whilst having subvert the romance genre conventions by having unsettling imagery with the 'open eyes'
and the paint strokes going over the two. it more so did meet the normal conventions of a theatrical
poster, having information displayed for the audience to see like age restriction, date release and the
billing block.
Contextually Film4 stated, the posters will feature nationally in public spaces, that in mind, they need to
be appropriate for all audiences though should attract the target audience. The intention is that the
posters will be primarily viewed in bus shelters, cinemas and magazines/newspapers. I believe my
posters are appropriate to display in public spaces as all three, for the most part isn't graphic or
gratuitous in nature. Though the characters are intimate there's no sexual implications and though the
narrative ends in death there's no violence or stereotypically disturbing imagery to concern parents,
children and the general public.
Overall, I believe the drama and romance genre has been conveyed through the model's performance
and blocking with help from the editing of colour and images to make all three unique and give off a
breath of fresh air for the two respected genres. The narrative, though vague to hook audiences in, is
implied through again the blocking and performance of the models as well as their colour scheme and
costumes such as the hugging jacket poster- we can tell they’re together, but something is not right. All
three display the film4 logo in one of the bottom corners. Each poster also includes the release date,
3. cast names and BBFC certificate (for DVD release). Creativity is at the forefront of each design, when
conducting my research, though influenced by a select few, I made it a point to have my posters look
individual and unique in their design, having a disturbing uneasy tone underlying all three Film4 prides
itself on innovation so made it a priority for it to be reflected in the appearance of each poster. And
lastly the design and production were completed in the designated time frame.
Equipment used to take the photography- Canon EOS 4000D / tripod and software programme
photoshop was used to help created and complete the finished products and all were saved in the
correct photoshop dimensions and filed as JPEGS when completed as well as PNG 72 dpi (For web
distribution)
