A presentation for evaluation question 2 of my A2 Media Studies coursework.

1. HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE COMBINATION OF
YOUR MAIN PRODUCT AND ANCILLARY
TEXTS?
A PRESENTATION BY JONATHAN BRIGGS

2. INTRODUCTION
• At A2 level, I was required to make a short film, which was
the main product, a film poster and a magazine review,
which were the two ancillary tasks.
• The genre of my film was horror, so I know I needed to
look at the genre in detail and see other film advertising
campaigns so that I could know what to include
throughout my ancillary tasks.
• How effective was the amalgamation of my the main
product and ancillary tasks? Well, by assessing each of
the ancillary tasks individually and comparing them to my
main product, I can come to a clear conclusion.

3. MAGAZINE REVIEW
I had a read through many film magazines that included many film reviews, and it was
Empire that seemed to set the best examples. Upon assessing what I needed to include
in my film magazine review, I came up with the key assets that I had to include in my
magazine review:
- Main image, usually a screenshot from the film, dominates the page.
- Title of the film being reviewed.
- General verdict of the film and/or a star rating.
- Tagline for the review.
- Significant sentence taken from the review, usually in bold and in a large font.
- One section of the page might be used to display the important details of the film
like the release date, running time, cast and even details about the director.
- Might have a mini box at the side of the page which contains interesting facts about
this film.
I used most of these valuable parts of a good magazine film review in my own!

4. MY MAGAZINE REVIEW
Main image of
the film, which
dominates the
page and
catches your
attention.
Title of the film
which is being
reviewed.
The ‘popcorn’
rating of the
film out of five.
This is my own
version of a
star rating.
A short
biography
including
details about
the director’s
work and
achievements.
The tagline for
the review.
Summarizing
this page of
the magazine.
Main body of
the text
including the
general verdict
on the film at
the end.

5. MAGAZINE FRONT COVER
I thought I would
make this in my
spare time. It’s
the cover of the
magazine which
contains the
review of my
film. The weekly
magazine is
called FilmFan.

6. MAGAZINE REVIEW – SUMMARY
Overall, I feel that my magazine review works well with my
short film, making the combination between the main product
and this ancillary task strong. I used the key conventions of
typical film magazine reviews in my own magazine review,
and collectively they give my review a professional edge.

7. FILM POSTER
Before producing my film poster, I wanted to be sure on what I was making and what to
include. I began this process by looking at countless horror film posters and I found
some of my favorites from which I would draw inspiration for my own.
Take note of these; they are simple but effective.

8. MY FILM
POSTER
These show the
film festivals at
which the film has
been screened.
By using these,
people will be
more inclined to
go and see your
film as it has been
internationally
recognized and
praised.
The credits of the
film at the bottom
of the film poster.
You always see
these on every
poster!
The film title is in
a clear and
dominant position
on the poster. It
directly links to a
scene in the film.
The use of red
hints at potential
bloodshed in the
film.
The clear white
background
suggests that a
perfect situation
is going to be
stained by
bloodshed and
horror.
Release date.
Links to social
media sites so
that people can
find out more
about the film.

9. FILM POSTER - SUMMARY
Drawing comparisons between my poster and classic horror film
posters, it is clear to see that I have used some of the conventions
of the horror film poster genre as I have produced a poster that
doesn’t give away too much and leaves you guessing while being a
piece of artwork and advertising at the same time. On review, my
film poster really does work well in conjunction with my short film,
therefore making the combination of the two really effective. The
blood-written message on the film poster is an effective way of
giving away the title of the film at the same time as directly linking
itself to a scene from the film. On top of this, the poster does not
give away much detail, which should mean that people will be
intrigued to go and watch my film.

10. CONCLUSION
So now I have assessed the effectiveness of the combination between
each individual ancillary task and my main product, but overall, how
effective is the combination between my film and both the poster and
magazine review? I will confidently argue that the combination is effective.
Firstly, the poster and magazine work in conjunction to promote my film.
Secondly, the poster directly links to my film as the title references a
particular scene. Thirdly and finally, the magazine review does an excellent
job in terms of giving people a brief insight into my film so that they will be
persuaded into going to view it.