2. In using a film review and poster to promote my main
product I was able to give a written description and a visual
representation. Alike mainstream and independent film
products their promotional methods must link and
effectively depict an overall impression of the films content
and moral.
3. Use of colour
Colour was the main signifier used within the design of both the film poster
and final review. The light and pale colours that are a prominent feature
within both the texts symbolise innocence and purity, a key element within
this short film. Blue is often associated with the colour of the sky and is
used in many cinema texts as a sign of freedom, a symbol that is arguably
one of the main issues within our narrative. Also, by connecting the title
colour to some props within the film also gave it a continuous link to the
main product. For example, Ellie’s prom dress, one of the main props in
signifying her age is pale blue in colour and therefore would connect it to
the title. Also, as the film progresses we see Ellie’s characters wearing a
scarf on her head and therefore giving the connotations her illness has
developed more severely. Thus, by also linking this colour with the title and
the dress we have now 3 key elements that conjoin that give a basic
undertone of the films narrative. Firstly, the innocence of the story,
secondly the age range and who is mainly involved and finally the issue or
obstacle – a terminal illness. The use of colour is very powerful if used
effectively and can mean more than just its stereotypical connections. In
this sense, by using the same colour for both titles in the review and film
poster and also using the colour blue for borders and other small effects in
the review, we have achieved an overall connected look that would
correspond the three texts.
4. Images
Visual representations of some of the shots in our film was a key
component whilst making the film review. In order to give the
audience a real overview of the house style and genre of the film
I felt it was important to include a variety of still images from the
action itself as this is conventional within the designs of film
reviews. Contrastingly, the film poster is a staged photograph as
used in all film posters. It was planned, rehearsed and then
finally printed after a 45-60 minute shoot. This would follow the
conventions of the creation of any film poster as the image has
to be visibly intriguing and give semiotic information. In order to
corroborate the two ancillary task by images we planned the
images and ensured we had similarities in colour and characters,
but also we simultaneously included the symbolism of the scarf
on Ellie’s head as this along with the age of the characters and
Ellie’s costume (prom dress) would give the overall
representation of a teen drama.
5. Text
Regardless of the overall design, we ensured we kept the
title in the same font and the same colour. The title is the
main way of identifying the film and could lead readers to
assume it was a different product entirely. This looked
effective when we matched up the poster and the review as
it was clear that the two corresponded in subject. Also, the
language used in the review was similar to that on the
poster. When including star reviews or critical
interpretation, using the same words or individuals was a
more effective way of promoting the main product as it
added familiarity between the two ancillary texts.
6. Overall, there are some aspects of the ancillary task that
differ from the main product and that may cause slight
confusion in the narrative at first glance. However, I feel
myself and my partner have communicated our
expectations for both the ancillary tasks and worked
collectively to create effective and appropriate promotional
texts.
