1. Evaluation Question 2: How effective is the combination of your main product and
ancillary texts?
Throughout the project I have done research into the crime thriller genre and following this,
planned and produced a film trailer, poster and magazine cover based on the film I had put
together. After doing my research I made sure that the products I planned to create all worked
well together and clearly advertised the same film, working well as an advertising package. I
also wanted to ensure that all three products followed the expected codes and conventions of a
crime thriller film to attract the right target audience. To begin with I looked at existing products
for a variety of films of this genre and analysed them in some detail so I could begin to
understand what made the products so effective.
By doing this initial analysis I could then incorporate certain ideas into my planning such as,
what colours are suited to the genre and what sorts of fonts should be used. It also taught me
what appealed to the audience and what they would expect to see in an advertisement for a
crime thriller. I went through the same process for each of the products until I had a clear
understanding of what would make them work well together.
When it came to creating my products I began to take specific things into consideration and
attempted to use these things in all of my products. For Example:
-Dark colours
-Colours that connote ideas of death, blood, crime, danger
-Bold Fonts
-Main characters are clearly visible
-Having a villain and a victim with clear distinctions between the two
After considering these things, I began to plan and create my own advertising package, the
results are below.
2. I am pleased with my final products and after gaining audience feedback I
am certain that all three products work together well as a combination and
the ancillary texts do support the main product. Firstly, I ensured that
the colours used work as a theme and run across all of my
three products. I have used blacks and reds as the main
colours with elements of white running through all of the
pieces. The reds connote the idea of blood and violence and
on top of this the black add themes of death and danger.
These colours are really prominent on the poster and
magazine cover which really helps the genre to be
identified. Although there is not much chance of using certain colours
throughout my trailer, I did film it at night which adds a very dark feel to it.
White is also a very dominant colour on all three products, with the word
‘hour’ being written in white on both the poster and magazine, linking them
together and highlighting the element of time in the film. The title of the film and the intertitles
within my trailer are also written in white, subconsciously linking the products with the ancillary
texts.
The next clear link between all of my products is that
the two main characters are visible on each of them. I
feel that this element makes the combination
successful as once the audience has seen one
advertisement, the film will be familiar to them when
the see the next. This will help sell the film as the
images of the characters will begin to stick in peoples
minds, especially the mask. The two characters featured in all three
3. products keep the narrative running across all three products which allows the ancillary texts to
work well with the main product. When the audience sees the characters on one
product, they will be familiar with them when they see one of the other
products.
The title of the film adds coherence to all three products as it is clearly
visible on each and is one of the largest pieces of text on every product. It is
also written in similar colours which adds a link. The same font was used for
the title on the poster and at the end of the trailer
which helps to highlight the element of time, considering the
letters are similar to those on a digital clock. This links these
two products together nicely and the colour used to write
the text on the magazine is also the same as on the poster,
adding another link.
I also used a black background for both the magazine
cover and the poster as this supports the main product.
All three of my products are set in the dark which brings
them all together to work as a package. The black highlights the death and destruction within
the film so by using this colour on all three pieces keeps them all following this same theme and
ensures that they definitely fit in with the crime thriller genre.
After I had created my products I conducted a focus group with a female that fits into the criteria
of my target audience. When asked whether she thinks that my products work well together she
commented “the colour scheme is the same and the title is really clear on all of them”
which tells me that I was successful in linking all of my three products. This is really important as
if they are not distinctly advertising the same film they products will not be effective in selling the
film and could cause confusion for the audience. I could also mean that they are expecting
something else when they go to see my film.
After receiving this feedback and beginning to evaluate my products, I am happy that my pieces
do work together in successfully advertising my film and I am pleased with the fact that all three
products are coherent. The most important element of the advertising package is the trailer as
this gives the audience a preview of the actual film, with the ancillary texts supporting this
advertisement and making it clear what the film is about. I do feel that the combination of
products works together and effectively portray the same narrative between all three of them.
They also stand out as crime thriller advertisements and definitely all connote ideas associated
with this genre.
