Media Evaluation of "The Girl In Red". Task 2

1. MEDIA EVALUATION: TASK
TWO
HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE COMBINATION OF YOUR MAIN PRODUCT AND
ANCILLARY TEXTS?

2. BRAND IDENTITY
• BRAND IDENTITY IS HOW A BUSINESS PRESENTS ITSELF TO AND WANTS TO BE PERCEIVED BY ITS CONSUMERS.
• IT IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF A FILM COMPANIES MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR THEIR UPCOMING MOVIE RELEASE.
THIS ALLOWS THE COMPANY TO ADVERTISE IN NUMEROUS WAYS ACROSS THE MEDIA TO APPEAL TO DIFFERENT
AUDIENCES, AS BY HAVING ONE REOCCURRING ELEMENT OF THE FILM, IT WILL BECOME EASILY RECOGNISABLE
AND ASSOCIABLE, STICKING IN THE PUBLIC’S HEAD WHENEVER THEY SEE IT, ENTICING THEM INTO WATCHING
THE FILM COME ITS EVENTUAL RELEASE.
• A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS IN WHICH I RESEARCHED WAS THE 2016 FILM DEADPOOL. THE VERY RECOGNISABLE
COSTUME OF THE ANTI-VILLAIN WAS CONSTANTLY USED AS 20TH CENTURY FOX’S CHOICE OF BRAND IDENTITY,
AS ITS VIBRANT COLOURS AND STYLE WAS VERY MEMORABLE TO EVERYONE WHO VIEWED IT ON TV, YOUTUBE,
THE INTERNET, BILLBOARDS AND ACROSS DIFFERENT TRANSPORT LINKS. THIS BRANCHED OUT TO A WIDE
VARIETY OF AUDIENCES AND ENABLED DEADPOOL TO ATTRACT AS MANY VIEWERS AS POSSIBLE, RESULTING IN
A HUGELY SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN AT THE BOX OFFICE, BRINGING IN A TOTAL OF $750 MILLION.
• BY CREATING A BRAND IDENTITY, IT GIVES THE AUDIENCE A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT THE FILM COULD BE ABOUT
OR THE GENRE OF IT AS WELL. THIS GIVES THE POTENTIAL VIEWERS AN INSIGHT INTO WHAT THEY COULD
EXPECT FROM THE FILM, HELPING THEM DECIDE IF THEY SHOULD SEE THE FILM WHEN IT HITS THE BIG SCREEN.

3. OUR BRAND IDENTITY
• ONE OF OUR INITIAL IDEAS FOR OUR TEASER WAS THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE
AROUND THE LITTLE RED HIDING HOOD TYPE OF FILMS, AS SEEN BY RESEARCH
POSTS. EVEN THOUGH WE DISCONTINUED THIS IDEA, WE ALL LIKED THE IDEA OF
INCLUDING THE COLOUR RED INTO OUR TEASER AS BRAND IDENTITY, AS THE
VIBRANT COLOUR IS VERY EYE-CATCHING AND HAS PROVED TO BE PREVIOUSLY
SUCCESSFUL FOR OTHER FILM CAMPAIGNS SUCH AS RED RIDING HOOD AND SIN
CITY.
• AS WELL AS THIS, THE COLOUR RED HAS MANY DIFFERENT CONNOTATIONS THAT
ARE BENEFICIAL TO US, AS IT CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH LOVE, WHICH HELPS US
CONVEY OUR ROMANCE GENRE ELEMENTS; AS WELL AS RED BEING ASSOCIATED
WITH MURDER AND BLOOD, WHICH IS A KEY ELEMENT IN OUR STORYLINE.

4. TITLES
• IT WASN’T ONLY THE RED THEME THAT WE USED AS OUR BRAND IDENTITY, AS WE
KEPT THE SAME FONT FOR ALL OF OUR TITLES ON OUR OTHER PROMOTIONAL
PACKAGES. DURING RESEARCH WE FOUND OUT THAT THE FONT THAT THE TEXT
COMES IN IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE FILM’S MARKETING CAMPAIGN, AS IT GIVES A
HINT TO THE AUDIENCE ABOUT WHAT THE GENRE OF THE FILM COULD POSSIBLY BE.
AN EXAMPLE OF THIS IS TWILIGHT. THE 2008 FANTASY FILM USES A MYSTICAL STYLE
FONT TO GIVE THE AUDIENCE AN IMPRESSION WHAT THE GENRE IS. WE
INCORPORATED THIS INTO OUR OWN CAMPAIGN, AS THE FONT WE USED, CALLED
IOWAN OLD STYLE, ALSO GIVES OFF A CERTAIN VIBE.
• THE FACT THAT IT LOOKS QUITE BASIC BUT ALSO LOOKS SOMEWHAT
HANDWRITTEN, WHICH IS COMMON AMONGST ROMANCE FILMS, AN EXAMPLE BEING
CASABLANCA, IT GIVES THE AUDIENCE AN IDEA ABOUT WHAT THE FILM IS ABOUT,
WHICH IS KEY ON OUR POSTER AS THERE IS NO VISUALS TO BACK THEM UP LIKE
THERE IS IN THE TEASER.

5. DO EACH OF YOUR PRODUCTS SUGGEST THE
SAME GENRE?
• I’D SAY THEY DO AS THE FONT USED IS A GOOD INDICATOR OF A ROMANCE-STYLE
GENRE, WHICH GOES WELL WITH THE CONTINUATION OF THE BRAND IDENTITY USED
BY THE RED SCARF, WITH RED HAVING CONNOTATIONS OF ROMANCE. THE POSTER
SHOWS TWO CHARACTERS OF AROUND THE SAME AGE, WHICH IMMEDIATELY GIVES
THE IMPRESSION OF A ROMANCE FILM, WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY SOME OF THE
MONTAGE SHOTS USED IN THE TEASER ITSELF. THE POSTER AND TEASER USUALLY
GO WELL TOGETHER, WHICH IS PROVEN BY THE MURDER ELEMENT OF OUR FILM
COMING INTO PLAY WITH OTHER MONTAGE SHOTS IN THE TEASER AS WELL AS THE
BLOOD STAINS USED ON THE POSTER.
• BOTH ROMANCE AND MURDER ARE CONNOTATIONS OF THE COLOUR RED, AS
MENTIONED EARLIER, SO THE ENHANCED COLOURISATION ON THE MAGAZINE
COVER, WITH THE EMPIRE NAME BEING IN RED AS WELL AS THE SCARF BEING IN THE
CENTRE OF THE FRAME, THEY ALL CULMINATE TO GIVE THE BEST INDICATOR OF THE

6. DO EACH OF YOUR PRODUCTS SUGGEST THE
SAME NARRATIVE?
• MORE NARRATIVE IS SHOWN IN SOME OF OUR PRODUCTS MORE THAN OTHERS. THE MAGAZINE IS
POSSIBLY THE WEAKEST IN TERMS OF NARRATIVE, AS IT ONLY SHOWS OFF ONE CHARACTER. IT
DOESN’T TELL THE AUDIENCE MUCH ABOUT THE FILM, BUT DOE CERTAINLY INTRIGUE THEM WITH
THE TAGLINE USED ‘THEY SAY THERE’S TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY. THIS TIME THERE’S THREE.’
• THE POSTER SHOWS A LITTLE MORE NARRATIVE AS IT SHOWS TWO MORE CHARACTERS. THE MOST
NARRATIVE IS GIVEN OFF BY THE COSTUME OF THE THREE CHARACTERS AND THE POSITIONING OF
THEM. THE GIRL SEEN IN THE MAGAZINE IS ONCE AGAIN CENTRE FRAME, WHICH ENFORCES THE
POSSIBILITY THAT SHE IS INDEED THE PROTAGONIST. AS FAR AS THE ANTAGONISTS GO, THE FACE
THAT ALEC ON THE LEFT LOOKS LIKE A REGULAR TEENAGER IS WHAT WE WANT TO PUT ACROSS TO
OUR AUDIENCE, WHEREAS THE POSTURE AND COSTUME OF DAMIAN ON THE RIGHT SHOWS THAT
THERE IS SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS ABOUT HIM, WHICH IS WHAT WE WANT THE AUDIENCE TO KNOW
FOR CONTEXT.
• THE TEASER ITSELF DEVELOPS ON THE CHARACTER ESTABLISHMENT FROM THE TWO OTHER
PRODUCTS, AS IT SHOWS THE ROMANCE BETWEEN ALEC AND ROSE AS WELL AS REINFORCING THE
INITIAL IMPRESSION THAT THE POSTER GIVES OFF ABOUT DAMIAN.

7. DO EACH OF YOUR PRODUCTS REPRESENT
CHARACTERS (AND POSSIBLY PLACES) IN
SIMILAR WAYS?
• THERE ARE SOME SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE WAYS THE CHARACTERS ARE PORTRAYED IN THE
DIFFERENT PRODUCTS. ROSE IS PRESENTED IN THE SAME WAY ON THE MAGAZINE COVER AND ON THE POSTER, AS
SHE IS IN THE CENTRE OF THE FRAME, WHICH SHOWS HER HIGHER STATUS THAN THE OTHER TWO CHARACTERS, A
MORE COMMANDING FIGURE, WHEREAS THE TEASER CHALLENGES THIS AS SHE IS MORE LIKE A VICTIM WITH THE
INSECURE DAMIAN TAKING THE MORE DOMINANT ROLE. THIS ISN’T PUT ACROSS ON THE POSTER.
• SPEAKING OF DAMIAN, HIS INSIGNIFICANCE IS SHOWN AS HE IS NOT ON THE MAGAZINE COVER AND IS IN A MINOR
POSITION ON THE POSTER, BUT HE IS VERY SIGNIFICANT IN THE TEASER, AS HE IS IN ONE OF THE FIRST SHOTS AND
IS A KEY CHARACTER IN THE FILM ITSELF. THIS SHOWS TWO SIDES TO THE CHARACTER, HIS INTROVERTED AND
INSECURE SIDE MEANING HE ISN’T VERY IMPORTANT, BUT HIS SINISTER SIDE SHINING THROUGH IN THE TEASER.
• FINALLY ALEC. JUST LIKE DAMIAN THE FACT THAT HE IS NOT ON THE MAGAZINE COVER SHOWS HIS IMMEDIATE
INFERIORITY TO ROSE. THE POSTER GIVES THE AUDIENCE THE FIRST LOOK AT HIM, AND THE FACT THAT HE HAS
HIS CHIN UP, HE LOOKS FAIRLY ASSERTIVE AND POSSIBLY A VERY IMPORTANT CHARACTER. HOWEVER THIS IS USED
WELL AS IN REALITY, EVEN THOUGH HE MAY LOOK NORMAL ON THE OUTSIDE, HIS INSECURITIES AND HIS SPLIT
PERSONALITY MAKES HIM A FEEBLE CHARACTER. THE DIFFERENCE IN HIS FACIAL EXPRESSIONS THROUGHOUT THE
TEASER COMPARED TO THE POSTER SHOW CONTRAST AS WELL.

8. DO EACH OF YOUR THREE PRODUCTS
CLEARLY 'SPEAK' TO AND APPEAL TO THE
SAME TARGET AUDIENCE?
• OUR RESEARCH SHOWED THAT OUR TARGET AUDIENCE WOULD BE 15-24 YEAR OLDS, WITH
NO SPECIFIC GENDER. I FEEL LIKE WE ACHIEVED THIS VERY WELL, AS WE INCORPORATED
ELEMENTS OF TWO GENRES THAT APPEAL TO BOTH GENRES. OUR RESEARCH SHOWED THAT
MALES ARE MORE ATTRACTED TO THRILLERS, SO THE BLOOD STAINS ON THE POSTER AS WELL
AS THE ACTIONS OF DAMIAN IN THE TEASER APPEAL TO THE MALES, WHEREAS THE ROMANCE
ELEMENTS IN THE TEASER AS WELL AS THE COLOURS AND FONTS USED IN THE POSTER AND
MAGAZINE COVER SHOW A ROMANCE GENRE, WHICH APPEALS TO THE FEMALE GENDER.
• WHAT WAS VERY COMMON IN OUR TARGET AUDIENCE RESEARCH WHICH WE BROUGHT INTO
OUR PRODUCTS WELL WAS THE INCLUSION OF THE AGE OF THE CHARACTERS IN THE MOVIE IS
A VERY BIG FACTOR INTO PERSUADING THE AUDIENCE INTO VIEWING HR MOVIE OR NOT, SO
THE FACT THAT ALL THREE OF OUR PROMOTIONAL PACKAGES SHOWED THE TEENAGE
CHARACTERS SHOULD BE A LOT MORE APPEALING TO PEOPLE OF THE SAME AUDIENCE, AS
PEOPLE PREFER TO SEE THE FILM IF THEY KNOW THEY CAN RELATE TO THE CHARACTER.