Research

Existing Product – The Conjuring 2
(film cover context 1)
This product is a film from the Horror genre, following its prequel The Conjuring. Just like throughout the film, this front cover
brings a lot of mystery and the unknown to the viewer because its hard to understand what is happening and who the people on
the cover are. This film is based on a true story about a haunted family in Enfield, England. However this haunting, at 284 Green
Street, was only a claim, causing a great amount of controversy as to whether the sisters in the family (aged 11 and 13) were
claiming false stories for the attention of the reporters or the supernatural occurrences were actually true, which many
paranormal investigators claimed. This was later labelled as ‘the Enfield Case’ and many books and television series were created
around this story, including the horror/drama films (this product). Despite the dramatic story behind it, this film is purely for horror
film fans, as it includes many ‘jump scares’ and physiological nightmares, to frighten the audience.
The Conjuring 2 was directed by James Wan (along with the first film) and apart from the conjuring franchise, he is well known in
the horror film industry. In 2004 he directed the very famous horror film Saw and later directed Insidious 1 and 2. He also directed
more films, however these were his most popular. You can see his talent through the grossing films he has directed, therefore you
could expect (as many people did) a high standard horror film when The conjuring 2 was released in 2016. In October 2014, Wan
launched his own production company, Atomic Monster Productions, at New Line Cinema, which was the label that produced this
product. The main production designer was Julie Berghoff, who is famously known for the production design in Saw and The
Handmaid’s Tale, which is the production design she won two awards for in 2017 and 2018, including a Primetime Emmy, showing
her ability in design and her potential as she’s achieving more as she designs more.

This product was released on 10th June 2016, after the released date was pushed back from 23rd
October 2015. I don’t believe there is any significance to the time of release of this product, apart
it filmed to look like it were in 1997 (in terms of the set/props etc.) to fit the setting of the story.
The target audience for this film would likely be of a general horror film audience, therefore the
age would usually be around 16-24. The most common reason for this is young adults and
teenagers enjoy thrills and are drawn towards graphic images, whereas adults and people of an
older generation are likely to defer from these aspects, meaning they aren't part of the target
audience. Stereotypically males enjoy violence and gore more than females due to their
immature nature and thrill-seeking attitude, therefore most horror films appeal to males more,
however this is not the case all the time, as many females aged 16-24 enjoy horror films, just as
much as males, but the industry and this product, aims more towards males. The middle class is
typically the aimed class for this product as it can be a way of escaping their less exciting lives at a
low cost, compared to upper class people, who most likely get thrills in other ways.

(film front cover analysis 1)
The imagery on this cover is very effective. The first thing you see is a silhouette-like
image of the girl stood at a window, implying she is about to jump out. This creates
mystery and tension because you want to know why she is about to jump out and
what is happening in the situation and the fact that it’s a child at the window brings
more tension (you can tell it’s a child from her size and inferiority). The positioning
of her arms makes it seem like she is accepting her death, which is confusing as to
why a child would accept this, and if it’s the supernatural making her act and feel
this way. Her arms also make it seem like she is representing a cross, which links to
the cross of Christianity, in the image, being held by the greater being. You know the
other being is a greater being due to her size on the cover compared to the rest of
the page and the other character. This implies that even the supernatural/greater
being is controlling Christianity, which many see as a safe, trusting religion, creating
a lot of controversy, as Christians would state that God would never make someone
end their life. The only part of the greater being you see here is the hand, which
brings a lot of mystery to the character, making people wonder who the character is,
how powerful they are, what they are doing to the child etc. The character’s hand
you can see on this cover is very dark and isn't easily noticeable, which could mean
in the film, they hide in the dark and isn’t easily noticeable but is still very powerful,
making it scarier as you don’t know what they are or why they are doing it. You only
see these two aspects as part of the imagery, as everything else is a black
background, which again creates mystery and confusion, as you don’t know where
they are. This could also have been done purely for focal points, as the dark
background makes you notice the child more.

The text on this cover is not a main focus point, as it’s fairly small and out of the way at the
bottom because the imagery is the main focal point on this cover. On the other hand, the text is
a clear contrasting white/grey colour against the dark black background, meaning it stands out
well, making people notice it. The “2” in the title is very bold, despite being behind the title,
making it easily noticeable. This could be done to make people see it and realise it’s a second
film in a sequel, making them wonder what is it and if they liked the first one. Also, because they
already had a huge fan base from the first film, the large “2” would attract the pre-existing fans,
as they will want to watch the second film in the franchise. Linking with this point, the font is the
same as from the first film as well, meaning people (especially fans) will notice this.
The colours used on this cover are very effective in different ways. First of all the dark black
background provides a could contrast to the imagery and the title, making it stand out for people
to see and realise what the focal points are. The main colour used here is black and this colour is
predominately used in horror films due to its connotations, and people assume it’s a horror film
if black is heavily used (like in this product). The main connotations of the colour black are
power, death, evil and mystery. All of these connotations link to the horror genre, as they can all
bring fear and a thrill to the audience, and people will want to watch it if they enjoy thrills.
The text at the top of the cover reads “The next TRUE STORY from the case files of Ed and
Lorraine Warren”. The text is very small compared to the title, meaning it’s not a focal point,
however the ‘true story’ stands out more as it’s in bold. The ‘true story’ is displayed to be more
noticeable because it’s a good selling point, as it makes it more scary if it’s actually happened in
real life. As a whole the text isn’t very stand-out, but you can notice a white feature at the top of
the cover, making you want to find out what it is, making you read it.

The main prop you can see in this cover is the cross from Christianity, one of the characters is holding.
This creates a lot of controversy and contradictory because this religion is said to be peaceful and loving,
however the character in the film is not, making the audience ask a lot of question. For example is the
character controlling how people see the religion etc. The child in the image also represent the cross
with the position of her arms, bringing more emphasis to it. The clothing used in this cover is limited as
you can see much of either character, although you can see the character holding the cross is wearing a
dress or long over-layer, implying they are female (most-likely) which is different from usual horror roles,
where a male is the main, most powerful character, bringing more mystery for the audience.
The lighting in this design is used very effectively, as I have explained in the imagery and colour analysis.
It makes the character in the middle of the cover stand out a lot, against the bright light, making the
character have a silhouette look. The lighting also makes the rest of the cover look shadowed, for
example the other character, where you can see their hand and dress/clothing, showing the being lives
in the shadows and you don’t know much about them or what they can do, making it very eerie.
The layout of this product is very simple and ordinary, meaning nobody will be intrigued by the
distinctiveness of the layout, however it brings simplicity to the cover, which many people appeal to,
which balances out the contradictory and mystery already on the cover (imagery and props). The layout
also makes it clear for people to understand the information and what is trying to be displayed,
although you could say that a poster is made for that purpose not the actual cover.
I chose this product because it is from the horror genre and is a very famous film, meaning many people appeal to this product,
therefore I can get tips for my production. Another reason is, I have included this product in my survey and asked if people like it
etc., meaning I can analyse it and also get opinions from my target audience about it. I will use this cover as inspiration for meaning,
for example the use of the Christianity cross being held (as I have analysed on the previous slides), as I also want o use imagery to
create meaning that can be interpreted in different ways by the viewer, as it makes them focus more attention onto the product.

Existing Product – The Silence of the
Lambs
Based on a true story of the psychotic serial killer Hannibal Lecter, an FBI trainee must
receive help from this cannibal killer (who is behind bars), to help catch another killer who
skins his victims. It’s a fairly gory and gruesome film, meaning the audience must be of an
older or mature age to watch it. This product explores the visual and mental aspects of
murder, cannibalism and mental instability from different characters, solely based on the
true story of the famous murderer Lecter.
The Silence of the Lambs was directed by Jonathan Demme. This director was known
mainly for this film, before his 1993 film, Philadelphia. He didn’t specialize in the Horror
genre, for example he directed the film Rachel Getting Married, which was released in
2008 and was part of the Drama/Romance genre. However, despite his lack of specialism
in the Horror genres, he still directed one of the most famous films in history. The studios
that published this very famous film were Strong Heart/Demme Production (who only
produced 2 titles, this products and ‘20 to 1’) and Orion Pictures (who produced 375 titles,
including the famous Pulp Fiction and The Terminator), showing their ability in
publishing/producing in the film industry.

Lambs
I do not believe there is significance of the timing of the release, however it was released
3 years after Thomas Harris’ novel, and they wanted to bring the novel to the big screen
and did so in just 3 years.
The target audience for this film is fairly similar to the target audience for the previous
product I have analysed, due to both films being categorized in the same film genre. The
age for this film will likely be a little older than my previous analysed product, as I believe
there are many more double meanings and complicated storylines, compared to the
previous product, which just focuses on paranormal actions. The gender that this product
appeals to a large number of females, as well as males, with the use of the brighter
colours, the use of the female character and the use of the moth in the front cover, as
females, usually appeal more to ‘nature’, which contradicts the stereotypical views of a
horror film’s audience however it still appeals to males as well.. This product also likely
appeals mostly to the middle class, as it’s a horror film, so they can seek thrills at a low
cost, and at little effort (as most horror film’s audiences are.

Existing Product – The Silence of the Lambs
The use of colour here makes the audience question why they have chosen them
and also makes them feel different ways at the same time. For example on the left
the colours are very bright, with the face blending into the background. Then on the
right the face is slightly shadowed by the very dark background. This can be
interpreted in different ways, such as the white representing innocence and naivety
(the victims of the serial killer) and the black representing the evil and negativity
(the serial killer). This point is also backed up by the colour of the character being
the same white/grey colour of the background on the left, because from the true
story, we know that the woman in the image is not the serial killer because we
known Hannibal Lecter is.
On top of the bright colour of the character, the eyes are a bright red colour. The
connotations of red are blood, danger and power, which can all be very negative
connotations associated with the serial killer and murder. On the other hand
connotations of love can be love, passion and desire, which are usually positive
connotations but due to the topic of the film, this makes the connotations very
creepy. This is because the colour could be to show all of these connotations on
purpose, for example the killer causes blood and danger and also has a passion and
desire for committing these acts, which is very unsettling for the audience. You
could also say that the positive connotations could be seen as how the killer feels
about the people he is murdering/hurting instead of the actual acts, making the
audience question why he would do this. The use of red is also shown in the title,
making it stand out and making the audience notice the use of the bright red more.
The colour of the moth is also stands out due to the contrast with the characters
face, putting a lot of emphasis on the moth.

Existing Product – The Silence of the Lambs
The fonts used are very simple and clear, making
it very easy for the audience to read and
understand the text. The text size of the title is
quite small compared to the cover as a whole,
showing it’s not a focal point, although it stands
out a little due to the bright red colour.
Below the title reads “from the terrifying best
seller”, which is quite a good selling point, as it
shows the popularity the book has (that the film
partly based of). The language is kept simple
and doesn’t use formal language to appeal to
the target audience, as if it takes a lot of effort
to understand what the text means then most
of the audience wouldn’t bother to read it or
would lose interest in it.
The title “Silence of the Lambs” relates to a
conversation between Clarice Starling and Dr.
Hannibal Lecter, where Clarice shares personal
information with Dr. Lecter in exchange for
advice in catching a wanted killer. This personal
information was about her living nearby to a
lamb slaughterhouse which she did not like and
even attempted saving one, which didn’t work,
hence the meaning ‘silence’ of the lambs.
The moth can be symbolic of
attraction, as this animal is known
for this (for example in the saying
“like a moth to a flame”), possibly
showing the attraction the killer has
to his victims. Many people also say
that moths are a symbol of power
(linking with the connotations of
black), therefore the position of
the moth (over her mouth) is very
effective. This is because the
‘power’ is stopping her open her
mouth, if means breathing or
speaking, either can be interpreted
by the audience. In addition, it
almost shows the lack of freedom
(for example freedom of speech)
that the ‘power’ it causing and the
‘power’ in the film is the killer. This
multiple potential meaning imagery
is very powerful and effective,
creating mystery and confusion for
the audience, making them want to
watch it and find out the meanings
behind the mystery.

Lambs
The lighting in this cover is used
effectively as it creates the design
that makes the character’s face
fade into the background (a bright
grey). However because the cover
consists mostly of a close up of the
character’s face, there isn’t much
room (apart from where I
mentioned) for lighting to be used.
The layout of this cover is very
simplistic, which is useful in
displaying information such as the
title and production companies. It
also appeals to the target audience
(teenagers/young adults) as they
like simple designs because they
don’t have to put effort into
understanding the product. The
main focal points are displayed
clearly in effective orders.
I chose this product because the design is fairly
simple but at the same time it’s very powerful and
is one of the most famous horror movie covers of
all time, therefore I would like to get tips from the
best to create work to a high standard. Some of
these tips that I could take from this product is the
use of imagery to create meaning and the
positioning of said imagery (for example the moth
over the mouth – analysed on previous slides).
Also the use of colours are very powerful and I will
take inspiration from this because, especially for
my target audience, colour is very important in
creating a certain mood/tone for the film.

Existing Product – Insidious
This product is about a boy being haunted by the supernatural and having the ability to travel to a supernatural world.
The visual aspects of this film include monsters and supernatural beings designed to frighten the audience (along with
the characters). These ‘monsters’ and ‘supernatural beings’ are seen by the boy when he is sleeping or in bed, making
them seem like nightmares, which everybody gets. This makes the viewer feel more apart of the film (making it scarier)
as they can use this to associate nightmares with paranormal activities.
This film was directed by James Wan, who is famous for great horror movies. In 2004 he directed the very famous
horror film Saw and later directed The Conjuring 1 and 2. He also directed more films, however these were his most
popular. You can see his talent through the grossing films he has directed, therefore you could expect (as many people
did) a high standard horror film when Insidious was released in 2010. The production companies involved were: Alliance
Films (presentation) who have been involved with popular horror films such as The Woman In Black, IM Global (in
association with) who aren’t as popular however have been involved in 148 titles including Sinister and finally Haunted
Movies (production) who are only usually known for Insidious and The River.

The film was released in theatres on 1st April 2011 and was Film District's first theatrical release, although there
wasn’t any importance around the time of its release.
This product’s target audience is again similar to the previous two. The similarities of these product’s target
audiences are the age (around 18-24), as the age rating is 18 and over. Another similarity is gender will be typically
male due to the horror genre, however this is just stereotypical views of the who watches horror movies.
Contradicting this view, the use of the boy on the front cover may attract more females, rather than males, due to
females usually appealing to ‘offspring’ as such (children). Although the effects on the imagery may deter females,
as they imply demonic-type attitudes. Again, the middle class is the main class in the target audience, as I have
already explained, due to the low costs of thrill seeking. The colours also contradict the stereotypical views of a
horror film’s audience, as the colours are quite bright, with the light blue of the house in the background and the
green of the trees, as most horror films include dark/spooky colours, which makes this product stand out from the
others.

The colour scheme of this cover is dark with brighter colours emphasising the house
and the boy’s face. The image of the boy is displayed using both dark and light
shades, showing his innocence and evil mixed together, making him a very
interesting character. Also the contrast between the house and boy shows the house
is a safe/positive environment, however the boy is the evil/possessed one. This is
very contradictory to the majority of supernatural horror films, as the house is
always portrayed as the haunted aspect of the film and the people within are the
‘good guys’, however here these traditional views have been swapped.
There is a faint use of red you can see on the clothing of the character, which could
connotate danger, blood and evil. Although at the same time it could connotate love
and friendliness, which links to the point of using both dark and light shades on the
boy (as he has both positivity and negativity within him due to being possessed) and
there is a fairly even amount of light red and dark red shown on the clothing.
The only character on this cover is the boy, imply that he is the main character. The boy covers most of the space and is
positioned in the centre, showing the power the boy holds and his superiority over the house, audience and people.
The boy’s eyes are scratched out (Arrow 1), which brings mystery and terror to the cover because this could mean he
has been ‘blinded’ by something/someone (if this means mentally or physically). This could be a sign to show he is
possessed (which in the film he is). The facial expression on the boy’s face (Arrow 2) is very eerie because he doesn’t
show any emotion at all, creating mystery and also making the boy look life-less (implying a supernatural force may be
controlling him).
The camera angle of the shot is the audience looking up towards the house, which makes the audience feel very
unsettled and on-edge, as they feel ‘below’ and inferior to the house, making you think that the house (or the beings
in it) is powerful and scary.
(Arrow 1)
(Arrow 2)

The use of the low lighting shows
it’s a horror film cover and brings
a scary look to the cover, implying
something bad is going to happen,
especially in the house where the
dark shadowing is placed,
portrayed through clouds above
(which are a symbol for upset and
negativity). The lighting on the top
of the boy’s head is minimal but
still present, possibly implying the
innocence (white colour) of the
boy is trying to escape the evil
(black colour) that’s controlling
him.
The text here reads ‘“so scary, I
was whimpering in sheer terror” –
Robbie Collins New of the World’,
with a 5 star rating in bright white
text, bringing attention to it. This
makes the reader see this and
think other people like it so it
should be good, making them look
into it more.
The credit information at the top shows this film is was produced
by the same people who made Saw and Paranormal Activity, which
are two very famous horror movies, attracting the previous
audiences from these films and implying this film will be of a
similar standard.
The title “INSIDOUS” attracts people in different ways. For example the word means
“proceeding in a gradual but harmful way”, implying suffering and terror in the film and the
text is very large/bold and contrasting to its background, making it very eye-catching.
Below the title reads “it’s not the house that’s haunted”, making it clear that it’ s a horror
film (on top of all the other aspects) and it also implies that someone or something is
haunted if it’s not the house, which makes the audience think the boy is possessed, linking
to other points I analysed in the imagery.

The costume of the character is a
checkered, pyjamas. This shows
that the character is of a young
age (even though you can see this
with the face/image of the
character, it still enforces the
point). The feature of the
pyjamas also gives the audience
an insight into the film as the boy
travels to different supernatural
realms/worlds in his sleep. On the
other hand the use of pyjamas
brings realism to the cover,
making the film seem more
appealing to the audience,
because they think that they
could relate to certain aspects of
the film.
The layout of this cover is very
standard for a film cover with
the image as the main focal
point in the middle, the creators
information at the top and the
credits at the bottom as these
are least important. However
the tagline is quite effective
because it seems to be out of a
usual position for a tagline, and
it looks a bit distorted, which
grabs the viewer’s attention.
I chose this product because I am going to make a horror film cover as well and this
is a very popular product to analyse and gather tips and ideas from, which will make
my product more successful. The photography used for this film cover is great
influence for my products because it makes the viewer already feel scared of the
character just from the photo of him looking down slightly, whilst also looking up at
the house in the background. I would also like to bring fear/tension to my audience
just from the imagery (as in my opinion imagery is the most important part in a film
cover).

Existing Product – Friday the 13th
Against the advice of locals and the police, a young man scours the eerie woods, surrounding Crystal Lake, to find his
missing sister. The young man encounters a group of College students partying in an abandoned cabin, where they both
try to survive against the surprising, hockey-masked killer with a machete, Jason Voorhees, in an in attempt to avenge his
mother. This film brings as lot of fear to the audience, portrayed through the characters, as the young adults a in a fight
for their lives, with the mysterious killer, of whom we don’t even see his face.
The director of this 2009 film was Marcus Nispel. The German director is usually most famous for his 2003 movie, The
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, along with Frankenstein in 2004. He has also directed movies from other genres such as
Pathfinder (2007) and Conan the Barbarian (2011) in the action genre, however he is mostly known for his famous horror
movies. All three of his main horror movies follow a similar style with one main killer, against other (seem to be helpless)
people in a fight for their lives. There were 5 production companies involved with this film’s creation and release: New
Line Cinema (a very famous production company with almost 1000 titles from all genres, including The Conjuring and IT),
Paramount Pictures (an even more famous company with over 8600 titles from every film genre), Platinum Dunes (with
91 titles, including the famous horror The Purge), Crystal Lake Entertainment (the name of the location in the film and a
horror based company with only 10 titles) and finally (Sean S. Cunningham Films (in close association with Crystal Lake
Entertainment in the horror genre).

This film was released on 13th February 2009 (as the film is called Friday the 13th). This created a
great popularity in the date of the 13th if it landed on a Friday, as many say this is when something
bad will happen if you camp out. This was also a good selling point as it was a clever way to publish
it as people would talk about it and appreciate the link.
This product follows the stereotypical aspects of a horror movie (for the front cover anyway),
therefore the target audience is also very stereotypical for a horror movie. For example, the age is
around 16-24, as this age searches for thrills and excitement, more so than people from an older
generation. The gender is mainly male; however, many females also enjoy these types of films. The
reason this film aims more towards males is because they usually appeal more to gore and
violence, due to their immature nature (stereotypically). The use of violence and gore in the film is
portrayed through the machete prop the killer is holding in the front cover, therefore males are
likely to be interested in this product, when they see this weapon. As the same as all the other
products I have analysed, this film likely appeals to people of the middle class, as most horror films
do and because this is the stereotypical horror film, it means the stereotypical audience (middle
class), will most likely be the class this product is trying to appeal to.

The lighting used in this product has been used well because it creates an eerie look of Jason
Vorhees, showing only part of the killer’s mask in light, creating mystery for the other half of
the mask that you can only see slightly. It also brings emphasis to the fact that he’s wearing a
hockey mask, therefore you cannot see his actual face, which makes it scary because it’s an
anonymous killer.
Another way to look at this is the light behind him represents safety and ‘good’ but he is
blocking the way, therefore if you can escape him then you can reach the safety, although this
bright light is very small on the cover, showing the likelihood is not making it to safety.
As I discussed in the lighting the hockey mask used on the killer is very mysterious and creepy.
You don’t know who the killer is, making you question it. Also the use of a hockey mask is
fairly different to the typical mask used in horror films or something you would see on or
associated with Halloween, which makes this product so popular because it’s iconic and
different.
The outfit the killer is wearing looks apron-like, however it is hard to tell. It looks apron-like
due to the lighting on the arms and the chest area. This makes the character look very sadistic
because aprons are usually worn by chefs or surgeons, suggesting this is meal-like for the
killer or as if he is performing surgery on them with the machete he’s holding (which is sadistic
because surgery is usually to help/save people but this character is clearly doing the complete
opposite.
As I mentioned he’s holding a machete, which implies he will be using this, showing the
nature of the film, that it will include violence and murder, therefore it will likely be quite
unsettling for the audience.

The tagline may intrigue viewers because they may be fans of the famous horror film “Texas Chainsaw
Massacre”, therefore they are likely to want to watch the film as it’s by the same producers.
The tagline at the top reads “welcome to Crystal Lake”, which is almost toying with the
audience because obviously it’s not going to be a very welcoming place with the killer
there. This also creates a bit of power for the killer and shows the superiority of the killer
compared to the other characters and the audience because the killer is confident enough
to make jokes and ‘play’ with the audience, whilst the audience is likely on edge and a
little scared as it’s a horror.
The character is isolated, showing he’s the main character and is the sole person
responsible for the actions and the evil.
The background shows trees, meaning the character is located in a woods, which is
usually seen as a deserted area, therefore making it more scary for the audience knowing
the innocent characters will likely be in this deserted area as well, with no help to call for.
There's also a lake in the background, which makes the cover even more eerie. First of all
you can barely see it, so it’s just lingering in the distance and lakes are usually associated
with calmness and relaxation, however this is clearly not the case, showing the ‘pollution’
of the lake with evil and dark atmosphere.

The main colour used in this cover is black. This colour is iconic for horror films and
seeing this colour covering most of the page, shows this film is a horror film, which
already entices horror fans, due to the connotations associating with the horror genre
(power, evil, death, mystery).
Another colour used is red and this colour stands out to the audience over the black,
making you notice it. This colour is also used in many horror film covers due to it’s
connotations (blood, danger, evil), which again entices horror fans.
The layout of this film cover is very standard and typical for a cover, as it has the main
image in the centre of the screen as the main focal point, a tagline at the top, enticing
the viewer, the title in bold near the bottom (as the second main focal point) and
other credit information at the bottom in small text, so it doesn’t stand out at all
because it’s not as important and won’t entice the viewer.
I chose this product because it is part of the horror genre and I liked the imagery used
with the main character and all the different aspects involved with the imagery, such
as props and lighting etc. I also chose this image because I used it in my target
audience survey, therefore I wanted to analyse it whilst getting the opinions of my
peers on the appearance of this poster. This professional product is most likely the
product I will use as my main inspiration for my film cover, as the story of the film is
very similar, therefore I want to create similar imagery and setting so it portrays a
similar meaning/feel to my audience.

Existing Product – The Evil Dead
(advert poster context 1)
Ashley Williams, his girlfriend and three friends take a trip into the woods to a cabin for a night
away. There they find an old book, the ‘Necronomicon’, which reawakens the dead when it's read
aloud. The friends inadvertently release a flood of evil and must fight for their lives or become
one of the evil dead. Ash watches his friends become possessed, and must make a difficult
decision before daybreak to save his own life in this, the first of Sam Raimi's trilogy. The concept
is fairly similar to another product I research ‘Friday the 13th’ with a group of people fighting evil
to survive in a wooded area, showing the popular attention for this type of scenario in these
fairly old-fashioned films and again, fear is brought to the audience through the characters.
This product was written and directed by Sam Raimi. The American is mainly known for his low-
budget yet dark horror films and also known famously for the Grudge franchise, which created
the famous image of a girl, in a white dress, with long dark hair covering the face, which many
people have recreated and popularized. The production company involved with this product was
Renaissance Pictures, a company involved with 400 titles from the horror and action genres,
including my next product.

(advert poster context 2)
The Evil Dead was released in the Halloween of 1981 in some parts of the US, however
many countries, such as the UK, didn’t get the release of this product until 1984 and
1985, with re-releases in 2013.
The target audience for this film would likely be a little different to the usual horror
film audience, however the majorityvof the audience is likely to be similar to the
previous products. The age would usually be around 16-24, due to young adults and
teenagers seeking thrills through graphic images and gore, whereas people of an older
generation are likely to defer from these aspects. Stereotypically males enjoy violence
and gore more than females however this products appeals more to males with the
use of the woman as the main imagery. On the other hand you could say that both
genders are being appealled to here, with the light blue colour covering most of the
background and the use of the bright white colours in the sky of the imagery (which
may be to resemble clouds). This appeals to females because they are usually
associated more with 'nature'. The middle class once again is likely to be the majority
of this product's target audience, as the majority of horror films are. Also because the
imagery seems to be a little old-fashioned, which implies the film will be of a low-
budget, likely detering people from an upper class.

(advert poster analysis)
The colour blue is covering over half of the cover, showing it’s importance. However this
colour is a very different type of colour for the usual horror, because it’s fairly light and the
connotations of this colour are good, faith, humanity and heaven etc., which none of
which are aspects of horror films. However, this could be involved with the imagery as the
character is reaching for this blue (and the connotations) but the hand is dragging her
down into the dark ground. The dark ground could represent evil and death (especially
because it’s down – hell).
The only costume you can see is the girls top and both straps are off the shoulder, which
makes the poster more appealing to teenage boys, as it is almost sexually stimulating,
despite the fact that it’s a horror film. This could also come across as sadistic because the
poster is almost humiliating the character in her final moments.
As I mentioned a bit in the colour the girl is reaching up as she’s getting dragged down by
a hand. The ‘up’ that she’s reaching for could be to symbolize heaven and safety, however
she is being dragged down into the ground, which could symbolize hell and death. The fact
that she’s getting dragged down by the throat also implies the ‘hand’ is trying to kill her.
You can only see the hand of the, what we think is a killer, which creates mystery as you
don’t know the identity of the person and what they are (if they are some evil
spirit/supernatural etc.).

(advert poster analysis)
The layout of this film cover is very
similar to other film covers, with
the tagline at the top, the main
image as a focal point in the
middle and the title in bold at the
bottom, along with the less
important credit section in small
print.
I chose this product because it uses
interesting imagery and can be
interpreted in different ways and the
colours are very different to the stereo-
typical horror film covers, therefore I
wanted to see the outcome after
analysing it. On top of the colour and
imagery the overall layout and structure
is very simple, which is very effective for
my target audience, as a younger
generation tend to prefer simplicity as it
means less focus/attention is needed to
understand it.
The tagline reads “The most
ferociously original horror film of
the year” and mentions previous
films from the same maker. This
makes the fans of the previous
films mentioned want to watch
this film, as it’s made by the same
makers. The tagline states that the
film is original, therefore not like
other films, making you want to
watch it as it may be unique. Also
states that the film is the best of
the year, making people watch it
as other people have made it
popular.
The title at the bottom is very large and bold in
a bright white, which contrasts to the dark
background. The colour white associates with
innocence, which could represent the mask
the evil wears (which fits with the title as the
evil within means hiding inside/under the
mask).

Existing Product – Truth or Dare
(merchandise context)
This product is a merchandise product, including all different types, for example in the image you can
see a jumper, T-shirt, notepad and phone case, therefore the audience/customer isn't limited to one
type of merchandise and all of their fans can acquire something that appeals to them.
These merchandise products were found on ‘heyuguys.com’, as they were given merchandise by
Universal Studios to do a giveaway for their fans. The individual designer of these products is
unknown, as they have just been labelled from the production company Universal Studios.
This product was made in 2018, the same year as the release of the Truth or Dare movie.
The target audience of these products would likely be of a general horror film audience, therefore
the age would usually be around 16-24. I think that people of a younger generation also appreciate
creative imagery more so than people of an older generation, which is being displayed in this
product, with the skull linking to the question mark. Stereotypically males enjoy violence and gore
more than females as they are seen as more immature and like to seek thrills, and the use of the
skull, implies death, which will likely attract more males than females, along with the red colour,
portraying the connototations of horror (blood, death, danger etc.). The dark black colours means it
seems to appeal more to males than females as well, due to typical interest of males. This colour also
appeals to people of a younger generation (teenagers) as this age range usually don’t want to stand
out, therefore they wear dark colours that aren’t eye-catching to other people (such as red colour).
This product liekly appeals to people from a middle class, as it is not a very expensive and popular
clothing brand (which people from an upper class tend to wear).

(merchandise analysis 1)
The colour black is the main colour
on this merchandise product,
which appeals to many people.
The colour black is associated with
evil and power, which is
represented in the film. This colour
appeals to many people because
the colour doesn’t stand out and
many people don’t want to stand
out with bright colours. The colour
black also works with most other
colours as well, therefore you can
likely wear it with any colour,
making it a very effective choice.
The red chosen is also very
effective because appearance wise
it is very appealing with the
contrast with black. Red is
associated with blood, danger and
evil which are all aspects of a
horror film (especially this
product), therefore if they enjoy
horror films then the audience will
likely appeal to these colours.
The text on this product is very simple,
however it fits well with the design. It
contrasts well with both other colours
used (red and black). I don’t think the
white was chosen for its connotations
because they would usually be innocence
and naivety, which doesn’t resemble
most of the movie. On the other hand
you could that say the characters in the
film are the innocent and naïve features,
as they don’t know what they’re getting
into. The reason it’s white on the
merchandise products is also to match
the cover on the actual film.

The design on these products display
an interesting link between the skull
and the question mark, making the
design look together and a ‘whole’,
instead of just placed imagery
randomly on the product. This also
makes the design look fairly small,
which is appealing as it doesn’t stand
out as much.
The use of the skull shows that the
product is related to a horror/thriller
film (because it’s death related) and
the question mark also implies
mystery, which is a strong aspect
used in horror films. This means that
if the audience is a horror film fan in
general or specifically to this film,
they will likely appeal to this design.
The layout of this design is very
simple with the design and text
together in the centre of the
product, which is appealing to the
target audience because most
teenagers don’t want to stand out,
therefore they like a fairly simple
design layout, instead of the
design covering the whole item of
clothing etc.
I chose this product because its from the
same genre as the film cover I am going
to make and it has a simple yet creative
design with simple colours. Also because
I have included this merchandise in my
survey and my target audience seem to
appeal to it. I can also use the colours as
inspiration for my merchandise products
because the connotations for these
colours also suit my product’s
connotations and the colours appeal to
my target audience greatly.

(merchandise context)
This product is a merchandise product (sweatshirt) for the film Friday the 13th, and I have discussed context on the film
on slides ‘12 & 13’.
This merchandise design was made by Attitude Europe, but it is unknown who the individuals are. This store is known for
creating and selling merchandise for many different products.
This product was made around the time this film was released (February 2009), however the specific date is unknown, as
it is not displayed on the product’s website origin.
The horror genre aspect of the merchandise would appeal to a general horror film audience, therefore the age would
usually be around 16-24, which is also because of the use of the colour black, as people from a younger generation
usually don’t want to stand out, so dark colours are useful. The gender of this target audience will liekly be male, as they
usually enjoy horror films (more so than females) and this is merchandise to promote a horror film. The appearance of
the jumper suggests: the dark black colours means it seems to appeal more to males than females due to typical interest
of males. This colour also appeals to people of a younger generation (teenagers) as this age range usually don’t want to
stand out (as i have stated) therefore they wear dark colours that aren’t eye-catching to other people (such as red
colour). Finally the middle class is again the liekly class which the product appeals to due to the fairly low quality clothing,
which means people from the upper class likely wouldn’t wear this.

The text on this product contrasts well with the background and the use of
the “13” in red is effective with due it’s connotations (I explained in colour)
and it stands out more, bringing more emphasis to it. The text also link to
the imagery being the same colour, making the design as a whole look
together. The font used is the same font from the film cover, meaning fans
of the film with notice this (along with the imagery) and will be a potential
buyer.
The design stands out well due to the contrasting colour of the background,
making the viewer notice this. After they have noticed it, they can then
appreciate the design, meaning they could potentially appeal to it. The imagery
of the mask is clearly associated with the film, therefore fans of the film will
recognize this and might want to buy it. Because the design shows clearly which
film the product is from, it could make people want to wear/buy it just to show
their appreciation of the film and t show that they are a fan of the film, even if
the design itself isn’t that appealing to them (which many movie fans actually
do).
The fade of the image into it’s background makes the image and the product
look a whole, instead of just an image placed onto a jumper with no effort to
make it look a part of each other. Finally the design also links well with the text,
due to the same colour choice and positioning.

The layout on this product is fairly
different to the typical layout of
merchandise products because the
image is very large compared to
the rest of the jumper and the text
covers most of the area left.
Therefore the design as a whole
covers most of the jumper, making
it stand out a lot.
The colour black is the main colour on
this merchandise product, which
appeals to many people. The colour
black is associated with evil and
power, which is represented in the
film. This colour appeals to many
people because the colour doesn’t
stand out and many people don’t
want to stand out with bright colours.
The colour black also works with most
other colours as well, therefore you
can likely wear it with any colour,
making it a very effective choice.
The red chosen is also very effective
because appearance wise it is very
appealing with the contrast with
black. Red is associated with blood,
danger and evil which are all aspects
of a horror film (especially this
product), therefore if they enjoy
horror films then the audience will
likely appeal to these colours. The use
of red within the white makes it stand
out more, catching the viewer’s eye.
I chose this product because its from the
same genre as the film cover I am going
to make and it has a simple yet create
design with simple colours. Also because
I have included this merchandise in my
survey and my target audience seem to
appeal to it. The film this merchandise is
from is my main inspiration for my film
cover, therefore using the same
product’s merchandise might be useful
(because they link their products
together well).

Existing Product Summary
What features do the researched products have in common?
• Dark colours used to show horror and create fear and mystery
• Effective lighting to emphasize certain features
• Facial and body language to display certain mood/tone
• A short tagline to entice the audience
• The title always stands out in the covers/posters
• Certain colours are emphasized by the use of a contrasting colour behind it
• Props and costumes used to give the audience ideas of who the character is, what they do, how they live etc.
What aspects of the research will you include in your production work?
• I will likely use dark colours with the use of shadowing
• On top of these dark colours will emphasize a certain aspect (the face and the axe) using lighting.
• I will also use bright coloured text above this dark shadowing, to make it stand out
• I will create a tagline that is ‘short and sweet’
• I will use certain props (axe) and costume (boots, checkered top, jeans) to imply what the life of the character is like
(lumberjack).
I am pleased with the existing product research I have conducted as this has given me a very good insight into how horror
films appeal to their target audience and how they creative their products to be effective in selling them to their audience.
For example all the film covers use effective lighting (as I have stated) to portray a mysterious and spooky setting, making it
know that the film is a horror film and making the viewer feel adrenaline and fear just from the front cover. I believe I have
analysed these products well, including a lot of detail, which helps me to see how I can create my products to be as effective
and interesting as all of these professional products are. I also think that the way I have structured this research is useful to
show how I concluded with certain analyses (with the pointed arrows etc.) and useful for me to look back at if I need to for
my planning, to get ideas and figure out how to create similar aspects in my products, to make them look as professional as
these.

Primary Audience
Research
For my survey analysis I used a filter, so I only
saw answers from people aged 16-22 because
these were the majority of people who
answered my survey therefore other results
wouldn’t have been useful to account for as
they are anomalies.

Survey Analysis (Q1)
Using the filter to only show these two age ranges, my results showed
that 47% of my target audience are aged 16-17 and 53% are aged 18-
22, which is very even, hence why this is my main target for age. This
means that my audience are more at the age to seek thrills and have
excitement, which is why a horror film would be good, instead of
relaxing and watching a romantic (which some people this age do but
less likely). This also means that their brains/minds search for more
interesting patterns and imagery, which a person of an old generation
wouldn’t for example, as they would prefer more simple ideas. Even
though people this age like interesting imagery and patterns they also
prefer information and layouts to be more simple so they don’t have
to do any work to try and understand what they’re looking at, as
people this aged as seen as more lazy compared to people of an older
generation. Finally people of this age are more attracted to darker
colours rather than lighter colours, although brighter colours catch
the eye of the viewer, they don’t appeal to people of this age range as
much. To appeal to this age range I am going to adapt my creative and
interesting imagery (edited killer lumberjack in a wooded area) into a
simple yet appealing layout/structure, with all of the information
needed easily noticeable. Related to my imagery, they will also appeal
to this as my imagery will be horror related and mysterious, which the
thrill seekers would likely enjoy. Finally because my product is horror
related I will be using mostly dark colours, which won’t stand out to
the usual person but will appeal to my target audience of this age
range.
This second image shows my results without the
filter and as you can see the other ages are fairly
similar, with ‘over 30’ being the third most chosen
answer (approx. 14%). However, this could be any
age over 30 and an improvement could be including
more specific ages over 30, even though they still
wouldn’t have been significant enough to make me
not use the filter.

This shows that the majority of my target audience are male with 76% male and
24% female.
Because most of my target audience is male, this means that the audience is
looking more like a typical horror movie audience, therefore if my product is
similar to a typical horror movie product, then they will likely appeal to it. Males
are usually the gender that is more likely to seek thrills and look for an adrenaline
rush, and a scary/eerie product is a good way to reach these wanted
requirements. Males usually appeal more towards the typical ‘male colours’
(blue/red/black in dark shades), as they are stereotypically associated with males,
therefore they look for these instead of light colours such as pinks and yellows
because most products use these colours to appeal to males (even if they don’t
appeal to all males), however this is not the case all the time as many females
appeal to these colours as well, as I said in my previous slide, a lot of people from
the age range 16-22 (my target audience) appeal to these colours no matter what
their gender is. Males are also stereotypically more appealed towards violence
and gore, which could involve implying these aspects or actual visuals of them,
for example a weapon with blood on it, suggesting it is a murder weapon. Men
usually appeal to masculine imagery (such as hunters, athletes and strong bodies)
as they look for things that they aspire to be and what a stereotypical man
‘should’ look like a most societies. They appeal to this imagery instead of what is
seen as feminine imagery (such as bubble baths and candles etc.), although this is
not always the case.
To appeal to this audience I will be using scary and eerie imagery, with an axe
(covered in blood), as males appeal to violence and gore. Within the imagery and
in the background I will be using different shades of dark colours, including the
use of lighting, to emphasise certain aspects that will catch the eye of the male
audience (such as bloody weapons). The image of the model I am going to use
will likely be a man of a strong build (as he will be a lumberjack), therefore
appealing to men of this age as this is how they believe they ‘should’ look so they
aspire to be of this build/body type. I believe I have a good chance of appealing
to the male gender, with these aspects I will most likely include in my product,
which will make more product more successful.
filter. These results are fairly similar to my filtered
results, with ‘male’ still being the most chosen
option. The difference without the filter is the gap
between the amount of males to females is less,
meaning females older than my target audience age
range took my survey.

This shows that the majority of my target audience like horror films (which they
should as my target audience), with 78% of the people either loving them or
liking them and only 22% disliking or hating them. This links with my point of the
previous two questions I have analysed because if they are fans of horror films,
then more often then not they appeal to the imagery, colour, design, layout of
the cover and film, and I will use a very similar approach of a typical horror film
cover for my product, therefore these people are very likely to appeal to my
product, making it successful and making my planning a lot easier (as I know
exactly how to appeal to these people).
The appeal to this audience will be similar to my last two questions. First of all
dark colours are a very good way to appeal to horror fans, as more often then not
it’s a horror film if dark colours are used, therefore fans of this genre look for
these colours. Dark colours and shades are usually used in horror movies due to
it’s connotations of mystery, power, death and evil, which are all aspects of
horror films, which brings fear to the audience, allowing them to be thrilled with
an adrenaline rush. Another way to appeal to the typical horror fan is through
imagery, using a scary image such as an implied murderer and the props that are
included in the imagery (weapons etc.) as these are associated with violence,
death and evil, implying it’s a horror film.
To appeal to this audience I will be using dark colours (as I have already
mentioned), shooting the imagery at night and using dark lighting and shading, to
bring fear and mystery to the cover. Also I will be using a scary image in this dark
lighting, with a bloody weapon (axe), therefore they will appeal to this as it’s
implied to be a murder weapon and the murderer (the lumberjack) with be
edited to bring a creepy look instead of just the usual lumberjack look.
filter. Once again the results are very similar,
meaning it wouldn’t have been a big deal to not use
the filter, however I want to keep the results fair and
consistent. There is a slight increase ‘no, hate them’,
meaning the results I didn’t include didn’t like horror
movies, more so than the results I included, making
the filter more useful.

This shows that the main aspect (by quite a while) that intrigues the audience the
most is imagery, with 80% choosing imagery and only 18% choosing colour and 2%
text, meaning there is a big demand for the imagery to be of a high standard.
Although I will also use colour to appeal to my audience, the imagery will be the
main focal point of the cover
The imagery that the audience is likely looking for will be aspects that I have
already mentioned on previous question analysis. As my audience is of a younger
generation then this means they are more likely to be immature compared to
people of an older generation, which makes them more susceptible to blood and
gore (which many horror film covers portray). Most of my audience is male,
therefore I will likely make my imagery more masculine to appeal to this gender, as
they look for models/aspects/types they believe they ‘should’ look like in today’s
society, which is more often then not a person of a strong build, muscular body
and a tall figure and they look for this type of imagery, as they aspire to this. On
the other hand I don’t want to make this look like a magazine appeal, as I want this
cover to be from the horror genre, therefore I want my cover and the imagery on it
to be scary and to bring feat to the audience. Males are also seen to be more
susceptible to violence and gore, more so than females, therefore the use of
weapons and violence in the cover will intrigue the male gender.
To appeal to this audience through the imagery I will try to include all of these
aspects within my cover. For example I will use a weapon prop (an axe) with blood
dripping on it, suggesting that it is a murder weapon (which is violence), which
intrigues people of a younger generation with the blood and their immaturity and
intrigues people from the male gender with the weapons and violence, that they
usually find entertaining (as many people say is also due to immaturity). I will also
appeal to this audience through imagery by using a model of a strong build and a
tall muscular figure (as they are going to be a lumberjack, so have to fit the
stereotypical look of one) but making it look scary at the same time.
filter. There is only a very slight change in the results
with no filter applied, which is ‘other’ giving answers
such as ‘trailer’, however I am not producing video
products, therefore this answer isn’t applicable.

I asked this question to see which type of imagery and colours/lighting is most
approved in horror film covers and the results show that 35% chose Friday The
13th (the first cover on the left), 51% chose The Conjuring 2 (the second cover
shown to the left) and 14% chose rings.
Although I can see which poster is liked the most by my target audience, I feel like
this has not helped a large amount in determining my audience’s preferences,
because Friday The 13th and the The Conjuring 2 covers are fairly similar, with dark
colours and a main image as the focal point of cover. However together, 86% of
the audience chose these covers, therefore I can take aspects from both to figure
out how to best appeal to the audience. First of the dark colours used in both
covers are fairly similar, with the lighting emphasising the main image in the centre
of the cover. On top of the colours and the lighting, the images themselves are
very effective in appealing to the audience. They both create mystery (with the
mask and making you question why the girl is stood at the edge of the window).
Both covers create power and fear (with the killer looking down at the audience
and the tall/strong figure and the size of the character on the left of the second
cover compared to the little girl at the window. Both covers involve props that
make the character associate with something (the machete in the first one
suggesting he’s a killer and an evil person and the Christianity chain in the second
one, suggesting she’s a nun or involved with Christianity, making you wonder why
she would do evil things).
To appeal to my audience, the way these covers do, I will use props (such as an
axe), to suggest my character is a killer, similar to the first cover, and could also
include another prop to bring mystery (such as something associated with
something positive, for example a Christianity chain. I will also use dark colours
and the lighting to appeal to my audience (as I have mentioned on previous
question analyses).

This question shows which merchandise product my target audience liked the
most and the results showed 29% choosing Friday The 13th, 16% Halloween, 8%
Michael Myers and 47% Truth Or Dare. Which is a large amount of people
choosing the Truth Or Dare merchandise.
This means that the design and colour scheme appeals to the audience. The red
colour against the black background stands out but isn't overwhelming, which
appeals to people of the younger generation (my target audience) as they don’t
usually want to stand out and would rather fit in ’quietly’. The dark black colour
means it seems to appeal more to males than females due to typical interest of
males and has connotations such as power, death, mystery and evil, which are all
associated with the horror genre, along with the danger/blood red as the main
design colour and the white used to create a contrasting colour to both of its
background colours, to make it noticeable and readable, as the production
company still wants to promote the product through the merchandise. The design
on the jumper is fairly small compared to the jumper as a whole, which makes it
stand out less, appealing more to the younger generation, however on the T-shirt,
the design is quite big, covering most of the T-shirt. This is usually done because
the T-shirt is covered up most of the time by an extra layer of clothing (such as a
jumper), so it won’t be seen as easily. The design itself is quite effective, linking
both the image and the text, which appeals to a younger generation as they look
for patterns more so than an older generation, and they are more likely to
appreciate the design more.
To appeal to this audience through the use of merchandise I will likely use a black
colour for the background and depending on the colour of the title and imagery on
the actual film cover I will have that as my secondary colour on top of the black
background (just like this merchandise product). I will also create a fairly simple
design to go with the text on the merchandise, that relates to my film cover (likely
the weapon used by my killer character – an axe).

This question wasn’t important in determining who my target
audience was and how I could appeal to them, but more for the fact of
whether I need to make merchandise products to go with my film
cover and whether I need to put a lot of detail into the merchandise
production. A very low 4% have stated that they buy merchandise all
the time, 33% stated that they sometimes buy merchandise, 35%
stated that they rarely buy merchandise but they have done before
and the final 29% stated that they never buy merchandise products
and that they are a waste of money.
37% of my audience seem to want the merchandise products to be a
fairly strong idea going forward into this production, 35% don’t seem
to be bothered either way, as they obviously don’t hate the idea as
they have bought merchandise before and finally 29% really don’t like
the idea of the merchandise production.
After looking at these responses I am still going to go through with the
merchandise products and create some related to my film cover, as
more people from my target audience either want the products or are
on the fence and only just over a quarter don’t want the products.
This second image shows my results without the filter.
Similar to the rest of the compared results, there isn’t
much of a difference between these either. More people
chose ‘sometimes’ with the age filter applied and more
people chose ‘rarely, but I have’ without the filter applied,
however this difference is minimal.

This question wasn’t very helpful in specifying which aspect to put
more effort into looking the best and working towards because all the
answers were quite even, ranging from 20% to 35%. The most required
aspect, by a small amount, was simplicity, however this contradicts
previous questions, where my target audience has stated that they
want to see good quality imagery.
I will appeal to the target audience’s suggested choices as a whole,
instead of just focusing on one aspect the most (as they choices were
very even). This means I will use dark colours (as I have already
discussed on previous slides), scary and edited imagery (which I have
already discussed on previous slides) and attempt to involve all of
these aspects whilst making it fairly simple, which I believe I will be
able to do. For example I will likely have one main image (of the
model) as the focal point and use dark colours and lighting to
emphasise certain points of the imagery and props, therefore I wont
involve a lot of features on my cover, making it too busy and
overwhelming for the audience making it difficult for them to
understand what is going on and which aspect of the cover to look
at/focus on.This second image shows my results without the filter. The
order of the choices in the amount of people who chose the
options, are the same as the results from my filtered
responses, however there is a smaller gap between ‘simplicity’
and ‘heavily edited imagery’ in the unfiltered responses but
this is minor.

This question was asked to look for more suggestions on productions I could make
to go with my film cover and I am fairly happy with the responses.
Many responses suggested a poster, however I was already planning on creating
this product, therefore this isn't a new suggestion, many also suggested
merchandise but I was already planning on creating this product as well. This is
good on the one hand because I am already planning on creating products that my
target audience are suggesting, meaning they would like to see it, so when I
produce it they are likely going to appeal to it, however on the other hand there
weren't many new suggestion of products I could make if I have more time through
my production of if I am not satisfied with the products I made. Although, some
people suggested new merchandise ideas, such as mugs and socks, however these
aren't likely to be sold successfully in the merchandise business, meaning it’s
unlikely I will make these but I will if I have spare time.
There were two suggestions that I hadn't thought of but were a very good idea,
which I am most likely going to create, which were weapons (toys) from the film, for
example I would create the Axe used in the film and have dripping blood painted on
the axe. To make the weapon related to my film product as much as possible and to
make it known as the axe from my film instead of just a random axe, I will need to
have a unique design on it, however I haven't thought of what this unique design is
going to be. For example it could be a bloody handprint wrapped around the
handle.

This question was asked to narrow down the type of font I will use for
the title of my horror film and I included examples of five different
fonts chosen from Dafont and the two top fonts chosen were Insomnia
(31%) and Who Asks Satan (27%), which are displayed to the left.
Who Asks Satan looks very similar to the typical horror movie title font
and Insomnia looks distorted but not like the usual horror font, which
is why I am taking more of a like to it and apparently so is my target
audience, as it’s the most liked font chosen. I like this font because it’s
not related to the typical horror movie font, therefore it is unique and
my film cover could be known fro it’s uniqueness through it’s title
because, as I have already explained, the rest of my horror movie
cover sounds like it is going to be a very traditional horror film cover,
looking like a typical horror movie, and I want to bring some if not
more uniqueness to my product, to not make it look ‘part of the
crowd’ and through the font may be the only way I can do this.

Survey Analysis – Collecting
Results
For my survey I wanted to get the best and most reliable information possible, so to do this I tried to
get as many responses as I could. The main way I collected my responses was on social media. I
shared my survey on my personal Facebook account, for my family and friends to take. I think this
was useful as I collected responses from all ages because of this sharing on Facebook and people with
different interests and opinions. Another way I shared my survey was E-mailing it to my peers in
College, as they were creating a survey for their project as well, so we shared our time to complete
each other’s surveys. My peers at College are in the same age range as me, which is also my target
audience’s age range, meaning sending it to my College peers allowed me to collect responses from
the age range of my target audience, meaning I could tailor my work to suit their needs/interests.
A down side to the way I shared my survey is sending it only to people I know, meaning the responses
might not be as honest, as an anonymous opinion online, which I may need to improve my work. If I
were to complete this survey again I would still share it in the I did, but also share it online. This could
be done on websites such as Collect Survey Responses, however I am still pleased with the results I
collect. I am especially pleased with the amount of results I collect (71), as this made my survey
results more reliable, as the opinions/choices won’t just be from a few people, but many.

Interview 1
• Would you like a film cover to be simple or busy
with information/imagery, why?
– Simple, because too much information will put me off,
too crowed not eye-catching.
• What print product would you like as an
additional production (apart from a poster and
merchandise), why?
– Billboard, always around, in public eye.
• What is the main aspect you look for in a film
cover (e.g. type of colour), why?
– Image/layout, creative imagery interests me.

Interview 2
• Would you like a film cover to be simple or busy
with information/imagery, why?
– Simple, its clearer, easy to understand.
• What print product would you like as an
additional production (apart from a poster and
merchandise), why?
– Stickers, they are small and easy to use.
• What is the main aspect you look for in a film
cover (e.g. type of colour), why?
– Imagery, it gets attention and can be used with the
colour effectively.

Interview 3
• Would you like a film cover to be simple or busy with
information/imagery, why?
– Busy with information because I like to know everything about
the product.
• What print product would you like as an additional
production (apart from a poster and merchandise), why?
– I don’t think there’s any other products that would interest me,
as the main ones are already listed.
• What is the main aspect you look for in a film cover (e.g.
type of colour), why?
– Information because I like to know what the product entails.

Primary Audience Research brief
summary
From my primary audience research I can see that my target audience is very
similar to the stereotypical audience for the horror genre. This includes
males, aged 16-24, who seek thrills and look for creative and scary imagery,
along with the use of dark colours to portray to eeriness of the film. Also on
the cover, it is clear that my audience would like to see a double meaning (or
an aspect that is effective in making the audience see the creative thinking),
which could be portrayed through the distorted titled or imagery.
For the merchandise, my research shows that my audience doesn’t want to
stand out, so dark colours with simple designs will appeal to them.
An extra product I can make in addition to my initial ideas, that my audience
suggested is a prop (such as a knife or axe from the film), which I can design
on Photoshop and make it unique to my film, instead of just an ordinary
weapon, which I am think is a good idea.
The third interviewee (on the previous slide) is an anomaly to the rest of my
research as this person answered very different to the rest of my interviewees
and survey participants, therefore I will not include their answers in my
research summary.

Target Audience – Horror Genre
According to StephenFollows.com and TheNumbers.com, the Horror genre is the 6th most
popular genre in the global film industry, with 10.6% of all films being created to fit this genre.
This seems like quite a small percentage, however there are many genres to take into account
and as you can see from the table below, Action, Romance and Thriller (the three before horror in
rankings) are at a very similar percentage to the Horror genre. Having a percentage this size is
also quite useful because I can then work to appeal to a much smaller audience, therefore I can
appeal to my audience more specifically because if I had a much larger target audience, then
their needs/interests will be slightly different and I would have to create my work with a vague
use of colours etc. to try and attract everyone.
These statistics may not be the most reliable, as from my primary research (my survey) I found
that 78% of the people from the ages 16-24, who took my survey, enjoyed horror films, which
contradicts the the percentages from these websites. However, the percentages collected are
from people of all ages, whereas my percenatges from my survey are tailored specific to my age
range (16-24).

Target Audience – Age
From my primary audience research I have conducted, my target audience will be majority aged 16-22. Using
the 2011 Census UK I found the exact statistics for people within this age range in York (which is the place
where my productions will be made, produced and displayed. The statistics for these ages are as follows:
• 16-17 – 4,179
• 18-19 – 7,879
• 20-24 – 19,746
The whole population for York is 198, 051 (in 2011), this means that 16% of York’s population is the age range
for my target audience, and even less of this percentage will appeal to my product, meaning my target
audience will be a very small percentage of York’s population.
I can appeal to this age range by using darker colours, as people of this age usually don’t want to stand out,
therefore they look for these dark colours, even though they don't stand out a lot compared to brighter colours
such as yellow and light blue. I will keep the text to a simple but not informal language, as people of this age
will not bother reading the text if it is not easy to understand. On top of this I will keep the text (especially the
tagline) short, as this is likely to be more effective for this age group. The text size and font will be clear and
easy to read as well.

Target Audience – Gender
From my primary audience research I have conducted, my target audience will be majority male
and using the 2011 Census UK I have found out that 48.6% of York’s population is male, which is a
very even number for gender, however I also have to take into account males who do not fit my
other categories, such as age and interests. On the other hand there are still females who enjoy
horror films (the genre of my product), therefore my products will appeal to some of the female’s
percentages, however this is likely to be quite few.
I can appeal to this gender by using colours that stereotypically appeal more towards males. The
colours I will use will be mainly black and red, however this is very useful as both of these colours
fit the film's genre (horror) and can also appeal to both the other gender (female) and my
audience's age range (16-22). Males usually appeal to gory/spooky images, more so than females,
therefore I will include these types of imagery on my film cover and poster, which my audience
will see and be intrigued by.
48.6% 51.4%

Target Audience – Social Class
The middle class is typically the aimed class for this type of product (Horror
genre) as it can be a way of escaping their less exciting lives at a low cost,
compared to upper class people, who most likely get thrills in other ways.
Therefore I will be mostly aiming for the middle class people in my audience,
however some people from all classes will appeal (no matter how few).
According to DataShine, in York the typical economic status of people overall is
around 60%-80% on a scale of average income. This means that most of York is
within my target audience in terms of social class and economic status (middle
class, with some upper class), however this doesn’t include my specific age
range and gender type in my target audience.
I can appeal to this social class by including gory/spooky imagery and scary
colours, to give my audience the thrill they are seeking, as I want this product
to bring fear, mystery and make the audience remember the product because
of this. I believe that I can achieve this through the use of imagery and colours I
have already discussed on previous slides, and in the same way I am going to
be appealing my age-specific and gender-specific target audience.

Secondary Audience Research brief
summary
For my secondary audience research I used online website and other people's
professional opinions to find out who my target audience is and how I can appeal to
my target audience. Although this may not be as reliable as my primary audience
research, as I cant know for definite if the information I am reading is true, however I
chose popular opinions and researched using more than one source, making it more
reliable.
From this research I have conducted I have found that the target audience is very
similar to the target audience from my primary audience. For example, the age range
is also around 16-24 (young adults and teenagers), who like to seek thrills and
excitement. So I researched the age specificity of my production location and where it
is going to be released, which was useful to see, as now I know how many people
approximately, I can to appeal to. The gender of the target audience is majority male,
however there are still many females who fit into my target audience category. I then
found out, using the 2011 Census, the average number of males and females in my
production location (York), again to get an insight of how many people i can appeal to.
As expected the middle class is the main social/economic class that is apart of my
target audience, due to my film being included in the horror genre.

Tutorials – Photoshop Effects
I found this Photoshop tutorial on YouTube and think that this will be a good effect to practice and potentially use on
my product, as from the final image (at the bottom) it looks scary/eerie, which is the style I want to be making, for my
horror fans. Because this effect looks detailed and complex, this means that it will likely be hard to recreate and follow,
therefore it will take multiple tries or a lot of practice to perfect, although once perfected will benefit my product
greatly. The most important tools used are ‘Puppet Warp’, ‘Colour Adjustments’ and ‘Brush Tool’ and I am familiar with
all but ‘Puppet Warp’, which I will need a lot of practice with, however I am quite confident with the other tools that
are used, so the practice with the individual tools won’t take very long.
rafy A (2016). Photoshop Portrait Photo Effect Tutorial: Inside
Face. [video] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMQEybhzCRc [Accessed
5 Feb. 2019].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMQEybhzCRc
Advantages Disadvantages
Looks spooky/scary Needs a lot of practice
Looks professional Time consuming
Creates double meaning Tutorial moves quick, hard to follow
Detailed and complex In a foreign language, wont be able to understand him

Tutorials – Photoshop Effects
This is the second tutorial I have found for a Photoshop effect, however after watching it, it is not at the top of my list to use in my product, as
I believe it doesn’t look very scary, compared to my previous tutorial I watched on the previous slide. I do however, like the effect as it is
creative and can be interpreted in different ways, therefore can create a double meaning (which is what I want to portray in my film cover).
The main tool used in this Photoshop effect is the ‘Liquefy tool’, which allows the stretching of the image (first screenshot at the bottom) and
I believe this tool is easy enough to work with, along with the experience I have with using it, therefore I don’t need to practice the tool
individually and can follow most of the tutorial fairly quickly. The problem that may occur is the use of the ‘Eraser Tool’ after liquefying the
image and making it look professional, as I believe I will need to use the technique of ‘trial and error’ to make the dispersion look as real as
possible.
Advantages Disadvantages
Subtitles in English No voice over
Looks detailed Fast paced, hard to follow
Looks creative/interesting Time consuming
I am familiar with the tools used Doesn’t look very scary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xgOWWfurpU
Photoshop Tutorials (2016). Dispersion Effect:
Photoshop Tutorial. [video] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xgOWWfurpU
[Accessed 10 Feb. 2019].

Structure
What order does information come in- top to bottom, left to right
I will structure my film cover like many professional products have done. The main aspects will
order as follows:
1. Quote/tagline
2. Imagery (covering most of cover)
3. Title (contrasting to imagery)
4. Credits
An example of the structure I will be creating is the film cover for Friday The 13th (as shown). My
other products, such as a poster will be structured similarly to this as well, to keep the similarity
between the products.

Experiment Products
This is an example of how I
would create my film cover as I
want to make it similar to the
professional product next to it.
I would describe it as a long
body shot of the killer with the
weapon in hand and the
location of the film in the
background. The title and
taglines are also positioned
similar to the text in the
existing product.
This is an example of how I
would create my film poster.
With a close up image of the
killer or a main character and
the title clear and bold over
the top. The idea of this poster
is to be very simple but still
creating fear/terror through
the imagery. Also, because it is
not the main front cover I
don’t need to include any
information apart from the
title etc.
This is similar to the first example
poster I have discussed. I also want to
keep this layout/design simple but
scary, only showing the title and
production company. The imagery
relates to the film without showing any
characters, as I want the weapon to be
significant (as it’s also in the title). The
title is clear and noticeable at the
bottom, like the other product’s title.

Costs
The equipment and facilities I will be using are quite expensive for individual production work, however the
College provides most equipment and software needed.
Although if I were to fund my production the prices would be as follows:
• Studio (including equipment) - £20.00/hour
• Model (average modeling agencies) - £50-£70/hour
• Photographer (student/semi-pro) - £50-£100/hour
• Photoshop - £9.98/month
Props:
• Funidelia – Ripper Axe - £4.99
• Gap – Checkered Shirt (red & black) - £16.99
• BoohooMAN - Plain black beanie - £3.75
• Shoe Zone – Black boots - £17.99
• ASOS – Black suspenders - £7.99
• ASOS – Blue jeans - £15
It is very useful that I can use the equipment and
facilities that they provide, because otherwise I would
be paying around £180 (as I'm providing the props),
which would be very difficult to fund for my
production, however these prices could differ from
different models/studios/photographers etc.

Photography/Video Settings
Next week I am going to conduct my problem solving for my production and this is a practical problem for me,
that will affect my production. I will discuss this issue in more detail in my problem solving, however below is a
tutorial I am going to watch before hand to see the general settings for a photoshoot and which will generally
look best to get professional looking photos.
I will be using the Manual settings most likely, therefore I need to know how to use them effectively, which this
tutorial will allow me to do, as I want my photography to look as professional as possible to create my film
cover to a high standard.
This tutorial was very helpful because it allowed me to see which settings were best for the type of use I want
the camera for (photography). These settings are the Manual and Aperture Priority, which creates the best
exposure in the photos (as shown in the video). I feel I am more confident with using the provided camera for
my photography, however there is still more to explore with this equipment, which I will be assessing in my
‘Problem Solving’ section.
Media Unlocked (2012). What Each Function Of The Canon T3I Or 600D Does & How To Use Them. [video]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYz7_C16eRg [Accessed 9 Feb. 2019].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYz7_C16eRg

Lighting Techniques
For my product, lighting will be a big part of the imagery aspect (and colour for shading), as I have found out
through my existing product research. The lighting creates the dark/unsettling tone in horror covers and I need
to research how to use lighting effectively in my product, to appeal to my horror audience as much as possible.
I found a tutorial on YouTube of how to use certain props/items and techniques to create good lighting that
suits the horror theme, with some techniques allowing a certain aspect of the imagery to stand out, for
example the eyes of the model (mine would be the lumberjack), with the use of a prop in front of the camera
or the light.
The a tutorial on YouTube shows five different lighting techniques I could use. The one that stood out the most
to me was placing a tube-like object over the camera lens to create a light shining on one direct spot with the
rest of the image in shadow (not complete darkness), which I could also use in the studio photography. An
example of how this would look is the first image at the bottom. I like the use of the other techniques and
positioning etc. as well, therefore I am still wondering which to use. I will need to wait for the natural lighting to
be dark to make it as effective as possible.
• Cinecom.net (2017). 5 Horror Lighting Setups. [video] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh3LeCNRvTQ [Accessed 5 Feb. 2019].
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh3LeCNRvTQ

Availability
The availability of my outdoor location will be open at all times (as it’s public are) but there
could also be pedestrians and animals etc. which may intervene with my photoshoot,
therefore the availability may be limited due to the location (a wooded area) being
occupied by other members of the public. This means that I will need to choose my time to
shoot in the location wisely, however because I am shooting at night, these implications
may not occur.
For my indoor photography I need to use the studio, which includes the camera and its
equipment. The studio is used often by other students, therefore it’s not always available so
I will have to book the studio for a time best suited in my production schedule and I can do
this on the York College website, with the booking form online.
My model I will be using has stated that he will most likely be available during my
production time, as long as I let him know a week in advance, therefore I will book my
studio time now for in a few weeks time, which will allow us both time to organise and
prepare for it.
This research was helpful because now I know that there is an arrangement in place, for me
to use the studio (along with the equipment) for my photoshoot and it is a good way to
display how my photoshoot arrangements, with the studio and the models together.

Overall Summary
Overall, I am very pleased with the amount of detail I have included in my research and this has been a
very big help for me in determining how to create my product and will certainly help with my planning. I
have summarised the individual topics as well (existing products, primary and secondary audience). The
existing products research was very helpful because I now have more knowledge of how to make my
work fit into the current market of the film industry and in the film genre of Horror especially. This can
be done through lighting, imagery and colours as I have discussed already, as Horror is a very fast-
growing genre in the film industry, meaning my product would need to stand-out from the rest to be
noticed more so than the other products, however this may be difficult with only Print Production being
the topic of my project (meaning I am not creating a short film advert or anything video related, which
is very popular in selling the film to the audience usually).
I think my target audience research (primary and secondary) were both conducted quite well, with
detail and time put into them and were very useful in showing me how I can specifically appeal my
peers and people of my target audience, which will prove to be effective at the end of my project, as
more people would likely want to buy my products or be interested in them.
Finally I think the production research was also conducted quite well and will be useful for my planning
and problem solving, as I have identified which production techniques and tools I need for my project
and have now seen which areas I am not as experienced in. The tutorials were the most useful section
of the production research in my opinion, as this is where I will be spending most of my production time
(on the imagery) as I want it to be very creative and effective for my audience.

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