1. How effective is the combination of your
main product and ancillary texts?
Trailer, Film Poster and Magazine
2. Combination of Main Product and
Ancillary Texts
In my opinion, I believe the combination of my ancillary texts and my main product is
extremely effective in enticing my target audience of a predominantly female fan base and
also presenting my action thriller genre in clearer light. As stated in the brief, I am targeting 16-
24 year olds, suggesting that my audience are up-to-date with new media technologies,
including social networking sites such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
3. Magazine Front Cover
My magazine front cover displays a number of
texts, comprising the masthead stating ‘Flicks’,
cover lines, informing viewers of the content inside
the magazine, a headline, website name, date and
so forth. For that reason, there is a lot of
information that the reader has to take in when
looking at the front cover of my magazine (pick ‘n’
mix). Nevertheless, underneath the masthead, I
have taken into account the antagonist as I have
addressed the actors name, which in this case is
the name Jack. Following a simplistic approach, I
have placed his name underneath the first letter of
my masthead so that it is in line with the letter ‘F’.
Nonetheless, in front of the name Jack, I have used
a hash tag symbol (#) since this is a common
feature that is used on the majority of social
networking sites.
4. Magazine
• The main image on my magazine is of an adolescent boy, who has dark lines underneath his
eyes. Jack’s face is lowered, however his eyes are slighting lifted to suggest that he is trying
to be discrete, however is watching at the same time. This resembles Jack’s character
perfectly since he is obsessed with a young woman and is constantly trying to hide his
identity.
• Our film focuses on the unknown and the distrust between those who you believe our your
loved ones. For that reason, the black and white effect helps enhance the idea of the
unknown and the unexpected to ones character and the extent to which one would go to in
order to benefit themselves. It is therefore evident that the audience clarify that he is the
antagonist, nevertheless his young face adds to the mystery of our film.
• Moreover, the image of Jack is not the only image present on my magazine front cover. A
smaller, circled image features two girls staring directly at the camera, causing direct
address (just like Jack). Their blazing stares flow with the fire in front of their faces.
Immediately, viewers recognise that they too, are the protagonists in the film.
5. Magazine
• Both girls are wearing dark lipstick, including dark red and dark purple, which heightens
their dark personalities. For that reason, it is obvious that my magazine gives a great insight
into the hostile characters in our film. Therefore, the house style flows extremely well with
the explicit pictures that are present.
• On the front of my magazine I have also referenced a number of upcoming films that are
also due for release this year, such as ‘American Sniper’ and ‘Exodus’. ‘American Sniper’ is a
biographical war drama film and Exodus: Gods and Kings is a biblically inspired fantasy film.
On that account, it is evident that my magazine features a variety of movie genres,
including our genre, which is action thriller. It is therefore apparent that my magazine is a
film magazine, which conforms to a typical magazine cover giving movie lovers an insight
into a variation of films, from a variety of genres. All in all, I believe all three of my products
work extremely well together to reveal my action thriller genre. The dark lighting in each of
my products enhances shadows, leading to further mystery and suspense.
6. How would I promote my film?
• If I was to promote my film in real life, I believe it would be highly beneficial to set up an
Instagram, Facebook and Twitter page focusing on our film ‘Obsess’. If this page were to
post pictures of the antagonist (such as the image displayed on my magazine) then it would
be extremely relevant to hash tag words such as #Jack #Hughes #Obsess and so forth so
that this hash tag will allow users to enter new pages featuring this particular topic.
• As a result of this, the audience will be given a greater insight into all aspects of the film,
including the actors that star in the movie, as well as the director and so forth. The
Instagram and Twitter pages could feature unseen clips/pictures regarding the film, giving
our production company a free form of advertising that audience members are able to
attain directly, without any further hassle.
• On that account, I feel that placing this piece of text at the top of my magazine highlights
the audience that I am trying to entice. Immediately, viewers will recognise this symbol and
essentially feel inclined to understand the film in greater detail.
• As discovered in my promotion analysis for ‘Olympus Has Fallen’, I felt that e-media was the
most effective form of promotion since it’s Facebook page interacted with its target
audience perfectly and consequently effectively also. With no cost to it, this form of
promotion is essential in our modern world.
7. Combination of Products
Both my film poster and my magazine front
cover are displayed in black and white, which
add to the dark atmosphere of our film,
presenting an immediate cold tone to our
film. While the image of Putney on my film
poster is displayed in black and white, the
low-key lighting causes reflections in the
River Thames, causing further disorientation
and mystery for our viewers. Both the
magazine and the poster help anchor the fact
that there is more than one antagonist in our
film, leading to even further suspense. The
image on the front of the film poster could
also be seen as an aggressive image since the
young woman is holding a gun, causing even
further uncertainty. At the very bottom of my
film poster, I have placed an image of Putney
Bridge and The River Thames at night (the
same content as the establishing shot in our
trailer), which helps the audience to establish
the location in which our film is set.