2. Assignment Brief
The purpose of our production was to produce a short five minute film. We
had to create and pitch an idea of our choice in reference to our chosen
genre. Alongside our media products, it was required that we created two
ancillary tasks, one poster and one film review, in order to help promote our
short film.
3. What was the main objectives
of our ancillary task?
The main purpose of our ancillary task was to promote our short film and to create
awareness for our target audience and all viewers. Due to Big Boy being a comedy
film, it was essential that the ancillary tasks represented an entertaining,
enthusiastic and appealing view in order to attract the audience to watch the film.
One ancillary task was a poster that was created to inform the target audience of
Big Boy’s release date as well as providing a brief idea of the key actors as the
image represents. The other ancillary task was to produce a film review providing
the audience with details about Big Boy, including the film plot and a review itself.
4. How does my poster relate to the
comedy genre?
I opted for an image that would be entertaining for my target audience as well as presenting a rather
more creative look. The image creates a sense of suspense for the viewers as it encourages people
to watch the film to see what will be revealed. The female protagonists facial expression indicates an
impression that she is shocked yet impressed, which relates with the title as the word Big Boy
interlinks with the image itself, reflecting on the comedy genre. As his legs are blurred out, this
indicates that there is a possibility that he is the prime male actor, whilst not revealing too much
information. The colour red was selected as it often mirrors passion, intimacy and romance.
However, the colour yellow is a colour that is more jolly and used to emphasize on the comedy
genre, as some individuals may have misinterpreted the film for a romance. In addition..'There is
always a first time to everything' is the chosen tagline for our short film. This quote connotes to the
viewers that she may be losing her virginity for the first time as the image does not reveal the male
actor. This enables us to provide a narrative that is unexpected as the male is losing his virginity for
the first time and is extremely not experienced. The age certification is 15 as the film contains
content that is inappropriate for individuals below the age 15, although a comedy genre. The title
'BIG BOY' is presented in two different font sizes. This was done specifically to provide the audience
with an idea of imagery. Although Suki D, male actor, has never had sexual intercourse before and
provides a misleading perception of him. Overall, the poster relates to the comedy genre in a number
of ways as described. Not only does the written text and chosen colours support this, but the
background image itself.
5. What fonts were used for your
poster?
The font I decided to use for my poster was Arial. This was because the font is clear and
bold, easy for all ages to read, focusing on our chosen target audience in particular. As the
title is 'Big Boy', I thought that Arial was most relevant as it enabled me to emphasize on
the word 'BIG', providing a more comical view for the audience. As well as this, I decided
to use Arial as I thought if I used a simple font, it would encourage the image to stand our
more to the audience, complimenting the title whilst not creating a poster that looks too
complicated as the comedy genre posters tend to be more simple yet entertaining and
appealing. I decided to keep the font consistent for all the text on my poster, including the
actors names as I thought it looked more professional, which is why I also used to same
font for the names of our actress and actor.
For my billing board, I decided to use the font 'Billings', which was a specific font I had
downloaded online, used when creating billing boards in particular. This gave my poster a
rather more realistic presentation as well as looking more authentic for my target
audience. Choosing the right font is important when creating any promoting methods such
as my ancillary tasks, as people tend to rely on posters as a way of deciding whether a film
worth taking a trip to the cinema for.
6. For my film review, I decided to use simple fonts just like my poster. For my title I
used Arial and then I added numerous styles and effects after in order to give it a
more appealing look whilst making my ancillary task look more realistic and
professional. I thought that the title was very bold and outstanding on my poster
which gave it a better presentation, which is why I also thought I would maintain the
same font for the title on my film review. As I used an image that contained a colourful
background, I decided to go with a fairly dark yet glowing colour scheme for my title
as it would stand out more for the audience.
For my film review, I did not emphasize on the word Big as I assumed it would reveal
too much for the audience after reading the content of the film. For the text used in
the body of my film review, I decided to use Times New Roman 12, as newspapers
and magazines tend to use the same fonts. Therefore, I knew that my target audience
would be able to read the text without any complications. Also, this font was a good
choice as it is simple and easy to understand, allowing the other text to stand out
more, emphasizing on the release of our new comedy film. Overall, using this font
allowed me to decrease the size majorly, whilst still making it easy for individuals too
read.
What fonts were used for your film
review?
7. What images were used for your
poster?
Rather than using a number of images, I decided to use an image of the most significant
scene from the short film as my background image. The image used for my film poster
contains factors that certainly conform to the comedy genre. Firstly, character positioning
of the female protagonist instantly forms a sense of suspicion for the audience as she is
laying on the bed whilst the camera is positioned between the males legs, allowing the
audience to be imaginative with what the narrative may be, taking the title 'BIG BOY' in to
consideration too. The fact that her facial expression presents a satisfied look connotes to
the audience that the comedy is revolved around a sexual comical topic. As well as this,
the fact that his legs take up partially the whole image, this may suggest that there is a
surprise for the audience as well as a unexpected twist in the narrative. When creating my
poster on Photoshop, I managed to add a sharpening effect over the layer to give the
image a more realistic view whilst encouraging the female protagonists facial expressions
to stand out more. Without a powerful image, the chance is, the poster will not be
persuasive for the audience as people tend to focus on visuals more as image is
important.
8. For my film review, I decided to incorporate two images rather than one as it gives
the audience a rather small preview of what the narrative may be about. As main
actor Suki D loses his virginity for the first time to a hooker, Lady Candy,
incorporating images presenting his facial expression as well as hers was relevant
as it allowed the audience to grasp an idea of their characteristics by their images.
As Big Boy is a short comedy film, it was important that the images used would
reflect on the genre, which they have managed to do as the image on the right
clearly portrays his facial expressions, showing that he is nervous yet very excited
and eager to spend time. The image on the left was the main image used on my
film review as it linked to my poster, promoting the fact that Big Boy is a comedy
based on an Indian young male losing his virginity for the first time. Overall, both
images provide colour and entertainment for the audience which was my aim as
the genre of my film is a comedy.
What images were used for your film
review?
9. Whilst planning for the making of my poster, Little Man 2006 was the prime influence
of my poster. This is because, firstly the title of the film is 'LiTTLE MAN' contrasting
the title of my short film BIG BOY. As well as this, the genre of Little Man is also a
comedy genre which is why I thought it was the most beneficial example to look at.
The use of the large image on both posters were used to create laughter and
entertainment. I decided to use the same colour pattern as little man with the actors
names as I used two contrasting colours white and red with yellow to differentiate the
romance and comedy genre. Although Little Man contained a number of factors that
influenced my poster, there is one major difference on both posters which is that my
poster does not contain any black text due to having a dark schemed background
unlike Little Man. As well as this, I added 2 small reviews on the right hand side of my
poster to reassure my target audience of the positive reviews.
Overall, Little Man and Big Boy share a number of elements in common, from the title
to the irony in the characters, making it easier for me to base my idea on the film.
Film Influences
10. Final Film Review -
For my film review, I created a single page spread as I thought this
was more eligible for my short film due to being a comedy genre.
I began by gathering a number of images and selected two key
pictures in which I thought would be most appealing for the audience,
encouraging them to watch the film. Alongside this, I chose 3 colours
– white, red and yellow to use as for my colour scheme as all colours
managed to complement each other.
I only used 2 images for my film review as I thought that it would be more useful to add
Information relating to the film, especially reviews from other well known magazines and
medias. I had 3 clear columns of writing as it is easier for individuals to read as well as looking
more presentable for the public audience.
I decided to keep the colour scheme fairly different to the poster. Rather than having red,
yellow and white, I thought it would be better to have blue silver and black as magazines often
tend to have darker and more blunt colours than bright and vibrant colours. Also, as my
background image offered a vast amount of colour, the use of the dark text gave the image a
Chance to stand out, delivering a number of possibilities to the audience of what the film may
be about.
11. Conclusion -
Overall, both of my ancillary tasks manage to relate to the comedy genre and
my main product itself. The poster includes a powerful image that manages to
sell the film to the audience through its comical presentation. The film review
includes text which informs the audience about the film and the micro elements
used as well as its effect on the viewers. Both ancillary tasks conform to the
comedy genre as well as having a clear representation of my film Big Boy.
