2. What was our production trying to
achieve?
A majority of our film is based upon the concepts of socialisation and entertainment from the
‘uses and gratifications theory’ however, we also wanted to include a message and a meaning
behind our film. The message was to stay safe when drinking alcohol or going out with your
friends as anything could happen if you’re drinking excessively. In terms of socialisation, it
can be seen through the plot and message of the story as well as the semi-open ended/
circular narrative. The film never actually uncovers fully what happened to the main character
Grace however, it is heavily implied that she unfortunately got sexually assaulted, although
never confirmed - leaving it for the audience’s interpretation therefore allowing discussion. In
terms of entertainment, the film adheres to many traits of a thriller genre but mainly a drama,
due to it using suspenseful and surprising moments throughout the film, making it
entertaining for pre-existing fans of the two genres. We also modelled our film on Richard
Dyer’s theory of entertainment, specifically, the sensibilities of energy and intensity. We
wanted to create a film that excites and unsettles the viewer but also spreads a message
whilst highlighting its consequences, which was also seen within our poster and radio trailer
too.
3. How does our poster reflect our intentions
for the film?
The poster, which can be seen below, features all of the colours in which a
thriller/drama genre film should be using (blue, red, white and black). These colours
all create a sense of mystery, especially as we see the main character Grace with a
fade over her, sinking her into the dark blue background. This adds to the mystery
over what is going to happen to her throughout the film and also implies that the film
is set at night time. We also used the white Saving Grace logo which is seen
throughout our promotional items for the film as we wanted to create a brand, so
that all of the products were linked together, as that would make everything more
recognisable. The white lettering used really pierces through against the dark
background making it easy to read. The poster also features the tag-line “Have you
ever woken up not knowing where you are?” are the first words ever spoken in the
film, and connote what the film is actually about.
4. How effective is the poster in selling the
film?
Posters can be one of the most important selling factors when marketing for a film as they are the first thing an
audience will see, however, in order to be effective, they have to be noticeable and memorable. With this in mind when
creating our poster, i decided to do some research into what makes a good film poster and what needs including on it.
I decided that, to fit the genre and theme of our film, i was going to have to include:
A dark background - implying mystery
A bold title - which can be easily read
A tag-line - which hints at the films content
The main character looking directly at the viewer
An overall sense of perplexity and eeriness
Combining all of these elements together allowed for me to create a film poster that is not only eye-catching but also
creates a sense of mystery and entices the viewer to watch the actual film to see what it is all about. I intended on
matching the poster with the genre - thriller/drama. Which i believe to have done, due to the colours and aesthetic
used.
5. Poster Comparison
Main protagonist is centred within the
middle of the poster, this is done so
that the audiences can understand that
they will have a lot of prevalence within
the film.
The posters feature low-key lighting
as it signifies that within the films
something is possibly hidden,
whether that may be a person,
object or message.
The posters include a lot of darkens
signifying mystery, which is
juxtaposed with the text used. The
piercing white standing out against
the black really makes the title pop,
so that it is clear to the audience.
The poster also features subtle hints
of red, connoting danger.
6. What should a radio trailer for a film
include?
Despite this type of media being called a ‘radio’ trailer, it can be heard on a variety of platforms other than the radio - in turn,
making it more able to reach mass audiences easily. This means that our radio trailer would be an important aspect when
advertising our film. With this in mind, i knew it had to be good and catchy. I decided to do some research and write down ideas
of what is included in a radio trailer so i could implement it into my own work, some of the things included are:
Quotes from the film
Music to create an effect of what the film is trying to have
Potential voice over
Uses of sound effects
using quick jumps and attention-grabbing techniques
I knew that by including some, if not all of these techniques, we would be able to create a successful radio trailer and it would
work effectively to promote our film.
7. Were the ancillary texts successful overall?
Since posters require visual attention from the audience, and radio trailers require hearing attention,
the two work well together in combination of the film to attract the maximum possible potential
audience, especially due to use placing the poster over the radio trailer on the version we uploaded
onto YouTube. Not only did we try to attract a large possible audience but i also feel as though both
forms of media were successful in portraying the message of the film as well as the mysterious tones.
This is due to the music, suspenseful sound effects as well as the posters colours and marketing
techniques. The fact that both of our ancillary texts are able to replicate the desired effect of the film
would mean that those who are intrigued by the ancillary texts are likely to be intrigued in the final
film itself. Therefore, the two texts are effective in attracting current fans of the thriller and drama
genres but also are effective in grabbing the attention of a wider audience due to them being easily
accessible. After the production of the poster and the radio trailer, we asked a few of our friends and
classmates (as that is our target audience) whether or not they thought that the poster and radio
trailer were effective in representing and promoting our film. Pleasingly, we heard a lot of positive
feedback as they agreed that it did, meaning that we successfully captured the desired effect upon the
audience with our ancillary texts.
