Question 2 - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary aims

1. Jasmine Power
Question 2 - How effective is the
combination of your main product and
ancillary aims
The three aspects of my work - the film, and the ancillary text
in both the poster and the Little White Lies review - work well
together. The ancillary texts accurately report key aspects of
the film and they all work together - they all agree on what the
film is about and show that it is a 'must-see'.

2. The poster

3. • How is it linked to the film?
• It uses a central image of the film - a head-shot of the character but distorted to show her inner conflict.
• How does it promote the film?
• By showing the main theme of the film has substance - day to day life, but with a twist.
• What aspects of the film does it focus on?
• It focuses on the psychological aspect of the film.
• How does it take the codes and conventions of the film into its design? [Images/ language/fonts/colours etc]
• It follows many of the conventions common to all films - prominence for the title, smaller credits at the edge
(bottom) of the poster. It also follows art-film conventions - understated, and not attempting the oversell that is
common in simply commercial production. The white type (mainly over black) and black type (mainly over white)
emphasises the stark aspect of the movie and the differentiated word, 'perfect' (in white type) identifies this as a
key theme. The font also follows what is expected of such genre posters. Upon looking you might not be able to
immediately appreciate that this is a film poster – there are no awards listed, ratings, etc., a deliberate decision.
• How does it convey the genre?
• It shows clearly that the film is not sensationalist, exploitative but that it requires some intelligence to view - it is an
art-film. The non-star treatment of the central character; the refusal to use artificial means to build tension and the
understated look of shots all put it clearly in the art-film genre.
• What audience does it target?
• The target audience is similar to the cast of the film - young women who may have an interest in this subject.
• Can you tell it is a poster for your specific film?
• Absolutely. It is based on a scene from the film. The text, credits, etc also reinforce that this is a Shameful poster.
• Did your audience feedback support this?
• Yes, in my audience feedback, the poster was praised as accurately relating the content and type of film. People
liked the poster and mentioned it positively.

4. The Review

5. • Was the magazine appropriate for my film?
• Yes, the magazine, Little White Lies, reviews art films and my film is within that genre.
• How does the review promote the film?
• It is a positive review of the film and well relates the purpose and emphasis of the
movie. It says more than a poster can and so well promotes the film. It also well
explains the film - it is a review written for the illumination of the audience, and not as
these things sometimes are, just for showing-off by the reviewer.
• What aspect of the film does the review focus on?
• It discusses the aspect of psychological problems in the film extensively and also
talks about the direction and script of the film. It also puts the film in a broader context
by identifying where it stands in the wide range of films by making reference to where
this style of film originates.
• How far does the review reflect the real strengths and weaknesses of the film?
• It does a good job in doing this and identifies some aspects of the film that might have
been better - a more extensive script perhaps, but it misses on the strength of the film
relating to the symbolism of images.
• The review is also not so good in showing how the film also breaks some of the
conventions of the genre from which it identifies it as belonging. No reference is made
to several of the techniques that give an unique feel to this film, such as the motifs it
employs.

7. Summing up
• Do the three aspects work together and support each other? Do they look
like they share the same concept?
• Yes, the style of the review, the poster for Shameful and the film itself all
support each other but they also all best convey the aspects of the film that
are suited for their medium - the analysis of the review, the mood of the film
conveyed by the poster as well as the final product itself - the film. They all
have the same look and feel and reinforce the strengths of the film by all
working from the ‘same script’ so to speak. The use of a still from the film in
the poster (although altered) gives an honest insight into what the film looks
like and builds a level of trust between the film and a potential viewer where
the customer is reassured that we have not sold you this film with any false
promises.
• The review, poster and film all identify and support a central theme of the
production – body self image – and using their different strengths (the
moving image, the still image and the written word) clearly demonstrate
what someone will see from this film.