Evaluation 2: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
The main focus for my film was the gap under the bed because not only is it the title; it is also where the main antagonist is located and filmed from. It is an out-of-place area within a normal environment such as home, I have used this to make sure that the audience can feel paranoid when looking at the gap because of how something so simple can still be terrifying when looking at it from a different perspective.
I've made sure that my ancillary tasks followed that focus in order for my audience to be able to connect them to my film.
My film poster definitely follows this, seeing as the main image is of the gap itself. The colours used are quite dull and dark to follow the colour scheme of the film seeing as the film has a dull filter over it. The gap has been enhanced so that it is the main focus of the page as it is more dark than the surrounding area. It gives the poster a more eerie sense seeing as no one knows what's in the gap. In terms of composition of the image, I made sure that the positions of the bear was towards the centre of the bed and I used a teddy bear to show that this film will be based within a child's room. Therefore, the audience can guess that this film will include a child as one of the main characters and they could associate this on the concept of "the monster under the bed" because of the gap; seeing as most people had a fear of a monster somewhere in their room when they were young.
The tag line connects to the poster, in which it says:
"DON'T SLEEP. THERE IS SOMETHING LURKING IN THE,"
It doesn't specify what's in the gap but it specifies how it is moving. It is "lurking". Lurking is defined as "remaining hidden to wait in ambush for someone or something"; this links to my film seeing as within it, the main antagonist is hidden in the gap for a majority of the time before it advances out . It is lurking around in the gap before it attacks my protagonist.
Another example is the screenshot at the top of the second page which is directly from the film and we can still see the gap within the image but from a low angle perspective. This means that we cannot see the back of the gap and it looks more larger than it actually is, making the audience question what is in the gap. But under the low angle shot image is 4 more other images and the last image is of the gap itself but from an eye-line view, so you can just see how small it actually is. Even though there is room behind the gap (it is not visible in the image), it is still small, so it follows from this idea of confinement and the audience would feel even more tense about what is in the gap.
I've made sure that my ancillary tasks followed that focus in order for my audience to be able to connect them to my film.
The tag line connects to the poster, in which it says:
"DON'T SLEEP. THERE IS SOMETHING LURKING IN THE,"
It doesn't specify what's in the gap but it specifies how it is moving. It is "lurking". Lurking is defined as "remaining hidden to wait in ambush for someone or something"; this links to my film seeing as within it, the main antagonist is hidden in the gap for a majority of the time before it advances out . It is lurking around in the gap before it attacks my protagonist.
For my double page spread, I have made sure that it links between the poster and the actual film. The colour scheme used on my DPS matches with that of the poster in which black and red have been used. The colour black in horror is used to symbolise darkness, and the way I have used this for my DPS is similar to the way I have used it for my poster. In which a majority of the page is black, creating an image of being surrounded by darkness. This can give the audience a sense of confinement and claustrophobia due to the fact that they are looking from the small gap.
The gap is seen in both the poster and DPS, so it is very obvious which film they are advertising for seeing as the gap is the main focus. As I have mentioned in my post for my DPS, I have included the main character to connect it to the film. I have used a mixture of images from the actual film and from ones I have taken especially for the two ancillary tasks so that my audience can see what to expect. For example, the main image is from the perspective of the being in the gap looking at the main protagonist and within the film we do get many scenes from the being's perspective.
Another example is the screenshot at the top of the second page which is directly from the film and we can still see the gap within the image but from a low angle perspective. This means that we cannot see the back of the gap and it looks more larger than it actually is, making the audience question what is in the gap. But under the low angle shot image is 4 more other images and the last image is of the gap itself but from an eye-line view, so you can just see how small it actually is. Even though there is room behind the gap (it is not visible in the image), it is still small, so it follows from this idea of confinement and the audience would feel even more tense about what is in the gap.
In regards to the article in the DPS, it is of an interview between the director and the journalist as I have mentioned in the post about the DPS. the language used to describe the gap as the director talks about it reinforces it as being "very scary" and "not good for the mind or soul" especially at "night when you are alone". Using a phrase such as "not good for the mind or soul" exaggerates the imagery of the gap as being something that the audience should avoid at all costs because of how ghastly it is, that whatever is hiding there is really ominous and that's what I wanted to present my antagonist as.
I have made sure to include my film title on both the poster and DPS to promote the film due to the fact that it is not a known film unlike the Harry Potter film series which is extremely well known by audiences around the world. For example, the poster for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" does not include the film title. All it includes is the main image and the slogan: "IT ALL ENDS" and the date below it. The slogan could easily be mistaken for the name of the actual film if it wasn't for the popularity of the franchise and for the recognisable characters. Because my film is not part of a franchise, I would need the name to be on both products in order to get it recognised efficiently.
Another poster that has used that technique is the Alien: Covenant film poster. As you can see, this poster also just has the slogan and the date on it, alongside the main image of the Alien. The slogan reads "RUN" and the main image is of the alien within the film, but partially shown as the rest of it is covered in shadow. For people who are familiar to the Alien series this would be effective because they can easily recognise what is on the poster and they know how dangerous it is, seeing as it says "RUN". But for people who aren't aware of the series, they won't be able to understand the purpose of this. However, there is another poster in which the title can be seen for those audience who do not know the series.
Ultimately, I was able to keep the themes and concepts clear and constant between my two ancillary tasks such as a dull colour scheme to represent the low-key lighting used in the film, the constant use of the gap and images connecting to the film, the use of language in both to indicate that this will be a psychological thriller/horror and something that uses tension to scare the audience rather than the usual jumpscare. Because of this, the two products are able to promote the film clearly towards the audience. The aim of the film poster and the DPS is to advertise the film and in order for that to work conveniently, aspects from the film must be seen in the two products and I have made sure that this was present in my ancillary tasks. Creating synergy between the products.
I have made sure to include my film title on both the poster and DPS to promote the film due to the fact that it is not a known film unlike the Harry Potter film series which is extremely well known by audiences around the world. For example, the poster for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" does not include the film title. All it includes is the main image and the slogan: "IT ALL ENDS" and the date below it. The slogan could easily be mistaken for the name of the actual film if it wasn't for the popularity of the franchise and for the recognisable characters. Because my film is not part of a franchise, I would need the name to be on both products in order to get it recognised efficiently.
Another poster that has used that technique is the Alien: Covenant film poster. As you can see, this poster also just has the slogan and the date on it, alongside the main image of the Alien. The slogan reads "RUN" and the main image is of the alien within the film, but partially shown as the rest of it is covered in shadow. For people who are familiar to the Alien series this would be effective because they can easily recognise what is on the poster and they know how dangerous it is, seeing as it says "RUN". But for people who aren't aware of the series, they won't be able to understand the purpose of this. However, there is another poster in which the title can be seen for those audience who do not know the series.
The benefits of a poster and a DPS, is that not only could I promote through print, I can also promote digitally as the article will be on the website for the magazine and the poster as well. However, the poster will be more efficient seeing as they can be placed around bus stops, billboards on a bus and other places. So the film can receive more recognition from offline and online.
Ultimately, I was able to keep the themes and concepts clear and constant between my two ancillary tasks such as a dull colour scheme to represent the low-key lighting used in the film, the constant use of the gap and images connecting to the film, the use of language in both to indicate that this will be a psychological thriller/horror and something that uses tension to scare the audience rather than the usual jumpscare. Because of this, the two products are able to promote the film clearly towards the audience. The aim of the film poster and the DPS is to advertise the film and in order for that to work conveniently, aspects from the film must be seen in the two products and I have made sure that this was present in my ancillary tasks. Creating synergy between the products.
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