Film Poster | FINAL PRODUCT

After some audience feedback and advice I have only made one small change/tweak to my ancillary task of a film poster which was said by a couple of people and that was to make the billing section (title) smaller as it's too close to the edges and just doesn't seem correct. So, I make it smaller but made it longer width ways to make sure it still stood out and overlaid the image slightly like I initially wanted, I also had to alter the upside down letters spelling 'death' under the title so that it still matched up while being subtle, I actually make the opacity to 10% from 13% because I felt like it stood out too much and even though I want people to notice I don't want to have to make it too obvious as that's no the point of subtle.

Double Page Spread | FINAL PRODUCT

Double Page Spread - DRAFT #5

Having a rough edit of my main task done I added a rounded up duration/running time to my double page spread and after some feedback I changed the first image on the first page to a more exciting one as there is now now image basically introduction the characters to the reader and then two other giving an impression of the storyline. I believe that this is is my final draft as I am very happy with how it looks and happy that it meets a majority of the conventions of a double page spread for a film review but also I'm just overall happy with the process and the feedback I've had with this task.

Poster Ancillary | DRAFT #5

Double Page Spread | DRAFT #4

During some feedback on my review page so far some individuals said that the dominant image seemed too empty but that it was a good image and to maybe see if there was a way to remove some of the space so, I went into Adobe PhotoShop CS6 and try different methods, one where I simply cropped it however, that was only effective in making it smaller, the issue was the space right in the middle of the image so with a bit of trail and error I ended up actually cutting out Sasha (left)  and then placing her more forward then the raw image to give the impression that the two were standing closer and thankfully the eye line of each character still lined up and it did actually help the image to look less empty but this also meant that I was able to making it bigger on my double page spread going with the code and conventions of the dominant image being the biggest but also it helped to fill up any background space making it fuller without the need for anything else.

Also after some feedback I added newspaper company names to the two quotes I had made such as 'Daily Mail' and 'The Sun' as they're very common and mainstream companies that do both mainstream and niche news/reports/articles on everything. Also, by involving these the reader would see them and instantly make an impression based on these companies opinions as though 'they think it's good, surely it must be then.'

Adding My Main Character To My Poster | DRAFT #4

After trying a few of the images on the poster I finally went with one of the last that I tried which was where Sasha had her head tilted to the slide ever so slightly but almost her eyebrows were the most narrowed in this photo which helps with the sinister and dark atmosphere I am trying to create with this poster whereas, the others just didn't seem to be as effective.

I had to actually edit the photo before hand to get it to fade into black around the edges by using the gradient tool within Photoshop CS6 which is something I have become very skilled in since this production. I also used this technique to darken Sasha's face to help remove any parts that remained of the orange, warm colour from the original JPEG, something that I found worked to highlight the darkness under her eyes which actually makes the whites of her eyes stand out more which would actually draw the audiences attention as they look at her eyes to see she is starring back.

I have also made the colour of the slogan, production logos and 'in cinemas' section a brighter red to make it stand out slightly more, but also so that it matches the colour scheme with more other ancillary a bit more giving it some consistency which could even be associated with the brand. This colour also closely matched the colour of my production company logo at the beginning of my main task, reinforcing the idea of bran image.

Lastly, I changed the font of the 'In cinemas' section because it got lost within the credits and didn't stand out like it conventionally should so as a result I make it the same font as the slog and the title as I didn't want too many different fonts on the poster which could make it look too busy or less aestehtic. As a result, I think it looks much better and I am very happy with my decision.

I still have a few things to add on but I very close to being done, I think I am going to add more scratched into the background as I feel they got lost as I edited my image in and I really like the effect they had on the image but also, looking at real-media texts of horror film posters I think I need to make the credits slightly smaller as they're very close to the edge of the poster which isn't the usual look.

Taking Pictures For My Poster!

During one of my filming days I took photos of my actor Sasha Webb whom is portraying Claire. I took these photos so that I would later on, be able to edit them onto my already existing template/draft of my film poster. When taking them I had in mind the stock imaging I had used initially, so I had Sasha positioned her head down while look up and directly into the camera to make it seem as though she is looking at the audience and her eyes will follow them. I did a couple of shots at different distances, some getting all of Sasha's hair in while in others I cut it off but also in a couple I had her have her hair up to see what impact that would have and I came to the conclusion that it made the image itself look less sinister.

The lighting of the images do look slightly orange giving it a warm tone to it which is the opposite of what I want however, I can easily change the settings for this in the editing software therefore it's not a problem.

DoublePage Spread Film Review | DRAFT #3

A big issue was filling in the gap below and next to the images I has chosen on the second page of the double page spread however, after looking at some real-media texts I did think about include a scare-o-meter but then felt as though it wouldn't go with the atmosphere that my review page was trying to create so instead I decided to only include the percentage of which it would be scary, I also decided to make this a separate font which I downloaded from DaFonts, I went for a more pixels font re still represent how the scare-o-meter would of appeared, another reason I did this was the make it stand out yet I kept it a dark, pastel red so that it didn't draw to much of the readers attention away from things such as the title and images as that isn't very conventional however, it would grab enough of their attention to help them make an impression for the film without reading it. I also overlaid this on top of a blood splatter to help to connote the conventional use of blood of the genre.

Changing font colours/ Adding things | DRAFT #3

After some small audience feedback I got the observation that perhaps the catchphrase and production company logo colour is too dark and should be kept within the same scale but just slightly brighter, so I straight away experimented with it and have seen that it works 100% better. It does take the attention away from the Ouija Board behind it slightly but that can only add to the subtly of it. I have also moved all of that section up slightly to add in a 'in cinemas' section which I chose the date January 13th, the same date I put in my double page review because I wanted to go with the theme that January isn't known for any supernatural or scary events such as October and halloween and therefore, nothing seems out of the ordinary much like the storyline.

Adding/Choosing My Production Company Logo | DRAFT #2

I finally decided on which Production Company logo font/positioning I am going to use an it is design 3 (see left) which is the font 'Another Danger'.

I chose it because the audience feedback on it was very positive and a lot of people said that it represented the horror genre very well, there were a few comments saying it was more related to a slasher sub-genre and even though I can see that aspect I feel that the use of the sharp endings to letters, texture and slight splatters gave it a menacing feel to it which works well with my image of the 'jester' to connote trickery and perhaps mischief just like how a spirit from a Ouija Board uses to set themselves free.

I have added it to the left bottom corner of my poster, within the credits which is conventional for film posters to do as they are essentially part of the credits. I have made it the same colour as the slogan/catchphrase to keep a limited colour scheme within the poster.

My Poster So Far | DRAFT #1

Here's my poster so far! I have used a stock image to work a template for my settings and positioning of my text and other images. I have got rid of the satantic symbol I previously had on the background because like I thought it would, the main image covers it to the point where you can barely see it and overlaying it overs the main images and takes away it's effective sinister look. I made it so that the title is longer in width to that it doesn't look so out of place but also, I have added a slogan/catchphrase just above the credits saying "You don't have to play to be in the game" this is to hint and the not as conventional storyline involving the Ouija board which is slightly visible behind the catchphrase to connote that, that is indeed what it is referencing, it's up to the audience on how that is interpreted but either way it provokes curiosity.

When coming up with my title name and do a few sketches I talked about how I wanted them to understand that it was a Greek however, I wanted them to know what it meant so I had the idea of having a shadow like or reflection like effect under the title spelling 'death', this is something I have easily been able to do as all I had to do was place the letters upside down and then lower their opacity to make them more subtle.

I haven't completly finished as I still have to add the production comapny names and logos in the left and right bottom corners but also replace the stock image with my own image to help with character recgonisation.

Page Two Underway! Draft Two

Now that my review page is half finished I can focus all of my attention onto the second page of this ancillary task. On my second page I did add more scratched onto as there was a slight random black section that seemed out of place, this was just to help with the consistency and theme of the background as having a random plain section could actually draw the readers attention to it when it's not needed.

I also played around with the positioning of the verdict section as I felt like it didn't fit in well and was almost like an eye sore so, through looking at other EMPIRE review pages through Google Images and actual magazines I saw that some copy the style that was used for the summary section and when trying that I saw that it looks great. I feel like the rectangle to the side almost indicates the beginning and the end of the review, beginning with the summary and ending with the verdict. However, this has actually resulted in leaving a rather large gap in the second page with I have attempted to fill with more text but then it feels to text heavy which I know and personally find as something not appealing, I've also tried to fill it with another image but then the layout of the images doesn't look correct and they look misplaced so that is something I need to figure out and I have some ideas in mind such as, a scare O'meter etc.

Page One COMPLETE! Draft One

I have completed the first page of my ancillary task, the double paged film review. This page is more dominantly filled with text however, I broke that up with my 'Look Closer' section, a quote about the film and then an image just so that it doesn't seem to text heavy and less appealing, initialling I did actually forget to include the small summary section that is placed before the review even begins, I was able to easily and quickly move the review column down to leave enough room to add it in.

When looking at the way other EMPIRE film reviews present this section I saw that they conventionally have the rectangle to the side of it, which I have included and I believe that this is because a sudden solid colour against the draw background draws the readers instant attention with is what you'd want as it provide a quick summary on the film itself ultimately helping them to decide whether to read the review or watch the film. For both pages I have added the conventional layout for any magazine with the page numbers in the bottom corners followed by the websites in the opposite corner, I actually chose the pages numbers of 65 and 66 because of the satantic representation and association with the number 6 and I couldn't have it ad 666 and EMPIRE magazines or any everyday magazines don't have over 140 pages.

I also noticed that a lot of magazines will have quotes in-betweens breaks in the text from viewers or famous and popular film reviewers as they themselves are appealing but it can hep them to make an instant impression on it as it to say ' well they thought it was good so surely it must be'.

Now, at the end of the final paragraph of the review it's conventional to have the writer's name at the end in the same text and colour what the sub-headings for the beginning summary are to add to the consistency.

Poster Background

After placing the scratched background on my review double page spread I thought about the relationship between my poster and the review page itself to give it some brand identity and an aesthetic, this would help the audience/viewer to recognise the theme and design and associate the poster with the review page and vise versa. Even though I have used the same image for the background I have faded it more and added more gradient to it by only have the scratched visible at the top and bottom of the poster as the fade around where the dominant image would be.

When I was analysing the Ouija poster it had a section where an Ouija board was placed just below the centre of the poster and then faded out into the darkness, this is an effect I really liked as it connoted the use of the Ouija board and spirits etc. without making it the dominant image. This is something I have tried to copy but placing it just above the credits and yet again using the gradient tool to try and get the same fading effect and then lowering the opacity so that it's more subtle.

The next aspect I added it more experimented and not something I'm sure if I'm going to keep. I added a satantic symbol, one that used within the actually main task (short film) however, I think that the dominant image might overlay it too much to the point where it isn't actually visible and overlaying it on top of the dominant image night make it a little too busy.

Poster Title Font

As I said before, I want to use a scratchy almost chaotic type font for my title and to begin with I created the title above and was initially thinking of using that one however, after recently searching for more I came across one called 'Jo Writes A Love Letter' a bit of an off name but it fits really well with the look I want to achieve. So, I went into photoshop to create it and here is how it turned out:

I think it makes the title much more easier to read then the previous one without taking away any of the effect it has. I also put it onto my two ancillary's that are currently a work in process just so that I can get a feel to how it would look and if it would be suitable. I found that I love the look that they had and have decided to go with the second decide I have created, the first one was good but i felt like the word got lost in everything that was going on with it.

That Was Close...

I started placing the text part of the review onto the template I had created and altering the lay out to make room for the facts section when something just didn't look right, it looked more like a book then it did a review page, quickly it clicked that I'd forgotten on of the biggest conventions... the column formate/structure the text is usually laid out in. I wasn't actually sure how to create columns in photoshop however, I found out pretty quickly through trail and error and the result looks 10 times better.



I'll probably adjust their font size and positioning as I develop it more but at least step one is complete, so far so good. I have also changed the background to black to go with the conventional horror colour theme but thinking about when I looked through film magazines a majority of the pages would be white with thinks over laying it so a sudden black page should grab the readers attention more.

Measurements For A Double Pages Spread

To make sure I make my ancillary to the best I can with it being just as realistic as possible I have searched up the correct and accurate measurements conventionally used for a double page magazine spread. I won't necessarily be using the second on colour and gutter however, the rest I have found to be very helpful and easy to apply to my template I made previous and I can now start putting it all together.

Using this measurements and a simple image to guide me I was able to create the template on Adobe Photoshop CS6 which I can now use to develop my drafts leading into creating the final product for my review page.

Poster Credits #1

For every film poster, whether they're at the top or the bottom of the poster there are credits! I decided I would begin to create mine so that I can have all of the pieces to create my Ancillary task of a film poster. I have already done some ancillary research into these therefore, I knew that certain parts had a different font size to others but also what was contained within the context and the order. I did use images of other posters to help me but also some websites into fonts etc.
The font I used for this is 'Promenade De Le Croisette'
I used my own production company name and the real actor's name 'Sasha Webb & 'Maddy Flaherty' however, the majority of the rest I used an online randomised name generator as it being a niche and independent company on a low budget it's not likely to have big names in it such as Hugh Jackman, Tim Burton etc.

To do this I used Adobe Photoshop CS6:

I found that it surprisingly took longer then I thought it was going to take however, I am happy with the ending result. When it comes to placing it onto the final product/poster I think I will make it more central or either in three straight lines because right now it goes off the the left and down like a book which isn't the correct effect for a poster however, for a first draft I am happy. Also, I made the credit text a light grey because the white seemed to stand out too much and what I noticed on other posters was that whatever colour they were they were always darkened due to them not being as big of an important part of the poster, any important credits would be placed at the trop of the poster to highlight their importance and who they were. These aren't the finished credits as I still need to add a 'website' link and my production company logo which is still in the works however, these will be added shortly.

Film Review - Fact Box Designs

When looking through film magazines such as EMPIRE, I noticed a similar section in most of the reviews which was a small review box which gave the audience some behind the scenes insight and facts about the film. In EMPIRE is was called a 'Look Closer' section with five or 4 bullet points, this is an aspect that I really like as it breaks up the text of the review, it also looks very appealing especially when it matches the colour scheme of the entire review. Another thing their does is allow the a audience better connection with the film and the behind the scenes, so as a result I behind drawing out some designs for a small 'Look Closer/Facts' section of my own but also playing with some colour schemes which I will later one create in photoshop for a digital version. 

The fonts I have used for the designs will not be the fonts I used for the actually final one on my Ancillary product, this is just for the examples and drafts.

For the first design I created (first left), instead of having five bullet points like the majority of the ones I'd seen previous I decided upon having four mainly because it's an even number which is actually known as an audience pleasure as people will usually round things up to them so even though this is an odd reason it could draw the reader into the section. The colour scheme I have chosen is black, red and white which is actually a very conventional colour scheme, especially for the horror genre as it help to connote the genre itself due to the red connoting danger and the black darkness which could actually connote fear as it's known as one of the most common phobias/fears. I made the text for the facts white so that it stands out easily against the black background, making it eye-catching. 

The second design (second from left), where the majority of it is very similar to the first with the exception of the red rectangle going fully across the black background. I did this design to see if it would be better for the entire fact to be separate from the background making it more highlighted and stand out more as it connotes it's importance and that it is indeed the fact, everything else I have kept the same. 

For the third design (third from left), in this one I changed the order of the colour scheme whilst also removing the white. I did this to see if it would change the impact it would could have or it's appearance, personally I prefer the first colour scheme because this one seems as though it is missing something and it all seems to blend in together too much which is something I don't want as I want it to be more appealing and eye-catching. 

For the fourth design (last right), I combined them all together. Having the background red with black rectangles going across it with will contain the fact in a white text to help it stand out more and easy to read but also, I added a small title box saying 'facts' which might later change to something more catchy to draw the readers attention to it like how EMPIRE has 'Look Closer'. I also feel like the use of rectangles and squares give this small fact box some consistency which could be an audience pleasure for the reader as it also gives it a slight aesthetic which is known to be visually pleasing, it also makes it look very professional. 

Doing these I see that I want to take the first design and the fourth forward further when it comes to the final product as the layout and final colour scheme near to the and might effect my decision further so by doing this I will be able to play around with the colour scheme and layout more.