Task 1:Mood board a range of film magazine covers - these can include any genre films but should include labelling of key features (title, headline, colour, cover lines, boost, etc.)
Task 2:Research three different film magazine titles (e.g. Empire, Total Film, Premiere, etc.) - find a front cover for each and discuss the following:
- Distribution (where does it sell, who does it sell to, etc.)
- Cost
- Target audience (who is it aimed at, why, etc.)
- Style (words vs images, layout, regular features, cover stars, USPs, etc.)
Task 3:
Research genre-specific magazines and discuss the differences in look/style/distribution between these and more main-stream film magazines.
Task 4:Discuss which magazine you are going to 'replicate' and why you've chosen to feature your film in that particular magazine, taking into consideration everything you will have researched above.
Your deadline for completing a draft of your film poster and your magazine front cover was supposed to be Friday 27th November 2015.
This deadline has been extended to Friday 4th December to ensure you have maximum time available to complete a competent example of the ancillary products that accompany your film trailer.
Exam board exemplars:
Before you can begin designing your own poster, you need to research and consider the role and purpose of the poster in the first place.
Task 1:
Research the role of posters - consider ideas beyond just advertising.
Task 2:
Find an example of each of the following - make sure it's for the same film and ideally one in your genre.
- Teaser poster - basic info, no credit block
- Main poster - credit block, more info
- DVD release poster - all the above but contains reviews
- Character poster - features one main character
Task 3:
For each of the above, analyse the poster for the following:
- Standard poster features (credit block, tagline, use of star names, release date, etc.) - what are the purposes of these features?
- Main colours and connotations
- Symbols used - does the audience need foreknowledge to decode them?
- Main figures/objects/background and connotations
- Use of graphics/photographs/illustrations
- Intended audience and how you know this
- Genre conventions
- USPs
- 'Expert witnesses'
- The gratifications that are promised
- How it grabs attention (humour, shock, etc.)
- The tagline (humour, pun, etc.)
- Alternative readings that might harm the marketing message
Task 4:
Identify similarities and differences between these four types of poster and discuss why these are important.
You need to prepare a 25 word pitch to deliver to your class mates about your film trailer. You should consider the way you present this, as well as what vital information you will include in it to 'sell' us your movie.
Remember - you don't have to just use words to sell us your film! Think creatively!
Make sure these are posted to your blogs - along with any script you intend to use. You will be delivering these in Miss Ghost's lesson 14th October.
Here are some pitches delivered on music videos to give you some inspiration:
25 Word Pitch
Copy of WE HAVE BAND PITCH
Copy of My Animoto Video
Create a post that covers the following aspects of 'film administration' that need to be considered before it is distributed to your audience. It is up to you how you present this information, but all elements below must be present.
Task 1:
BBFC guidelines and age classification - create a quick guide to the BBFC and age classification, along with a discussion of how you envisage your own film being classified, including reasons.
See this student's blog for an example.
Task 2:
Research your legal responsibilities as a film creator, producer and distributor. You need to think about your responsibilities when filming in different locations, different age groups, insurance, payment, etc. Create a short guide to your legal responsibilities and apply these to your film trailer, including how you plan to combat certain hurdles.
Helpful sites include:
Film London
BBC Film Network
Health and Safety Executive
Task 3:
Investigate film censorship and regulation, including the differences between regulation and censorship, and provide examples of films that have been censored, including discussion of why this was the case. Consider if your film is likely to face censorship and how you intend to reach your target audience in those cases.
Helpful sites include:
BBC
Guardian
Task 4:
Research your responsibilities regarding copyright - think about what elements of your trailer may be subject to copyright laws, and discuss how you intend to ensure your trailer abides by these.
You need to consider your target audience and how you are going to potentially reach them through a combined marketing campaign.
Film promotion Cloverfield from
Sarah Ghost
Task:
Research a film of your choice, ideally within your genre, and identify the following:
- What the movie was about, how much it cost to make and how much revenue it generated
- Its target audiencs
- What methods of marketing it undertook (teaser, viral, magazines, etc.) and for each type discuss what the aims of the marketing were and how it reached its audience
