Evaluation Task 2 - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

In my media production and other texts, I felt it was key to demonstrate the stereotypes found in the crime thriller genre as well as utilising similarities in my texts to aid their use as promotional material. The use of similar fonts, effects, background and images were fundamental in making the texts like one another and this had the effect of allowing audience to be repeatedly reminded of the film and be more inclined to go and see the final production. My three texts were aimed to appeal to the 18-25 age bracket. This is because younger audiences typically enjoy building tension and suspenseful narratives, while still being old enough to self-regulate and decide not to watch the film if it is too intense.

On my magazine cover and film poster I chose to use the main antagonist of our production. The layout of my magazine cover was used to target male audience members, who would be most typical to the final production. This included a mid-shot of the antagonist with his face covered to mask his identity, allowing an audience to gain a greater understanding of the character, with the appearance of his eyes symbolising his human qualities and suggesting although sinister, his intentions may not be as dark as originally perceived. I also used the same background as my film trailer subheading background, allowing audiences to make the desired connections between texts. I also used a white outline around the antagonist to emphasise him as the poster’s centre of attention, with the lighting acting as a contrast to the dominantly dark film poster, allowing my texts to oppose each other and giving different connotations of the antagonist, manipulating the plot and further building suspense.

The same clothing was used in my film poster as well as my film trailer. The reasoning for the same clothing is because it allowed us to give little insight to the character and meant when we eventually developed the plot in the final film the twist of the antagonist searching for love and the kidnapping being a desperate attempt to halt his lonely demise would be more abrupt and shocking. The poster also had increased emphasis on the tree in the foreground as well as the antagonist himself. The magazine cover used the slight showing of the antagonist’s face to give connotations whereas my film poster used the presence of a vined tree to symbolise the entanglement of Rosey and her inability to escape, symbolising the fact she is unable to escape and building tension.

Another way synergy was shown between my two ancillary tasks was the lack of Rosey. By completely eradicating her from the other texts it made her kidnapping in the film trailer more impactful by connoting that she may still be missing. This helps to portray the antagonist to be a very dark and manipulative character, who is willing to do anything to prevent Rosey’s escape.

The key way I created synergy through my texts was the font Georgia, used for “Love Me”. I had experimented with this font during my AS text creation for “Deadline” and felt the connotations of the font could be easily transferred and developed for my A2 poster and magazine cover. The font challenged stereotypical thriller text conventions because it appeared more delicate than other, more impactful fonts used in thriller texts, however we felt this symbolised the class and delicate nature that Rosey possesses. We also made the font red, meaning audiences could infer the connotations of love in the narrative as well as having the opposite effect of audience members making the connection to blood. By creating multiple potential readings in my text suspense was built and viewership could be changed dependent on the individuals.

In the research stages of my texts, where I looked at other independent production texts, I found that information about the production company and those involved in the film’s creation are often used in the trailers and posters, whereas direct information about cast members are more regularly found on magazine covers. My film poster served purpose to indicate to audiences briefly about who was involved in the film itself as well as the production process. This credited everyone involved and indicated to audiences who they can expect to see in the film and who was involved. As well as this, my film poster also included a review from the independent. This indicated to audiences that my film is highly regarded by various media outlets and serves to further promote my film.

On the other hand, my magazine cover focussed more directly on the involvement of the film’s antagonist. Inclusion of a web address made the production more accessible to my audience, who at the age of 18-25 are typically regularly involved with online resources, meaning my film can be promoted on a digital platform. I also included the nomination of Henry (the antagonist) for multiple academy awards. This means that despite having no star power, audiences are likely to relate Henry to a quality production, stimulating viewership.

There were a variety of different effects used on my film poster and front cover for contrasting effects. I wanted my magazine cover to have a more naturalistic appearance, meaning there was less emphasis on filters and the connection of the antagonist as a human who shares characteristics with audiences could be signified. In contrast, the antagonist has a very different pose in my film poster, where his face is fully out of view and he is not identifiable in the poster. This means I adjusted the HUE and lighting of the cover as well as the pixilation. The dimness of colour and lighting connoted to the audience that there is a lack of life in the antagonist, symbolising him as a lifeless being and connoting his dark and evil plans. Changing the pixilation also meant we could make the poster appear dated, suggesting that the antagonist’s desire for love has been prolonged and has reached a desperate state.

In evaluation, I believe my three texts are successful in the overall creation of my production. This is because I have accessed typical thriller conventions while still maintaining individuality throughout the entirety of my production, meaning it has a variety of USPs. I also believe my texts successfully address my target audience and through use of synergy act as a useful way to promote and inform about my film. As well as attracting audiences, I believe they will be encouraged to naturally promote my film, as well as accessing other features, such as the film website and social media services, showing my texts are useful tools for accessing alternative platforms.