Research into similar products

Research into similar products

Ancillary product - magazine covers

For my film magazine there are 3 main British magazine companies to consider; Total film, Empire and Little White Lies.

Total film (TF) is a magazine published monthly by  Future publishing and originated in 1997.

Empire (E)  is a magazine published monthly by Bauer media group and originated in 1989

Little white Lies (LWL) is a bi-monthly magazine internationally published by TCOLondon

Whereas TF and E magazines take a typically crowded out magazine style with effective use of space and proportions through cover lines, secondary images and pugs, LWL takes a much more minimalism approach with a textured and artistic close up of the cover star.

Whilst this simplicity is a unique selling point and aesthetically appealing to audiences it would be very difficult to replicate its artistic style.

Meanwhile TF and E follow the normal conventions of a magazine which would help target a more general audience who are interested in film. nonetheless it would still be challenging to replicate all of the conventions which would require more planning and more consideration into the finer details like house colours which string all of the other conventions together coherently to make a coherent and complex magazine cover.

Drafting and planning

Here are two rough drafts of the potential layout and style of my film poster.

Both feature the half faded into black head of the antgomnist looking down over the scene as i discussed in this blog - https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3664132413503481447#editor/target=post;postID=7226023958996784773;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=4;src=postname

However the first features a screenshot of the protagonist in the 'desperate escape shot' which can be seen here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZuHNQRBKiE , which i think will convey the suffrage and struggle the antagonist is bringing upon him

As labeled though, the real poster would have the head enlarged or could have scenery/ the house behind it in the background to fill the sides

With this idea, the backgarden shot of the house in the trailer will bw the scebne at the bottom poster with both the antagonist, auntie and protagonist overlooking it.

The protagonist will be more central and looking over his shoulder as well, slightly overlapping the house and garden in the background

Drafting and planning

After researching into drama film posters i started to draft up ideas for the tagline which is prominent in many posters.

I decided the three line style would suit my poster as it reflects the simplistic yet dramatic plot of my film, short bursts that are clear, catchy and quite chilling, intriguing any readers.


I felt 'one killer' might have been a bit typical/obvious of a drama, so i started with 'one family' instead which implies they are the main focus for the film, giving my audience insight into the themes in the film.


I then used 'one enemy' instead as it suggests there is more to him than just a killer but instead draws a link between them and the family. I then end on Inquisition, effective as its the film title but gives insight into what happens, otherwise it would just be stating that there is a family and an enemy.


I thought about using 'two enemies' to convey the idea that the protagonist was fighting on two different fronts, one the killer and the other, the Auntie, possibly hinting at some unison between them.


However i felt the repetition of 'one' was much more effective, especially since the killer is a much greater threat than the auntie character 

Drafting and planning

here are some screenshots of editing currently in process in order form top to bottom, starting off with the granddad scene before moving onto the argument, ghostly parent and climactic scenes

Cut to blacks have been eay to use and helps to separate and convey the drama at the end of each scene at the same time.

I have lso been able to mute the sound of each shot although music and sound will be added in the coming days

Drafting and planning

Using a standard microphone i recorded a sinister line of dialgue spoken by the auntie character which is meant to over lap shots, giving the audience insight into who she is and why she upholds a spiteful attitude although I will have to edit out the muffle at the end .

Rather than ust seeing whoever is speaking i thought it would add variation and keep the trailer fluent if i just had over lapping dialogue

Drafting and planning

The climactic shot where the antagonist and protagonist clash before it cuts to black was re-shot and this is the result.

I improved the lighting so that both characters were clearly visible and changed a mid shot to a high angle so that there was a better view of their clash and an effective reflection of the antagonist approaching in the mirror.

The old shot can be found at 0:14 of this quick edit i made to represent the trailer's climax https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoc03MbvDDk

I feel one of the last two shots will be decent enough for the climactic shot, bearing in mind it will be a one minute flash at most, mainly down to the lighting, clear visibility of the characters, the costume colour contrast of black and white and the raised knife prop which is more prominent with a high angle.

Research into similar products

For my poster, i like the style of posters in which there are faded close ups of the characters at the top over looking the film's setting and so i think i like the idea of the protagnist and antagonist amongst other characters in the same style over looking a long shot of the house.

I imagine that the antagonist could be over looking in this style, looking a bit like the character in the grey poster although the top half of his head could be faded into black to add mystery and conceal his identity.

Meanwhile i am also considering a style like the warrior poster in which a close up of the two enemies are split and aligned next to each other which i think could work between the antagonist and protagonist although this may be too revealing.

Drafting and planning

One of these shots will help make up the climax-building part of my trailer in which numerous, incoherent shots will be shown in quick concession, this being one of them.

It depicts a desperate escape for the protagonist leaving the audience with questions towards where he is and why he's there, a shot that generates intrigue, reflects the drama's gritty side and builds tension towards the climax - the antagonist confrontation.

 Both shots are of decent quality, i feel the first shot better shows the protagonist crawling as the hands are in better view meanwhile the camera is also slightly tilted to the left, depicting a more uphill struggle.

 However the second shot has slightly better lighting and more clear foliage in the background. 

Whilst I would be pleased to use either shot, I like the cold breathe that is visible in the first but not in the second, combined with the slight tilt, i really feel it depicts a desperate struggle, whilst the lower key lighting suits what is quite a dark part of the trailer

Research into similar products

After researching different drama film posters its clear that there are a distinct few types that i can take inspiration from

One of the types consists of:

• a medium close up (or close up) of the main protagonist(s) to present them as the dominant, lead character
• direct mode of address which forms a connection between the viewers and the characters on the poster 
• A telling costume connected to the plot or simply the time frame
• A bold, colourful title with possible connotations, 'Burnt' being orange to denote itself and connote passion or anger whilst suffragette being pink to connote femininity and therefore pride 

Another type consists of:

• The main protagonist in clear view but without direct mode of address, implying they have their mind elsewhere, perhaps on a mission
• A black and white colour scheme or simply low key and high key lighting contrasts to convey the film's dark themes, perhaps morality with right vs wrong (concussion) or inner good vs inner bad (captive) due to the contrast in light.
• A more subtle and more plainly coloured title, possibly to convey the film's more serious and subtle emotions which is matched by the facial expressions of the main character

Research into similar products

Ancillary product - film poster

I have decided to do some early research into film posters and more specifically, what makes a good film poster under the drama genre in comparison to other genres.

In the horror genre, it is evident that their posters are dark and ambiguous, achieved through:

• obscured images of the antagonist(s)
• the use of close ups or extreme close ups to capture the fear/ horror in a facial expression
• a prop with obvious denotations like a knife, implying murder.

In the action/ adventure genre, it is evident that their posters are packed in order to convey the action and excitement in the film, this includes:

• Multiple characters with the main protagonist usually in the foreground 
• some form of action scene in the poster's background
• Lots of colour/ post-production effects
• Numerous props, usually weapons

In the comedy genre, it is evident that their posters are bright and somewat slapstick to convey the humour in the film which is achieved through:

• multiple characters all in a slapstick position either through body language or facial expression
• possibly an action-like event taking place made humorous through the slapstick characters
• A close up/ medium close up of the main protagonist

However in my film's genre, drama, the posters are often quite simplistic, focusing on the main characters and trying to convey some of the film's emotions, which is achieved through:

• Close ups or long shots of the main protagonist
• facial expressions/ body language of the main protagonist giving a sense of their personality/ feelings
• props that tell us something about the character or the plot
• black and white or faded colours to try and convey the emotions in the film or the time frame