poster analysis

 I have decided to look at common themes in posters of a similar genre or similar story lines that have had some sort of inspiration on to our film Purity.
A common Theme that I have found through out is a is a close up on the face. Its often focused heavily on the facial features. Close ups are often used in films in order to show what the character is thinking. Their facial expressions are often clearly portrayed. I think this is important when it comes to thrillers- in particular psychological thrillers it's supposed to show how it will give an insight into the main characters mind set, thoughts and feelings.

This is shown in the poster for the silence of the lambs. The poster is a close up of a characters face. It highlights in particular her eyes. This shows her innocence and fear. The way her mouth is covered also plays into this. This sets the mood of the film as the look in her eyes is deep and captivating. As well as giving a general idea of the film the poster should also grab your attention and that is what this poster s designed to do. You can immediately have an idea about what kind of film silence of the lambs is going to be because it tells you a lot about what the film is going to be without outright telling you whats going to to happen and it also tells you the general tone of he film is.

A lot of posters I have found of movies of a similar genre or have have had a close up shot of a the main characters face with the focus being on a particular feature. Usually the eyes. I think that this defiantly gives off the feeling that the film will focus heavily in the horror genre or the thriller genre. Many psychological thriller films have the same thing. The poster focusing heavily on the main characters eyes. This shows you're likely to get an insight into the workings of their mind and you'll learn what their story is.

The colours also play a role in setting the mood of the film. If their are a lot of dark and dingy colours on the poster it doesn't really say this is going to be a bright and happy film. It shows that it's going to have darker themes. This is shown in the poster to boy. The settings dark however there is light coming through the window high lighting the eery figure of a young boy and making that the focus. That shows that the film is probably going to be focused around dark themes and that there is something different about this 'boy' Again colours play a big role in posters and setting up what the films tones and general story will be focused on.


This is shown in these two posters of Goodnight mommy. The colour red signifies anger but also represents blood. These two posters show this. In the first it draws attention to the eyes but also shows you that their is going to be some gore in this as the first thing your mind goes too is blood. The second one makes you think anger. As the characters themselves are red with the only darker bits being their eyes.


I believe that these posters will show us what themes to play on for our own poster and what sort of things we should be looking for. For example I think that it should have a lot of focus on facial features especially the eyes with darker colors being used. It is hard however to go along withe common themes without being too stereotypical and/or just copying other posters.

Here is the list for if any of you havent got it.

Individual and Group storylines

Final, detailed Group Storyline for 1st 3 minutes

Individual Analysis of first 15 mins of a similar film + screen shots

Individual Research into Genre – Conventions - Storylines, characters, similar films, editing, cinematography, music/sound, mise-en-scene, iconography etc

Individual Research into similar films, reviews, links to YouTube, websites etc

Research and details of the certificate of film www.bbfc.co.uk

Individual Research into a possible distributor for your film

Individual Research into title sequences

Individual analysis of a title sequence + screen shots + link to video

Details of your target audience

Treatments x2

Script

Character profiles

Video questionnaire

Storyboards (rough)

Storyboards (photo)

Production logo for your group

Location photos + descriptions

Props/costumes photos, planning + research

Title sequence storyboard

Shooting script

Risk assessment

List of “tricky” shots/edits/effects

Certificate of film.

Certificate of film-

Universal-
All ages admitted. There is almost nothing unsuitable for children aged 4 years and over.

Parental guidance-
All ages admitted, but some certain scenes can be unsuitable for young children. They should not disturb children aged 8 or older. May contain mild language or sex/drug references. May contain moderate violence if justified by context (e.g. fantasy). A parent may wish to check the content before they let their children watch or play it.

12A-
This category applies to cinema only releases since 2002. Films under this category are considered to be unsuitable for young children. Cinemas in the United Kingdom are only permitted to supply tickets to see a 12A film to children under the age of 12 if they are accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over. However, it is unlikely to be suitable for children under the age of 12.
Films under this category can contain mature themes, discrimination, soft drugs, infrequent strong language, very strong language (introduced in 2015) and moderate violence, sex references and nudity. Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Sexual violence may be implied or briefly indicated.

12-
This category applies to cinema releases from August 1989 to 2002, and home media since 1994. Only suitable for people aged 12 or older. It is illegal to supply a VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or video game with a 12 certificate to anyone under that age.
12A-rated films are usually given a 12 certificate for the VHS/DVD version unless extra material has been added that requires a higher rating. The content guidelines are identical to those used for the 12A certificate.

15-
Only suitable for people aged 15 and older. It is illegal to supply a VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD, video game, or film tickets with a 15 certificate to anyone under that age.
Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, regular use of foul language and limited use of very strong language, strong violence and strong sex references, and nudity without graphic detail. Sexual activity may be portrayed but without any strong detail. Sexual violence may be shown if discreet and justified by context.

18-
Only suitable for people aged 18 or older, which means adults only. It is illegal to supply a VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD, video game or film tickets with an 18 certificate to anyone under that age.
Films under this category do not have limitation on the foul language that is used. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and explicit sex references along with detailed sexual activity are also allowed. Scenes of strong real sex may be permitted if justified by the context. Very strong, gory, and/or sadistic violence is usually permitted. Strong sexual violence is permitted unless it is eroticized or excessively graphic.

Restricted 18-
Can only be shown at licensed adult cinemas or sold at licensed sex shops. It is illegal to sell a film with this rating to anyone under the age of 18, and it is also illegal to supply a film with this rating by mail order.
Films under this category always contain hard-core pornography, defined as material intended for sexual stimulation and containing clear images of real sexual activity, strong fetish material, explicit animated images, or sight of certain acts such as triple simultaneous penetration and snowballing. There remains a range of material that is often cut from the R18 rating: strong images of injury in BDSM or spanking works, urolagnia, scenes suggesting incest even if staged, references to underage sex or childhood sexual development and aggressive behaviour such as hair-pulling or spitting on a performer are not permitted. More cuts are demanded in this category than any other category.











The colouring of the logos for each certificate of film is important. Starting off as green it shows that the film is open to everyone. Then shortly changing to yellow meaning that it has a shorter amount of people it can preview to , then going to orange, red and blue. These colours show that gradually the films are open to less people and it is a good way for people to know if the film is available for viewing for them or not.



What for our film?

I think that for our film the certificate of film should be 15. Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, regular use of foul language and limited use of very strong language, strong violence and strong sex references, and nudity without graphic detail. Sexual activity may be portrayed but without any strong detail. Sexual violence may be shown if discreet and justified by context. Therefore after creating the storyline as a group I felt that this would be a good certificate as our films meet the aspects under it.

Research into similar films, reviwes, links to YouTube, websites etc. OCULUS

OCULUS

 

This film is only rated 3.2 out of a possible 5 however could this be because of how disturbingly terrifying it was to the audience?

 

Rating:	R (for terror, violence, some disturbing images and brief language)
Genre:	Drama, Horror
Directed By:	Mike Flanagan
Written By:	Mike Flanagan, Jeff Howard
In Theaters:	Jun 13, 2014 Wide
On DVD:	Oct 20, 2014
US Box Office:	£27.7M
Runtime:	1 hr. 44 min.

 

 

 Some reviews written by the public that have witnessed the terrifying images from the movie itself-

 

"Oculus is about one adjustment away from being a superior thriller."

 

 

"By rooting its clever narrative structure in a tragic story, Flanagan has created a horror that pulls on the heartstrings as often as it grabs you by the throat... Nail-biting, mind-bending and very, very scary, Oculus is a must-see."

 

 

"Oculus is freaky. That's all you need to know. Now go see it.
If you want me to go in more detail, I won't. The narrative progression explains everything you need to know and there's nary a plot hole in sight. The performances are solid and the story is unique. Jumping through different time periods, Oculus chronicles the story of a mirror that siblings Kaylie and Tim think is haunted and is responsible for the murder of their parents. Tim spent eleven years in prison undergoing psychiatric evaluation for being convicted of this murder. But Kaylie knows the truth, or at least she thinks she does. This mirror has a crazy defense mechanism in that it can possess you, make you do things or transport you to places without you being aware. The jumping through different time periods goes a little into excessive hyperdrive in the third act but it's still intense. There is some predictability, but overall, this is a well made horror film. Mike Flanagan shows great control over the visual style and the story, and the actors completely sell the story.
This film is just as scary and as enjoyably effective as The Conjuring."

 

 

 

 http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/oculus/

Haunted by the violent demise of their parents 10 years earlier, adult siblings Kaylie (Karen Gillan) and Tim (Brenton Thwaites) are now struggling to rebuild their relationship. Kaylie suspects that their antique mirror, known as the Lasser Glass, is behind the tragedy. The seemingly harmless reflections contain a malevolent, supernatural force that infects the mind of anyone who gazes into it. As Kaylie gets closer to the truth, the siblings become caught in the mirror's evil spell.

Again like in the previous two movies children have got a very important part in this film. Flashing back into their childhood two adults see what happened within the past. This film is a very chilling horror that will leave you wondering what will happen next- perfect for a sequel.

 

Within these 3 shots we can see that the two children are terrified of something. The older and taller red-headed girl looks like the protector in each of these shots which is an important part and can show that she- despite being terrified- is playing her little brothers carer in this, so where are the parents? In each one of these shots the facial expressions on each of the children are very important as it shows their emotions through imagery. This is a very important aspect to have in films and shows that the camera work is not all, to get the real spine raising chill that we are after we need to ensure we can get close ups on the faces of our characters.

The poster for oculus is chilling on its own. The idea that the hands are on the womans face in the photo immediately screams horror to the audience. This is significant again as we are not even told that it is a horror. The line "You see what it wants you to see" is also very important as it is aiming the words directly at the audience, this can get them questioning and also scare them into wanting to know more. The hands on the eyes could however possibly be symbolism that the character behind the hands is blind to what is happening around her. Again a typical theme in horror- the unknown.

 

Within this second poster the idea of the mirror is introduced. This image is rather important as the mirror plays a big part within the film. After all the word itself means an opening, could this be to another dimension? Again the same words are repeated as within the first poster but this time next to someone stepping out of the mirror. This could mean that when you look into the mirror you see what it wants you to see. Scary right?

In this next poster again the mirror is seen again, showing that it has a very big part within the film. This is very important now as it has been repeated while advertising. This can show to the audience that the mirror plays the biggest part as it is seen the most. Again the same writing is used again but this time paired with an image of the two children looking terrified out of their skin. Could this be inferring to the audience that the children are seeing what 'it' wants them to see?

 

Finally even though this poster is in a different language to ours it still fits the general needs for horror. The combination of the colours used is a very smart way to immediately portray the film to be a horror film. Not to mention the creepy lady within the mirror. This definitely shows to the audience that it is a horror film due to the way that she is looking out of the mirror and her costume itself covered in blood.  A perfect mise-en-scene to portray the idea of a horror film.

 

Research into similar films, reviwes, links to YouTube, websites etc. MAMA.

MAMA

Secondly a good film that I looked into was MAMA. Although this film  was only rated 3.4 out of 5 by the public I felt it could be a good film to look at for our film and to take ideas from.

 

 

Rating:	PG-13 (for violence and terror, some disturbing images and thematic elements)
Genre:	Art House & International, Horror
Directed By:	Andres Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Andrés Muschietti, Andy Muschietti
Written By:	Andrés Muschietti, Neil Cross, Barbara Muschietti, Andy Muschietti
In Theaters:	Feb 22, 2013 Wide
US Box Office:	£71.6M
Runtime:	1 hr. 40 min.

 

 Some reviews from the public-

 

"The seeds of a truly great horror film are here, but they aren't quite developed enough to leave you with something truly memorable." 

 

"Mama" is well-realized film but not one of the most original stories to be told in this genre. It's still pretty good with some nicely directed sequences and Jessica Chastain continuing to astonish with her transformative acting but at the end of the day you see "Mama" coming from a mile away and she's a bit tired."

 

"Mama is a terrifying success."

 

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mama_2013/

 

 

 

 On the day that their parents die, sisters Lilly and Victoria vanish in the woods, prompting a frantic search by their Uncle Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his girlfriend, Annabel (Jessica Chastain). Five years later, miraculously, the girls are found alive in a decaying cabin, and Lucas and Annabel welcome them into their home. But as Annabel tries to reintroduce the children to a normal life, she finds that someone -- or something -- still wants to tuck them in at night.

 

The posters used for this film are very important. This is because the children used within it are portrayed as innocent and scared. Within the first one we can see Lily hiding behind something, this can signify her youth and show how young she is. This can show to the audience that she is infact very scared of what is happening. I thought maybe if we incorporated shots like this one into our film then it would be very effective as it can portray the child in our film as innocent.

 

Secondly on the second poster we are given a fuller view of the woman she is hiding behind and now it looks as if she is hiding behind some kind of dead looking creature. This is important as we are only given the body of this character and not the face. This could show that she is  a hidden character that plays a big part within the film. Could it be Mama? Again to show that the children are scared we get the same photo of the young girl Lily hiding behind someone but also placed side by side with Victoria in a close up shot screaming. This is significant as it signifies that she is terrified of something. These two girls are showing the same feelings but through different paralinguistic features. This is important and we could add this idea into our film and mix it up a little by having our characters feel the same emotions but choose a different way to portray them.

 

 

 

Target Audiences.

Definition of a Target Audience

A target audience is the person or group of people a piece of writing/ film/ information is intended to reach. In other words, it is important for a writer, director or producer to know who will be reading his or her piece.

This audience is the person or group of people the writer is aiming for or trying to reach. When a writer for example knows the target audience, he or she will shape both the purpose and tone of the writing to match the audience's needs and, sometimes, expectations.

Don't say "everybody is" your target audience.  There are probably certain groups of people, or market segments, that are more likely than others to want your product.  It's important to identify such segments, whether you're doing consumer, retail or business-to-business marketing, so that you can focus your marketing efforts and dollars on those likely to generate a profitable return.


Examples of demographic and psychographic attributes include:

Consumer Demographics examples
	Age
	Gender
	Occupation
	Household Income
	Marital Status
	Presence of children in the household
	Home Value
	Geographic Region (s)
Business Demographics examples
	Job Title
	Industry Type or SIC Code
	Annual Sales
	Number of Employees
	Geographic Region(s)
Psychographics (attitudes) examples
	Need for status
	Role of money (does it buy material things, self-esteem, etc.?)
	Ethics/"moral compass"
	Risk-taker vs. conservative
	Spendthrift vs. hoarder of money

Examples of target audiences

Toddlers

 I would certainly not recommend our target audience to be toddlers because cbeebies is a channel that includes very childish material and showing our film to this target audience would not only be stupid but also very immature of us to do so.

 

 

Children

 Again much alike toddlers it would be silly to aim our film at this age range. This is because children who watch this channel are generally ages 6 to 12. If we was to distribute our film to this age group then we would get a large amount of negative reviews and a bad name too.
 






 Teenagers

Teenagers are a difficult age range to judge and you can get biased opinions on if they should be allowed to watch certain films or not. Typically children who watch Disney channel are 14 and under therefore they are just under the borderline of the age range for our film. If they are used to watching things on Disney channel for example watching our film would be a bad idea as it possibly could scare them.




 Young adults

I would recommend that our demographic would be young adults that are 15 and over. This is because after watching films made by universal for example some of the movies have got mature themes in, this is a perfect company to look at within the film industry as our film we are making needs to follow the same guidelines.



Families

Disney is the sort of company that makes fantasy, action and adventure films for families to sit down and watch of all ages. Unfortunatlely we need to be realistic and know that our film will not appeal to 5 year olds or 60 year olds as it has very mature themes that they may find disturbing therefore having family as a target audience would be very stupid to do again.