Textual Analysis: Film Poster 7

This film poster appears more like a sketch/cartoon/animation in contrast to the real life images seen in the previous posters I've analysed. There is a male present with a contrastingly coloured heart nailed to his head; the strong pink/red tones often symbolise themes of passion, lust and romance, therefore relating back to the title "A Short Film About Love". The male is featured in black and white, with only his mouth and nose visible to the audience; from the exaggerated frown it can be inferred that the character is experiencing physical pain from the nails and symbolically a more emotional type of pain- possibly heartbreak, as assumed by the split visible at the bottom of the heart.

There is a lack of traditional credits e.g. 'produced by...', 'edited by...' etc at the bottom of the poster, however, just above the title there is a short mention of the film source and acknowledgement of the creator/company. There is a website featured in place of the traditional credits which is seen to be positioned inside of a white text box; this does not blend well with the background image and looks poorly positioned against the contrast of the black shirt. In my opinion, this lacks expertise of media design and traditional convention, however it can also be said that it does grab attention and therefore offer a source of self-promotion.

Through such vivid imagery and exaggeration, it can be assumed by the audience that this short film will have a comedic element present alongside the obvious romance, therefore subcategorising the genre as a hybrid.

Textual Analysis: Film Poster 6

Two layers are merged together and adjusted in opaqueness in order to create the effect of two overlapping images. The bottom layer offers the audience a close up of who we presume to be one of the main characters with medical wires attached to her head/face; this interlinks with the title 'Side Effects' and allows the audience to infer that something fatal will happen as a 'side effect' of something else, therefore hinting towards the nature of the films narrative. The image begins using cool tones of blues, greys and greens which subtly gets warmer as it reaches the bottom of the image as the brown tones of the ground and the white of the clouds appear brighter. The close up of the female character gives very little away to the audience as a source of identity as her eyes are closed and she displays very little facial expression/emotion.

The title is featured central to the frame and the typography appears in sans sarif in order to emphasise the seriousness of the tone, somewhat appearing more masculine; this is reinforced by the use of capital lettering as it also adds harshness to the appearance of the text. The font is rather large and is therefore a key point of audience attention, as well as this it does not obstruct the view of the image as it is positioned in a space of clarity (simple background colour).

Once again, the credits are featured at the bottom of the poster, however, these credits appear to be longer in line length than some of the posters I previously analysed and leave less room for an 'invisible border'. Due to having a lot more text than some of the other posters, I feel it is necessary for the line length to be longer as the only other alternative option would be to increase the amount of lines, therefore meaning the text would obstruct more of the image.

Textual Analysis: Film Poster 5

The poster of 'Mary Last Seen' is split into two block images; the lower image seen to be in grey scale takes up 2/3 of the frame whilst the top image appears in high key lighting and is seen to be more intimate. The top image shows two people, presumably lovers, sharing a moment of passion; it can be inferred that these will be the two main characters throughout the sequence. However, according to the rule of thirds, it is the female that is seen to be central to the framing; alongside the title consisting of the female name 'Mary', this allows the audience to assume that she is of more importance to the plot/narrative when compared the male who is positioned more so to the right. Both characters are seen from a side profile and both characters show a lot of skin/body; it can be argued that this is symbolic of being exposed/vulnerable and therefore may allude to a running theme within the sequence. The colour scheme consists of much warmer tones than the bottom image which somewhat adds to the element of lust/romance implied via the image itself.

The bottom image within the film poster strongly juxtaposes that of the top; not only is the colour scheme different, but the sense of togetherness felt within the first image is gone as only one character (presumably Mary) is featured. The personal insight previously felt is no longer felt by the audience as the character's identity and situation is left ambiguous, therefore causing the audience to ask questions (e.g. Where is she? Why is she alone? Is it Mary? Where is she jumping from?) The character is very central to the screen which is somewhat eerie as it appears unnatural, especially when considering the lack of familiarity- no facial features are shown and the audience cannot infer any emotion from the image.

The use of the split screen in this case is very effective as it implies a lack of equilibrium within the short film; the juxtaposing images suggest that the narrative/storyline will face some sort of twist within the plot.

The credits appear in a neutral black typography at the bottom of the poster, central to the frame, subtle and just a small space away from the title- as seen in most of the posters I have analysed. There is some sort of logo in the top left corner of the frame featured as some sort of self-promotion/acknowledgement however no tagline is present.

Textual Analysis: Film Poster 4

The film poster for 'The Writer's Room' focuses on the clear facial features of a male- presumably the main character (the writer). The mise-en-scene reinforces this as his formal clothing and facial hair are stereotypical traits of what we presume to be a novelist; his importance is emphasised as a female in the background is seen to be blurred and out of focus which strongly contrasts the presentation of the male; not only is she behind him in framing, it can be assumed that she is not of central importance to the film.

The colour scheme is very bland and the natural lighting is used in order to make the poster appear less glamorous; in relation to the tag line "sometimes, inspiration is a bitch", it can be inferred that the film will address the struggles of being a writer rather than the lifestyle that comes with the success. The positioning of the tagline is neither effective nor ineffective in my opinion, it draws more attention to the female figure in the background which juxtaposes the reason she is out of focus in the first place. On the other hand, having it directly on top of/parallel to the title looks professional and not misplaced. The typography (font, colour etc) is very plain and can be argued to look amateur; however, the font used is often featured in books, newspapers and articles and is a universal font used in the presentation of literature and journalism, therefore linking to the idea that the male is a writer. Personally, I don't find the colour of the tagline effective as it is too close to the skin tone of the female on the layer underneath and is also similar to the colour of the walls; the use of colour is typically used in order to make a piece of text stand out, so I feel that this was not true to its purpose. However, the white of the title against the grey tones of the males suit adds emphasis to the text as the contrast appears eye-catching.

The credits appear at the bottom of the frame, organised in line length and once again featuring a neutral colour and font in order to avoid diverting attention away from the title or centre image. It appears almost as if the poster possesses some sort of unseen border as the text leaves a gap on both sides and line spacing at the bottom of the page; this looks very neat, structured and professional.

Textual Analysis: Film Poster 3

The typography consists of a glow effect; this creates an eerie tone as well as a strong sense of mystery, this is also reinforced by the tag line "YOU NEVER EVEN ASKED HIS NAME". This causes the audience to ask questions such as 'who's name?' (presumably the male focus on the screen) and 'why is his name important?' - this is effective as it keeps the audiences' interest as well as giving them the opportunity to ask questions to which only the watching of the film will answer. The vibrant colours and the electric font choice creates the allusion of an american diner type setting, of which we can assume is rather isolated and deserted via the lack of people and city life outside of the window, e.g. lights, signs.

The three fading images of the man are alluring and mysterious; they are used effectively in representation of a time lapse. This links with the title of '2:AM' as it suggests that time is a central motif/running theme throughout and may be crucial to the overall storyline. The rule of thirds is used when framing the central aspects of the poster, with the male on the left, the title in the middle, and the tagline to the right of the frame. The positioning of the male character being off central along with the tagline also creates an uneasy feel as the audience can assume that such a character is suspicious. As well as this, although the three fading images of the man emphasise his important, they also divert attention and focus from his facial features, making his identity unimportant to us as an audience, despite the emphasis of his 'name'.

The credits remain on the bottom of the poster and are central to the framing; this placement is very common within film and I think I will do the same as it does not divert attention from the image, yet is still noticeable and easy to read.

Textual Analysis: Film Poster 2

This poster belongs to that of a documentary rather than a fictional narrative. It consists of three sections varying in colour: blue, grey/white and red. Although the colours can be associated with places such as France, USA and Britain, the colours can also hint towards the genre. For example, the red connotes a sense of danger, strongly associated with the colour of blood and therefore murder. As well as this, the blue tones portray a contrasting sense of composure, seriousness and tranquility; when presented together, the colours are often associated with heroism. The audience then expects to see some sort of crime/mystery genre running throughout the documentary, as well as a possible theme of action, which are all reinforced through the tagline.

The tag-line at the top uses a list of three (a mystery. a cover up. a crime) in order to draw in the audience, by with-holding information the audience are made curious, therefore causing them to ask questions (e.g. what mystery, what cover up, what crime?) The grey section uses an extreme close up of who we assume is the figure 'Tillman'; this draws in the audience due to creating a sense of intensity. The eye contact becomes a central focus alluding to the theme of personal identity through the iconic image of the eyes.

The typography used creates a more masculine impression due to the use of sans-serif text; this creates a more modern appearance suggesting that the documentary will refer to more recent events or at least look at them with a more current outlook. The use of capitals emphasises the seriousness of the topic as well as appearing more edgy and somewhat intimidating, therefore insinuating that the product will address a series of shocking events- this is reinforced through the use of the bold format.

Textual Analysis: Film Poster 1

Within the 'Total Recall' film poster, the question 'WHAT IS REAL?' is situated within the centre of the frame; this implies that the audiences perception of reality is to be challenged within the film as well as having a sense of hyper-reality being a key concept within the plot.

This is reinforced through the man (also positioned in the centre of the frame) who appears to be disintergrating- the extreme pixelation of his silhouette allows the audience to infer a relationship between humans and technology.

The male is pressumably the main character in the film due to his size and positioning, however, through the colour of his clothing and his body language there is still a sense of mystery in which the character is unidentified.

The slight tilt of his head takes his facial features and expression away from the focus of the camera therefore alluding to something being concealed or hidden as his appearance/identity is not exposed.

The mise-en-scene adds to such mystery as the grey tones suggest some sort of destruction or decay. As well as this, the clothing/attire appears insignificant due to both colour and style, connoting an inconspicuous and somewhat concealed character.

The typography is sharp and bold, therefore alluding to the genre of an action film.

Film: First Draft

Looking at the progress I have made within my project so far allows me to identify many errors or things that need to be improved upon. This is my first (unfinished) draft of my short film; I am unsure of the sequencing of the clip and am yet to add audio/a backing track (of a royalty-free selection). Many of the clips need to be fit to the scale of the screen as they appear smaller than desired. As well as this, some colour correction is needed in one of my clips as there is a small blurry discolouration at the bottom of the screen that diverts attention and may be distracting if left there. I also need to add in layers of text including the facts and statistics I have discovered within my planning and research section of the coursework. The small amount of audio that I do have varies in volume which I need to fix, as well as trying to remove the extraneous sounds of the wind. So far my clips total up to roughly 3 minutes (out of the desired 5); however, I now have more clips to upload and add in to the sequence. Some of my clips were filmed horizontally and some vertically, resulting in the need to arrange a time to go out and reshoot them. I'm also looking into how to do create a 'rewind' effect; I have watched some tutorials but none that coincide with my own software or desired effect.

Survey Results

When looking into my target audience and the social groups most likely to view my product, I found it essential to question their gender. My results showed that the majority of those who responded were females; this influenced some of my decisions as I feel that I must now aim to appeal to a more masculine audience (having already gained the attention of female speculation). I will do so by including a male character/interviewee in which will hopefully feel more relatable to a male audience. I will also try to remain on track with the portrayal of homeless hardships rather than focusing on a 'sob story' that typically appeals to more female emotions.

By asking the target audience their age, this gave me an understanding of what content to include within my short film, e.g. due to the majority of respondents being within the age range of 15-20 and below, I know that I must not classify my film with anything above a 15 rating as this would result in the loss of half of my audience. I have chosen to rate my film as a PG as I want to enable as many different age categories as possible to watch my product; I am refraining from categorising it as a 'U' due to the fact that some of the plot may appear distressing or upsetting for younger and more vulnerable viewers, however none of the content will be explicit.

I found it to be quite interesting to find out whether my target audience preferred feature films or short films; the results showed that the majority of those who took part in the survey preferred feature films. I was not shocked by this outcome as I, myself, also prefer them in comparison to shorts. This is most likely due to the awareness surrounding feature films due to more prominent advertising and accessibility.

After finding out that feature films were more popular, I wanted to further understand why the survey participants selected this answer and whether or not I could apply these preferences within my own work. Unfortunately, due to my low budget and student status I am unable to glamorise my casting through the use of celebrity features; I am also unable to distribute my film through a cinematic industry, however plan to make it equally as accessible by sharing the link to my product via social networking and making sure the settings are set to 'public'. 

Having had very little experience with the consumption of short films myself, I decided to question whether my audience had watched any short films previously; it came to my attention that majority had, therefore informing me that they may be familiar with the typical codes and conventions. Just over 20% had never seen a short film before, which has inspired me to follow many of the traditional expectations of this form of media.

When ask what genre of short films they had previously watched, I found that documentary/educational style films were quite common; this means that I can continue with my chosen genre with confidence and feel more assured that it will appeal to my audience. 

I was also interested in seeing what technical aspects of short films appeared most appealing; I felt that I could build upon and therefore develop these areas in order to suit the interests of my audience. I found that the use of hidden meanings and inspirational/motivational messages were most dominant, therefore influencing my choice of narrative as I do not wish to introduce the main theme until the second half of the sequence. 

Due to wanting to make a documentary style film focusing on the topic of homeless, I decided that it would be beneficial to look into whether or not this topic would appeal to my audience. The results showed that both social media and homelessness were very popular topics of interest, therefore suggesting that my storyline (as shown via my storyboard) will engage the attention of the viewers.