Final poster

My target audience decided out of all 3 of my posters, number 3 was the favourite. So I improved upon it and added more contents.
-added a tagline
-added an official BBFC rating
-enhanced the profile of the protagonist
-added my cast
-improved my title's brightness

Creating the poster

I used Adobe Photoshop to create my poster. Firstly using the cloud filter and some shading brushes. This created a galaxy effect which I would use for the background of all my posters. The purple shade used matches that of our typography and the galaxy idea links to our theme.

I then added the pictures of our main characters. We took these pictures ourselves at a photo-shoot. I cropped these in, added an outer glow and feathered the edges so they fitted in the with background.

  Then using smoke and lightening effect tools i downloaded online, i added a smoke effect behind my characters to make it look like they are surrounded by a ghostly, sci-fi style mist.

I then added in the title of our film using our typography which we decided before hand. I added it at the top then rendered a lighting effect to make it more visually appealing. I also added a simple lens flare to make it more dramatic.

Finally I added all the information in text and it was finished.

Draft Film Magazine Review 1

Editing the film on Premiere Pro

Now with all our clips gathered after a long and endearing filming process, it is time to piece it together into the final compilation. For this i'm using Adobe Premiere Pro, an advanced and professional software on Macs. Premiere Pro allows me to edit, manipulate and perfect my clips. The main thing I will be using it for linear editing.

I uploaded my clips onto my file area which allows me easy access to them, and enables me to easily drag them into the correct place. I then use the razor tool to cut the clip perfectly to remove any unnecessary footage before placing the clip into order.

Some of our filming sessions were done at different times in the day, this means the lighting is different in some of our footage. Using the brightness and contrast tool on the effects area, I matched the lighting of the clips so they work together in one sequence.

Another issue we used Premiere Pro to resolve was the sound levels. Some of our clips had uneven sound levels that needed balancing. Using the Volume tool I brought the sound level to a sensible level that makes the sound more comprehensible. I also used the pen tool to drop and raise the volume level in certain points where it wasn't balanced.

Magazine Plan 1

I did a very basic layout plan of a double page magazine spread based on the research I did. I combined the elements of

Magazine analysis - Clash Of The Titans

This is a double page film review of Action, Adventure fantasy film Clash of the Titans by Empire magazine, who I have already established as one of the biggest and most popular British film magazine publishers. Clash Of The Titans is a film based on Greek mythology about the son of Zeus who must save the world by battling epic monsters and travelling far (fairly generic stuff for a fantasy film).

The film is based of ancient Greek mythology as such the spread is themed in an epic style with a fantasy look to it. The first part that stands out is the title of this review "Gods and Monsters" although this is not the title of the film the phrase sums up the narrative of the film, God and monsters being the two main aspects in the film. The typography it's styled in has a "Gothic" look to it, mixed in with a dark bronze colour which all links in with the fantasy genre and conventions. This style of text is also seen in the initial starting the paragraphs adding to the Gothic look of the review. Interestingly the word "God" is presented over the gloomy dark background, whilst the word "Monster" is presented over a clean white background, both words are incorporated with backgrounds that juxtapose their meanings. This might link to the narrative.

The picture of the left presents the main protagonist show at a long shot in which his mise en scene is very typical for something you'd expect to see in a mythological style fantasy action film. His costume consists of ancient antiquity battle armor with the muscle shaped torso and leg guards and vambraces, all things commonly associated with a Greek mythological hero. However the dark colours of it subvert this stereotype, you'd expect a "hero" figure to be wearing bright gilded colours to represent his heroism and good intentions, the dark of this man's armor present him as a different type of hero. He has two props, firstly a full sack. This is shown in the film poster to add a hint of mystery as the audience will question what it's contents are. In the other hand he's gripping an odd sort of scaly shield that would excite a fantasy fan as it associates with mythical beings like dragons.

There is a second image presented in the center of the spread, unlike the primary image this one is a still from the film and it hints to the audience a bit more of the narrative. In it you can see the protagonist sneaking around with a rather abnormal looking robed figure towering over him. The scene chosen creates more questions then answers for the audience and would encourage them to see the film. In the corner of the image there is a small description that reveals a piece of the narrative to tempt the audience.

Poster mood board

Magazine mood board

Magazine Analysis - Skyfall

Skyfall was a modern instalment to the all time classic film franchise: James Bond. James Bond is the all time favourite action/thriller film featuring all the modern cliches you can expect to see in a spy film, fast cars, gadgets, over stereotypical woman in distress and an evil villain, all these cliches are set by the James Bond franchise and are highlighted by its booming success.Skyfall was the most successful Daniel Craig film and commemorates the 50th anniversary of the franchise. This is from Total Film magazine is a film magazine that breaks down films into specific areas and reviews them, such as dialogue, camera work etc.

The first thing that stands out in this spread is the tagline in the top right corner "Something old, Something new" this has two significant meanings, the first is it's reference to the new and smart looking Daniel Craig as the "something new" Craig being the face of the modern James Bond films. The "Something New" refers to the classic Aston Martin DB5, it is a very iconic and famous icon of the classic films and has been included in this film following the 50th anniversary. The tagline references to the juxtaposition between the two in the picture. the alternative meaning could be the reference to the old style classic films and the new reformed Daniel Craig films to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

There is actual little text in this part of the magazine I would imagine this is an intro page leading onto a larger article giving a more in depth review of the film. this double page spread is an intro. However next to the bulk of text there's a rather critical paragraph firstly describing the previous film "Quantum of Solace" as a "Critical Mauling, it then highlights the importance of this film to do well to keep the franchise alive.

the image displayed in a background covers the entire spread and the text is overlaid over the top of it. The key focus of the picture is Daniel Craig. His mise en scene matches that of the classic bond look. An expensive and smart looking suit, that is very well maintained and pristine, his suit is well pressed and his tie is well straightened despite all the intense action he's been involved in. His facial expression is unflinching with a cold calm to match his secretive and merciless personality. The second important part of the poster is the Aston Martin DB5. Any Bond fan will immediately recognise this and will find it quite nostalgic. The car matches the look of Bond, it's clean, sophisticated looking and sharp look, both a visually spectacular.  

    

Magazine Analysis 1 - Empire Star Trek review

This double page spread is Empire Magazine's double page spread review of Star Trek : Into Darkness. Star Trek is a very popular and iconic Sc-fi franchise and Into Darkness is the sequel to the reboot film that brought the classic series to a modern audience. Empire is a populist magazine that covers mainstream films and art films and in particular major Sc-fi action films such as this one.


This double page review has an interesting layout, the vast bulk of text is in the far right of the spread and is in 2 long columns, which means the reader would have to skim through the imagery before getting to the text which would keep the audience interested and not put off by bulked text. The text it's self is in a fairly simplistic format and is spaced into paragraphs so it doesn't appear too much.

The image they have chosen features two of the main protagonists displayed in a two shot from the film Cpt Kirk and Spock, both are very iconic characters who would create nostalgia for fans of the classic franchise. They both have heroic concentrated facial expressions which would suggest they are engaged in intense situation. The background of the picture is very clean and modern so it's safe to assume it a Sc-fi space ship environment most likely the Enterprise.

 In the bottom left corner there is a list of 4 notable points from the film, which is a feature included in all Empire magazine reviews. It features a list of things to look out for in the film and trivia to engage the audience and offer interesting facts that other film review sources do not provide giving Empire magazine a unique edge.

Both pages have a black border going around the edge. The top layer features the Empire magazine ident in the top left corner, and the date in the opposite corner, pretty basic information that isn't related to the film. The banner at the bottom features the Empire tagline for their film reviews that is featured in every film article.

Poster 3

Poster Analysis - Project Almanac

Project Almanac is a Sc-fi film that follows a group of friends who discover how to construct their own time machine and use it for their own personal gain, however the future starts to fall apart and it starts to reflect badly upon the friends and they have to travel back in time to fix what they did. A fairly generic narrative for a time travel film.This poster is a very typical example of a time travel Sc-fi film poster, it contains many elements that fit in with the conventions of a good Sc-fi film, special effects, dynamic posing, action scenes and a related tag line.

Firstly the most imposing part of the image is the dramatic scene to the right of the poster, with the friends in a circle engulfed by a bright light, this scene has many elements that you can expect to see within a Sc-Fi film. Firstly the editing used on this still image gives it special significance, the lens flare glowing outwards is similar to what I analysed from the One Minute Time Machine poster, it's a common device used in Sc-fi imagery to make an image look more dynamic and powerful. A empowering circle surrounds the figures giving them a high-powered and entrancing look as if they are about to travel in time, to the viewer of the poster this will look very interesting and would grab their attention. However the costumes of the characters appears quite ordinary and casual looking, this juxtaposes with the surrounding scene making the characters seem more significant, although with time travel films quite often the characters are ordinary people who have been faced with extraordinary circumstances, which is also the case with this film. In terms of composition of shot the characters are quite small and insignificant, they are dominated by the thunderous skies and dramatic background. They stand out in the dark scenery due to the temporal glow surrounding them, the lighting contrasts with the background making them more significant.The city scape in the background look dark and dramatic as if on the brink of an impending disaster which links into the narrative of the film and the genre, a city in need of saving is a common location for a Sc-fi film.

The tagline above the title links closely to the narrative and genre of the film, "Today is better the second time around" suggests that someone has repeated the day which the audience can infer that this is a time travel film.This tagline sounds quite bland but the twist of "the second time around" gives the tagline a twist that gives it Sc-fi feel.

The typography used is fairly generic and common for an action style film, it's rather oblique and plain with a small amount of shadowing. I think the title is kept simple so it doesn't take attention away from the primary image of the characters. The colour is a plain silver/white which looks quite clean and modern which you could affiliate with a scientific environment, which has connotations of technology and scientific experiments.

There appears to be a large block of text beneath the title which would list all the key production companies and cast members, however I am unable to read it, the text is so small and the image is rather distorted that it's unreadable. Although it's safe to assume that there are no key figures in this film worthy of note that will add to the film's credibility and that star system has no part in this poster.

Poster 2

Poster Analysis - One Minute Time Machine

One Minute Time Machine is a short Indie Sc-fi/comedy/romance that follows  a man with a time machine capable of travelling 1 minute in the past in his attempts at wooing a woman on the bench, using the time machine to go back in time and alter his mistakes. But as to be expected with this sort of film, things do not go to plan for the main protagonist and take an unexpected turn.

The poster contains elements from all 3 of the genres incorporated into this film. Firstly the film ident in the top left hand corner of the poster is clearly related to the Sc-fi genre, it features a classic time piece which is a clear icon of time keeping and time travel. The golden glow with the supernova like spectrum emitting from the time piece really gives it an exciting and scientific look that follows through with the codes and conventions associated with the Sc-fi genre. The romance element of the poster is really presented through the background. The background is a brightly lit sunny park landscape with the tree line glistening in the distance, it's all very high key and is a typical scene for a romantic film, also the characters themselves are very typical for a romance style film, a desperate rugged man and a high class well maintained woman who is supposed to be appear "out of his league". The comedy element is subtly expressed through the facial expression of the male figure, he clearly looks bewildered and fed up, clearly presenting him as a weaker more "jokey" character which very much contrasts with the dreamy scenery clearly implying to the audience that this is a different styled film.

The typography displayed on the poster is laid out in a unique format that is really used to work along side the time piece ident. The text consists of two shades of yellow to give it a shadowed effect and the shaping of the text is quite oblique giving it a sort of hazardous and scientific effect linking it towards to the Sc-fi genre, the credits as well are in the same text style.

In terms of content the most common mention throughout the poster is the name of the director Devon Avery, his name is presented below the title, he's a fairly low key niche director with a few notable films, his name does little in terms of star rating to attract an audience, but the way the name is presented as "A Devon Avery" film gives it more of a professional look and would make it feel more like a high grade production. His name is used instead of a production company or distribution company as they receive no mention. The remaining names mentioned are the cinematographer, the editor, the music composer and the writer, the majority of these roles would not be mentioned in a major high budget tent pole grade film.

In terms of Mise En Scene the poster does little to represent the Sc-fi genre, the "Time machine" seen on the left of the bench is the only real piece of technology presented in the poster and it's quite unclear what it really is. In terms of costume the two characters wear fairly archetypal outfits.

The man who is presented as a laid back, somewhat desperate figure is wearing quite rag tag casuals, this reflects his personality. The lady who juxtaposes greatly with the male figure is very well dressed in a sophisticated stereotypical office job outfit which really presents her as a higher class figure to the audience.    

     

Poster 1

Film Poster Analysis 1 - Back to the Future

Back to the future is one of the most iconic and popular time travel films of all time, it is an ideal film to take inspiration from in terms of advertisement. The film was produced in the 80s so the poster lacks elements which would be included in a modern poster, such as a link to a website or hashtags which are now a crucial part of the advertisement campaigns for films.

In terms of content the poster does not include much information. The only members of the production team that are mentioned are the director and producer, the cast themselves aren't mentioned this could be because they are not well known and their names wouldn't do much to advertise the film. However Steven Spielberg is mentioned for he is a notorious director who's name would do much for the film's credibility. I find it quite odd that there is no mention to the production companies or even the distributor, this leaves the poster looking quite bare relying upon the elements of the narrative to advertise it.

The typography used in this poster is very unique and links into the Sc-fi genre and the narrative of the film and over time has become iconic and symbolic for time travel and has been parodied numerous times. The typography has a very exciting look to it, the colours have a very flamboyant and fiery look them, they use this to match the very iconic effect of the fire trail behind the even more iconic DeLorean. The text style is quite simplistic and square shaped, however the way it's angled gives it a very unique look, it expands at the start and narrows inwards to give it a more dynamic look, it's also bent and distorted to give it a time travel effect which is of course the distortion and transformation of time. The arrow is especially significant as it is used to hint the narrative which is of course going back in time and the arrow is pointing backwards to signifying this. In comparison the cast text is far less interesting, although it's angled adjacently to the main title.

The Delorean at the bottom it by far the most iconic feature of the franchise and the Sc-fi genre. It has been highly exaggerated in terms of lighting and clarity to make it more visually spectacular and to give it a more dynamic and scientific look in order for it to fit into the general conventions of a Sc-fi film, although due to this films immense popularity and originality it is likely that it set some of the conventions used. The effects used on the Delorean all correspond of what you would expect to see in a Sc-fi product, the front of the car is entering what appears to be a portal of some sort that is emitting electricity in a very spontaneous and dramatic way. The car itself has many scientific elements such as wiring and piping, and two large thrusters, this clearly indicates to the audience that this is not an average car. The fire trail is another key icon of the franchise and is certainly one of the most memorable elements of the film, it is used with the Delorean to hint to the narrative of the film and make the poster more visually compelling.

In the top right corner you can see the two main protagonists for the film, they are both acting out scenes which define their characters in the film. The figure on the left Marty Mcfly, is looking quite bewildered and shocked whilst wearing his stylish iconic apparel that the fans will come to recognize. Doc Brown is seen in his stereotypical look, holding a piece of advanced technology that contrasts highly with his shocked and confused facial expression really summing up his personality in the film.