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

For my trailer, poster and magazine cover, I wanted to create each product to link with each other in order for the audience to acknowledge the connection which is an indication that all products have been created for the film itself. However, despite the similarities created, not all of the products completely link into one another and this is because I wanted to add a twist onto each of them so they differed slightly.

The obvious indication that all three products link to each other is from the constant introduction of my main character Callie Shepherd (played by Poppy McNulty-Ho), she appears in all of the campaigns for the film as she plays the lead. Therefore, to follow with the typical narrative conventions, I did attempt to include other characters but kept it simple by ensuring that the main character has the most screen-time, as well as only including her in the poster and magazine. The character itself also helps with the romance drama convention for the products as I created a character that conveyed independence and mystery. This is shown through the trailer as in many of the locations she visits, she is alone and I used this as an advantage to capture an image of the actress at one of the scenes to use for the poster. Therefore, I was able to easily make the link between the two products as the scene is included in the trailer, not only this but within my poster, I have included screenshots from the trailer itself. I included the screenshots to create enigma codes on my character as from the poster, not a lot is revealed about the film or the female character. Moreover, I wanted to include the mystery so it became a part of my character’s persona as she is presented to be independent and not a stereotypical character that would be seen in the genre as the main lead. As for the magazine, nothing is revealed about the storyline although the film is featured and the main character takes the focus as she is presented in a more feminine way unlike her representation in the trailer. The only difference as mentioned previously is from the magazine cover and this is because I wanted the audience to see the character in a different light which is why I intentionally altered her style for the central image. It allows the audience to draw attention to the different side of the character that they are being introduced to, this is because throughout the trailer, Callie is dressed in darker clothing with a minimal amount of makeup. Therefore, I wanted to contrast that image with the magazine cover as it enables the audience to feel that they apart of the development of Callie.

As you can see, the intertitles and fonts on all of my ancillary tasks are similar to one another despite the different colour palettes chosen. I decided to follow the conventions of the romance drama genre when it came to the fonts as the majority of films from the genre keep them very simplistic, this is in order for the main focus to be set on the images/trailer. The font I chose is plain yet sophisticated, both tasks follow the same black font as I thought it was fitting and allowed the audience to acknowledge the tasks but also to focus on what is being shown. The colour black connotes power and elegance which is a part of the characterisation that I have tried to develop through Callie, therefore I wanted to include subtle hints that she is unlike other characters seen in romance drama genres. Therefore, once again the magazine is differed in comparison as I had to follow the conventions of the ‘The Filmmaker’ magazine. I also created the colour palette of the cover to be connected with the appearance of the character from the image, therefore the titles are co-ordinated between a red berry shade and white. This aspect follows the genre conventions of the film as the shade of red connotes femininity and romance, however the twist is that there is no romance aspect within my own film. Furthermore, in all three products, I wanted to create a reflective atmosphere which is what I achieved through the serious toned images and videos. Within my trailer, I wanted to make the conflict a significant role which is why it is situated in the traditional chronological order at the beginning in order for the audience to develop a clear and coherent understanding of what is going on. Then, for the poster I wanted to include aspects of fun through the screenshots however the whole scene with the character on the beach in the trailer is deemed to be reflective and thoughtful as she reminisces. The magazine cover could be argued to be the liveliest out of the three as it includes the most colour but despite this, the seriousness is still conveyed through the close up shot of the female character. The central image is conventional to the magazine cover as they feature close up shots of the actress/actor for that particular issue. Therefore I wanted to recreate the same atmosphere and tone that the ‘Filmmaker’ does in order for the audience to acknowledge the sophistication and professionalism which may attract them to discover more about the film.

As a whole, all three of my products have been created as a part of the marketing process for the film itself. The order for release I would put them as would be the film poster, trailer and then magazine cover. This is because I ultimately want the audience to be engaged through these three different platforms in order for them to be more motivated to watch the film.