Opinions on my Magazine Cover

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Film Comment Magazine Cover Analysis

As I mentioned previously, I liked the simplicity of Film Comment magazine, so I have decided to use this as my main inspiration for the creation of my own magazine cover. Here is my analysis of the Prometheus cover;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoeradford/12819295463/

I think that the focus on photography here is key to what makes the cover look good, and the fact that the colour theme runs across the cover. This aspect will be particularly inspirational, as I will not be able to recreate something like the cover of Empire which focuses on CGI. I will use a colour theme similar to this, and try to make a cover that is free of the clutter that cover lines and thumbnails create. 

Magazine inspiration

As well as looking at posters, I wanted to look at film magazine covers to inspire me when creating my own. When browsing the internet, I came across a magazine website for the magazine 'Film Comment'. On the website for the magazine, it describes a brief history of the magazine; 

"Film Comment is the official publication of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Founded in 1962 and originally released as a quarterly, Film Comment features reviews and analysis of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde film making from around the world." 

The website http://www.filmcomment.com/ includes an archive of previous issues, and many interesting articles on film. Here are some covers from Film Comment; 

As you can see, through time, the magazine has developed and changed its style, but its simplistic cover and professional fonts and colour schemes make the covers look effective. Even the photographs, which in many cases appear to be action stills from the film, (or composed to look this way) are effective and I hope to produce something similar to this when making my own cover.

Previously in this project, I looked at magazines such as Rue Morgue and Little White Lies which are both magazines that I find particularly inspiring, however, due to the lack of the right facilities, I don't think I would be able to create such a graphic based cover for my own magazine. Both of those publications rely heavily on the cover artwork that is used, and if I had more time, I would have loved to have had a go at designing my own illustrated cover. I have decided to look at Film Comment in more detail as the cover photography will be similar to my own skills, and creating a magazine cover that would have the similar conventions to this is much more realistic in the time scale that I have been given for this brief. 

I also analysed Total Film magazine as part of looking at the campaign for The Wolverine film. I found these magazine covers to be too focused on blockbuster films, which means that the trailer for our film (which would probably be an independent film) would not be featured on the cover. Even though Film Comment also features popular films, the cover photography is much more simplistic and suited to my ability, where as the a lot of the photography on the cover of Empire magazine seems to be computer generated. Being an A level student means that I don't have the facilities to create this effectively either, so Film Comment seems like a much more suitable choice for the source of my inspiration. 

Opinions on my poster

In order to get people's opinions on my poster, I created a board on 'Padlet' which will allow people to place their comments around it. The feedback that I will receive will help me in my evaluation later on.

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Film Poster font options

Another important component of a film poster is the choice of font. I didn't want to use a font that was unprofessional looking like Times New Roman or Comic Sans, so I decided to look on font website 'Dafont' for suitable options. There were so many options on this website, and I wasn't sure whether to use a serif or sans serif font, so I did a simple google search for 'Horror film posters'. Here are some of the posters that I saw;

As you can see, serif fonts seem to be the most popular for horror film posters, so I looked on the serif section of Dafont. I narrowed it down to 3 fonts, which looked like this;

Although they all look relatively similar, I decided to go with the middle one because of the enlarged first letter. I really like this font as it is quite bold and looks the most professional. 

Let the Right One In Poster Analysis

After doing research into horror film posters, I found the illustrative poster for the 2008 film, 'Let the Right One In' to be particularly inspirational. Here is my analysis of the poster on Flickr. I hope to use this as inspiration for my own poster, as I really like the use of contrasting colours and the use of blood to implicate death without the explicit image of a dead body. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoeradford/12818949874/

Poster inspiration

As well as our film trailer, I wanted to begin to look at inspiration for my ancillary products; my magazine cover and film poster. I started off by looking at film posters for 'Let the Right One In', from which we gained inspiration for our trailer, and I found many interesting film posters for the film (as shown below).

I like these posters as they give a feeling of mystery - the face of the main characters are hidden/ distorted and in the last poster, they are not shown at all. Instead, the focus is on the hands of the characters, and the colours in all posters are desaturated, apart from the vibrant red blood in the third one. I also really like the composition of the last one, with the drop of blood suspended in the air. I will use these as inspiration for my poster.

Art of the Title - Research for our Production Company Ident

Recently, I watched film 'Napoleon Dynamite' (2004), and I was inspired by the opening title sequence to the film. Obviously this film is an 'indie' comedy (which actually screened at the Sundance film festival), and so the title sequence is light hearted and quirky, and although we are producing a horror film trailer, I liked the unusual quality that it had. We researched the title sequence and found an article explaining how the title sequence was filmed with extremely low budget in a basement. Due to the fact that our trailer is a horror trailer, our ident would have to be much darker, but we liked the independent feel to it. We may use this as inspiration for our own ident, obviously making a short sequence that is more suited to the horror genre. Below is a link to the article explaining about the title sequence and the full video.

Napoleon Dynamite (2004) — Art of the Title

Let the Right One In Trailer Analysis

After looking at several film trailers for inspiration, we have decided to use some components of the trailer for 'Let the Right One In' as inspiration for our own trailer. Below is an analysis of the trailer, looking at the use of sound, mise en scene, cinematography and editing.

Let the Right One In - Trailer Analysis 

Within the trailer, certain features, such as the use of blue filters, the build up of tension through fast cuts and an elongated shot at the end (which draws the trailer to a close), have caught our eye.

Horror film trailer inspiration

After fully analysing several horror film trailers, we decided to look at some more unusual film trailers to look for inspiration for our own trailer. 

The first trailer that we looked at was for the 2008 Swedish film 'Let The Right One In' (which was later remade for an Amer audience starring Chloe Grace Moretz in 2011). Filmed in Sweden, the film is set in the winter, which means that harsh white and blue tones are prevalent throughout. The coldness of the tones are linked with the horror genre (obviously the polar opposite to the warm tones you may get in a comedy or romance). With the main characters of 'Let The Right One In' being children, it helped us to get an idea of how to portray our child ghost in our trailer. As well as this, the fact that the film is Swedish meant that the international trailer did not have much dialogue in it. Our trailer has one main character, and almost pushes the normal conventions of a film trailer, in that she will have no one to interact with. The use of sound in this trailer is important, and therefore, we will have to carefully think about the use if sound in our trailer. Also, the last 20 seconds of this trailer is a single shot of snow falling. This scene is literally and figuratively chilling, with a shrill echo playing as the snow is falling. The use of text over it is effective, and it is a very effective way to end the trailer, from the crescendo of the music beforehand. The contrast of the red of the title against the black and white of this last shot is very eye catching, and this scene has given us many ideas for our own trailer. 

Another trailer which caught our eye was the 1980 trailer for Stanley Kubrick's film 'The Shining'. The rising credits alongside the loudening, creepy music with the still frame of the elevator builds a lot of tension, and the flood of red 'blood' (at 0:55) is a very effective way to insinuate death, without showing a dead body. This teaser trailer is quite clever, and we may use this as inspiration for part of our trailer. 

Film distribution

From our research, I think our film would be an independent film instead of a blockbuster release. I wanted to do some research into the distribution of films, as it is an important part of the post production of films. I looked at some research as to how films are distributed and who they are distributed by. 

Distribution is arguably one of the most important parts of the film industry. The process of distribution involves the releasing and sustaining of films in the market place. In 'blockbuster' Hollywood films, distribution, production and exhibition can operate effectively when 'vertically integrated', however, in the UK, distribution is more focused on marketing globally across local markets. In the independent sector however, this vertical integration does not occur as often. The producers of independent films tend not to have the long-term economic links with distributors that Hollywood producers would have. In this sector, distribution can be divided into 3 stages - licensing, marketing and logistics. 

Location Ideas

Before we begin shooting, we have decided to look at possible locations for filming our trailer. Due to the synopsis of our film, obviously there needs to be shots of Paris. In the summer, I visited the city and got several establishing shots. I think that the view from the apartment that I was staying in provided the right atmosphere for the film, and shots I managed to get of the Eiffel Tower would allow the viewer to instantly recognise the location. Below are some photographs that I took while in Paris, where I filmed several shots that we will use.

As well as this, we also need to get shots of Ellie in the airport, on methods of transport and even a shot of a plane in flight. I think that either Liverpool John Lennon airport or Manchester airport will allow us to get the shots that we need - both airports have areas where you can view planes taking off where filming could take place.    

Also, filming in the Parisian apartment for all of the shots was not possible, so we had to try to scout a location to use. We have looked at several houses that we could use, however, Ellie lives in a large Victorian house in Crosby, complete with wooden floors, high ceilings and a very large attic. I think this would be a good location for filming, as the aesthetics of her old house would be similar to that of a Parisian apartment. 

Horror genre mood board

After looking at many horror film marketing campaigns, I decided to create a mood board of images that are typical of the horror genre. I included images that I thought may help me when creating my own trailer - stills from films such as the Swedish horror film 'Let the Right One In' (2008) and Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining'  (1980) will provide me with visual inspiration. One still from the silent film 'Nosferatu' (1922) is probably one of the most recognisable images from horror film genre. I've also included some images from films that aren't from the horror genre, such as 'Amelie' (2001) and Ridley Scott's sci-fi film 'Blade Runner' (1982). The reason I did this was because in both of these films I like the use of lighting, cinematography and editing: in Amelie, the use of green filters and cantered angles gives it an eerie atmosphere (despite the fact that it is not a horror film) and in Blade Runner, blue filters and the use of bright white lighting gives it a feel of a horror film. I added images of posters (from films such as 'The Exorcist' (1973) and 'The Woman in Black' (2012) as the artwork/ photography caught my eye. 

The Woman in Black - Researching a full marketing campaign

On the 12th of March 2012, 'The Woman in Black', a horror film starring Daniel Radcliffe, was released in the UK. Focusing on the horror genre of film, I have decided to look further into its marketing campaign to help me when creating components of my own campaign. 

The first case of marketing for this film began with the showing of the first trailer, on the 10th of April 2011 at 'Kapow!' Comic Con in London. Due to the fact that many people who go to Comic Con are interested in films, and possibly even franchises like Harry Potter (which Daniel Radcliffe starred in), this may intrigue them. Later that year, in July 2011, another trailer was advertised before showings of the final film in the Harry Potter series, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2'. Again, with the finale of the series, 'The Woman in Black' may provide fans of Daniel Radcliffe to see him in a new film. This choice of advertisement means that a specific part of the target audience is addressed (which may result in more viewings when the film is released). One month later, on the 24th of August 2011, posters within the UK were released, and by the 14th of October the official UK trailer was released. Posters were displayed around the country from billboards to the sides of buses. The posters, with the blues and black colouring linked together with the trailers.

On the 14th of October 2012, Momentum pictures released an official International trailer, and even a new version of the already established book (which was written in 1983 by Susan Hill) was released with a brand new cover, featuring Daniel Radcliffe. Again, this attracts fans of Daniel Radcliffe and even Harry Potter fans.

Daniel Radcliffe also appeared on around 10 magazine covers during the campaign and was even invited to be on both The Jonathan Ross Show and The Graham Norton Show (which was a first within the film industry).

As well as this, a national competition was held for people to submit their own original ghost stories, from the 31st of October. A video was filmed, featuring Daniel Radcliffe again requesting the entries, for which the prize was that the winning entry would be read out by him on the special features of the DVD when it was released. This competition promoted the film virally, and the competition was unique to this films advertising campaign, setting it apart from other films of its genre. 

The fact that Daniel Radcliffe endorsed this campaign would have increased the interest in the film as his fan base is quite large. However, apart from this, the synergy throughout the campaign allows the advertisements to be viewed by many different types of people, right across the country and internationally. The website and Facebook pages also added to the advertisements across the internet, and overall, the campaign reached a lot of different demographics.

Looking at the full marketing campaign for 'The Woman in Black' has been very useful. Due to the fact that we will be creating a trailer for a film that focuses on a similar storyline (and not a slasher horror etc), the campaign for this film may provide us with some inspiration. 

Little White Lies Magazine

As well as looking at Rue Morgue magazine, I decided to look at the British film magazine 'Little White Lies'. First issued in 2005, the magazine is relatively new, releasing issues (bi-monthly) featuring illustrations, writing and photography on cinema. The covers of each issue are beautifully designed, yet simplistic, and I hope to take inspiration from this. Below are some Little White Lies magazine covers. 

 'On The Road' issue, featuring Kristen Stewart, August/ September 2012 (most recent issue)

 'Where The Wild Things Are' issue, a collaboration with 'Huck' magazine, November/ December 2009

 'This Is England' issue, April/ May 2007

'The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou' issue, March/ April 2007 (1st issue)

There are several specific covers dedicated to films from the horror genre. Below are covers from two horror films, which I particularly like. 

 'Let The Right One In' issue, March/ April 2009

'Black Swan' issue, January/ February 2011

Maintaining synergy within Marketing Campaigns

When looking at marketing campaigns for films, we can see how each advertisement is linked through synergy. Previously, I have looked at the trailers and posters for both 'The Wolverine' and 'The Conjuring' and after analysing them, it has become very clear how the synergy between them connects the components in the campaign, allowing the audience to be able to view a certain image of the film, no matter what format the advertisement is that they are looking at.

Within the marketing campaign for The Wolverine, the synergy of the advertisements can be seen across several media platforms. The traditional aspects of a marketing campaign such as posters, magazine coverage and trailers are all used effectively in order to reach the largest amount of the public as possible. All of the components add together to create one big campaign which collectively advertise the film, and hopefully entice the audience to come and see the film.

Today, technology plays a part in the marketing of films, allowing trailers to be advertised and promoted to audiences right across the internet, not just on YouTube or the film website. For example, for The Wolverine campaign, trailers were released on YouTube, as well as on TV. Teaser trailers and the International trailer were released, as well as a 'Tweaser' - due to the diversity of technology, this 6 second trailer was created to be shown on the social networking site 'Vine' where people can upload and watch short video clips of 6 seconds or less (Tweet + Teaser = Tweaser). This means that the trailer could be viewed across several other viewing platforms, increasing publicity and the viewing numbers that the trailers received.

Also, several different types of posters were created. Printing advertisements in this format means that even the people who may not use the internet as much can be exposed to the marketing campaign for this film. From this we can see that the synergy of marketing today plays a huge role in making sure that marketing campaigns reach the widest audience - they hope to draw in a bigger audience for the film from this, hopefully enticing them to go and watch it in the cinema.

You're Next - Rue Morgue magazine cover analysis

After discovering Rue Morgue magazine, I decided to analyse one of their covers (this issue is from last month) which features a new horror film 'You're Next'. I could not find a magazine which featured The Conjuring, however, I like this cover and hope to take inspiration from this, and other Rue Morgue magazine covers when creating my own. Below is the cover that I have analysed. 

You're Next is a horror film, following a family who are attacked while on holiday by a gang of mystery killers. Here is the link for my analysis of the cover on flickr;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoeradford/9701938765/

Rue Morgue horror magazine - background information

Rue Morgue is a Canadian magazine based in Toronto, which takes it's name from Edgar Allen Poe's story 'Murders in the Rue Morgue'. Like Total Film, it was established in 1997, however, instead of just focusing on film, it is dedicated to the horror genre within the media, looking at films as well as books, comics, music, websites etc. Below is a short clip from YouTube, outlining the beginnings and development of the magazine. 

I decided to look at Rue Morgue to see the codes and conventions of a magazine focused entirely on the horror genre. Looking through the archives of covers on the magazines website (http://www.rue-morgue.com/) you can really see the development over the years, which has made it what it is today. Artistically, it has developed quite a lot, and below are some examples of issues over the past few years. 

I really like the use of artistic techniques and components of graphic design within the covers of this magazine, and I hope to use this as inspiration for my own cover.   

The Wolverine - Total film Wolverine issue analysis

As well as looking at the trailer and poster for the Wolverine film, I also looked at a magazine cover for 'Total Film', which was The Wolverine issue and featured the film on the front cover.

Here is the link to my analysis of the poster on Flickr;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoeradford/9699300273/in/photostream/

By looking at the codes, conventions and features of this magazine cover, it has allowed me to see how a large, high budget film would be promoted on the cover of a magazine. Obviously I will not be able to create something that looks like this, as the level of CGI is higher than I could achieve on photoshop with the images I will capture. This has provided me with research that I will use for my own - I will need to find magazines that are more independent, and that have a cover that I have the ability to create.

The Conjuring - Poster Analysis

This is one of the posters used to advertise the new horror film 'The Conjuring'. This poster is used not only in Britain, but internationally.

Here is the link to my analysis of the poster on Flickr; 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoeradford/9637898708/in/photostream/

Overall, I find this poster very effective in creating a sense of mystery and fear, which are two main features of the horror genre. I like the use of low key lighting, and the simplicity of it. I hope to include these factors within my own film poster that I will create - even though this film obviously had a bigger budget than I have, to recreate something as effective as this would be fairly simple using the equipment that is available to me. I will try to create a poster that creates this amount of suspense through the imagery used.