For the part of Freddie's mum, Emily, I would like a kind of comedianic actor to play her, but also at the same time someone fiarly approachable, such as Tina Fey from Mean Girls, Date Night and the US comedy series, 30 Rock.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Ideal Actor
My character, Freddie, is quite a laddish kind of boy. He stays up late and spends most nights out trying to pull. Therefore I ideally want an actor with a certain kind of swag or style about him, such as Jack O'Connell from the 3rd and 4th series' of the channel 4 drama, Skins.
For the part of Freddie's mum, Emily, I would like a kind of comedianic actor to play her, but also at the same time someone fiarly approachable, such as Tina Fey from Mean Girls, Date Night and the US comedy series, 30 Rock.
For the part of Freddie's mum, Emily, I would like a kind of comedianic actor to play her, but also at the same time someone fiarly approachable, such as Tina Fey from Mean Girls, Date Night and the US comedy series, 30 Rock.
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Different styles of magazines
I've been on the website for two popular film review publications, Empire magazine and BFI Sight and Sound. I've found that both publications have reviewed the British film Submarine.
Film of the month: Submarine
Too precocious. Not believable. That was The New Yorker’s assessment of Holden Caulfield 60 years ago when they rejected The Catcher in the Rye in story form. We know now that they overlooked two things: that the mundane details of pubescence often benefit from enhancement, and that self-involved teens in possession of a skewed but perceptive outlook and a singular vocabulary have a knack of talking their way into our hearts.
With Richard Ayoade’s Submarine, 15-year-old dictionary reader Oliver Tate becomes the first British adolescent to join the likes of Max Fischer, Harold Chasen, Ferris Bueller, Tracy Flick and Juno MacGuff in cinema’s register of larger-than-life, idiosyncratic teens – coming as he does from Swansea rather than Hollywood. But in some ways Oliver is a familiar subject for a coming-of-age tale: a briefcase-and-duffel-coat-sporting geek who realises his dreams of getting a girlfriend and losing his virginity – one of those awkward but erudite-behind-the-scenes types who would run a mile from the drug and alcohol-fuelled kids in Skins (and whom you suspect Caulfield would call a phony for the close attention he pays to the playground hierarchy).
Through Oliver, Ayoade channels a lot of the characteristics he himself displayed as Moss, the computer nerd he plays so delectably in Channel 4’s The IT Crowd. But like his kindred spirit Max Fischer (from Wes Anderson’s Rushmore, 1998), Oliver isn’t a wallflower but a first-class schemer with ambitions to single-handedly save his parents’ marriage, rescuing his mum Jill (Sally Hawkins) from the clutches of her ex-flame, spiritual guru Graham Purvis (Paddy Considine), and his dad, marine biologist Lloyd (Noah Taylor), from depression. He’s also trying to get his relationship with Jordana (Yasmin Paige) back on track after her mother develops an untimely brain tumour that keeps getting in the way of their love life. As you might have guessed, Submarine – like Rushmore – is very funny largely because of its protagonist’s staggering capacity for self-delusion.
Like the eccentric, hyperactive teenage mind into which Submarine torpedoes us, Ayoade’s film – his feature debut – barely rests, darting between Oliver’s everyday routine and his memories, fantasies, fears, oddball observations and quasi-philosophical musings. There may be limits to how much precocity an audience will tolerate, but Ayoade’s highly subjective approach makes us care more for the pompous Oliver than we might otherwise.
Cliché dictates that, in typical teen film fare, the object of a geek’s affection should be either another female of the species or else the polar opposite, an unattainable goddess. Here, however, the girl is an emotion-hating pyromaniac with a yen for blackmail, herself only marginally more popular than the boy; in one great scene under a railway bridge, Jordana stands with a cigarette in her hand and a smirk on her lips, ordering Oliver to his knees.
It’s not unusual for British TV comedians to graduate to directing feature films, but Submarine is very much a fully fledged feature rather than just an extended comedy sketch show; it’s also an adaptation that works even better on screen than the source novel did on page. Though Ayoade preserves Oliver’s interior monologue from Joe Dunthorne’s 2008 book, he capitalises on cinema’s objective faculties to undermine Oliver’s fantastical views on his new relationship – focusing, for instance, on Jordana’s scrunched-up face as Oliver attempts a sloppy post-coital kiss.
Throughout, the deadpan approach to acting rules – especially for the excellent Craig Roberts, whose facial muscles are hardly flexed at all, except for the slight smile Oliver wears after he loses his virginity. This isn’t, however, as distancing an effect as it might be; whether Oliver is horrified by the thought of Graham and his mum together or simply trying to trip his parents up with hypothetical questions, the emphasis stays on his big, brown puppy-dog eyes. Yet ultimately it’s less Oliver’s charm that wins us over than that of the film itself. Oliver may start off as Jordana’s plaything, but soon young love is being celebrated with fireworks and sunsets shot in such coy soft focus they feel like memories, each one accompanied by one of Alex Turner’s wispy, delicate tunes. All of which could, of course, come across as rather corny, but Swansea’s industrial backdrop (combined with Jordana’s hatred of anything romantic) keeps the sentiment at bay.
Still, a heady nostalgia pervades this tale of bygone teenage years. Ayoade transports the noughties Oliver of Dunthorne’s novel back to a time when teenagers had to pass notes in class, and communication was more direct and painful (without Facebook or email, Oliver has to resort to scrawling on his hand the reasons why Jordana should sleep with him). Indeed, with all the typewriters, Polaroids, super-8 footage and other near-obsolete technologies on display, Submarine feels like an ode to old analogue ways. Crocodile Dundee is in the cinemas, we’re told, but the only other obvious period details are Graham Purvis’s over-gelled mullet and his New Age self-promotional videos. Purvis’s “mystic bullshit” light-show may terrify Oliver, but Ayoade revels in it, indulging the soft spot for gloriously cheesy 1980s effects he’s shown in past directorial work (music videos for the likes of Vampire Weekend and Super Furry Animals, as well as the TV spoof Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place).
Similarities between the titular horror author Garth Marenghi and Submarine’s Graham reveal Ayoade’s other passion: lampooning smarmy, self-satisfied twits. With Oliver he strikes a balance: he’s not a teenage Alan Partridge, more a younger version of High Fidelity’s list-loving Rob or Peep Show anorak Mark. But with Graham there’s no restraint. Paddy Considine has a lot of fun with the caricature (and gets some killer lines), but it’s noticeable that Ayoade’s adults aren’t quite as well developed as his teenagers. Sally Hawkins manages admirably to bring a sense of reality to her portrayal of Oliver’s uptight mother, but – apart from some eloquent musing on depression by Oliver – Noah Taylor’s sad face and droopy eyes are the only real clue to how father Lloyd is feeling. (In Rushmore’s Herman Blume, Anderson created a far more convincing world-weary parent.) Despite this, Submarine has some lovely observations on adulthood – as any film about teenagers should. “When you grow up, your heart dies,” is the aphorism voiced by the articulate loner in The Breakfast Club (1985). But for Jordana and Oliver, the opposite is true: growing up is when you go gooey in the middle and no longer want to burn someone’s leg hair.
With its off-kilter stance, split-screen antics and musical interludes, Submarine feels very indebted to the Wes Anderson template of filmmaking, though Ayoade does temper his wackiness with the real particulars of teenage life (classroom banter, Jordana’s eczema). When we see Oliver desolate over the loss of his girlfriend, his kindred spirit isn’t so much Max Fischer as the forlorn, clueless Gregory in Gregory’s Girl (1981). But Ayoade can be just as sly and self-conscious as Anderson when he wants to be. Submarine is littered with references to the nouvelle vague (from beaches and bicycles to the Ma nuit chez Maud poster on Oliver’s bedroom wall), and takes full advantage of cinema’s repertoire of jump cuts, zooms and freeze frames. But Ayoade’s not just being playful for the sake of it. When Jordana and Oliver first lock lips, Oliver is so happy he keeps his eyes open, and the camera too is so excited it jumps about all over the place; for their second kiss, Ayoade does a slow 360-degree turn, savouring the moment.
For in the end, like the most successful forays into adolescent existence, Submarine doesn’t quite feel like it’s made by a grown up.
Above was the review from BFI Sight and Sound, it has gone into intense detail on the style and the background of the film and the director. It has also really evaluated the film and its meanings and conventions. This is a review that is aimed towards film buff's who are truly interested in the film making process.
Below is the review from Empire magazine.
Submarine
 |
Oliver Tate (Roberts) is besotted with Jordana (Paige), a feisty girl in his class. Yet, as he embarks on his first relationship, he also frets over that of his parents (Hawkins and Taylor), a situation exacerbated by one of his mum's exes (Considine) moving in down the road.
Review
Before Submarine, Richard Ayoade’s steps towards the big screen were tentative tiptoes: little cameos in the little-seen likes of Festival and Bunny And The Bull. It doesn’t help that, despite winning over many with his man-robot antics in The IT Crowd as über-nerd Moss, playing alongside Chris O’Dowd’s mildly more worldly Roy, acting is hardly his forte. Indeed, it is behind the camera that Ayoade has finally found his cinematic feet. And, boy, can he dance.
Submarine is, simply, a joy. A joy jostled by the comedy of discomfort, sure, but like early Wes Anderson (a comparison that no doubt makes Ayoade squirm, but his film bears it well), its quirkier and darker tendencies are leavened by the warmth and likability of his characters; Ayoade even manages to make you sympathise with Paddy Considine’s mullet-crested bullshit guru — a man so self-absorbingly ignorant he can tell a room of people that “light is the most important gift we have from the universe” and believe it.
Besides flagging up his love for the medium through savvy visual references and some well-played fourth wall-breaking (listen out for the voiceover gag about crane shots and zooms), Ayoade has also cast his debut perfectly. And we’re not just talking about the adults, including two of the UK’s best actors (Considine and Sally Hawkins) and one of Australia’s most underrated (Noah Taylor). Craig Roberts (an oddly appealing facial blend of James McAvoy and Martin Freeman) and Yasmin Paige (whose Jordana is burly yet vulnerable) make a wonderful couple, his hesitant introversion balanced by her fiery extroversion. Oliver spends most of the film hanging in doorways, while Jordana is the kind of girl who prefers to slam doors.
Both are considerably assisted by Ayoade’s humdinger of a script (adapted from Joe Dunthorne’s novel). Their virginity-losing date, for example, begins with Jordana snapping, “Thanks for living up a fucking hill”, and concludes with her warning, “Don’t get cocky.” Meanwhile, Oliver talks of brief hat phases and routine searches of his parents’ bedroom, while at one point poignantly reflecting, with truly adolescent angstiness, that “we’re all travelling under the radar and there’s nothing we can do about it”. Well, one thing is for certain: Ayoade’s time under the radar is well and truly over.
Before Submarine, Richard Ayoade’s steps towards the big screen were tentative tiptoes: little cameos in the little-seen likes of Festival and Bunny And The Bull. It doesn’t help that, despite winning over many with his man-robot antics in The IT Crowd as über-nerd Moss, playing alongside Chris O’Dowd’s mildly more worldly Roy, acting is hardly his forte. Indeed, it is behind the camera that Ayoade has finally found his cinematic feet. And, boy, can he dance.
Submarine is, simply, a joy. A joy jostled by the comedy of discomfort, sure, but like early Wes Anderson (a comparison that no doubt makes Ayoade squirm, but his film bears it well), its quirkier and darker tendencies are leavened by the warmth and likability of his characters; Ayoade even manages to make you sympathise with Paddy Considine’s mullet-crested bullshit guru — a man so self-absorbingly ignorant he can tell a room of people that “light is the most important gift we have from the universe” and believe it.
Besides flagging up his love for the medium through savvy visual references and some well-played fourth wall-breaking (listen out for the voiceover gag about crane shots and zooms), Ayoade has also cast his debut perfectly. And we’re not just talking about the adults, including two of the UK’s best actors (Considine and Sally Hawkins) and one of Australia’s most underrated (Noah Taylor). Craig Roberts (an oddly appealing facial blend of James McAvoy and Martin Freeman) and Yasmin Paige (whose Jordana is burly yet vulnerable) make a wonderful couple, his hesitant introversion balanced by her fiery extroversion. Oliver spends most of the film hanging in doorways, while Jordana is the kind of girl who prefers to slam doors.
Both are considerably assisted by Ayoade’s humdinger of a script (adapted from Joe Dunthorne’s novel). Their virginity-losing date, for example, begins with Jordana snapping, “Thanks for living up a fucking hill”, and concludes with her warning, “Don’t get cocky.” Meanwhile, Oliver talks of brief hat phases and routine searches of his parents’ bedroom, while at one point poignantly reflecting, with truly adolescent angstiness, that “we’re all travelling under the radar and there’s nothing we can do about it”. Well, one thing is for certain: Ayoade’s time under the radar is well and truly over.
Verdict
A perfect blend of cool, quirky comedy and warm-hearted drama, crafted with such poise that it should see the transcendence of Ayoade from TV nerd-comic to true big-screen talent.
A perfect blend of cool, quirky comedy and warm-hearted drama, crafted with such poise that it should see the transcendence of Ayoade from TV nerd-comic to true big-screen talent.
This review is exceedingly different to that of the one in BFI. This is a much smaller review, a kind of bite-sized chunk of information which makes it easily readable for everyone, not just hardcore film fanatics.
Successful poster campaigns
The film industry is a huge revenue based business, when you look at the figures earned recently from films such as 'Avatar' you've got to realise that there's a lot riding on these movies, therefore they need a successful marketing campaign.
A successful poster campaign for its time I feel was Danny Boyle's Trainspotting by Irving Welsh. I've looked into an interview involving the designers of the poster campaign to see their thoughts behind its success.
CR: The posters for Trainspotting were so unusual when they came out especially the campaign around the characters with one poster introducing each one (I realise there were larger posters with all of them on too). What was your inspiration for this? How did the campaign come about?
Rob O’Connor: Irving Welsh's novel, from which the movie had been adapted, was written from the multiple points of view and in the voices of each of the main characters, and we felt it was important to stress the individuality of those personalities. Only Ewan MacGregor and Robert Carlyle were reasonably well known at this time, so it was quite unusual to take this approach. The characters in the story themselves almost seemed more important than the actors playing the roles.
Mark Blamire: I can remember a few years earlier seeing the individual character posters for the film Reservoir Dogs, designed by Mia Matson at Creative Partnership. It was a really impactful poster campaign at the time. I kind of used this as my challenge to do something which had this power to capture your attention. The Mr Orange poster, by the way, isn’t the reason why we chose orange as the main colour, it's just a happy conicidence.
We had been initially given a still by the film distributors, PolyGram, from the film Backbeat, as a kind of visual guide for creating the Trainspotting poster campaign. But we hated the image and wanted to come up with something better. The film company had approved the idea of the individual shots for a character-based teaser campaign but the main image for the final poster was to be a group shot of the actors in a tight huddle. It wasn’t until we tried to get the actors into the group shots that the friction started. It was at this point that we realised that whilst the characters from the story were in a gang, they were by no means friends who could implicitly trust each other or want to be seen in a tight huddle-style group photo all hugging and being chummy in the manner that was initially planned.
The idea didn’t seem to work, so we took the actors feedback on board and still tried to do the group shot, but got them to shout or fight with each other so they were still in a combined group photo, but it was more aggressive and dangerous. It worked a lot better but it still wasn’t perfect.
It was when we moved on to photograph the individual images for the teaser character posters that it all started to really work. The actors on their own in front of the camera really brought the ideas to life. For example, watching Robert Carlyle transmogrify into his Begbie character when the camera started clicking away was quite a thing to behold. When we got back to the studio and sat down with the photoshoot to try to turn it into posters we realised the group shot approach no longer worked.
We were working on the main poster – and struggling – and also the individual character posters, which came together almost instantly, and seemed to be the only solution worthy of presenting to the client. We had also taken a literary device from the Trainspotting book by Irvine Welsh to introduce the numbering system [in the book it originally starts at number 63 which was confusing for the poster so it got changed to #1 though to #5].
RO’C: That’s right, the numbering used throughout the campaign was a nod to the recurring device used by Welsh in the Trainspotting book – Junk Dilemma #63 – and so on.
MB: It was at this stage that we threw away the idea of the group shot and tried to make a combined version of the individual shots to make the main poster using a grid and boxes to contain each character. We introduced the device of a train station departure board (actually inspired by a British airport’s brand identity guidelines from the 70's which used a yellowy orange colour for its cover) and added the caption 'this film is expected to arrive 02:96 – to continue the theme of the departure board. Also on the early visuals we had used the skull and crossbones dangerous chemical warnings symbol.
But we swapped the yellow for a brighter orange background. This move also paid homage to the original book cover. The film company didn’t like the device and we argued that it needed to be kept, as it conveyed an element of danger in the posters – an argument we eventually lost.
After reading this interview, it has made it pretty apparent that a film poster isn't easy to put together. It needs a lot of thought put into it so it fits in with the idea of the film.
A successful poster campaign for its time I feel was Danny Boyle's Trainspotting by Irving Welsh. I've looked into an interview involving the designers of the poster campaign to see their thoughts behind its success.
CR: The posters for Trainspotting were so unusual when they came out especially the campaign around the characters with one poster introducing each one (I realise there were larger posters with all of them on too). What was your inspiration for this? How did the campaign come about?
Rob O’Connor: Irving Welsh's novel, from which the movie had been adapted, was written from the multiple points of view and in the voices of each of the main characters, and we felt it was important to stress the individuality of those personalities. Only Ewan MacGregor and Robert Carlyle were reasonably well known at this time, so it was quite unusual to take this approach. The characters in the story themselves almost seemed more important than the actors playing the roles.
Mark Blamire: I can remember a few years earlier seeing the individual character posters for the film Reservoir Dogs, designed by Mia Matson at Creative Partnership. It was a really impactful poster campaign at the time. I kind of used this as my challenge to do something which had this power to capture your attention. The Mr Orange poster, by the way, isn’t the reason why we chose orange as the main colour, it's just a happy conicidence.
We had been initially given a still by the film distributors, PolyGram, from the film Backbeat, as a kind of visual guide for creating the Trainspotting poster campaign. But we hated the image and wanted to come up with something better. The film company had approved the idea of the individual shots for a character-based teaser campaign but the main image for the final poster was to be a group shot of the actors in a tight huddle. It wasn’t until we tried to get the actors into the group shots that the friction started. It was at this point that we realised that whilst the characters from the story were in a gang, they were by no means friends who could implicitly trust each other or want to be seen in a tight huddle-style group photo all hugging and being chummy in the manner that was initially planned.
The idea didn’t seem to work, so we took the actors feedback on board and still tried to do the group shot, but got them to shout or fight with each other so they were still in a combined group photo, but it was more aggressive and dangerous. It worked a lot better but it still wasn’t perfect.
It was when we moved on to photograph the individual images for the teaser character posters that it all started to really work. The actors on their own in front of the camera really brought the ideas to life. For example, watching Robert Carlyle transmogrify into his Begbie character when the camera started clicking away was quite a thing to behold. When we got back to the studio and sat down with the photoshoot to try to turn it into posters we realised the group shot approach no longer worked.
We were working on the main poster – and struggling – and also the individual character posters, which came together almost instantly, and seemed to be the only solution worthy of presenting to the client. We had also taken a literary device from the Trainspotting book by Irvine Welsh to introduce the numbering system [in the book it originally starts at number 63 which was confusing for the poster so it got changed to #1 though to #5].
RO’C: That’s right, the numbering used throughout the campaign was a nod to the recurring device used by Welsh in the Trainspotting book – Junk Dilemma #63 – and so on.
MB: It was at this stage that we threw away the idea of the group shot and tried to make a combined version of the individual shots to make the main poster using a grid and boxes to contain each character. We introduced the device of a train station departure board (actually inspired by a British airport’s brand identity guidelines from the 70's which used a yellowy orange colour for its cover) and added the caption 'this film is expected to arrive 02:96 – to continue the theme of the departure board. Also on the early visuals we had used the skull and crossbones dangerous chemical warnings symbol.
But we swapped the yellow for a brighter orange background. This move also paid homage to the original book cover. The film company didn’t like the device and we argued that it needed to be kept, as it conveyed an element of danger in the posters – an argument we eventually lost.
After reading this interview, it has made it pretty apparent that a film poster isn't easy to put together. It needs a lot of thought put into it so it fits in with the idea of the film.
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Common conventions of the film poster
The film industry is a huge revenue based business, when you look at the figures earned recently from films such as 'Avatar' you've got to realise that there's a lot riding on these movies, therefore they need a successful marketing campaign.
After doing some research, I have found out several key elements to a good movie poster campaign.
1. It needs to stand out
The poster company needs to grab the audience's attention straight away through their use of posters. This doesn't necessarily have to be through flashy images, a good method of grabbing the audience's attention is by using some of the film's main characters, this doesn't only introduce the audience to the characters, but can give hints to the story's plot line.
The posters for the film 'The Hangover' have captured the stand out method well. None are particularly beautiful, nor are they real iconic designs, but they’re very effective at getting people to look.
The flashy gradient background, head-and-shoulders character pictures (which can improve response rate,) and bright lighting make it difficult not to stare at one of these posters.
2. Showing without telling
The most effective movie posters are iconic, presenting the themes in the film without resorting to flat out saying what it’s about.
They use imagery, whether a close-up of a character or item that’s a major plot point, or a simple graphic, to establish the film’s plot. Combined with an eye-grabbing design, this can be an incredibly effective way to gain attention and create interest at once.
3. Create an incentive to see the film
When using icons and more abstract imagery doesn’t work with your film – say, for example, it’s a serious drama or a thriller that can’t be explained with iconography – using an image that provides viewers with an idea of the story is a great idea.
Many of the best modern film posters use pictures that put the viewer in the middle of a scene from the film, creating tension and a major incentive.
The incentive is that in order to resolve the situation, the person looking at the poster needs to see the film and find out what happens.
4. Create desire amongst fans and non-fans
With film studios cranking out comic book adaptations at a rapid pace, it’s the ‘true fans’ that end up last in the marketing line.
Studios can rely on them to see their new releases regardless of its review coverage or promotional materials, since chances are fairly strong they’re already aware of it. Great film posters, particularly those for adaptations, use this dual appeal to enhance their advertising.
5. A look that's consitent with the film
Some of the most memorable film posters out there have used bold, unique artistic styles to their advantage.
What separates these posters from their ineffective art-for-art’s-sake rivals is that they’re consistent with style, in both the movie’s promotional materials and throughout the film itself.
This 'Watchmen' poster uses a consistent look successfully. Since it uses an instantly recognizable comic book style, it grabs the attention of fans of the book. It’s accurate too, using the same type of stylized imagery as the film itself. This consistency means that it isn’t just a great theater-based marketing tool, but a recognizable image for DVD and other releases.
6. A look that suits other formats
Here’s the danger in getting too ‘arty’ and delicate with your film poster: it’s eventually, after release and theater shows, going to be shrunk to a fraction of its original size for the DVD release.
While a growing number of films now use different designs for their DVD cover than their in-theater promo posters, most of the classics and high-budget blockbusters still use the same poster for both.
This means that your imagery, your titles, and your major points of interest need to be just as visible on a small DVD case as they are on a giant movie poster.
The 'Jurassic Park' poster above really gets this feature, using imagery that’s just as visible and clear when it’s small as when its gargantuan. For your poster to work for the long-term, it needs to have scalable, clear, and lasting design appeal.
7. Recognisability, if there's a sequel, make it obvious
From time to time, the entire box office seems to be made up of sequels.
There’s a good reason for it too – some of the most financially dependable films are sequels to successful franchises.
From films that dominated both the commercial world and the awards scene to purely commercial releases, few films can guarantee studios income like a good sequel.
That’s why sequel posters tend to be highly related to the first release, generally with a giant title in the top third of the canvas and instantly recognizable imagery throughout it.
After doing some research, I have found out several key elements to a good movie poster campaign.
1. It needs to stand out
The poster company needs to grab the audience's attention straight away through their use of posters. This doesn't necessarily have to be through flashy images, a good method of grabbing the audience's attention is by using some of the film's main characters, this doesn't only introduce the audience to the characters, but can give hints to the story's plot line.
The posters for the film 'The Hangover' have captured the stand out method well. None are particularly beautiful, nor are they real iconic designs, but they’re very effective at getting people to look.
The flashy gradient background, head-and-shoulders character pictures (which can improve response rate,) and bright lighting make it difficult not to stare at one of these posters.
2. Showing without telling
The most effective movie posters are iconic, presenting the themes in the film without resorting to flat out saying what it’s about.
They use imagery, whether a close-up of a character or item that’s a major plot point, or a simple graphic, to establish the film’s plot. Combined with an eye-grabbing design, this can be an incredibly effective way to gain attention and create interest at once.
3. Create an incentive to see the film
When using icons and more abstract imagery doesn’t work with your film – say, for example, it’s a serious drama or a thriller that can’t be explained with iconography – using an image that provides viewers with an idea of the story is a great idea.
Many of the best modern film posters use pictures that put the viewer in the middle of a scene from the film, creating tension and a major incentive.
The incentive is that in order to resolve the situation, the person looking at the poster needs to see the film and find out what happens.
4. Create desire amongst fans and non-fans
With film studios cranking out comic book adaptations at a rapid pace, it’s the ‘true fans’ that end up last in the marketing line.
Studios can rely on them to see their new releases regardless of its review coverage or promotional materials, since chances are fairly strong they’re already aware of it. Great film posters, particularly those for adaptations, use this dual appeal to enhance their advertising.
5. A look that's consitent with the film
Some of the most memorable film posters out there have used bold, unique artistic styles to their advantage.
What separates these posters from their ineffective art-for-art’s-sake rivals is that they’re consistent with style, in both the movie’s promotional materials and throughout the film itself.
This 'Watchmen' poster uses a consistent look successfully. Since it uses an instantly recognizable comic book style, it grabs the attention of fans of the book. It’s accurate too, using the same type of stylized imagery as the film itself. This consistency means that it isn’t just a great theater-based marketing tool, but a recognizable image for DVD and other releases.
6. A look that suits other formats
Here’s the danger in getting too ‘arty’ and delicate with your film poster: it’s eventually, after release and theater shows, going to be shrunk to a fraction of its original size for the DVD release.
While a growing number of films now use different designs for their DVD cover than their in-theater promo posters, most of the classics and high-budget blockbusters still use the same poster for both.
This means that your imagery, your titles, and your major points of interest need to be just as visible on a small DVD case as they are on a giant movie poster.
The 'Jurassic Park' poster above really gets this feature, using imagery that’s just as visible and clear when it’s small as when its gargantuan. For your poster to work for the long-term, it needs to have scalable, clear, and lasting design appeal.
7. Recognisability, if there's a sequel, make it obvious
From time to time, the entire box office seems to be made up of sequels.
There’s a good reason for it too – some of the most financially dependable films are sequels to successful franchises.
From films that dominated both the commercial world and the awards scene to purely commercial releases, few films can guarantee studios income like a good sequel.
That’s why sequel posters tend to be highly related to the first release, generally with a giant title in the top third of the canvas and instantly recognizable imagery throughout it.
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Film posters in popular culture
Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. They normally contain an image with text. Today's posters often feature photographs of the main actors. Prior to the 1990s, illustrations instead of photos were far more common. The text on movie posters usually contains the film title in large lettering and often the names of the main actors. It may also include a tag line, the name of the director, names of characters, the release date, etc.
Movie posters are displayed inside and on the outside of movie theaters, and elsewhere on the street or in shops. The same images appear in the film exhibitor's pressbook and may also be used on websites, DVD packaging, flyers, advertisements in newspapers and magazines.
Movie posters have been used since the earliest public exhibitions of film. They began as outside placards listing the programme of (short) films to be shown inside the hall or movie theater. By the early 1900s, they began to feature illustrations of a scene from each individual film or an array of overlaid images from several scenes. Other movie posters have used artistic interpretations of a scene or even the theme of the film, represented in a wide variety of artistic styles.
The collecting of movie memorabilia began with such things as scrap-books, autographs, photographs, and industry magazines, but quickly expanded in the post-World War II era. Collectors began seeking out original advertising material, and the classic "one sheet" movie poster became the pinnacle object to own for any given film. Other material, such as lobby cards, other-sized posters, international posters, personality posters, and glass slides also began to become highly sought after. Today, the field of movie memorabilia collecting has grown into an internationally recognised community of increasingly serious and financially secure collectors, making it one of the fastest areas of speculation for investment
Movie posters are displayed inside and on the outside of movie theaters, and elsewhere on the street or in shops. The same images appear in the film exhibitor's pressbook and may also be used on websites, DVD packaging, flyers, advertisements in newspapers and magazines.
Movie posters have been used since the earliest public exhibitions of film. They began as outside placards listing the programme of (short) films to be shown inside the hall or movie theater. By the early 1900s, they began to feature illustrations of a scene from each individual film or an array of overlaid images from several scenes. Other movie posters have used artistic interpretations of a scene or even the theme of the film, represented in a wide variety of artistic styles.
The collecting of movie memorabilia began with such things as scrap-books, autographs, photographs, and industry magazines, but quickly expanded in the post-World War II era. Collectors began seeking out original advertising material, and the classic "one sheet" movie poster became the pinnacle object to own for any given film. Other material, such as lobby cards, other-sized posters, international posters, personality posters, and glass slides also began to become highly sought after. Today, the field of movie memorabilia collecting has grown into an internationally recognised community of increasingly serious and financially secure collectors, making it one of the fastest areas of speculation for investment
Character Profile
Main character:
Name:FREDDIE TURNER
Age: 19
Occupation: Student, studying SPORT at the UEA
Background: Lives with his mum, EMILY, parents divorced 5 years ago just after his six year old brother was born, JASON. Jason often spends weekends with his dad, but Freddie doesn't visit his dad, CHRIS, anymore as they fell out during the divorce and haven't been aimiable since. He lives in a comfortable sized house with a lot of the latest technology as his mum is very hard working as a NURSE at the local hospital. Freddie is very into his sport and often goes out on lads nights out with his football team. He plays football, rugby, cricket and rows. Freddie is a ladies man and so often spends most of his money on nights out and the clothes so as to impress. He is not in a relationship as he doesn't want to feel tied down to one person at the tender age of 19.
Name:FREDDIE TURNER
Age: 19
Occupation: Student, studying SPORT at the UEA
Background: Lives with his mum, EMILY, parents divorced 5 years ago just after his six year old brother was born, JASON. Jason often spends weekends with his dad, but Freddie doesn't visit his dad, CHRIS, anymore as they fell out during the divorce and haven't been aimiable since. He lives in a comfortable sized house with a lot of the latest technology as his mum is very hard working as a NURSE at the local hospital. Freddie is very into his sport and often goes out on lads nights out with his football team. He plays football, rugby, cricket and rows. Freddie is a ladies man and so often spends most of his money on nights out and the clothes so as to impress. He is not in a relationship as he doesn't want to feel tied down to one person at the tender age of 19.
Use of sound
In films, short and feature length, sound is a crucial factor, it's what sets the tone for the piece and creates tension and feelings. Often in big budge movies directors work directly with composers to produce music & sound design that integrates perfectly with the imagery on the screen. With big productions, composers and orchestras can often ask for a seven figue salary to capture the mood of piece perfectly, this though is extremely different to how short films chose their sound. With short films the director will need to think of all kinds of creative ideas to get the music they want.
Stian Hafstad is a young Norwegian filmmaker. As a student he directed the much acclaimed award winning shorts, ‘Nemesis’ (2008) and ‘Liten Penis’ (2009).
"Getting the music right is everything. The right soundtrack can make or break your film. I have no idea how many hours I've spent in recent years listening through music samples. But it's all worth it. The feeling you get when the music works with your scene is just amazing."
So how does a student filmmaker go about choosing music for a scene?
"9 out of 10 times I have a clear idea beforehand what kind of music I want. I usually hear music inside my head when I read/write a script so I go out searching for something similar. However there are of course limitations, especially when you have a close to nothing budget. This doesn't mean you can't get good music, it just means you have to spend a lot of time searching."
Furthermore, the use of sound doesn't just cover the soundtrack used, it also covers diagetic sounds and speech. Speech is crucial in my short film, after having my teacher read through my intial first draft of my script, it had made me realise that there is too much dialogue and that a lot of what I'mn trying to portray through the characters can be put across by facial expression and body language. Therefore speech is an important factor in short films as having too much in such a short space of time can make the piece appear rushed and too full. Diagetic sound is also very important in my piece as I am aiming to make it seem as realistic as possible, this means that it all has to sound very real as if it is just happening at the point of filming. So I have to make sure that all the sounds in my piece are picked up upon, especially at the very end with the dropping of the penny by the stranger. Other factors in diagetic sounds I need to focus on include the noises around the house and the shop, i feel that because my main character is supposed to be acting in a fragile state, all the small noises about the house and outside should be loud and overplayed such as the tweeting of the birds.
Stian Hafstad is a young Norwegian filmmaker. As a student he directed the much acclaimed award winning shorts, ‘Nemesis’ (2008) and ‘Liten Penis’ (2009).
"Getting the music right is everything. The right soundtrack can make or break your film. I have no idea how many hours I've spent in recent years listening through music samples. But it's all worth it. The feeling you get when the music works with your scene is just amazing."
So how does a student filmmaker go about choosing music for a scene?
"9 out of 10 times I have a clear idea beforehand what kind of music I want. I usually hear music inside my head when I read/write a script so I go out searching for something similar. However there are of course limitations, especially when you have a close to nothing budget. This doesn't mean you can't get good music, it just means you have to spend a lot of time searching."
Furthermore, the use of sound doesn't just cover the soundtrack used, it also covers diagetic sounds and speech. Speech is crucial in my short film, after having my teacher read through my intial first draft of my script, it had made me realise that there is too much dialogue and that a lot of what I'mn trying to portray through the characters can be put across by facial expression and body language. Therefore speech is an important factor in short films as having too much in such a short space of time can make the piece appear rushed and too full. Diagetic sound is also very important in my piece as I am aiming to make it seem as realistic as possible, this means that it all has to sound very real as if it is just happening at the point of filming. So I have to make sure that all the sounds in my piece are picked up upon, especially at the very end with the dropping of the penny by the stranger. Other factors in diagetic sounds I need to focus on include the noises around the house and the shop, i feel that because my main character is supposed to be acting in a fragile state, all the small noises about the house and outside should be loud and overplayed such as the tweeting of the birds.
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
'Loose Change'
First draft of my script for my short film.
“LOOSE CHANGE”
FADE IN:
INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY
Teenage boy is lying face down on a sofa with his mouth wide open and a bucket in front of him. A radio can be heard from another room of the house. Boy starts groaning and moving about. His eyes begin to open then he covers his eyes quickly due to the light shining in through the curtain.
BOY
Ugggghhhh, who left the curtains
Open?
Footsteps can be heard coming from another room…
MOTHER
Oh, so you’re up now. You look
dreadful, what time did you get
in last night?
BOY
I don’t even know. I want to
die. I am never drinking again.
MOTHER
It’s all self inflicted, I have
no sympathy for you.
BOY
Groans
MOTHER
Anyway, some of us have to work
this weekend. Your brother’s at
dad’s and he’ll be back this
(MORE)
MOTHER (CONT’D)
afternoon. Try not to die.
I’ll see you later.
BOY
Mmm’kay, I’ll be here when you
get back.
LATER
Boy is asleep again and suddenly jolts up and runs out of the room. Throwing up noises can be heard.
BOY (O.S)
I hate my life.
Sounds of toilet flushing.
INT. HALLWAY – DAY
Follows boy walking through hall holding on to walls for support. Staggers in to kitchen seen through door way.
INT. KITCHEN – DAY
Boy stands in the kitchen looking around swaying slightly. Begins to make his way towards a cupboard by the sink. Opens it up and starts rummaging round. Pulls his arm back empty handed.
BOY
Why is there never any bloody
coffee. This place is ridiculous.
Walks away from the cupboard across the room and towards the fridge. Opens fridge and it is practically empty. Only items in fridge are butter, milk, jam and what appears to be something growing in a jar that the boy pulls out, smells and gags…
BOY
No food either, this takes the piss.
Boy then walks to the side and picks up a phone. Ferociously dials and number and holds the phone up to his ear.
MOTHER (V.O)
Hello sweetie, made it off the sofa then?
BOY
Yeah, mum, why’s there no food or
coffee in the house? I’m starving
and all there is is butter and milk.
MOTHER (V.O)
Oh, sorry dear, I’m heading shopping
after work I’ll pick up some stuff then.
BOY
That’s hours away, my stomach is
eating itself.
MOTHER (V.O)
Well there’s not much that I can do
right now, surely you’ve got some money,
pop down to the shop and get some bacon
and bread if you need to.
BOY
I spent all my money last night,
I only have loose change.
MOTHER (V.O)
I don’t know what else to say,
there’ll be some somewhere. I’ve got to
get back to work , I’ll see you later.
BOY
Brilliant. See you later.
Boy slams phone in to charger and storms upstairs.
INT. BEDROOM – DAY
Boy walks in to room and moves to dresser. Picks up loose change on top and starts to count it out. He moves around the room hunting for change. Jumps across his bed and pulls out some coins from the side of the mattress. He opens a rucksack from the foot of his bed and pulls out old sweet wrappers and the occasional coin. Puts all the change on the side of the dresser. Walks towards the bedroom door.
INT. HALLWAY – DAY
Boy walks out of bedroom door and starts pacing around the hall debating what room to walk in. Goes into a door at the end of the hall.
INT. MASTER BEDROOM – DAY
Boy is inside his mum’s bedroom and begins opening drawers and tipping them out rummaging around her stuff looking for change. Yet again finds the occasional coin but nothing substantial.
INT. HALLWAY – DAY
Walks back down hall into a room next to his own.
INT. CHILD’S BEDROOM – DAY
Boy has stepped inside a young boy’s bedroom filled with toys. Starts looking about the floor finding the odd penny. Suddenly his eyes lock on to a piggy bank. Slowly starts walking towards the piggy bank. He picks it up and shakes it, hearing that it is fairly full he walks away with it.
INT. BEDROOM – DAY
Boy has returned into his room with his brother’s piggy bank, he gives it a look and then smashes it down on to his dresser. The piggy bank breaks and reveals a mass of copper coins and the odd silver. The boy yet again starts to count the money.
BOY
£3.50, that’s not going to get me bread,
bacon and coffee.
INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY
Boy is sitting on the floor of the living room surrounded by sofa cushions with a handful of change in his hand. Gets up to leave the room.
INT. KITCHEN – DAY
All the drawers are open and the whole pile of change is on the side, the boy is yet again counting it out. Next to the pile of money is a poorly sellotaped piggy bank with a piece of paper sticking out the top.
BOY
£5.22, that’ll do it!
EXT. STREET – DAY
Boy is walking down the road with sunglasses covering his face and one hand trying to block the sunlight. He eventually walks to the outside of a local shop.
INT. SHOP – DAY
Boy walks through the shop to where the bread is, he picks up a loaf priced 99p. Walks down another aisle to the coffee priced £2.25, he then goes to the bacon and picks it up with the price labelled £1.99. He begins to walk to the til and stands waiting to be served. He is eventually next in line and places his stuff on the side. The woman behind the till starts scanning his items.
SHOP WORKER
That’ll be £5.23 please
BOY
NO! You’re kidding, I only have
£5.22 to my name!
SHOP WORKER
Oh, well you’re going to have
to put something back I’m afraid.
BOY
PLEASE, please can you let me off 1
penny, I will come in and pay it back
tomorrow, I promise.
SHOP WORKER
That’s not how it works I’m afraid,
we don’t do I.O.Us.
BOY
IT’S 1 PENNY! THAT’S NOTHING, HAVE
SOME HEART AND LET ME OFF!
SHOP WORKER
We don’t tolerate abuse towards staff
in this shop, I’m going to have to
ask you to leave the premises.
BOY
NO! I’VE NOT GOT THIS FAR TO JUST
GIVE IN, I BEG YOU, LET ME OFF THE PENNY!
Boy is sitting on curb outside shop with his head in his hands. He is quietly weeping to himself. Someone walks out of the shop with their hand in their pocket. Their phone begins to ring and as they pull it out of their pocket a penny drops to the floor in front of the boy. He just stares at this penny on the floor, mouth open wide.
FADE TO BLACK.
Does a bad review ruin a films chances?
Traditionally, film reviews have been seen as a way to assess the artistic merit and public appeal of a movie. Filmgoers use reviews to help them determine whether to view a particular film. As the number of film fans following the advice of reviewers grew, film companies saw profits diminish across a broader number of films. In order to counter this development, film studios increased marketing budgets and avenues of marketing to create more interest in a movie prior to the opening.
In recent times, the impact reviews have on a film's box office performance and DVD rentals/sales have become a matter for debate. There are those who think modern movie marketing, using pop culture convention appearances and social media along with traditional means of advertising, have become so invasive and well financed that established reviewers with legitimate criticism cannot be heard over the din of popular support. Moreover, this has led, in part, to a decline in the readership of many reviewers for newspapers and other print publications. The vast majority of film critics on television and radio have all but disappeared over the last thirty years, as well. It can be observed that most of the discussion of film on television is focused on the amount of box office business a film does, as if financial success were the only criterion needed to define artistic success. Today arts criticism in general does not hold the same place it once held with the general public.
Conversely, it's been claimed positive film reviews have been known to spark interest in little-known films. For example, independent films with smaller marketing budgets, such as The Hurt Locker, are promoted more widely thanks to the positive reviews they received
I know personally for myself that if someone tells me a film is bad, I still want to make my own judgement and not just rely on someone else's opinion. Obviously there are still going to be people who read a review and then refuse to pay cinema prices to see it, but often they will eventually see the film by watching it with a friend on dvd. Some films can receive really bad reviews but still break box office charts merely by the name behind them. For example 'The Hangover Part 2' receieved relatively low ratings on film sites such as 'Rotten Tomatoes' but still managed to become the highest-grossing worldwide opening of a comedy film. This is mainly due to the franchise of The Hangover and people enjoying the first one so much that they wanted to watch the sequel even if it wasn't as good as the first.
In recent times, the impact reviews have on a film's box office performance and DVD rentals/sales have become a matter for debate. There are those who think modern movie marketing, using pop culture convention appearances and social media along with traditional means of advertising, have become so invasive and well financed that established reviewers with legitimate criticism cannot be heard over the din of popular support. Moreover, this has led, in part, to a decline in the readership of many reviewers for newspapers and other print publications. The vast majority of film critics on television and radio have all but disappeared over the last thirty years, as well. It can be observed that most of the discussion of film on television is focused on the amount of box office business a film does, as if financial success were the only criterion needed to define artistic success. Today arts criticism in general does not hold the same place it once held with the general public.
Conversely, it's been claimed positive film reviews have been known to spark interest in little-known films. For example, independent films with smaller marketing budgets, such as The Hurt Locker, are promoted more widely thanks to the positive reviews they received
I know personally for myself that if someone tells me a film is bad, I still want to make my own judgement and not just rely on someone else's opinion. Obviously there are still going to be people who read a review and then refuse to pay cinema prices to see it, but often they will eventually see the film by watching it with a friend on dvd. Some films can receive really bad reviews but still break box office charts merely by the name behind them. For example 'The Hangover Part 2' receieved relatively low ratings on film sites such as 'Rotten Tomatoes' but still managed to become the highest-grossing worldwide opening of a comedy film. This is mainly due to the franchise of The Hangover and people enjoying the first one so much that they wanted to watch the sequel even if it wasn't as good as the first.
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