Poster Design 2 - Caroline

After reading my supervisor's comments I decided to make some changes to my poster design. These changes included making the reviews smaller, to give more room for the title and tagline. Also the canted nature of the title has changed, as I have split the two words 'sleep' and 'tight', so they form the title on two lines of the poster at the top right; though it is still canted the two words are canted to different angles which shows the antithesis between the two ideas in our film (sleep and tight).
I think this looks betters as it has more emphasis on the tagline, and the reviews hold their own in the right bottom corner and look more professional smaller. I chose not to change the size of the stars as I feel they needed to be bigger in order to draw the eye towards that corner.

Editing Decisions - Caroline

Whilst editing, we made the decision to use black and white effects on the footage during the dream sequences to show a definition between dream and reality, but also the merging of the two in the character's mind. I think this decision worked well because the divide became clear and it was simpler for audience interpretation and the narrative structure of the film. The contrast of black and white and colour scenes shows a clear difference between dreams and reality, but also through the black and white at the end of the sequence it adds to the audience confusion as to whether the last dream is in fact a dream or real. These are the effects we used in these scenes using photoshop:

As well as the saturation of the film, blurring became important in showing the disjointed nature of not just the character's mental state, but also the presence of the dream; the first dream in particular, because it is actually a dream, uses the blur effect importantly to show the confused nature of the man.

Cross dissolve also plays a huge part in the editing process of our film, mainly to show the difference between time frames but also for effect. My favourite shot which uses cross dissolve is when the man has been trying to comprehend the images and urges he is experiencing, and the sequence is ended by a cross dissolve into the sunset which shows time moving on:

Sound Planning - Caroline

In order to find a good soundtrack for our piece we chose to go online to some royalty free music sites to find something that would fit our piece better than the pieces we could find on Garageband.


Firstly I went on http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/, just for inspiration as you have to pay for this music. On this website I found a whole category of 'horror and suspense' soundtracks.

The site was good for planning what kind of sound we wanted, but wasn't good enough as we could not afford to pay for the track. So, we then tried another site that you can download soundtracks from free of charge: http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/.

The site was simple as we could browse by genre :

Or by feel :

We chose to search for 'horror' in the genre category and came across a track called 'Gathering Darkness'.

 We liked this but we felt it was a little too stereotypical and intense for our piece consistantly as we wanted something with variation.



However, we then found this piece which we thought fitted our film perfectly, with it's contrasting rhythms and differing tempos. This matched the storyline's confusing nature, and the unpredictablity that not only the male but the female character is exposed to.

Poster Design 1 - Caroline

This is the final poster design for our short film, which I feel has worked out well. The image that we chose as the background image is a poignant and key moment in the film and not only does this attract audience interest but it also sets the genre as a thriller. The respresentation of genre is also clear through the font choice, as it is of differing sizes and justifications and so an unpredictable tone is set in the layout connecting this with he unpredictable nature of the storyline. The woman seen in the image sets the tone towards stereotypes, as she is very much a stereotypical victim of the thriller genre with her blonde hair, pretty face and submissive nature to the man in the shot. The tagline also secures a sense of the genre by referring to the mind as "disturbed" and the pillow as "restless" giving an indication towards the plot, and the connection the film has with dreams and their nature.The logo worked well at the bottom left corner of the screen, alongside the iconic DOLBY icon. This along with the text credits at the centre bottom give the poster a professional finish.

The colour scheme was simple in that we chose white to counterbalance the dark background, but also to signify the contrast of good and evil within the film's plot. The confusion created by the character's state of mind, also conveys a sense of confusion in connection with the question of good and evil, which is shown through the poster's colour scheme. The red was also chosen to indicate genre as it has severe connotations of danger, violence but also of love, and in many ways our film addresses a question of what happens when love and insanity are thrown together - again, the poster shows these elements of the storyline. In connection with this, it was felt that the two different shades of red worked better than employing an overall bright shade (as seen for the release date)  as it differentiated between different classifications of information. The key information, that will initially attract the audience is in bright red aka the release date, the four stars by Time Out Magazine and the key words in the tagline ("disturbed" and "restless").

The secondary information, that would not have immediate impact anyway is in a lighter more subtle shade to counterbalance the intensity of the other text, eg the actors names; it is still key information, just would be second to attract the audience's attention.

Logo - Caroline

In designing the poster, I wanted to design a logo to accompany the poster, and stamp our production company name 'Spyerman Production' on the lower left corner. I had some options, and I did some research into how to make a logo successful in attracting an audience and easy to male on PS (photoshop). I found some results on Youtube;

After watching this video and having a play around with different designs on Photoshop, I decided to go with a simple abbreviation of the 'S' and the 'M' in our production company's name. With this abbreviated, 'S & M Productions seemed simple enough to construct a logo for. Two different designs of this is what I eventually could choose from and this is what I came up with:


The first is this, and this is an example of a simpler and more image focused design, I found the simplicity a little much, and so eventually did not choose this logo, but as a design it helped me to discover than what I really needed was not to use the white in such a strong way. I also discovered that the impact of the white background of the logo I eventually chose was more effective - though I never imagned this - as it sepereated it in full from the other elements of the poster that were also in white. However this logo was effective in clearly and obviously showing the abbreviation of our production company, and in turn attracting an audience and publicity.

It is difficult  to see on the white background but this logo is of the image in white of an S and an M together on the background of a black star. It is hard to see her as on the poster I plan on using the image taken from a key scene in our film where the lighting is hard and low key, so the effect is dark in every aspect but on the main character's face, therefore the white will show up intensely well.

Eventually I decided upon taking the second design which was this:

This is a more heavily based text design and I feel that this worked better overall due to the white background as mentioned above and the simplicity, and clarity that it conveys. I also thought it looked a great deal more professional to have text rather than image overall. In connection with other other logos around it I also felt that it would blend better and suit the poster and in turn film better on the whole. Also in comparison to other film production company logos, I felt that the text was important. The image below are other film production company logos that I drew inspiration from, and the reason I chose to use the text based logo.

First Draft of Review - Caroline

Review of ‘Sleep Tight’ in the style of ‘Little White Lies’.

Loaded with Hitchcockian mystery and bubbling with a sense of dread, ‘Sleep Tight’ very nearly claims its title as a psychological thriller – but not quite. Though brimming with atmosphere, it is far from subtle; a key piece in the jigsaw of the genre, yet a style we have become accustomed to expecting from this directing duo (Caroline Kinderman and Fred Spyer). However lacking and predictable the film is, there are elements in the narrative that draw an audience in, and overall it is entertaining, especially poignant after the much-admired American filmmaker Martin Scorsese has been quoted as saying that this film poses as “a credit to British cinema”.

The plot centres around a couple named Jack and Lucy Lowe played by the world renowned Tiffany Thompson who in many ways is under represented for her acting ability in her role, and overshadowed by director turned thes Fred Syper. Set in 2010 in the very everyday environment of a modern house, the film focuses upon the mental state of Jack Lowe, and in particular his erratic dreams which turn tragically realistic as his mind is warped to new depths of insanity. The house’s simplicity is only a counterbalance to the desperately unpredictable nature of the main character, and this is a strength of the film’s structure.  

Jack Lowe is getting ready for bed by cleaning his teeth; this image becomes an important motif throughout the film which does work to contrast the intensity and abnormality of the scenes that follow after dreams have taken over. His classically blonde and unarguably stereotyped wife (played by Tiffany Thompson) is the image of vulnerability against the insanity that ensues and predictably the victim of the piece.  Through the stereotype though we do see a character that is well presented and contributes with the tension induced by the storyline. This first instance of dreaming is short and sweet, which works as an indication of the characters mental state. Jack Lowe then proceeds to realise that the images he was seeing were a dream and goes about a day of crazed behaviour as he tries to comprehend the images he has seen and the urges he is feeling. One particular moment that shows this effectively is his compulsion towards a knife as he is cutting up sandwiches; again the contrast of an everyday task with the abnormal compulsion h is experiencing is an effective technique employed by the directors, and is a highlight of the films structure. This said, the whole sequence is slightly contrived.

His confused state of mind confirmed, Jack Lowe then proceeds to get ready for bed again with wife Lucy, adding to the established motif as she is now taking part also. This is followed by another dream-like scenario very similar to the previous one but with gravitating detail, which gives the impression of a more realistic situation. The imagery is not gratuitous, and unlike the film as a whole does use subtle shots to show the death of Lucy. Of course, when Jack awakens he discovers Lucy dead in the bath as his ‘dream’ was in fact not a dream and this second experience was real – he has acted upon his compulsions. The use of the body being in the bath is effective in completing the motif created through brushing the teeth and getting ready for bed, but the conclusion does appear predictable and rather manufactured.

However, the film is intense, and does create the desired tension that a psychological thriller needs, it just doesn’t hit every note precisely – but then again, what films do? 

Final Short Film

First Draft poster - FRED

hiya fred  i said i would upload this for you but it said the image size was too big and wouldnt upload sorry :( amy

Second Draft - Caroline

This is the second draft of the my film poster. The colours and fonts are not how they will be in the final piece but this draft is mainly to show the positioning and text that I plan on using.

First Draft of Poster - Caroline

This idea is just to show the layout of the poster without detail into the specifics. I chose to have the title where is it as I feel that in conjunction with the image it frames the woman well, and gives an indication as to the nature of the film,  and her significance within it. It will be in a large and looming font, which corresponds to the looming nature of the shadow of the knife over her already. These two elements of the poster will merge to form the effect of connotating the many shadows and evils that loom over her, and eventually take her life. The significance of the title also being over the girl, and in turn the image is that it is ironic; the title 'Sleep Well', over the image of the knife being held above her head is almost ironically funny as of course she isn't going to sleep well, she's being murdered, showing the sinister nature of the film's storyline. That said, it is not intended that the poster is funny, but the impact of the title over the image does have an ironic and powerful effect.

The reasoning behind the reviews and star ratings along the left handside is that their placement here links them closely to the title which will rest above them. Thus, the reviews will be clearly associated with the film. The location of the actors names and dicrector's names are key to the presentation of the poster and so their location is vital also. In this design their layout as opposite the reviews, seperated by the image is effective in showing the film's information whils at the same time highlighting this key scene in the film.

Film Posters - FRED

Brighton Rock

Narrative

• This is the official poster for Brighton Rock, a film set in Brighton a city in the south of England, this is clearly shown through the use of the Brighton pier shown here in the background of the poster, this is a iconic symbol of Brighton as its a huge tourist attraction along with the burnt down west pier.
• This automatically lets the reviewer of the poster know that the film is set and based in Brighton which is further enhanced through the title of the film.
• From the poster we can analyse the characters are full grown adults, who are smartly dressed from this it seems that the film will be of a serious nature, this is further portrayed through the three characters facial expressions, who are seen as straight faced with serious concern and even a sense of fear.
• The choice of clothing also gives a sense that the film is set in a past era, probably mid/late 20th century, as long thin coats with a collar were popular, especially in business, giving an indication that the characters are of a higher class with strong respected jobs.
• The use of background is effective in this poster as the sky contrasts with one side being more light and hopeful whilst the other slowly dominates being dark and sinister, this could indicate that the film starts off being joyful with a sense of ordinary life, which is later disrupted by a dark act.

Representation

• From the poster we get an indication that the male is dominant over the women within the narrative, this shown through his centre positioning and how he is positioned further forward then the two other characters.
• We are also given an impression that the male is the aggressor in the narrative, this is indicated by his facial expression which is tensed and sinister, this is further enhanced through the shadowing of his face giving off a dark evil interpretation of the character and his clothing which is also dark in comparison to the women.
• The women on the right seems to be portrayed as the character of lessor importance, this shown by how she is positioned further back, this could be an indication that she is a victim within the film.
• Also her clothing matches the lighter half of the sky, showing that she could be innocent in the film or that she is less dominant in the film. Also her face is turned towards the lady in red, this could be interpreted in several ways:

1.  Firstly, she could be seeking the help of the lady in red, supporting the thought that she is a victim.
2. Secondly, she could have a hatred of the lady in red for getting her involved in the happenings of the story.
3. Thirdly, she could be inspired by the lady in red, wishing she had similar characteristics to her.

• The lady in red is perceived to be a strong, dominant character. This is firstly shown through her facial expression which seems at ease as if she is in control, this gives indications that she is the "hero" of the story.
• This is also shown through her clothing with red being a dominant colour, giving reference to either blood and death, or an indication of love.
• The lady in red seems to give off a confident vibe, something that wouldn't seem normal in this era where women were seen as lessor to men.

Genre

• The genre of the film seems fairly clear through analysis of the poster, the poster is dark and gloomy, giving a sense of a thriller.
• This sense of it being a thriller is further enhanced by the males facial expression and the seriousness of the characters faces.
• Also the pier gives off a kind of spooky effect as if there is hidden evil hovering above it, and with "Thrilling" written across the top of the poster there are several indications that the genre of the film is a thriller.

Target Audience 

This poster would attract several types of audiences:

• Firstly, the lady in the red dress is of a slightly elderly age, this could attract other elderly viewers, who could relate to her style of acting.
• Another audience would be the fans of the novel who would be eager to watch their beloved novel become recreated in motion pictures, however this can make it hard for the film creators who would have to live up to the novels popularity.
• Also any audience that enjoys crime dramas would watch this film especially if there fans of more historical films as the film is set back in the past  
• Lastly, an audience interested in Brighton would be keen to watch this film as it holds significance to the city.

Fish Tank

Narrative

• This is the official poster for Fish Tank, a British film aiming to represent the struggle youths have in forming a decent future when growing up in a city estate.
• The expression shown on the females face, shows that she is a serious character who holds a lot of worry and depression.
• The use of tall city buildings in the background give the viewer reference that she is just one girl in a big city, which can promote loneliness or interdependency.
• As the female character is alone in the film poster it shows the viewer that the film is likely to be based on her life.

Representation

• The use of clothing on the female is relevant, as she is wearing very non-feminine clothing, which tells the viewer that she is not a stereotypical representation of women her age who would be a lot more dolled up, instead she wears more boyish clothes, showing the audience that she is more rough and strong willed then usual young women.
• The use of make up on the female in the poster is effective as shes shown as having pale skin with dark eyes, this can be the creators showing the audience that she can't afford to make her self look pretty, the use of darker eyes could be to show that she has a lack of sleep which could be cause by by stress and worry, something the character most probably endures throughout the film.
• Because the film is called Fish Tank, it could be referring to the idea that you are trapped where you are and that life cannot expand from the place you are at (like a fish being confined to its fish tank) and that you cannot leave, not because you don't want to, but because you have no other choice.  

Genre

• The genre of this film could be interpreted in different ways, firstly it could be promoting social realisation to the conditions people face in poor lower class areas.
• Therefor it would be an informative film.
• Secondly, the film could be seen as a sort of documentary, showing the life of people growing up in lower class areas.
• The film could also be referring to youth crime and how, youths growing up in run down poor areas, are more likely to commit crimes as they grow up as way of obtaining objects of desire or to gain social respect amongst friends as they have already lost hope of creating a successful future for themselves.

Target Audience

• This film could firstly be targeting youths of today as they can relate to what is being represented about life choices.
• It can also be targeting those who are also struggling with life decisions, showing them that there is always someone worst off and that everyone must make best of what they got.
• The film could be targeting successful upper class adults to show them the lives many have to live, this could arouse social debate amongst people highlighting that something must be done about the matter.
• Lastly the film would attract left wing minded people who believe in equality and fairness for all, as this film shows that this is not the case for many and that their is a huge social divide between the rich and the poor.

Film Posters - Caroline

'Se7en'

This is the official film poster for the thriller film 'Se7en'. It follows a series of conventions such as the labelling of the two main actors in the film on the top line of the poster in large bold lettering. The colour of this text is also important as it reflects the colour of the lighting on the characters faces in the image and so if we hadn't already we connect the image and the text.

The mise en scene of the poster is ellusive in that the two main characters depicted are shown in the same yellowy light, significant in that they from a team in the film. It portrays them as equal and the dark background emphasies their faces as the lighting is solely on them. The dark lighting in the background indicates the dark nature of the film, and reflects the genre.

The poster also has a tagline of "Seven deadly sins. Seven ways to die". Interestingly this is positioned above the title which may be so that you read the tagline before you read the title and so you realise the relevance of the title. The title is also interesting as it is in red (a colour that is in no other place on the poster) and so it stands out as different and in contrast to the image and other text which are all in white or a light brown. The title is also significantly smaller than the names of the actors at the top which may indicate that the producers feel that the actors in the film are more important than the name of the film itself. The title text is stylised, and looks scratchy and uneven unlike the bold clear text elsewhere on the poster which could represent the two differing portrayals in the film of an organised policeman and a crazed murderer; this reflects the genre of psychological thriller.

The seven deadly sins are listed down the middle of the poster in the bold clear text and in white. This is important as the same text and colour is used for the tagline that explains the significance of this list. The audience link the two pieces of text which reflect that genre and contrast the title.

The review is also in the same font and colour but is slightly larger showing that it is relevant to the film but that the producer wants this to catch the audience's eye and persuade them to watch the film.

There are no references to other films on the poster, and no cultural references (except the knowledge of the seven deadly sins). There also is not an age certification but this is probably just becuase it had not been awarded at the time that the film poster was produced. Again, there is no reference to a website but as the film was produced in 1995 maybe websites had less of an impact then, in contrast to their uses today.

The credits are in white, to conform with the other text and also to make the red title stand out to a greater degree. I think it is less that the credits can be connected with the other text and more than the title stands out in red. They are placed at the bottom of the poster and so don't stand out a huge degree, but they don't need to as they are not information that will persuade an audience to watch the film.

In terms of the five areas of representation the 'Se7en' film poster displays the genre, audience, narrative concept and information about the characters immediately and effectively. The genre of the film is a psychological thriller, (the same as ours) and this is shown through the dark lit bakground, the hard lighting on the character's faces and the scratchy fonts. The effect of the lighting is that it gives a tone of danger to the poster and in turn the film. The font connotes danger also, as it looks rushed, and not the work of a normal person. The reference to death on the poster through the tagline "Seven deadly sins. Seven ways to die" initially connotes the genre, as the audience are made instantly aware that this is not a romcom or comedy. The words "gut wrenching thriller" also show us the genre, if we were in any doubt.

Target audience is clear through the focus on the two central protagonists (Pitt and Freeman) pictured in close up on the poster. It suggests that if you like these two actors then you will be interested in this film. The clear portrayal of the genre also as a thriller shows the target audience as the classic audience for thrillers will be interested in this film.

'Brighton Rock'

Brighton Rock is a film set in Brighton, which is instantly recognisable from the poster, and the images used. The background image of the pier is an iconic image, which is effective in not only setting the film but also in attracting an audience who is interested in Brighton and or iconic landmarks. The stormy skies in the background shows the genre of the film, (crime drama) as it shows that there are concepts of bad or evil involved in the film's plot. This is also makes the lights of the pier stand out to a greater extent , and so the location becomes more prominent. 

The foreground image of the characters is revealing also; the age gap in the characters shows that there is an older audience being targetted, through the portrayal of the older woman on the left. The man in the centre represents the ominous nature already shown by the background image, through th hard lighting on his face and the dark colours he is wearing. The trench coat also has connotations of bad characters. The woman on the right is much younger, and through her costume more than the others we can infer that the film is set in the 1960's. This initially targets another audience (people interested in historical film). She is shown also to be very seductive due to her bright red lips, and this not only another signifer of the 60s but an indication as to the nature of the film.

I feel that the image of the two women on this poster shows that the women in the film are not going to be portrayed as submissive or innocent. The fact that it is based on a novel also opens up another audience, in the form of people who have read the novel and would now be interested in watching the film.

As mentioned before, the background shows the genre of the film as a crime drama. This is also evident through the costume of the man in the foreground, as he looks mysterious and ominous and could either represent the fight against bad or bad itself.

In more detail, the representation of the women is interesting. The costume is important in showing the era, and the difference between the two costumes shows an age gap. The younger woman's coat is undone showing a more promiscuous, relaxed nature than that of the older woman whose coat is done up to the top. This means that the older woman blends into the background more, showing maybe that the younger woman takes importance in the film. Neither woman are facing the camera whereas the man is looking straight into the camera which could reveal a respect for the man, who due to his prominance in the image appears to be in charge. There is a difference shown in the facial expressions of the two women and their reactions to the man. The younger woman does not look scared or in need of the man's company. Facially, she looks independant and not passive. However, the older woman looks quite scared and as if she is looking to the man for protection, not as an equal as the younger woman is. She doesnt look fragile or weak as her body language is strong and not submissive yet she doesn't look as independant or relaxed as the younger woman. This shows the age gap again, and also a different reprsentation of women that may occur in the film.

The media language in the poster also shows the audience and genre of the film. The lighting is hard, which shows th dark nature of the film and this reflects the genre. This also targets an audience as it will target an audience who like crime drama such as this poster shows. All the text is also aligned on the left which reveals the importance of the chracters as they have the whole right side of the poster for their representation. Finally the medium shot of the charcters is effective as they are all shown in equal proportion to each other, showing an equality between them, yet the man is infront of the women, a clear theme of 1960s Britain as women began to want freedom.