Evolution of poster designs and FINAL POSTER! - Callum Horncastle

So, after being assigned to create some drafts for posters, I've put my four drafts together for comparison, along with my final draft to be my main poster.

{Poster Version 1.0}

This was my first poster, which included a basic layout of a case file with the film title written over it.
The merged face of the main character and the antagonist was relatively well done.
However, overall I think this draft looked very unprofessional and very sloppy; I didn't like the layout at all and I quickly scrapped it for my next version.
                                                                                                                                                

{Poster Version 2.0}

I put a lot more work into my second poster, and was very pleased with the results, rather than merge the protagonist and antagonist together, I placed them apart with half of their faces submerged in darkness, which added massively to the effect.
I soon found that the landscape portrait didn't look very good as a poster, and looked more like a magazine cover, and so I converted it to landscape.
                                                                                                                                                

{Poster Version 2.1}

I much preferred the poster in landscape form, and it looked much more professional.
However I found the title's font to still look off, along with the colour being a bit too much.
The silhouette in the distance was nice, but I still didn't quite like this layout, as it just didn't look professional enough for my liking, as I wanted it to look 100%, being the perfectionist I am...
And so, after a long analysis, I scrapped this poster for a new one.
                                                                                                                                      

{Poster Version 3.0}

The last poster had a lot of warm colours, so I made sure this one had a very grey / blue tone, adding to the chill-factor. Which really worked with the positioning, the smoke added to the mystery, and the hat hiding the protagonist's mask added a lot of enigma and tension.

I made the title black and white to add simplicity, which made it more effective.

The film reviews and caption above the title made the poster look so much more professional.

I decided to settle with this poster layout, but I wanted to align a few things that seemed out of place...
                                                                                                                                                 

So, after a few tweaks, my final version was complete... Here it is...

{Poster Version 3.1}

The final version!!!

*trumpet sounds*

Film Poster Analysis - Callum

It's a blog post by ME!
Can you believe it!
Miss me?
That was rhetorical, of course you did.

So our task is to analyse some short film posters.
So, here's an analysis of some short film posters!

This is the poster for a low budget short film called Fall Out, this film is based on a teenager surviving in a post-apocalyptic world after a war between countries, leading to complete devastation of the country.
This poster portrays the plot really well, as it shows the protagonist standing in a ruined town with a bag on his back.
Now for some MRANG...

M - Mise en Scene is used a lot within this poster, and really helps to identify what the film's going to be like.
       The lighting is quite dark, considering the white surroundings, making the whole scene a dark grey.
       The character's costume is rugged and worn, along with having a large prop bag on his back, this
        suggests that he travels and doesn't settle down anywhere.
       The colour is really desaturated, setting a dull and grim atmosphere.

R - The representation appears to be rather basic, focusing on a male protagonist in a hostile situation.
      The dark clouds represent the oppression and darkness the world is facing in a post-apocalyptic world.

A - Being a survival adventure film, the audience would be teenagers and young adults, predominately male.

N - The narrative is quite clear with this poster, as it shows the protagonist, and the environment.

G - The genre is a survival adventure, this is made clear by the devastated environment and the character
       standing in the scene with his bag over his shoulder, facing away from the character into the unknown.
       prop bag, making him appear as a survivor.


                                                                                                                                                                     

 

FlySpy is a short film about a young genius, who is obsessed with his ex-girlfriend; he creates a small drone in the form of a house fly and spies on her (being the deviant he is), he ends up discovering her new boyfriend is abusing her and he decides to intervene.

The poster is clear in one sense, but still full of enigma. The robotic fly is clearly the main focus and is the most important factor of the film, so it is made clear.

However, in the background is the silhouette of a woman, standing in a door frame with a hand to her forehead; this makes the viewer inquisitive as there is some mystery to the scene.

Now for some MRANG! Woohoo!

M - Mise en Scene is not used much in this poster, however, there are still some strong points.
       The positioning in the frame is well used as the robot fly is centred in the foreground, while the
        mysterious figure is positioned far in the background on the left side, allowing the fly to take up more
        of the scene.
       The lighting casts a spotlight on the fly, along with a white light emmiting from the open door, other than
        that, the scene is submerged in darkness, adding to the enigma.

R - The representation seems to be focused around relationships, and trust, hence the subject of spying.

A -The audience seems to be aimed at teenagers, no gender is specified.

N - The narrative is vaguely shown, but still unclear. It is made clear that the robot fly will be used to spy on
       someone, probably the female character in the background; but that is all we're given; there are no
       given reasons as to 'why', there is no motive.

G - The genre is a thriller, shown through the darkness around the entire scene, and the enigma of the woman
       in the background.

                                                                                                                                                                      

 

This poster is for Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson's Tintin, a blockbuster film based on the old comics in the 20th century.
The story is about the origins of Tintin and how he meets original characters, which led him to become the adventurer he's depicted as in the comics.

There poster clearly shows what the film is about, and the contents of the film; Tintin is evidently the main character as he is posed in centre frame, with his canine companion at his side; they are both silhouetted to at dramatic effect.

MRANG TIME!

M - Mise en Scene is used a little bit.
       The positioning in the frame is good as Tintin is placed in the centre of the frame in the foreground,
        with the dog beside him, this allows the audience to acknowledge they are the main characters.
       The lighting is behind the main characters, making them silhouetted to entice the audience.
        the background is flooded with a warm yellow light, making everything less gloomy.
       Tintin's costume features a thick long-coat, which is notably "cool" amongst clothing, this is probably
        used to give Tintin a more appealing character.

R - The film, and Tintin the character represents the everyman, as Tintin is an ordinary human being whom
       is thrown into the situations without warning, or preparation.
      His character is just as ordinary as you I, allowing us to connect with him and feel closer to the character.

A -The audience appears to be for children and young teenagers, but also for older fans of the original
      comics.

N - The narrative is shown clearly, both by the title and by the background; being called "The Adventures
        of Tintin" is an obvious give-away that this will be an adventure film. The ship and plane in the
        background hint towards what the adventure will entail.

G - The genre is adventure, I've already covered the pointers as to why it's an adventure film above.

Summer Homework - Callum Horncastle

The short Film “Black Hole” – Media language
Write an in depth textual analysis of how the 4 technical codes communicate meaning.

Black Hole opens with the film title coming through a vignette effect, this instantly shows relevance between film title and the film itself as it depicts the title entering a black hole.

The first shot shows an office, depicted by computers, printers and desks. The sound of a printer can also be heard, which suggests someone is in the office; this creates quite a mysterious atmosphere.
The character is then revealed as the camera zooms into the character's face, his facial expression shows that he is tired or bored, this is also shown with his slouched body language and the sound of his loud sigh.

In a later shot there is a close up of a black hole being printed, followed by a medium shot on the male character, who is confused by the printing, shown by his facial expression.
When the man opens the printer, its green light shines onto the character's face; this choice of colouring makes the video seem quite surreal, or dreamlike.
There is then a low angle shot from within the black hole, which indicates danger and suspense for the audience. The angle of the shot is used so you can clearly see the man through the hole and the audience feel as though we are looking up to him.

Whenever the character puts his hand through the black hole there is the sound of a dark, vibrating whirl, this diegetic sound is used to create tension.

In a later shot, the character reaches into the safe, the shots increase pace to build more anticipation as he takes large amounts of money. The suspension is broken as the character is trapped inside when the printed black hole falls off the safe.
The camera zooms out to show the empty office, you can also hear knocking from inside the safe, which creates a horrifying feeling of being trapped alone.

The editing techniques are well used throughout the film, and efficiently builds suspense and dramatic effect throughout the video; the simplistic setting of an office is also very effective, and shows how a film only requires one simple scene and retain a high standard.

Short Film “Silent Things” – Representation
Write an in depth analysis about the representation of disability.

The short film “Silent Things” explores mental disabilities such as Asperger syndrome.
The opening scene is an establishing shot to show the film's setting; in this case, the beach.
There are cuts to black to show the producers, and the film's title, which is spelt with a lower case 'S', and a full stop, which is very abnormal for a film title.
The diegetic sound of seagulls, the waves and the sea breeze can be heard, creating an effect of realism. Two characters are then revealed through a medium two-shot where they are seen playing with a kite, this is usually seen as normal behaviour for a parent and child; but in this case the characters are adults, and do not act in a mature manner, for instance, the girl has her arms crossed and held up to her shoulder, and she is seen constantly fiddling with her fingers, this use of body language relates to people on the autistic spectrum as it is common for autistic people to be restless and have a need to fiddle with something.
Another example, is throughout the opening, as there is no dialogue as the characters pack up the kite, nor do they make eye-contact. This is unusual as the audience is normally connected with the characters with the use of dialogue and social interaction; however, the awkward manners of the two characters make them very intriguing to watch.

Throughout the film, scene transitions are mainly made up of fading to black, which is not normally used for every scene, this shows the abnormality and repetitive nature of the characters.
For example, the female character's costume is that of a pink jumper to show her femininity but they both look untidy, which shows a lack of personal hygiene.
This condition is an autism spectrum disorder, but is classified as “high functioning”.
Affected people have difficulty with social interactions and have few individual interests and rigid, black-and-white thinking, also known to have a singular, passionate interest that is repeated on a very regular basis.

Later on, a new female character is brought into the scene as the man is again flying the kite, this repetition symbolises his autism as people on the autistic spectrum are prone to having a specific activity that they carry out on a regular basis. The female character's costume makes her out to be hiking, or travelling, shown by her large backpack.
When a group of characters in the background start taunting the male character, the girl claims him to be her boyfriend and tells them to "fuck off."
The male character then asks why she lied, showing no gratitude, and then goes on to say he can't tell lies at all, including 'white lies'.
She describes the male character as "strange", which is unknowingly very offensive, as she was unaware of his mental condition. She is then told about his condition, and she doesn't speak, her body language perhaps showing embarrassment? She then tells him about her parents, and he shows no sympathy or compassion, nor eye-contact, saying that her situation is "strange".
This dialogue and body language show his lack of social queues, as the girl was probably expecting sympathy at that point, again symbolising his Aspergers. The camera-work and editing technique also help to represent his mental disability, with constant shot-reverse shots and cutting, rather than a standard 2-shot, this is done to alienate the characters from each other.
The girl laughs over his statement, which creates a more relaxed atmosphere.
The following shot shows the female character from the start of the film walking towards the other characters. She appears to be frustrated, shown by her body language (fiddling with her hands), and her facial expression look angry, or anxious to meet the new character. This suggests that she also has asperger syndrome, as she is hesitant to meet a stranger.

The first female character scolds the male for making a new friend, showing she is jealous, this is said with the new character present, showing her lack of social awareness.
The male character defends himself, but they rarely make eye-contact, making the situation more awkward, she then walks away without saying another word.
The newer character doesn't speak and awkwardly smiles, unsure of how to engage the situation, this represents autism in a different sense, as it is sometimes a very difficult thing to understand, and fully functional people can be left embarrassed and feeling awkward, not wanting to offend anyone.

There is then a long shot of the two characters sitting on the sand, a ferry is shown in the distance which represents luxury, the opposite of these characters' lifestyles.
The girl tells the male character that she's going on a ferry, and the man goes on to explain how the ferry moves, not picking up on the social queue, the dialogue here heavily represents his disability, as people with Aspergers can often talk about their knowledge of a subject, and not think to comment on the situation itself.
The girl suggests he should join her, and that he's funny. He explains more about ferry's and she laughs, showing she is comfortable with his disability and enjoys his company.

Later on, the two characters are on a ferry, and the male character is seen huffing with anxiety, showing he is nervous of boarding the ferry.
The sound dies out and voices can be heard, which depicts the man hearing voices inside his head, suggesting he also has bipolar disorder, or perhaps having an axiety attack due to the large number of people, the first female character is also shown in occasional shots, having a similar panic; this shows they share the same mental disability and are alike.
As a viewer, I felt sympathy towards them both, wanting to comfort them; this shows that the editing techniques are extremely effective in creating a realistic representation of their disabilites
.
Near the end of the film, a long shot shows the two characters together again with their backs to the sea; they also have the kite, and do not exchange a word. Showing their mutual understanding of one another.

The relationship between the characters perfectly represents a person's life with a mental disorder, and shows their need for a friend, as they struggle socially.
Using close ups and shot reverse shots can really help the audience understand and empathise with the characters and allow them to develop a personal connection with the characters, regardless of the lack of eye-contact, dialogue, and ordinary body language.

Short Film “Lovefield” – Narrative 

Apply the theorists and terms that were covered in class.

The opening to Lovefield starts with a fade in to an establishing shot of a large wheat field, shortly followed by the film's title fading in, and then out.
The camera is then lowered slowly, while the diegetic sound of the wind is heard, along with some unsettling music to build suspense.

There is a dissolve to the next shot, which is a pan across the field as the music becomes even more haunting.
The narrative is very restricted throughout this entire scene, as we don't know what is going to happen, nor who is in the scene.
 The next shot is also dissolved to, where there is the non-diegetic sound of a boom, followed by the diegetic sound of metal squeaking. The source is off-screen, until the camera pans across to reveal a sign, showing the film's location. The camera is then raised to reveal a crow sitting upon the sign.
There is a cut to a close-up on the crow, as it begins to caw, this is evidently a foley sound.
 The use of the crow is a powerful foreshadow for the film, as crows are carrion birds and are normally seen near dead bodies, hinting towards a possible death?

A few scenes later, there is the diegetic sound of a frantic beeping, it is quiet at first, but gets louder and louder as the scene transitions with constant dissolves.
Eventually a phone is revealed, followed by some money, a bag, and the sound of a woman in pain.
She is not revealed, leaving the narrative extremely restricted, as we do not know what is going on.
A bloody rag is revealed, along with a hand clutching the ground desperately, the woman also cries out in pain. By now, the audience has been led to believe she is being murdered, due to the haunting music and the crow beforehand.
A foot is then revealed, along with the sound of the woman struggling; the music grows louder to build tension as the foot wriggles frantically, before suddenly going limp, and the music stops.
Again, the audience are led to believe she is dead.
Without warning, a bloody tool is savagely stuck into the ground next to the foot as some thrilling music is heard, followed by a cut to the crow, suggesting there is now a corpse in the scene.
There is then a cut to medium close-up of a man standing up, only his lower section can be seen, this builds tension as the camera slowly raises up and reveals a skull tattoo, symbolising death and danger; as the camera reaches the man's head, he looks away towards the crow, so his face is again hidden.

A few shots later, he is seen running away from a low angle, a few cuts to the crow also being showed to increase pace as the music increases.
The narration is leading the audience to believe he is now fleeing the scene, or perhaps searching for a tool to bury the body with, but nothing is entirely revealed, leaving a complete sense of enigma.

The quickened pace, and the close-up fondling of his car keys all contribute to the tension that has suddenly built up over the short space of time, leaving the audience in a bewildered state of wondering what will happen next.

The man frantically searches in the car boot, when there is a sudden pause, the man looks up and stares at the crow, which stares back at him, this is the first time we can properly see the man's face; he is grubby and unclean, making him appear to be a bad, careless or nasty character.

There is then a shot-reverse-shot between the man and the crow before the crow pecks the roof of the car, the man then continues searching; this builds greater tension.

He eventually finds a large pink blanket and leaves the car, the crow continues cawing and the music grows louder, creating further suspense.

The music becomes high pitched as the man is seen approaching two feet, before another cut to the crow to keep the fast pace.

He is then seen on his knees, and is looking down towards the POV camera, holding the blanket, he begins to lean in, and there is a cut to the crow with its beak agape, before another cut to the man leaning further in, placing the blanket over the camera in the same POV shot, and the scene reaches the pinnacle of its tension as there is a cut to the crow, silently staring with its beak still wide open.

The next scene shows the man from a side-on medium shot, looking worn out, before a newborn baby is slowly brought into the scene, and he smiles, along with the woman smiling as well.

The tension is entirely broken as the audience realise the narrative has completely misled them into thinking there was a murder, when it was in fact a childbirth.

The man happily states "it's a boy", and continues laughing while looking at the woman.

There is a close-up on her face as she nuzzles the baby with a large smile, before looking at the man in disbelief, and then back to the baby, showing she's completely overwhelmed with emotion.
The man is now properly understood as a simple farmer, rather than the nasty character he previously depicted, making him a binary opposition of, well, himself!
There is a cut to the crow, looking away and cawing, before another long shot takes its place and slowly tilts up, revealing a tractor, and the couple in the field, along with some calm, harmonious music.
A police car then arrives, which the man signals, showing there is no longer anything hidden, and the film is ended with complete closure and calmness...