How effective is the combination between your ancillary texts and media product?
The task I had to complete was to create a promotions package for a film consisting of two ancillary texts and a film trailer to a professional standard. The combination of all three was intended to create a realistic advertisement of our upcoming and new film.
One way all three texts are combined is through the type of text used on all three, in particular the film title. In our trailer, the film name comes onto screen at the end, which is of the same font and colour style as used on my film poster and magazine. The choice of colours being black, white and red make it eye catching and recognisable, reinforcing the brand image created through consistent use of the title across all three texts. Creating a brand image creates a certain reputation and opinion of our film. This ‘logo’ for the film will be recognisable to our target audience, which may help promote my film.
The film name 'Duality', was used to symbolise the villain having a dual personality; a well respected and presentable individual in society, but hiding within him is a darker, criminal side of himself which is shown in our film as he kidnap's the main protagonist. Our film poster has the two characters back to back, dividing the page into two to symbolise the dual personality shown within our trailer.
The main image on both my magazine and poster are of Becki, suggesting to the audience she is the main protagonist, which is supported by our trailer which also shows her as the main character through her time on screen, she by far is in the most shots in the trailer and the narrative focus’ around her and her disappearance. Therefore my ancillary texts used a central image and my trailer used screen time length to both inform the audience of Becki’s importance within the narrative. The audiences being informed of the main character may be effective in making potential audiences interested in our film as they may watch the film purely to find ou what happens to the main character who they are so familiar with, they feel as though they personally know her (Personal Identity, Uses and Gratifications).
Another way the combination of all three texts were effective was through portraying the genre of our film. After researching conventions of thriller magazines, posters and trailers, I found the common genre conventions used in each type of media text. Using these conventions, for example through mise-en-scene; using conventional thriller suspense building non – diegetic music in and isolated and eerie location of the woods in our trailer, two typical conventions of our genre. In my film poster and magazine, conventional dark colours and low key lighting images were used of the main characters, which I feel connoted our genre to audiences. In particular, red and black are used. Black is conventional of the Thriller genre as connotes an evil and sinister theme. Red symbolises blood and pain, foreshadowing the narrative in our trailer may involve these, which it does. Red is also a symbol of the family's love and determination to find their daughter. Therefore the use of genre conventions across all three texts helped combine my media products to signify the genre, therefore attracting fans of the thriller genre and enticing the audience most likely to watch the film if they particularly enjoy the genre.
Combining all three texts in various ways as mentioned (mise-en-scene, genre conventions etc) is very effective for distributing our film. This is because it creates an element of synergy between the different industries (film & magazine), whereby the effects of combining the three texts and thus combining the industries, creates a greater impact than if they were used individually. This is particularly useful during the distribution stage of film production. Audiences can make a direct link between the advertising of the film poster and magazine, to the film trailer, and so when seeing the film poster or magazine cover, may be reminded of the film; increasing possible audience and therefore increasing chances of sales revenue and profits for our film, benefiting the film industry. My choice of magazine was Empire, a popular and reputable choice of film magazine who’s main target audience is film fanatics. Therefore using a magazine brand with such high reputation, targets a wider audience as those loyal to the magazine brand may see our film advertisement only through liking the brand of magazine. In addition, the magazine being a film magazine, is more likely to target those interested in films than for example a fashion magazine. Therefore combining the magazine industry attracts a wider possible audience for our film. In addition, the magazine industry may also be benefited because fans of our film, or fans of the main actress on the front cover of the magazine, may entice readers to buy the magazine in order to support the stars they are fans of, due to personal identity and audiences now feeling they personally know the actress on the cover, and therefore need to buy the magazine to support them.
Therefore combining all three texts is effective for promoting our film, as well as benefiting other industries involved such as magazine.
Therefore combining all three texts is effective for promoting our film, as well as benefiting other industries involved such as magazine.