How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Finished Ancillary Texts

 

 

Film Distribution

Film distribution is one of the most key features in producing a film, since this is the process where the film is able to be accessed by the public; ultimately the time where the profit is made. Distribution is not only about releasing a film, but ultimately, sustaining the film in the market place in order for it to become better known by the public, especially when released by a small distribution company The distribution company has many roles, the first of which is to make the public aware that a new film is being released through advertising. This includes posters, television advertisements and trailers in the cinema. This is one of the most crucial features of the distribution company, since without the advertisement, the public will not be aware of the film itself. Following this, the companies then have to get the movie into the cinemas. Approximately 4 months after this release, it is then available on DVD.  The big question behind film distribution, though, is what is more successful, small distribution companies or large?

Distribution is a very costly event, which in some cases, can lead to massive loses in not only the production company, but also within the distribution company as well; therefore, when a distributor invests into a movie, they must feel confident that the production will bring in a successful profit, since without this, it would be pointless. Since it may be a very expensive job, it may be more beneficial for large distribution companies within the market. Since these companies are most well know, they will be noticed by the most well-known, successful directors and producers, meaning these companies will therefore get the most profit. In some cases, however, some producers own their own distribution companies. Disney, for example, owns Buena Vista, therefore all of their producing is internal, and meaning there is no need for external distributors. By having these sorts of connects between the large firms, this means that many distribution companies are approached by smaller production teams. Although this is the case, the large distribution companies are mainly approached by large blockbusters, which seemingly make the most profit. Since this is the case, large distribution companies are able to spend more money on these films, meaning that there is global advertising and global viewings in many cinemas. This is one of the greatest benefits of large distributors.

Small distribution companies are mainly approached by small production companies. This means that there is less money to spend on advertising, and in many cases these films are not viewed in all cinemas; but mainly the large ones. Small distribution companies are successful for new production companies, who are not well-known within the business, since they are not as expensive, and there is a room for risk and reward is the film is a success. Looking at the film I have made, I feel that it would be most beneficial to use a small distribution company, in order to avoid excessive fees and since it is my first film. Small distributors will be able to give me an idea of how distribution really works, and will allow me to grasp an idea of what is successful within the film making business, and what isn’t.

In conclusion, it is clear that overall large distribution companies have the most power to make a large profit since they are most well-known and are popularly used for blockbuster hits, however, for up and coming producers, small distribution companies are most successful since they allow a margin for risk and reward and are less expensive.

Wrong Turn Poster Analysis

The title of the poster is positioned at the bottom left of the page, in order to not take the viewers attention away from the main image. The text itself is seemingly eerie, since the letters are not equally spaced from one another, and are positioned at various levels. These effects, however, are only minimal, but make the audience aware that not all is right. Since the title is written in red, in a horror aspect, this could represent blood, death and warnings, rather than love or lust, which may be used for a romantic film. Under the title, we see the tag line ‘It’s the last one you’ll ever take!’ which immediately addresses the reader, and therefore engages them. The works as a hook to make audience curious of what the wrong turn may behold. Thought this tag line is only small, it is noticeable due to the lack of text on the entire poster.

The colour on the poster includes warm tones such as orange, yellow and red, with the addition of black too. The orange and red connote a sense of warning and panic, referring back to the title, whereas the black could relate back to the mystery of the poster, since the audience is unaware as to what the wrong turn beholds. The black also contributes to the fear of the unknown, since the heavy shadow around the female figures makes the audience wary of her surroundings. In addition to this, black is stereotypically associated with death and evil.

The poster displays two characters, the first of which being the vulnerable female, who is obviously the victim within the film. By dressing her in a simple vest, she is displayed as a ‘normal’ day to day woman, though we are subconsciously aware that she is the protagonist by the choice of a white vest, which symbolizes the hero. It could also be argued that the choice of a vest is seemingly a stereotypical masculine item of clothing, and therefore can be related back to Clover’s final girl theory, since she is looking ‘rough and ready’ for the wrong turn. Behind her we see the second character, who is blurred, which suggests that the antagonists of the film are hiding, and that the protagonist is unaware of his whereabouts. Although his image is not focuses, details such as burns, his muddy face, pointed teeth and black gums, prove that he is some kind of abnormal human. His expression supports this since he is pleased with the girls lack of knowledge of her own whereabouts, proving that he is thriving off oh her fear.

The background gives the audience knowledge that the film is set in a forest, which is a typical horror setting, due to its repetitive imagery. This suggests that it is easy to get lost, especially within the dark. We are also aware of this environment due to the subtle shadow of the leaves on the woman’s body, which once again suggests that she is hiding.

Poltergeist Poster Analysis

The title of the poster is positioned at the top of the page, which draws the viewers’ attention in. Since it is highlighted by a light blue glow and edging, it is difficult to miss and therefore it stands out. This is used in order to make the title look scientific, and perhaps from a different planet. This therefore represents Strauss’ idea that within horror films you have a binary opposition, and this effect gives the audience the impression that it is science/aliens vs humans, or in fact the known vs the unknown. It also creates a technological atmosphere, which is supported by the main focus of the poster; the television. The lettering if full capitals, which are evenly spaced; creating a seemingly bold appearance. The word ‘poltergeist’ means an evil spirit, and is seemingly much most intense than just the word ‘ghost’. The choice of words, therefore also draws the viewer in once more. The word itself creates mystery, and also gives a huge indication into what the film is seemingly about. In addition to this, since the title it so simple, it means the audience will have no confusion about what they are going to see. This can be seen as a positive, since many posters are very misleading, and can lead to huge disappointments. At the bottom of the page there is the tag line ‘it knows what scares you’ which, itself is a daunting thought to prosper on. This gives the audience a greater insight into what the title actually means, and therefore then may interest them in then seeing the film.

The colour scheme for this poster is very simple. The title itself only consists of 3 colours; mainly electric blue, black outlines and then hints of white. This is then evident throughout the rest of the poster itself. This creates a supernatural vibe to the poster, hence the blue. The black, however, creates a shadowing, and may make the audience wonder what may be lurking in the shadows. The blue lighting also may suggest that the only lighting around, is in fact coming from the television. This is a clue to the audience that the television is a key prop in the film, and therefore gives them an indication to look out for this.

There is only one character on the poster of this film, and although the audience cannot see her face, they are aware that she is a young child. This is due to the use of the props surrounding her. The subtle use of the teddy bear lying helplessly next to her, proves that she is only young, and highlights her vulnerability and innocence, which makes the viewer more fearful for her. In addition to this, the TV which she places her hands on seems extremely large, in comparison to her small, fragile body. This suggests that the television holds the control and power within the film and the poster itself. Since it is the only source of light, we are aware that the TV itself is not normal and therefore it can be perceived as the antagonist. 

Audience for My Film

Similar to all horror films, my film is targeted towards the age of 16-24 year olds, since this is the most popular age group who watch horror films. With this in mind, I chose to use a full teenage cast, in order to relate to the audience itself, since the cast age group ranged from 17-19. This enabled us to seemingly act normally, in order to be understood by the audience themselves.

There is no real specification between a female or male audience within this film, since aspects of it will appeal to both sexes. Since there is a male, stalking a female, in some senses, the male audience may enjoy this, as the camera in some senses will take a male gaze; especially when killing Jess, and attempting to kill Kelly. Although this is the case, there will be no use of nudity or suchlike, since these features often dismiss the female audience. In order to attract females, the idea that Kelly is fighting back against a male, will empower women, and therefore could be more popular for the female audience.

Since targeting a similar age group to the characters involved within the film, I feel that it is best to have a target audience of both male and female teenagers, aged 16 – 24, since they are most likely to relate with the character’s, and would therefore feel the most fear within the character’s situations.