Evaluation 2

Marketing Timetable The marketing timetable for a film, is a key part of attracting the audiences attention and encouraging them to go and see the film. When creating our poster, magazine cover and trailer we had to take into account in which order they would been shown to the audience and how they would work in conjunction with each other. We agreed that the films poster would be the first to be shown out of the three. This is because these will be shown across the country to engage initial interest into the film. They will particularly target people who visit the cinema on a regular basis as they will be shown at the entrance of many cinemas and also on the street or in shops. We then agreed that the magazine cover and trailer would be shown in unison as these will be the most effective marketing techniques which will be shown to the widest target audience. The magazine cover will be particularly useful in targeting ‘film buffs’ who will regularly buy film magazines to hear about all of the new releases. The trailer will target people who already visit the cinema regularly and who go to see films of a similar genre which means this is the most likely of the three to draw in the biggest audience. The three pieces combined together will address the audience, as they each share a continuity and include the same film noir conventions. The combination of the three enables the film to be marketed at its full potential.

The Poster As the poster will be the first piece of marketing to be shown to the audience we had to ensure it would create a sense of interest and a lasting impression. A poster has a hard task; it must catch our attention and give us information about a film in one still image. We tried to capture the audiences attention in a variety of ways. We added a mysterious effect to our photography which we felt followed the conventions of film noir and gave the audience little insight into the narrative of the film. For example we featured a gun on our poster which is not only iconic of the film noir genre but it also indicates todorovian narrative and that crime is a major aspect of the film. We also added mystery by using low key lighting during our photography which blurred out half of the main characters face. By doing this it would stir an interest for audience leaving them wanting to know more. We also didn’t include anymore information on the poster but the bright red title of the film. The red of the text contrasted with the black and white of the image, which had connotations of blood and danger which implied to the audience a possibility to what the film is going to be about. The poster works in conjunction with the trailer as they share very similar mise en scene and both feature the main characters. The unique selling point of the poster was the revival of classic film noir which was shown through the style of the characters dress, the black and white colour scheme and the props such as the gun. The poster also works effectively in conjunction with the magazine cover as they both use the main character of the detective as their main focus. They also share the same colour scheme of black, white and red which makes sure the film marketing keeps a clear continuity throughout.

The Magazine CoverSecondly the magazine cover would be released to the target audience. As the magazine cover would be potentially seen by a wider audience we had to ensure that it was to a professional standard. By doing this we researched into a range of film magazine covers which allowed us to build a greater understanding into the typical conventions. With being on the front cover of a film magazine, this would indicate to the audience that the film is going to be sell out. This would also be used to address an audience who wouldn’t usually go to the cinema but will see the film advertised on magazines in the shops. With having the film promoted on a magazine front cover, it could be found in any local store which would appear to a greater audience. Photoshop allowed us to be able to add a range of different effects to the magazine cover. For example drop shadow, we added this to all the copy on our magazine front cover. By doing this it added a more professional effect to the cover but also followed the conventions of film noir. It also allowed us to edit the photograph so that there was a greater contrast between the light and shadows in the image, this added to the stylistic element of the cover. The magazine cover works effectively in conjunction with the poster as they both feature the main protagonist of the trailer. They also both feature the gun which tells the audience that violence and mystery is going to be a main focus of the film. However, on the magazine cover we have also chosen to use the character of the Femme Fatale in the top right corner. This offers the audience a new focus compared to the film poster and intrigues them as they will want to find out what the connection between these two characters are. It also could possibly attract a wider audience compared to the poster as the female character will draw in more males to go and see the film. The magazine cover also offers much more information to the audience than the poster does such as exclusive content into ‘Kelly and Hicks Noir smash hit’. The cover gives the audience a small insight into the plot and characters of the film compared to the poster which was only used to gain initial interest. The trailer and magazine cover work in conjunction with each other as they are both released at similar times. The magazine cover may evoke the audience to view the trailer and the trailer may prompt the audience to buy the magazine.

The TrailerFinally being released would be the theatrical trailer. This marketing technique will be the most profit grossing of the three for the film as this will be seen by the widest audience. Not only would this trailer be seen in cinema’s nation wide, but would also be found on the internet on website such as IMDB and Youtube. Both website have a very large fan base when it comes to trailers of new up and coming movies. This will allow the film to stir an interest with an audience who would be interested in going to see the film. The trailer will also be found on national television during advert breaks, by doing this the trailer will have an impact on an audience which might not usually go see this type of movie. This follows continuity of the poster, and cover as it is stylistically related to both. Although, the trailer functions in a different manner as it allows the viewing audience to not only get a sense of narrative to the film but also be able to decide if they are wanting to go and see the movie. Throughout the trailer we used a mixture of long and short shots to build up tension and create a sense of mystery. The intent of this was to appeal to the audience by making them interested enough to pay to go and see the film. In the trailer we also used a voiceover which gives the audience more information into the plot of the film that the poster and cover did, but it is careful not to give too much away and ruin the mysterious element to the narrative. We also used only the two main characters in the trailer which helps to link it with the poster and the magazine cover as they only featured them characters. Overall, I believe that the combination of my poster, magazine cover and trailer all work effectively together at advertising the film. Each of the techniques features the stylistic elements of film noir and also each one can be used to capture a different part of the audience, used together this will draw in the largest audience for the film. They also each feature the USP of the film which was to mysteriously revive film noir, this was done by not giving too much information away to the audience too early in the marketing schedule.

http://youtu.be/aMuy6nyJlM4