Self-evaluation

Draft PostersFor my first detailed draft poster for my film I decided to use a black background, as this colour would be conventional for the horror genre as it would connote mystery. For the fonts used on my poster I chose to do them in white as this was conventional within the genre, and also fit well with the black colour, creating a house style. The fonts used are sans serif, which is conventional of form as the target audience is teenagers to young adults, so this would be more professional looking. The fonts are conventional for the genre as from my audience research I found that they gave a ‘horror feel’ due to their layout and messy style.The image would be in the centre, as this is conventional of form for a poster. The image would be conventional for the genre as it would be a mid-shot/close up of the main character in our trailer, which would be the young girl character named Beth.The blocking bill at the bottom would be conventional for form due to where it is placed.

Draft Posters

For my second draft poster I decided to use an establishing shot of the house (the main setting), as the full background. I wanted this to be out of focus, and the arm/hand in front of it to be in focus. In this hand would be a piece of paper, with the title ‘the note’ written on it in a sans serif font, such as this one

The colours I used for the fonts were red, to connote blood/violence. This would be conventional for the genre. The names of the cast being listed at the top was conventional of form and appealing to the audience to give an insight into the story.The blocking bill and the release date at the bottom were in the conventional place, and were all the same colours as other fonts, which would create a house style within the poster.

The use of a mid shot of the main character as the central image is also seen in Insidious, but the background on Insidious would be more conventional as it gives an insight into the family theme in the story. The image also uses low key lighting, which would link to the horror genre.The sans serif fonts are used on both, as is the use of a white colour for the fonts. The Insidious poster uses a wider range of colour, including red, which links to the horror genre better. The blocking bill on my poster is the same as on the Insidious poster, showing the placement to be conventional for the form. The sentence at the top is the same for both, showing it to be conventional for form and to be conventional for the genre to attract a wider audience.

Comparison of my detailed poster and Insidious

Comparison of my detailed poster and Insidious

When comparing the two posters, mine has some similarities to the Insidious poster, which is of the same genre and theme as my movie, which is possession horror, and some differences.The similarities, such as the conventional placement of the image and the shot type used for the image, blocking bill and title would mean that my poster could have the potential to fit into the genre well and would also be conventional and appealing to the audience. It would also have the potential to be conventional for the form of a poster, as I have used the conventional layout.The differences, such as the plain black background I have used and the establishing shot background shown on the Insidious poster could mean that my poster could not be as conventional and may be too dull and not appeal to the audience. To improve my poster I would add an establishing shot background, either of the main house or of one of the main rooms in the trailer, such as the bedroom. I would also add more detail of the movie, such as cast names or a pull quote/tagline to intrigue the audience.

Comparison of my detailed poster and Insidious

When comparing the two posters, mine has similarities to the Insidious poster, in the form of an establishing shot background and the placement of the blocking bill. These are both conventional of the genre and form, so would be appealing to the audience and give my poster the potential to be successful in the genre and for the form of a poster, due to the conventional layout.The differences, such as the lack of colour and not having the main character in the image may mean that my poster would not be as successful, as it does not give a good insight into the story and would also look plain.To improve this poster I would add an image of the main character near the house, add more colour and also use a variety of fonts. Out of the two detailed posters, I feel that the first one would be more successful and conventional than this one, as it has more similarities to Insidious and looked more professional

Draft Magazine CoverFor my draft of a magazine cover I chose to use a mid shot/long shot of one of the main characters in the film. To be conventional to the form and to the genre this shot would need to be a mid shot/close up, so this may make it less appealing. I would try to use a background of one of the rooms in the setting, or of a plain wall to make the person stand out. The fonts used are all sans serif, as this is conventional of the form and would also appeal to the audience due to their age. The colours I have used for the fonts are reds, as this connotes violence and blood, which are both common themes within the genre. Other colours I could use would be black or white, as these are conventional for the horror genre.I have tried to place the logo for the magazine in the conventional place, and also the barcode. I have tried to follow the route of the eye to do this.The cover lines and images of other horror films would be next to the main image and at the bottom of the page to try and appeal to the audience.

Comparison of my detailed magazine cover and Insidious

The images on the covers are both central and take up most of the page. The shot types are different as the Insidious one is a close up and mine is a mid shot/long shot, making it less conventional. The Insidious image has made use of a prop to highlight the characters face.The barcodes are both in the same conventional places, but the logos are different as the Insidious one spreads across the top of page to make more of an impact.The fonts used are sans serif on both and make use of the red colour to connote violence, but the Insidious magazine cover has used a wider variety of colours to link to the horror genre. The sans serif fonts are conventional for the form.

Comparison of my detailed magazine cover and Insidious

When comparing the two magazine covers, mine has some similarities, such as the placement of the barcode, which is conventional of form. The placement of the cover lines and images of the other horror movies is similar, which would be conventional for the form to appeal to the audience.The differences are the type of shot used for the main image. This would mean that my image would be less conventional, due to the shot being a long shot/mid shot and not a close up. The lack of colour I have used would make my magazine cover too plain and not have the potential to be successful as a magazine cover.To improve my magazine cover I would use a different shot type, a wider variety of colours and move the logo to make it more conventional to the audience and for the form of a magazine cover