Evaluation Questions- 2

Postcards:

I designed 3 different postcards, for the promotion of my Short Film 'Bruises'.


















These were the front designs of my postcards, as I always had the idea for the back of my postcard. These helped me developed and picture my final design. I created three different designs which were stills from a digital camera, as I wanted to follow the conventions of having a promotional picture on the front. All three of my designs were in different locations. One of the designs were located outside. The other were located inside.



My first design was of GRACE standing on a bench in a wooded area. this was my first design, which I designed earlier in the year, therefore it didn't follow conventions as there wasn't much relation from the film to this design.
After this design, I decided to have the locations inside, as this is where GRACE is normally situated, either in school or in her home.



I decided that for my second design, I would choose to have everything that is related to GRACE thrown onto a table, including her art set, a phone (for the scene where GRACE first recieves abuse from the father) and a painting of a grape (for the art classroom scene). This I thought would also give the audience an idea of GRACE'S character, and tell them a little about the storyline, without giving too much away. I then had the name 'GRACE, 11p' written in the foreground, as this developed GRACE'S character again without revealling too much.


In my final design, I took the idea of splicing off the head of GRACE in the postcard from the film, as we frame the shot so the fathers head isn't in shot in filming for the Short Film. I thought that by doing this, there was a clear connection of the postcard to the film. I decided to contrast the Black bold writing against the whitewashed wall, to show the significance of bruises in the film, and how they are always with the character of GRACE.

After completing my designs for my postcards, I decided to go for my third design. I decided this was the best for my postcard as it relates to my film the most. In this way, it uses conventions, however it also breaks from conventions as it doesn’t have a tagline or a full cast picture, breaking forms and conventions is always something I look to do in my products as I believe that it makes your product original.

I found it relatively easy to edit my postcard on Photoshop, However I felt I did choose the easier design, not for practicality, but I thought it was more effective to have a minimalist feel. I asked a few colleagues in my classes and they agreed on this design, which I was pleased about. I think that my postcard is effective, as it portrays the mystery in my film and also is a direct link to the father in the film. It is also effective as it doesn’t give too much of the film away.

However this is my journey of how I made my decision on my chosen postcard design.

First design:

I liked how the red contrasted with the greyscale background. The setting I believe is visually pleasing, however, it doesn’t link to my film, and even though this breaks conventions, I believe for my postcard to be effective, it has to show some relation to the film. As the girl in the picture isn’t the girl we used for in the film in the end, this design wouldn’t be effective at all

My second design:

This shot gave me the idea for my second design. This scene I think reflects GRACE'S personality perfectly, and this was the aim of my postcard. I decided then that I would take this painting of the grape, as it is meant to represent the suggestion that GRACE may self inflict her bruises, as she can mix the correct colours.

This design is more effective, as it has a number of objects that is related to the character of Grace. These objects include an art set, a drawing of grapes, and a phone (related to the scene where we first see abuse from her father). In the foreground is her name and year group, this provides character development, but again doesn’t reveal too much about the film. I liked the colouring of this picture; I did this by increasing the saturation and using the shadow tool to create harsh light, in Photoshop. Despite the fact that this design is effective for my film, I decided to use the postcard design that reflected the film more, with the minimalist feel. This design doesn’t do this as the picture is visually ‘busy’.

Final Design:

For this design, I used the shadow tool again to increase the light, making more of a shadow on Grace. This is effective to my film, as the shadows of Grace’s father in the film are an important feature, representing the menacing character of the father. I used the paint brush tool, and chose a dark blue. I made it softer, so the colour wasn’t too harsh, making the photo obviously blue. I wanted the blue to be subtle like it is in the film, as it reflects Grace’s mood. As my postcard photo is taken in the location of Grace’s room, I thought that having the blue colour was a direct link again to the finished product. The font is simple and childlike, which is a suggestion of Grace’s character, I wanted it to be black and bold as well, as this keeps to my minimalistic idea, also it contrasts against the whitewash walls behind it, which is another link to my film, as seen in the titles (this is explained below in the picture below).

Due to these conventional factors, I believe my final postcard design is effective, reflecting my film yet not revealing too much about the film. They share similar conventions, such as the title of ‘Bruises’ and the title on my postcard, and the picture linking to the character of Grace’s father. I have also included the production company name in both products, and the names of the cast members.

The back of my postcard is also effective, as it provides a short synopsis fo the film. This develops conventions, as it isn't always typical of a postcard promotion. However I believe that a synopsis is neccessary, as it entices the audience to watch the film, if they are not fully inspired by the design on the front. It uses conventions of a postcard as well, including the company logo and name, and the title of the film. These are all effective, below is a diagram of how both the front and back of my postcard uses conventions, and how they are linked to film, making it an effective product.

Film review:

For my film review, I chose to reproduce a ‘Sight and Sound’ magazine review. I decided to choose a ‘Sight and Sound’ layout as it is recognised in the professional world. For film reviews, it is typical for them to be marketing devices for getting recognised in the film industry, therefore I believe that by making my film review a ‘Sight and Sound’ review, this would follow conventions that I use in my products. However, for ‘Sight and Sound’, they do not review Short Films, it is conventional for them to review feature length films. Therefore, I am breaking conventions here by doing this, and overall, it is effective for my film as I am reviewing my product in order for my target audience to read it.

The main feature in my film review is the picture on the right. This picture is from my promotional postcard, which is effective, as there is a link here between one marketing products to another. I did this to make my film review effective, in the way that if people were to see my postcard, and see the same picture on my film review, they would recognise immediately which film is being reviewed. Even though this was criticised in my feedback, I believe that to make my film review effective, this had to be done. Below the picture is a tagline. This says ‘tough love for first timer’, this is effective in the way that it links to the film, as ‘Bruises is about abuse, and Jenna is a first time director. The vocabulary used in my film review is typical of a ‘Sight and Sound’ standard. This is also effective, as by using technical vocabulary, it would be recognised by someone in the film industry as a prestigious film review.

In my film review, I wanted to provide an understanding of the film, in an attempt to convey the messages and ideas of the Director. Not only did I talk about the director, I also mentioned the roles of the camera crew, the lighting, the sound and the actors. This is effective as for an industrial magazine; professionals do not only look for new and upcoming directors, but search for new talent to work for their companies for example. I mentioned the positives of the film, and criticism, with the help from my audience feedback, this is so it is true to a real film review. I also mentioned the original shot angles, as this is a feature used in the film to convey the vulnerability of Grace.

Below is a diagram of how effective my film review is in comparison to my film. I have inserted arrows to visualise the links of my film review to the film, for example, I have linked the information at the top of the film review with my credits that appear in the film.

Overall, my film review is effective, as the conventions I have used in my film review are typical of a ‘Sight and Sound’ review, which is known by professionals in the film industry. I have used the precise layout of an original article of ‘Frozen’ from an edition of a ‘Sight and Sound’ review.