Media Evaluation - Part 2

Question 2: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Creating my poster

For the creation of my horror poster I had to make sure that it followed the conventions of a typical horror poster. Basic research went into it and I found some key aspects that I need to include. I first took inspiration from the “Nightmare on Elm Street” trailer which I based my own poster around. I selected this poster because it was a villain dominated poster and I feel that there are not many of them in the industry. Also I feel that the USP (unique selling point) for my trailer is the killer. So I wanted them "front and centre" in my marketing. Also I took ideas from the “Blair Witch Project” poster.  I liked the  way the poster gave the film clear location, something that I wanted to create with my poster. That is why the killer is surrounded by the environment around them so you know exactly where the film will take place.  

Colour was the first important feature, as certain colours give connotations of wider themes. The main colour of my poster is red. Red connotes danger, warning people of the terror that the movie has. The same way as any signifier works, it set up early indication to hazards ahead, and that’s the kind of vibe I wanted to give off with my poster. Red is also the colour of blood, this warns of the “body horror” that people will see in the film. This was important to get across, because my film is an action horror, merging both gore and excitement.

Expressionist angles were another important factor I had to include in my poster. I wanted to show the killer from the film, and put him in a position of power staring down over the audience. This shows the audience that this character will be strong and almost indestructible, the typical convention of a psycho serial killer which can be seen in the shot of Rutger Hauer in “The Hitcher” after he is thrown from the car.

The lighting on the poster shows off the killer with back lighting. This creates a silhouette that hides the majority of him, so there is still that shock moment when he is first revealed on screen. His dramatic pose reflects the genre of ‘action’ horror, having all the big moments shot.  

 There isn't much iconography on my poster, but the main one if on the left hand side where we see the killer holding a machete. This indicates the ‘body horror’ that we will include in our film, it acts as a phallic symbol. This symbolizes the killer’s power over the rest of the cast and how he overshadows them all. Also the scarecrow mask hides his face and emotion, adding to the emotion of the film. We can never see his true reactions to events (Much Like Jason Voorhees, from Friday The 13th). Having this juxtapose with the victims whose emotions are always seen really make the two states more extreme than they actual are. 

My poster was based around one from the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street. It’s very similar in the respect that the killer dominates the poster. I choose this because it breaks conventions of showing off the killer before the film. Many posters tease at the themes and horrors they include, but I prefer being more obvious. I wanted the audience to see as much of the narrative as possible unfolding right in front of their eyes, which links into the detail of the horror trailer.

Creating my magazine cover

Making my magazine was a different matter. Rather than make an all out statement with it, I decided to do a more subtle feature on the director of the film. I felt this would attract a different kind of audience from the poster and widen the appeal of “Harvest on Crepsley Hill.”

A pull quote (a small section of the interview which would attract people in to buying the magazine to discover what the quote is all about) was important as nearly every magazine has one. This acts as a way to attract people in to the magazine when they see it on the shelf’s in the shop. It gives the audience an idea of what the main article will be about.

The lighting was something I needed to get right, because while it not is an outright horror image I still need to give of connotation that it is. That’s why after I finished work on the cover I added a smoke texture and also a contrast/brightness filter. This filter allowed this cover to give off that low key effect which horror movies have. Plus it juxtaposes well with the blue colour scheme of the rest of the titles, making things easier to see and read.

The mise-en-scene of the picture gives connotations of a director that is a hard worker. The basic picture against a plain brick wall gives the impression that this director is always hard at work at set and is an almost working class grafter. Also his ordinary clothes give this sense of a director who main aim is to get to set and start work on his project. A major chunk of horror’s audience is working class, so I felt this would help the cover appeal to them. 

I decided to go for “Total Film” magazine because I want to try and hit both sides of the target audience we had planned for. While it is your classic mainstream horror film, with the typical conventions, I feel that focusing on the “auteur” director it would pull in some new people to horror movies. Horrors are sometimes attacked for being cheap pieces of cinema just out to make a quick buck. However with this I wanted to show that there was new hope for the genre, with a respectable “auteur” effort behind its creation

 
My cover was very similar to the “Total Film” cover I saw which focuses on “Sherlock Holmes” in which there is one main image and a pull quote. This format was interesting because of it simplistic nature. A lot of magazines try too hard to catch your eye they end up being a mess. This format allowed me to show my film as the main focus of the issue, and the primary film people should be thinking about.

How does your poster and magazine cover tie into the style and look of your trailer?

My trailer is aimed for an audience from 16-40, with the main demographic of males. With this type of audience I approached my ancillary products in a way that would please them all. For my poster I used a lot of red and the villain for the connotation of violence and action in my trailer. I wanted to show them I wasn't hiding about the true 15 certificate nature of “Harvest on Crepsley Hill”. I wanted everybody to know that there would be a high body count, and the next iconic slasher movie. This poster acted as a statement to the competition, as much as a tease for the film and my target audience. This horror wasn't going to hold back.

The magazine however appealed to the more educated side of my target audience. Horror fans are often dedicated to certain auteurs, such as; George A. Romero, Alfred Hitchcock and John Carpenter, they can care as much as what happens behind the lens than they do in front of it. So what better way than have an exclusive with the director, giving them an inside into the film and the ideas behind it? This is why I went for “Total Film”, as I feel that it is the one magazine that allows me to hit both mainstream and niche audiences. “Empire” would be too mainstream, and “Sight and Sound” would be too arty, but “Total Film” hits just the right note.