Annotating Film Poster

• Names of actors which feature in the film with big names such as Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio. Fans of his previous film Inglourious Basterds will recognise
• The USP is the directors name 'Quentin Tarantino' because he is famous for making critically acclaimed films like Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and Inglourious Basterds so fans of his films will want to see his latest film and see what it is like. That's why it's says 'The New Film by Quentin Tarantino' because it'll persuade them to go and see it. It is written in red to represent the danger of the film and is in a bigger font than the actors names.
• Billing block containing information of who worked on the film and it is written very small so its not in the way of the main picture and title.
• Actors who played smaller roles are in featured on the poster but are written much smaller as they are not part of the main cast and not as well known as the main cast.
• There are links at the bottom of the poster to the film's offical website and also their Facebook page so the audience can find information, updates and photos about the film.
• It is in black and white apart from the blood effect which Tarantino films are known for because they are very bloody which fans of his previous films expect to see.It is effective to indicate to the audience that it is an action/thriller film and also emphasises death and murder.
• The guns being held also represent it to being an action film so it implies to the audience that it is and the guns also suggest murder and (gun)fights.
• The old-fashioned clothing represents it to be set during the olden times (Western). The cowboy hat worn by the character in the middle emphasises that it is set during the western times around the 19th Century. 
• There are no quotes from film critics, awards won, and no age certificate. This is probably because this information wasn't available at the time when they released it.
• The release date is on Christmas Day so the audience know when to see it. 
• The tagline is short which adds detail to the poster so the audience can have little understanding of the plot and would be intrigued to find out more. 'Vengeance' connotes an oppourtunity and desire for revenge. 'Liberty' emphasises freedom which is what this film is partly about because it is also set during the slave trade.
• There is no background, it is just white so it focuses on the three main characters in the film.
• The poster features the production and distribution companies involved with the film which was Columbia Pictures and The Weinstein Company.
• There is direct contact in the poster with the 3 characters because their eyes are looking directly at the audience as they look at it, so they are communicating which could encourage the audience to watch it.
• All of the characters faces look serious to indicate the audience that it will be a serious film and dangerous.
• The name 'Django' is written in a very big font in comparison to the other fonts because it suggests the main protagionists name. The name Django was inspired by the 1966 western film 'Django' so fans of that film may be interested in Django Unchained.

Film Magazine Research

There are two main film magazines that are published in the UK which are Empire Magazine and Total Film. Empire is a monthly magazine which is the most popular film magazine in the UK. It is also published in the United States, Austraila, Turkey, Russia and Portugal so it appeals to people internationally. They published their first magazine in July 1989 and sell on average 200,000 magazines per month. Empire magazine do write about mainstream films and independent/art films so that appeals to a wider audience. Since 2003 each month they have a feature about which film is a masterpiece in the film industry's history. They usually have lists of films but in different categories, so it could be their 'Greatest movies of all time' or their 'top directors'. This tells the audience their opinion of what they think are 'Greatest moves of all time' and they would be encouraged to find out because their list includes 500 films. In their magazine they provide quizzes and competitions to test their audiences knowledge about films which is a good way interacting with the audience and they can win prizes, which can be film related. On their online website they provide a daily quiz. To appeal to the contempoary reader the consumer can access the magazine by purchasing on the App Store so they can read it on their iPad which can be a good way of selling it and because it's more economical and it may be cheap buying the magazine digitally.



Like in all film magazines they provide film reviews which featured in-depth knowledge about the film for the audience and give their opinion about the film about whether it is good or bad, which is a review. They'll give their opinion on different subjects such as the; acting, directing, script and effects. Then it'll give its star rating so the audience can see how good or bad the film would be and they may trust its judgement. They give out reviews for also for DVD's, TV's, Games, Soundtracks and books. The magazine will feature news articles about the films and the film industry providing the audience with the latest information so the audience is updated. They provide interviews with the main cast and crew so the audience find out information and secrets about that particular person of film which is a good way promoting the film because it can persuade them to go and see it.

Total Film has pretty much the same features as what is normally on a film magazine. It is also avaliable to download on iPad which is good because it is interactive and is published every 4 weeks so there are 13 magazines a year. Both Total Film and Empire have there own homepages on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to connect more with their audience and keep them up-to-date with the latest news about films. Posts include news stories, new reviews and trailers. Total Film is published internationally as they have released in countries such as Indonesia, Russia, Croatia and Turkey and more. Total Film was first published in 1997 and they sell roughly over 75,000 copies each magazine.

The Trophy Room AS Film Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QopYNyqChGI

The Trophy Film Trailer Planning

Film trailer conventions

• Voiceover
• Dialogue
• Release date
• Transitions - Fades, cuts
• Music
• Title
• USP
• Production company/institutional information
• Montage (indicating narratives)
• Non-chronological
• Intertitles e.g. 'coming soon'
• Awards
• Cast/Director

We decided to have our release date on the 31st October which is Halloween. The release date will be shown at the end of the trailer. We thought this was appropriate because this is the hoilday which is scary and associated with horror which is the genre of our film. This would encouraged more people to watch our film.

We decided to have different music to what was in our actual film because it shows that we have a variety of music that is featured in the film. We can find this music by using the website Freeplay Music as it is very useful to find a wide range of sounds and music in all sorts of categories that are available to the user to find what they want.

We decided that the trailer was going to be slow-paced at the beginning and then it'll build up to being fast-paced which will create tension towards the audience.

The trailer is going to have quotations from reviews and ratings. This would be shown during the transitions which will be fade to black. The audience will have enough time to read it, and by featuring the reviews and ratings within the trailer, this may persuade the potential audience to watch our film as they might trust the judgement that it is a good film to watch. Our probably only quotation is 'Modern Horror Masterpiece' and 5 stars below it which was done by Empire Magazine. We also may be showing the awards it has been nominated for or won.

Our production company logo Glassbox Productions will be shown at the beginning of the trailer to indicate to the audience that is the production company which made it.

Throughout the trailer it will featured the roles of the director and cast so the audience know who is going to be in the film and who is making it. This'll probably be shown during the fade-to-black transitions as it won't make the clips obscure by overlapping the lettering over the footage.

We were thinking of having an introduction to the characters who are going to be in the film so the audience know who they are like they did with the 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days' trailer. This may have an impact on the intensity of the trailer which will not be suitable so we are most likely not going to.

A billing block may be used in the trailer, but seeing as we are going to already put the directors name and cast during the trailer, we may not see this as being necessary. A billing block may be featured in the poster for our AS horror film.

Annotating Film Magazine - Total Film

• A website is for those who want to look at more information which is aimed towards the contemporary reader because they can view this information online on devices such as phones and tablets.
• There is a barcode and the logo of the publication company which is for institutional information which can necessary for business. It is placed so it doesn't overlap the pictures, coverlines or related articles. It features the price, the month and year it was released and the issue number which is a conventional feature of the magazine. 
• The background is black so it emphasises the instinct of the main character and The Ring which is recognisable iconography because it is very well known with Lord of the Rings fans which may persuade fans to buy it.
• Picture on the top right shows a picture of the Muppets which appeals to a younger audience.
• The masthead (Total Film) is written in big bold lettering and it is done in white because it suits the black background. The main character is partially overlapping the masthead because the publication company is confident that the audience will recognise the magazine title.
• The coverline inside the ring says 'Massive 2012 preview' so the audience understand that there is a substantial amount of information featuring everything about films which will appeal to film fans. It is written in red in capital letters to stand out in contrast with the bold white title next to it.
• The main picture is of Bilbo Baggins so its primary target audience is Lord of the Rings/Hobbit fans who is played by Martin Freeman, who is a well-known face with the British audience so they indicate that he's in a lead role which can encourage the British audience to buy the magazine. The clothes, hair and ears can connote a fantasy/adventure film.
• The little red box with white lettering saying 'Exclusive' meaning audiences can share this information with others who are interested which is not known with others because its 'exclusive'. Lord of the Rings will be encouraged to find out what the pictures will be like of the film, actors and set so the audience can find out filming details. The box is slant at a little angle to connote its importance.
• There are pictures below of other big films of that year including 'The Dark Knight Rises' and 'Prometheus' which emphasises the appeal to fans of Batman and Aliens so the audience can find information about them. This attracts a wider audience because there a range of genres.
• The coverlines of the right hand side including some of the biggest of 2012 which include 'Django Unchained' and 'The Avengers' which attracts a wider audience because of the variety of genres.
• It shows the amount of pages there are inside the magazine, which is 94, which is a substantial amount of information for film fans to enjoy. It also says that these pages are 'coming your way' which is direct address because it seems as if the magazine is talking to you encouraging the consumer to buy it.
• The coverline 'Jackson and co reveal precious secrets' gets audiences involved and gets them engaged to read this information and give them a sense of gossip. 
• The main character/actor in the cover image which gives direct contact towards its potential consumers  because the eyes are looking straight at it and draw these potential consumers in because they feel as if they are being watched by the image.



Film Trailer Conventions

In this task we pinpointed what conventions were shown in these 4 trailers to find out what the target audience is and what conventions exactly were used.

Chariots of Fire

Genre - Historical docudrama/biopic

Target audience with evidence
This version of Chariots of Fire is a digitally remastered version which is essentially re-released in cinemas. Because Chariots of Fire is a film that was originally released in 1981 we thought that the film was targeted for those who are middle-aged so around 40-60 years old because they may have watched it around when it was originally released. Because the story is about a British runner in the 1924 Olympics it may appeal to those who are interested, or who are involved in Athletics and sport because they can relate to the characters. The trailer is slow-paced because it is targeted around people who are middle-aged.

Conventions included
The trailer included review quotations from newspapers such as the New York Times and the L.A Times which represents that the film is known worldwide in countries such as the USA. These quotations include 'A British Classic' emphasising that it is an important film and very popular British film. 'Exceptional' is another word which is mainly used by British people. These quotations represent emotive language and may encourage the British potential audience to watch the film. The Unique Selling Point (USP) is the soundtrack because it is iconic and recognisable with the British public and all around the world and it won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. There are a lot of fade to black transitions in this trailer but that is mainly to show the review quotations, ratings and awards it has won which is conventional because the trailer needs to show this information with the audience to connote its importance and achievement. The trailer shows that it won 4 Academy Awards which persuades the audience they would trust its judgement of it being good. The lettering of the intertitles are written in capitals and it is very bold and is suitable as it is white on black which is conventional because the audience can read it clearly. The voiceover in the trailer was done with dialogue from the film so it can quote relevant and memorable lines which are suitable for the trailer and what it is about and also the voice is a deep male British voice.

Skyfall

Genre - Action

Target audience with evidence
Because the James Bond film series has been going on for over 50 years, with Skyfall being the 23rd film in the series its main target audience is those who are fans of the James Bond films. And also of those who have followed the legacy of the James Bond franchise so this film will have a very wide appeal of the majority of ages, especially those who are around 16-50 years old. Probably those who are older than that as well because the film series has been going on for over 50 years. The trailer was fast-paced because its an action film and wanted the audience to indicate that it's an action film. There are a lot of guns featured in the trailer which James Bond fans like and for fans of action films.

Conventions included
The trailer included the 007 logo at the end which is very conventional because it is iconic with Bond fans. Because the trailer is fast paced the sounds/music is in sync with the transitions which makes the trailer tense for the audience. Adding the sound effects (drum sounds) and gunshots in sync with the transitions which contributes to it being the trailer more thrilling.This trailer is shown as a montage which is a selection of clips which mainly include fighting and gunfire etc. But the whole trailer has various clips which are set in non-chronological order, meaning that it is not in order which keeps the audience guessing what's going to happen in the film which may surprise them. It features diagetic dialogue of important information about what the film may be like and how some of it unfolds which is relevant to the plot. The production company shown at the beginning is Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer (MGM) which has produced all of the James Bond films and has its iconic lion with the roaring sound which is memorable with film fans. The trailer features its release date so that the audience know when they can watch it and spread the news around to others which is word of mouth. The USP is James Bond because the character is known worldwide through the legacy of the film franchise and also from the books.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Genre - Comedy

Target audience with evidence
The trailer is fast-paced because the film is for a younger audience and because of the characters behaviour which young kids would redeem as fun. The film trilogy is based from a childrens books so fans of the books will be interested in watching the film version.

Conventions included
The trailer has a voiceover of a male middle aged person from America because he says it in a way that the film will be fun for a younger audience. It introduces the characters that will be in the film, by which some have appeared in the previous films so the audience know what the characters names are. Some people would know who they are because they already know the characters from the book. Because the film is fast paced there are a lot of cuts in the trailer so the audience can see what the film is going to be like from the selection of cilps which would be the most funny because it is a comedy film and the audience would like to see more lines and scenes that would funny to them. There is some editing/effects at the beginning showing the drawings from the books and then edited to wipe them into the human character. Fans of the book will known the drawings from the book. The USP of the film trailer is the book because they want the fans to watch it.

The Amazing Spider-Man

Genre - Superhero

Target audience with evidence
The films target audience will be mainly fans of superhero films which they have recently made a lot of. The target audience will be of fans of Marvel Comics because that is where they got the idea of Spider-Man because Spider-Man comics have been going on since the late 1960's so there has a legacy with superheroes such as Spider-Man. The target audience would be those who are around 13-40 because a younger audience like superhero films and special effects and also fans of the previous Spider-Man trilogy which was from 2002-2007. The trailer is slow-paced at the beginning and it begins it build-up to being fast-paced which the audience would like seeing as its a superhero film.

Conventions included
In the trailer there is a creative use of a variety of titles including the font which was used in the original Spider-Man film trilogy so they have kept the tradition of the font style. There is a voiceover in the style of a narrator explaining what parts of the film is going to be about including dialogue of Spider-Man "Finding out the truth about his parents" which can encourage the audience to find out how the story unfolds and find out the secrets of the plot. The transitions are a mix of fade to blacks which were at the first half of the trailer because it was slow-paced and then the transitions turned into cuts for the second half so it was suitable with the fast-paced. The trailer reveals when it's going to be released which is in Summer so it doesn't reveal the exact date but it gives an idea of when it's going to be released. The film is also going to be in 3D so that'll appeal to those interested in the 3D format. The USP of the Spider-Man trailer was the costume because it is recognisable with superhero and Marvel fans and so it is also the logo of a spider which is appeared on the costume and in the title.