Post 16: Ancillary Task 1 - Postcards Part 1

Film Posters

Before we went on to look at advertising short films through postcards we looked at posters for films. Posters are mainly used for bigger films rather than short films. This is because of the budget restraint, posters are expensive to create which is why postcards are used. We looked at what a film poster would normally include. Below is a list of all the usual details you would generally see on a poster for a film;

• Name of film,
• Release date, 
• Images, 
• Slogan - 'Tag lines',
• Quotes from the film,
• Unique selling point,
• Style reflecting the drama,
• Actors names.

After this we was asked to find two film posters and analyse the conventions. Below is the two images with an explanation of their conventions.

THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)

This poster was from the 2008 return for the Batman film called The Dark Knight. From the first look at the poster we are immediately shown the protagonist of the film, Batman. He is looking down at the camera showing the dominance and power he has. We can see many of the conventions that would usually appear on a film poster. We soon assume from looking at this the film is going to be action packed shown by the burning building in the background. Next to the building there is a 'tag line' "Welcome To A World Without Rules." this pushes the idea the film is action packed but gives a sense there is going to be crime. The style of the poster very conventional reflecting the style of the film. Other conventions that are clear is the release date shown just below the name of the film and the actors names.

BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY (2001)

This poster is from the 2001 British romantic comedy film Bridget Jones's Diary. This poster uses many conventions I have spoke about. Like the Dark Knights poster we are immediately shown the main character/characters from the film. The image is conventional showing Bridget Jones with her diary and pen thinking about what she is going to write next, while behind her, the two men interested in her. The name of the film is directly under the photo with the 'tag line' "Uncensored, Inhibited, Unmarried". This reinforces the idea this film is going to be a romantic, however the quote at the top if the poster shows it also has a comedy element to it. The only unconventional element I didn't speak about before is the mention at the bottom about the makers. It mentions other films the creators have made, this is a cheap way of interesting a market they already have.

In comparison between the two posters there is not a lot of difference. Both use the conventions I have spoke about before. The Dark Knight was made on a budget of $185 million while Bridget Jones $26 million. This is a considerable difference however looking at the posters you would not be able to see the gap spent. However the films both reflect the style of their film attracting many interested viewers with the posters. 

Short films will find it very hard to release bold posters like these two mainly because of the small budgets they have. Many of the short film money comes from funding like the national lottery but this funding is not even close to the $185 million of the Dark Knight. Wasp a 23 minute short film was made on a budget of just over £53 thousand which is only a little snip-it of the two films I looked at regarding film posters.  

Film Postcards

After looking at films posters we came onto postcards made for short films with smaller budgets. We spoke about the conventions and what is included on a postcards. Below is a list of the conventional elements you would usually find on a postcard;

• Info
• Website link,
• Designed by, 
• Description of film,
• Duration,
• Who sponsored,
• Style from front to back - kept same,
• Personal design.

Straight away we can see the conventions of a postcard are very different to a film poster. Postcards generally have less info than big film posters this is because there is less space to fit it all on. But we already see many elements like the duration of the short film and who sponsored the film are conventional while these would never be seen on a film poster. Postcards are very direct and the people making them know who their target audience are. Below are a few examples of postcards for short films.

This first image shows how less info but a good use of photos can still make the poster intriguing.

The back of a postcard can be used for all the detail. It can also be the perfect place to write a message when sending it to a target audience member. Other uses can be the use of them at film festivals. For instance information about the short film can be included, including the duration, cast and when it is being held at a festival.

Researching into film posters and postcards was a great way of learning the conventions of them both. This would help me when I came to creating my own postcards. Looking at examples gave me ideas and inspired me to go and create my own for our A2 short film.  

Below is draft designs of the Postcards I created for our short film;

Design One

For design one i used a large and bold title to grasp the attention of an audience when they first took a look at the postcard. My background will be a picture of the grass from the alley way scene with iPod headphones coming in from the top. The quote "What goes around comes around" is a message from the film and will be placed on the postcard just under the big title Karma.

The back is very conventional and i have used many of the techniques previous designs on postcards have used. For instance the backs main function is for writing. I put the postcard designers name through the middle to separate it into two parts. Like the second postcard i looked at earlier on in the post i included the main people involved in the creating of the short film. I also used the same convention of showing the production company's logo. This was the logo i made earlier on in the project hoping to use it on my postcards etc. I felt the back was the place where information could be placed on this postcard for all the details of the short film.



Design Two

Design two was very similar to design one. On the front of design two I want to take the atmosphere from the film and put it onto a postcard. With this in mind I intend to have a conventional picture of the letter Lucieanne picks out of the coat pocket on one of the alley way scenes. The letter will be on the floor open with Lucieannes headphones coming in from the corner of the picture. After this has been taken I hope to take put the picture on photo plus and play around with the lighting settings. This will help create the atmosphere I want to show through the postcard. Also on photo plus I intend to insert the name of the film Karma. This is going to be small and placed in the top right hand corner of the postcard.

The back is similar to my design one. I like the idea of being able to write to someone on the back which is why I used it on design two as well. Like design one it includes the director, produced by and the production company logo. This was my other logo design I created. However on this design i inserted the year of release for the short film. I have seen this used of other postcards and wanted to incorporate it somewhere on this design. The back on this design has been created to address a specific person or alternatively to be used for writing at film festivals.

Design Three

For design three I took a lot of inspiration from the first postcard I looked at earlier on in the post. I liked the little use of writing and effective use of photos. I believe the photos i have chosen to take are appealing and effective to an audience viewing the postcards. The front page includes a simple but effective photo of our actor Lucieanne. She is looking nervous, fragile and scared and i hoped this would show a little bit about the short film without giving too much away. I also included the name of the film and production company logo. 

The back is once again a simple but effective photo. The photo used will be of the alley way - an important location in the film. The inspiration i took from the first postcard design from earlier on in the blog, made me want to create a postcard with both sides used as images. On the back of this design i also included the key names in the production and name of film.

My other postcard designs;

Design Four

Design Five

Feedback

After asking a group of about 11-12 to give me their feedback on their favorite design it was clear to see which one the group liked the most. Design three got the most praise. The feedback I got from the group will help me when I come to choose a design to create. When asking questions to why the people who choose design three choose it I got the same answer. It was because the main character of the film was used in the picture. My feedback has told me my final postcard must have a image of my protagonist Lucieanne.

Below is a video of one of the group members I questioned on my different postcard designs explaining why he choose postcard design three.



Conclusion
 Looking at the conventions and examples of existing postcards has enabled me to create my own. I realised the importance of using them instead of film posters. By looking at film posters I have been able to realise the difference between the two. I will use my knowledge and understanding when i finally come to creating them on photo plus.

After creating these five postcard designs I hope to go on and choose one to actually create. The audience feedback has helped greatly in deciding which ones I should automatically not use. This final postcard design possibly might be all of these design incorporated into one. However I feel after getting feedback I must listen to what has been said and keep them thoughts in mind when creating. I will go on to create my final design on photo plus.

The postcards are a key way of marketing our short film to an audience. As postcards are aimed at a specific audience, creating a successful one for that group of people is vital. The need for creating postcards is very important as its one of the easiest ways of advertising. I hope to use this marketing strategy to reach out to our niche audience. This appropriate use of marketing will hopefully be successful and gain our short film Karma an audience.