Creating a Promotional Package for a New Film Essays

Creating a Promotional Package for a New Film Essays Creating a Promotional Package for a New Film Essay Creating a Promotional Package for a New Film Essay Essay Topic: Film Pulp Fiction The Godfather The task was to construct a promotional package for a new film. This has to include at least four stills from the film, a video cover and a poster we chose this brief as it gave us the chance to use a different medium from our as project and also we believed this brief would enable us to perform well. Though further promotional items such as magazine articles (reviews etc) could also be included. The A2 practical differs from the as in that the A2 project uses a different medium (digital cameras rather than the film medium. The A S project was to create the opening few minutes of a thriller. I was put into a group with two other students-Conrad Cayabayab. The original brief was to create a promotional package for a film (as above). The first thing that we needed to decide was what genre the film would be, as this would be important in deciding how the film would be represented in the package also it would confine the narrative within the parameters of that genre. After this we had to make a decision about the narrative of the film, the narrative would be needed to determine what the stills would show and what the poster and video would contain. We thought that the narrative should have an east London setting largely because this would be easier for us to take our pictures. Though we thought it would be a good idea not to make to many shots were location was distinct, this was because we didnt want to make the mass audience feel excluded. Although the film was to be the gangster/gang genre we knew that we would have to adapt it to the east end (The typical Italian-American style wouldnt suit east London as the iconography wouldnt fit) therefore films like Goodfellas . We also knew that due to the age range of actors that would be available to us (approx. 18-20) that we wouldnt convey a realistic image if the actors were wearing realistic London/Paris made suits. Therefore we thought that we could adapt the narrative around a local gang of young working class people. Another factor that is quite common among many traditional gangster films is that gang members are exclusively white. We decided that it would be a more accurate representation of east London if there were mixed races involved in the narrative. When we decided on the basic outline for our narrative we began to research a wide range of gangster films looking at poster images and stills from various films including the Godfather and The Untouchables. (see booklet) when we done this we outlined a few ideas for photos that we would like to take(see booklet). Once the planning had been finished we had to undertake the practical side of our project. When we came to take the photos we had difficulty at first organising our time so that everyone turned up on time. Once this problem had been sorted out we had little trouble taking our pictures. Whilst taking our pictures we realised that some of our original ideas would not be as effective as we had hoped or would be too difficult to get a decent photo. We decided that some shots that we decided on later on would be more useful we were able to change our plans as we did further research and gained experience through taking pictures. Some of these shots suited our purpose better than our planned ones such as the one of Simon with the gun cigarette (see booklet) though this has an intertextual element (it looks like a scene out of Pulp Fiction) When we finished taking all of the images that we needed we had to alter the photos. We used Paint shop pro and adobe photoshop to alter our photos. A problem that we encountered when we came to edit our images was that some were too dark and even after editing they were still too dark or the editing deteriorated the picture quality too much. After we had discarded the photos that were unusable we had to decided which four photos to use for our still images. We knew that we had to use photos that were either action photos or would make an impact on the audience. After we had done this we started to make the cover for the video. The cover would need to include further images from the film on the back along with a synopsis of the plot on the back, also it would need to contain a certificate rating, film duration, and quotes from newspapers such as the guardian and film magazines such as Empire. We decided to use two images on the back of the cover as this would leave enough room for the text that was needed while giving the potential audience something that grabs their attention. We decided that to make the cover look more professional we would scan in a bar code and a list of credits from another film(12 monkeys) the writing is to small for the difference to be discernable-as it was on the original. We wanted the front cover to look distinctly different from the poster so we thought that we should put a different character on the cover also in a striking pose. We thought that one of Conrad either with weapons or staring with sunglasses would be appropriate. The function of a promotional package for a film is to sell that film and the ideas that go with it to the potential audience. The purpose of the Poster is simply to draw peoples attention to it, it needs to be eye catching and memorable in order for the cinema going public to remember the poster and thus influence their decision about what film to watch. The video cover not only has to grab peoples attention but then hold it for them to buy it, also video covers will need to be striking because they will be sold as one title amongst hundreds of others. The importance of selling the film is slightly reduced in the stills, which gives them more room to use iconography to sell ideas about the film rather than just trying to attract the attention of the audience. For this reason, the stills are allowed to be more reflective of the narrative than the poster and to some extent than the video cover, (the video cover contains a synopsis of the plot). The poster is very effective at gaining peoples attention. This is because there is a striking image but since it has been edited, (using the cut out option on adobe photoshop) the image is not clear and the audience will feel compelled to take a closer look at the poster. We decided to use the image of Simon holding a gun and smoking as it has a very stylised iconographical connotations of violence. Also as Simon plays one of the main characters Bubba it sets his role out as an integral. Part of the narrative. We Wanted the image of Bubba with a gun smoking to be the image that people think of when the film is mentioned. The picture of Conrad on the video cover is also very striking we opted for this for several reasons. The first reason was that we wanted to show that the film was not just about the exploits of Bubba but, other characters also hold an integral part in the narrative Conrad who plays a character of the same name represents Bubbas main obstacle in that he wants out of the gang and Bubba being the leader doesnt want that to happen. We use a stereotypical image of an east Asian male (ninja) because it gives the audience a familiar image. This is because audiences feel safer when they see something that they expect to see. However this may cause some problems with regard to genre as it could be compared with the martial arts genre. We decided to use more ambiguous pictures on the back cover to make the audience take a closer look at what is happening. The top picture is of a drug deal taking place next to a dark alley the bottom is of mark assisting in a gang related kidnapping in order to help out Conrad. The synopsis grabs peoples attention and also is set within the parameters of gang films typical narrative of a struggle by one or more people to get out of the culture and make a better life for themselves whilst someone is trying to stop them(boyz n the hood) The first still is that of Simon with the gun smoking (the image that the poster was based on) we did this because we wanted this image to be the main one that the film is associated with. This clearly represents Bubba as a violent character who is in a position of power. This is because the picture was taken as a point of view shot from someone who Bubba is threatening with a gun. Having power is a classic trait of gang leaders in both gangster and gang movies. The second still of Conrad with swords is similar to the front cover of the video. We used this simply to give a representation of violence also it shows him as a strong character but also shows that his mentality is still in gang culture. The third still is of Bubba holding a gun to a rival gang members head while the gang member holds a knife to Bubbas throat. We decided to use this in order to show an action scene. This image works because it shows a confrontation, also it again shows Bubbas power-he is holding a gun while his opponent has a knife the gun obviously being a more powerful weapon. The fourth still is of Mark (Aris) on his own looking sad/angry. We used this image to represent Marks character. As Mark is a sad character and generally alone in the narrative this image reflects that well. The narrative follows the convention that a film starts at the beginning then has a middle then the end. The theory of Bordwell and Thompson that narrative follows a pattern of cause and effect. This theory is particularly relevant to gang films as the narratives often work on tit for tat violence between different gangs or gangs and the police(eg Conrad wants to get out of the gang so Bubba takes action to try and keep him in the gang). Though originally we had set out to create a Gangster movie in the Godfather vein as our production advanced it became clear that the images we had took deviated far enough from the traditional gangster movie that it was now a gang movie. The difference between the two is that Gangster movies are more stylish and the characters wear expensive suits where gang movies deal with the working/under class. Our film does contain some elements of the traditional Gangster movie particularly the poster but on the whole, the film is of the gang genre. I felt that our promotional package would stand up quite well when compared to the other films. Our poster uses brighter colours, and a image that has been editied using Photoshops Cut-out tool, making it stand out over other films of the Gangster and gangland genre. If it was to be compared with the poster of The Godfather, the latter uses darker, moodier imagery and a sharper, clearer picture. The photo for our film is more reminiscent of action films such as Pulp Fiction. People would notice this over other films on the market due to the striking differences, namely the aforementioned differences with the imagery and colour, but also in the way that the cover of the video is bright red, whereas colour to the video sleeves of Gangster films are usually black or darker blue. The picture of Conrad has no distinguishable background from the main red of the red, to make the violent nature of the film stand out and so the viewer is left in no doubt as to what type of film it is, despite the differences in the style of the video cover. The swords he is holding show a bit of variety from the usual gun-related style of films such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or Reservoir Dogs. This will make the film more appealing to people who are tired of the current Guy Ritchie-inspired trend of British gangster movies. The masculinity and violence implied in the picture at the front of the video case would make the film appeal to a typically male audience, that is not too high in excess of the 18 age certificate in the video. However, it does not stray from all the conventions of films of this genre, to make it clear to the potential audience that it is a gangster film. The poster shows shot shows Bubba pointing a gun straight out of the camera, at the audience. This makes him very reminiscent of Samuel L. Jackson, in Pulp Fiction, and the cigarette and gun have similar iconography to a lot of elements of Quentin Tarintinos films. There is a lot of reasons why the film industry would be interested in a film such as this. Due to the variety of ethnicities involved in the film, it will appeal to a wide-range of backgrounds, thus not alienating a particular ethnic group. This would appeal to a film company because it could feel that its films are satisfying a wide audience. As the actors are reasonably young, the film may appeal to a young male audience, who would enjoy seeing a Gangsters film starring a group of people their age. Also, with the success of Guy Ritchies Lock, Stock nd Snatch British gangster films, these type of films are currently a very popular trend, and would appeal to a wide range of socio-economic groups, most young males below the class A group would be interested in viewing such a film. Once we had completed our promotional package, we presented the end products to an audience. For the most part, the response we got was quite positive. In particular, the poster got a very good reaction. Th e audience said that the unconventional image was striking, and led an air of ambiguity that enticed them into wanting to know more about the film. The video cover, on the other hand, got a mixed response. Although people generally agreed that the main image on the front was striking, and caught their attention, many people thought that the image had connotations of a martial arts film. People felt the pictures on the back worked reasonably well. They felt the picture of Steve and Aris kidnapping a girl was affective, as it showed the crime and the action involved in the film, which leaves people curious as to what happens as the narrative develops further. People also commented that the video sleeve was red, which made it stand out against other films, which usually have a very dark or white sleeve colour. People found the still of Bubba smoking (the still image which the poster was derived fromof the) effective, as it reminded them of similar films in the genre, such as Pulp Fiction. The pictures made him look aggressive and powerful, while the gun pointing in the direction of the camera struck people as being very personal. We had one comment that the photograph looked comical, and was too similar to Quentin Tarintinos famous iconography used in his well known crime films, and could be seen as being formulaic The second still of Bubba and the rival gang member was also well-received. People thought it was a dynamic image that showed the toughness of the characters, as they show no fear in a dramatic stand-off, and the constant aggression in their day-to-day lives. It shows that they live their lives in a cycle of violence, because of the revenge and anger involved in the gang warfare. It also gives people a good idea of what they would expect to see in the film, by sticking to the common codes and conventions used in the film genre. The third still was not as well-received as the others. People once again felt that this was representative of a martial arts film, and not of the type of film it was intended to portray. People did say, however, that it reflected a strong character, one who is not afraid to use violence, and can handle himself with weapons. The fourth still was of Mark. This had a mixed responses, as some people felt that the picture was not captivating, and showed little of the plot, or about the character involved. It does, however, portray the character as miserable, due to the sombre mood of the photograph, and as lonely, due to the fact that he is walking on his own, with nobody around to protect him in the violent atmosphere the film is set in.