Script -
How Effective is the combination of your Main Product and Ancillary Texts?
In my main product, i have given a focus on using the use of mise-en-scene to connote the mental state in which our main character, Paul Leigh is feeling as the trailer progresses. This can also be seen throughout my ancillary texts, as I have incorporated the same themes to give a sense of synergy. For example, the use of low key lighting throughout all of my products is used to connote the theme of ‘Delirium’, that Paul Leigh is in a bad situation, and his life is slowly deteriorating. This is because low key lighting is commonly used throughout the trailers i have researched, and is very effective for portraying the mood, and tone of the film. This for example is seen very apparent in Se7en, as well as the Sixth sense which i had previously researched.
A second common element in my products is the use of only one single character. I chose to focus on the character of Paul Leigh as audiences and viewers will be easily able to recognise him, and associate that this is a story about him. This however also proved effective at suggesting the idea that he really is alone, isolated and lonely. Which is very important as it connotes the storyline in which the trailer is based upon. I decided that i wanted the pose of Paul Leigh to also signify his character’s personality. For example as you can see in both of my ancillary texts, he is positioned looking towards the camera, with a shadow creeping up and covering some of his face. I decided on this as it shows that he is being taken over by darkness, and that he is in a battle within himself. For my ancillary poster, i added multiple faded heads to suggest that he is in a personal battle with himself, and to relate back to my title of Delirium. Paul Leigh in all of my products is seen wearing average clothes, this is due to the idea that this is realistic, and in reality really can happen to anyone. I thought in doing so, it created a better sense of verisimilitude and audiences would be able to relate to Paul Leigh more.
Once again, as Paul Leigh is seen to be on his own in my ancillary texts, and only a few characters feature solely in my trailer, i believe this connotes the idea that Paul really is trapped and isolated on his own, it suggests the idea that his family problems are worsening. I think this suggests largely that he does not really have good relationships with anyone, creating the emotional response of sympathy within the audience.
Narratives included in my print texts are very subtle and metaphorical. This is because i feel that Delirium has a deeper meaning than its face value. The magazine front cover is mainly focused on dark colours such as black and grey, with bursts of blue throughout. I believe this metaphorically suggests the darkness has taken Paul over, however he does still have that goodness in him, seen through the lighter blue colouring. However, i believe my poster is more effective when it comes to suggesting narratives, as it shows the internal personal battle that our protagonist is feeling. The poster connotes that this is going to be a thrilling self worth, overcoming demons storyline, which can be seen through the encroaching shadow, low key lighting, and blurred facial features.
As my target audience was changed from 15-25, to 25-40 year olds, i believe the narratives shown throughout all three of my media products are effective in attracting the target audience. I believe this as i find the storyline of Delirium to be very realistic and relatable. Therefore i think that the family problems, alcoholism and deterioration are all relative to the lifestyles, idea’s and problems in which middle class 25-40 year olds face. For example, some older viewers may be going through, or have been divorced, or some may be having problems with alcohol or know someone who is.
The conventions of thrillers i that i wanted to incorporate into my print texts is similar to the ones which i researched before the production of Delirium. For example, two common themes of the thriller genre are silhouettes/shadows, and psychotics. Therefore i tried to incorporate both of these into my print texts. This was done by the common use of shadowing which can be seen on both the magazine front cover, and the poster. The psychotic element was harder to incorporate, but i feel the emphasis on the facial expression of Paul in the magazine is effective at connoting the idea that his mental state is breaking down, this is also apparent on my poster through the use of the faded/blurry images, which is also effective at connoting the idea that he is unable to cope and losing his sense. It is a metaphor for the idea that he is not himself, and there is almost like a demon living inside him, which relates nicely with the plot twist at the end of Delirium. The colour black is a common theme found in thriller genre films, as it connotes the idea of mystery, evil and darkness. I believe this colour and its connotations are useful in expressing the tone and mood of both of my print texts, as it hints towards the storyline and narratives within the trailer. The colour black and shadows are also very good in creating the theme of mystery, which is a common theme and convention associated with the thriller genre, and many thriller films. The theme of mystery is crucial when it comes to popularising a thriller genre film as it is what entices the audience to watch it. In my poster, the location of the back of a house/alleyway is used to show that Paul Leigh is not a ‘hero’ or your stereotypical protagonist. I believe the convention of realistic and urban locations is effective within my poster especially, as it gives emphasis on the realism, and that this could happen in any town, village or city around the country.
Synergy is also crucial when it comes to the recognition of a film. Therefore i wanted to keep synergistic features throughout all of my products. The main use of synergy is the recurring title Delirium, with the same font, colours and texture. The title needed to be kept the same so that it is easily recognisable by audiences everywhere, and they will automatically associate the word, font and colours with the character Paul, the narrative of the film, and the film title itself. The colour black is used in all three products as mentioned before, which keeps synergistic elements for the tone, and mood of the trailer/film. As well as the use of the mortem productions appearing above it. This is important as this will also give institutional information for the viewers and create word of mouth about my production company. The theme of darkness is perhaps the main synergistic element for all three of my media products. For example, in my poster it is seen creeping across the landscape image, and for my magazine, it is once again seen overcoming the protagonist Paul. This synergy is important as it associates the audience with the character of Paul, and the shadow and darkness almost becomes trademark for the film, due to its connotations of danger, mystery and the unknown.
We used several different effects when creating Delirium. For example, we used a distorted effect on Paul Leigh when he is in his office to show that he is mentally deteriorated and stressed out. We accompanied this with amplifying white noise to show the inner self conflict he is feeling. This links in nicely to the effect used on my poster where you can see distorted faded heads showing the on-going struggle within him, almost like he has to personalities trying to take control. This is not as clearly seen in the poster, however the effect of the darkness surrounding Paul Leigh is used to connote the idea that he is not what he appears on the surface, and that he may have a darker side.
My institutional information links throughout my main media product, and my two ancillary tasks. My production company logo can be seen in only my trailer, as it matches nicely as synchronous sound with the heart beat. The institutional information such as the billing block is also seen. Mortem productions, without the main devil image can be seen on both of my ancillary texts, above Delirium to create an association between the two. Therefore creating effective word of mouth and recognition for both the title and the company. The date can also be seen on my poster, as i believe this is the most effective place for it to occur after people have seen the trailer, and the magazine - As they are able to find out more information after wanting to see more Delirium related media. Therefore this gives good levels of information for the audiences to come across progressively. As i found that people tend to look at the left side of the page first, i decided to focus my institutional information on that side of the page, as it is what the audience are first drawn to.
Overall, i believe that the effectiveness of my campaign is very effective. I believe i have created realistic ancillary texts which follow the common conventions of both posters and magazine front covers, whilst overall trying to keep the essential synergy needed for recognition of the film, title, and institutions involved. I considered greatly the common conventions of the thriller genre when creating all three of my media products, such as the colours, themes and fonts used, therefore i believe i effectively created a thriller genre marketing campaign which resembles commonly seen campaigns.
No comments:
Post a Comment