1008 Evie Berry

Evaluation Questions

How effective was your research into similar film posters?

I would say that my research was effective because I had a better idea of what I should include in my film posters; I had a clearer idea of what conventions featured in horror film posters because I had examples in front of me. I learned that most horror films use monochromatic colours and often red, these colours represent evil and violence. I learned how to best layout my posters, how to use colour and what other extras should be included on the film posters (for example, star names) from my research.

How effective was your research into relevant target audiences?

My research was effective because I was able to learn that the biggest demographic for horror films were women who were aged 18-24. This enabled me to edit my poster to appeal to this audience more. For example, I decided to use a simple image for this demographic instead of an action shot as this is more likely to appeal to adult women.

What did you learn from your research in these two areas?

I learned what conventions typically appeared in horror film posters and how to adapt my poster to appeal to my target audience. I also learned who the biggest audience for horror films were, which enabled me to change my poster accordingly. For example, my target audience were women so I used a more disturbing image on my poster as opposed to an action shot, which would be more likely to appeal to men.

In what ways did your research shape the creation of your film posters?

My research shaped the creation of my posters because I knew what conventions to include that would clearly convey the genre of my film. For example, in my second draft I used more black and white colours as this is a typical horror film poster convention. I also used an image that would be more appealing to women as they were the biggest audience for horror films, i.e. I used an image that would create a sense of unease and intrigue, rather than a violent or action-filled image.

What creative decisions did you have to make at the different stages of your film poster production?

The first creative decision I had to make was as to what image I should use on my posters. For my first draft I decided to use an eye, this was to convey the message that you cannot see what goes on inside of someone’s mind (relating to the mental health disease that surrounds my film). However, this ended up being too vague and not easily interpreted – I therefore decided to change the image that I used. For my second draft I used an image of a scorched bear, this was to show almost an extended metaphor for the vulnerability of the victim in the film and the damage that was caused by Munchausen syndrome by proxy. I felt that this image was better suited to my film as it was vague enough to give nothing away about the film, but disturbing enough to get people interested. For my teaser poster I decided to use the image of a pill bottle, again relating to the disability in my film as medications are often used to treat mental health illnesses. I also had to make decisions about the background colours and fonts used on my posters. I chose to use black and white as they typically

1008 Evie Berry

appear on horror film posters; I also chose to use two different fonts so that the title and tagline would make a bigger impact. I chose the fonts because one was very unusual and would be more memorable for the audience, I felt that the simple font used for the director and star names complimented it well because there wasn’t too much for the audience to focus on.

What challenges did you face during the production of your film poster?

I found it difficult to edit my images on Photoshop, so this made making the posters more time-consuming to get the results that I wanted. Also taking amateur shots of images to use on my poster was a challenge too. I had to try to make a plain background and have good lighting for the photo so that it made editing the images easier when using Photoshop; however I struggled to do this which made editing slightly harder.

How did your film poster change as your work progressed?

The image, colour scheme and fonts changed as my work progressed. In my first draft the image used didn’t relate well to my film, I later changed the image to fit in better with my film. My colour scheme changed too as my poster progressed; I used primarily grey and black on my original poster. I decided to change it to black and white because those colours contrasted better and therefore made a bigger impact on my audience. Finally, I changed the fonts used on my original poster. My first draft included four different fonts that didn’t work well together, I changed them so that my title and tagline made more of an impact and the other information was in a simpler font, I found that they complimented each other well and gave me a good result.

How closely does your film poster follow the forms and conventions of existing posters?

I would say that my poster follows other conventions quite closely, some typical conventions are: the use of black, white and red; the use of objects related to violence or death and a dark background to create a sense of mystery. I used black and white on my poster, a dark background and a burned bear (the fire relating to violence and/or death). However, horror posters often use extreme close-ups of the eye or a setting like a house or cabin. In this regard, I didn’t follow the conventions closely. However, I don’t think that these particular conventions would have worked well with my film – hence why they weren’t used.

How successful is your finished poster? What are its strengths and weaknesses?

I would say that my final poster is overall successful. The colours used make an impact on audiences and the image is memorable and conveys the genre of the film. The fonts used are eye-catching and the extra information about the film (like the director and star names) makes the film more appealing for audiences. Although, the poster does look somewhat empty and plain and the image isn’t edited well. To improve it I would need to use more editing techniques and take more images to add to the background.

How effective was your management of the production work? How could you improve it in the future?

My management was effective because all the work was completed. However, to improve next time I would work faster and manage my time better so that the work was completed more thoroughly.