Evaluation Essay

Below is my essay answering all for of the evaluation questions:

A2 - Advanced Production
Film Marketing Campaign for ‘The Well’
Evaluation

How do your products represent social groups or issues?
In terms of the representation of social groups, I have focused mostly on the representation of gender (both male and female) as this seemed most appropriate because of my chosen film genre, horror. Conventionally, films from this genre feature vulnerable female characters who are presented as victims, and dominate and dangerous male characters, who are presented as killers or the ‘monster’ character type. I have chosen to follow this convention despite noticing that more modern horror movies often feature stronger female characters, such as ‘the final girl’ character type. The female victim, seen in the trailers and social media pages advertising my film ‘The Well’, is represented stereotypically, with her presented as isolated, alone and vulnerable, similar to the representation of ‘first victim’ character type, seen in the horror film ‘Scream’ (which was hugely influential on my film). I have also utilised the conventional male stereotype that is typical of horror films, such as ‘The Shining’, where the male is frequently the villain/antagonist or ‘monster’ who is a threat to the female victim. In both of my trailers/TV spots, I have presented my male protagonist as mysterious, threatening and sinister, and as a contrast to the more vulnerable female lead (who tentatively looks around the house and screams at the end of the TV spots). These character traits manifest themselves through a number of incidents that feature in both of my TV spots. These incidents include the ‘monster’ suddenly appearing in the house, his feet as he walks, clips of him banging on the door and through the multiple point-of-view shots from his perspective. For the female character, I emphasise her vulnerability through her cautious/nervous figure behaviour, the high angle shots of her, tracking shots of her which make it appear as if she is being followed, and with her scream when she realises she is not alone in the house. These, and numerous other, incidents (such as the victim cowering in the corner) are intended to establish her vulnerability, and therefore create expectations for the audience about what may happen to her. Through the figure behaviour of the ‘monster’, the use of sinister music and through the way I have edited shots of him (alongside the costume he wears, which is intended to hide his identity), I have presented the male antagonist in conventional, stereotypical ways that audiences would be familiar with from gender representations common within the horror genre.

How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of ‘branding’?
My research into film marketing campaigns highlighted that distributors work very hard at creating consistency across the various elements of the advertising for the film, so that audiences are aware of exactly which film is being promoted, and therefore make links between the trailers, posters and social media pages that they see. In a crowded marketplace, consistency across branding can be crucial to attract an audience, in an era when consumers are attending the cinema far less frequently than they once used to (because of the rise in streaming platforms and the development of home cinema technologies). It is therefore important that the different elements of a film marketing campaign build upon, and reinforce, each other, so that audiences are encouraged to go and see the film in the cinema (horror films, I believe, are best viewed in this environment, where viewers can be swept along by a collective response to the scary moments on screen , making for a more immersive viewing experience). The elements of each of my productions, the trailers/TV spots, the poster and the social media pages, work together to create a sense of branding through, for example, using the same font on each of the media products. I chose Trajan Pro, a font commonly associated with films from the horror genre, and the fact I have used it, in uppercase throughout, in all of my copy from the titles and billing in my TV spots, to the copy on my poster, and for each word on my Instagram page, ties all of my media products nicely together. This sense of branding is reinforced by a unified colour scheme across my products (black and white cinematography, black and white for the copy on my poster and the title cards in my TV spots), colours which create the sinister tone I was after but also add a degree of realism or verisimilitude (my ‘monster’ is an ordinary man, rather than a supernatural creature). There are numerous other elements which tie my products together, from the use of similar images of the well (in all of my products) to the use of the same tagline – ‘Welcome To Your New Home’ – in my trailers and poster (split into three title cards in my TV spots). The names of the cast and crew are consistent across the billing blocks on my poster and in my trailers, as is the release date for the film – October 31^st.

How do your products engage with the audience?
It is crucial when marketing films that each element of the campaign resonates with the target demographic. I wanted the audience to care enough about my victim character from seeing her in the trailers (getting a sense of her vulnerability), but chiefly to create enigma and mystery about what happens to her (I leave both TV spots on a cliffhanger), to want to go and see the film and to root for her to escape the clutches of the serial killer. Here, the representations I mentioned previously were crucial. In terms of making each of my products engaging, I worked at hard at ensuring they would appeal to my chosen demographic and that they would encourage the audience to see the film. My TV spots use lots of techniques to engage audiences, from the production company logos at the beginning which indicate that this is a horror movie from companies with a proven track record in making successful films from the genre, to the sinister and unsettling non-diegetic music that will make the audience feel uncomfortable and believe that it will be a terrifying movie to watch. The taglines create enigma and reference the narrative of a girl moving to a new home (a typical ‘set-up’ withing the horror genre) and I leave both TV spots on a cliffhanger, with the voiceover conversation in one creating further mystery for the audience and signifying the danger of the titular well. The TV spots are fast-paced in terms of editing, essentially a montage of many of the sinister moments in the film, and include crosscutting to build audience tension, and a series of these would be released in the week before the film’s premiere, to drive audiences to the cinema. Each TV spot contains some of the same footage (which was a convention I found during my analysis) but also includes new/different footage, not previously scene in other trailers, to tease the audience with more information about the plot and characters in the film just before they go and see it. My poster also makes reference to popular and successful horror films, which have a similar aesthetic and are made by the same director and production company. This will encourage audiences familiar with these movies to see the film, almost giving ‘The Well’ a seal of approval. The social media page for the film engages with audiences by including images from the film and TV spots, alongside some of the positive reviews the film has received, drip feeding information about the film’s release. Social media platforms, like Instagram, encourage audience interaction, I would hope that followers would share this information, using the hashtags, with like-minded people.

How did your research inform your products and the way they use or challenge conventions?
Throughout the planning stage of my project, I logged all of my research onto a blog so that I could quickly and easily refer to my findings when creating my TV spots, film poster and social media page. Much of the research I did was related to conventions (of the different media formats but also of my chosen genre) and I was able to look back at my findings when creating my products so that I could incorporate these conventions into my TV spots, poster and social media page. This was incredibly helpful in enabling me to create authentic media products from my genre.

For the trailer research, I found that a common convention (which I have incorporated into my trailers) was the inclusion of production company logos at the beginning of trailers (often accompanied with sinister and unsettling music appropriate for the genre). I have included logos for Universal, Ghost House Pictures and Blumhouse Productions – all production companies with a proven track record of making horror films. I also included these production company logos in the billing block of my film poster. The font which I used for my trailers, film poster and social media page, was typical of the fonts used in marketing materials for films from the horror genre. Trajan has featured in horror films including ‘The Conjuring’, ‘The Last House on the Left’ and ‘The Human Centipede’. In terms of my storyline and the use of film language such as fades in the trailers, sinister non-diegetic music, black and white cinematography with high and low angles, tracking shots, and mise-en-scene typical of the genre, I do not challenge conventions at all in my Tv spots. I followed the classic narrative structure and patterns of horror films, with recognisable archetypal characters such as the ‘first victim’ (and possibly the ‘final girl’) and the ‘monster’. Each of these characters conforms to the stereotypes of the genre in terms of gender.