Genre.

Now that I have researched the different ways in which films are marketed depended on their genre I have decided to make my film as part of the horror/thriller genre. 

Just like any other genre, the horror genre has it own set of conventions that it sticks to in order to ensure the films will be successful. Conventions of the horror genre include: 

• Vulnerable victims. 
• Deserted and isolated settings. 
• The unknown. 
• Are often combined with science fiction. 
• Fantasy.

Horror films try and make the audience feel unsettled by tapping into aspects of life that most people are afraid of. For example: fear of death, the dark side of life, the forbidden, loss of identity and so on. Although horror films are usually more independent films that don't feature big Hollywood stars in them, it is still a very popular genre and now that horror films are being given lower certificates more so that more people can go and see them they are becoming more popular. 

Film publications.

As well as posters, magazines are another way that films are marketed so I took a look at a few existing film magazines since not all are aimed that he same audience. 


Total Film: Total Film was launched in 1997 and a new issue is bought out every month giving up to date information on all the latest big blockbuster films. 

Empire: Empire is the biggest film publication in the UK and like Total Film it also is a month magazine that focuses on big budget films although it does review more independent films as well. 

Sight and Sound: Published by the BFI (British Film Institute) Sight and Sound is one of very few film publications that reviews all film releases equally as apposed to others that primarily write about a certain genre of film. 

Premiere: Premiere was first published in 1987 and was discontinued in 2010. It was a mainstream American film magazine and included features such as 'If You Ask Me' and 'Letter Box' 

Neon: Neon was discontinued in 1999 just a few years after it's first issue in 1996. It featured film reviews and interviews with actors. 

American Cinematographer: This months magazine from the American Society Of Cinematographers doesn't focus on mainstream films as much as it does the art of making more independent films, tv shows and commercials. 

SFX: SFX is a British Sci-fi film magazine that is published every four weeks. As well as films, SFX also covers tv shows, video games and comics. 

Screen International: unlike most film publications Screen international is published weekly. The magazine began in 1975 and started a website in 2001. Screen International is marketed towards people involved in the film industry rather than fans of films as it features reviews based of Box-office takings rather than the plot of the movie. 

Little White Lies: Little White Lies is published every two months and is available online and in the shops. The types of films that are likely to be featured in this magazine are independent art house films and often changes the style of the magazine to match the genre of the film featured on the cover. 

Fangoria: Fangoria is a specialist horror magazine dealing exclusively with that genre. 

Filmmaker: Filmmaker is a film magazine, published four times a year, that writes about independent films. 

Starburst: Starburst is a science fiction magazine that is released every month but they also have a website that is updated daily. 

Film publication annotation.

Audience questionare.

I conducted a questionnaire in which I asked people what they were looking for in a film they would watch and what makes them want to go and see a film. I asked a wide range of people from all different ages, genders and places.

1) Do you expect to see  big Hollywood stars on the poster for a mainstream film?
yes/no

2) Do you expect films from certain genres to have a specific colour scheme seen on the poster?
yes/no

3) Do you expect to see a dominant central image on the poster that relates to the narrative of the film?
yes/no

4) Will your interest in seeing a film be affected by the time of year it is released?
yes/no

Conventions of teaser trailers.

1. Name of production company
2. Images from the film
3. Title of film
4. Release dates 
5. Indication of genre 
6. Web address 
7. Voiceover
8. Fast pace editing 
9. Possibly cast, crew, director credits
10. Possibly references to other films that have been directed/produced by the same people
11. Images and names of stars
12. References to awards that the cast/crew/film may have won or been nominated for 
13. Music 
14. Tagline 
15. Quotes that reference other films 
16. Sound effects 
17. Eye candy 
18. Reference to sauce materiel the film is based on 
19. A variety of camera shots

Billing

Having looked at billing on other film posters, focusing on those from the horror genre, I used the conversions I found to make my own billing. 

billing analysis.

This is the billing and credits on the poster for the film 'Carrie'. I like the positioning of the 'coming soon' as it brings the whole poster to together and it keeps with the colour scheme. The tagline and the other text that isn't the name of the film or the billing all have the same colour font helping the poster to flow, whereas, on some posters the billing can look like it's in the way. On my poster I hope to do a similar thing  

Production companies.

To find the right company to produce my film I took a look at production companies that have a history with successful horror films. 

Ghost House Pictures- 

Ghost House Pictures was founded by Robert Tapert and horror film director Sam Raimi, who is best known for directing the original Evil Dead which was then remade in 2013.  Together their production company has produced films and tv shows that belong exclusively to the horror genre. Films like 30 Days Of Night and The Grudge and TV shoes Devils Trade are just some things Ghost Hose Pictures have produced. 

Platinum Dunes- 

In 2001 Michael Bay and Brad Fuller created production company, Platinum Dunes. They mainly produce hour films, usually remakes. Although many of their films haven't been very successful, in 2009 they announced a first-look deal with the Hollywood production company Paramount. Branching out of the horror genre in 2010 they planned a remake of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. 

Hammer-

Hammer Film Productions is a British production

company founded in 1934. In the 1950s until the 70's they became best known for the gothic films they produced. Other genres include Thriller, Sci-Fi, Comedies and Film Noir. Hammer also produced some television series. As Hammer gained more success they became one of the most redound production companies for films in the horror genre. This was partly due to a partnership with Warner Brothers. 

Dimension Films-

Formerly owned by Disney, Now owned by The Weinstein Company, Dimension Films is a well known production company. Since the early 1990s Dimension Films has become known for producing films from the horror genre as well as action and comedy movies. 

Blumhouse Productions-

Blumhouse Productions is an American film production company, known for their very low budget films. Despite the lack of money they have to spend on making and marketing their films, some have become very successful. For example, Paranormal Activity and Insidious were both produced by Blumhouse, going on to become part of franchises. $15,000 was spent on making Paranormal Activity, it made $139 million worldwide after it was released by Paramount Pictures. 

Dark Castle Entertainment-

Dark Castle Entertainment is a division of Silver Pictures, which is affiliated with Warner Bros. William Castle, a horror film maker from the 1950s, inspired the name of the production company. They started off re-making old William Castle films but after making two they started to make original films. Rocknrolla,  the first film Dark Castle Entertainment produced outside the horror genre, was one of the first films that received positive reviews from critics. 

Twisted Pictures-

Founded in 2004, Twisted Pictures is a relatively new production company. Twisted Pictures is an independent company and are best known for producing the Saw films. 

Vertigo Entertainment-

American film producer, Roy Lee, has become for making Asian films and remaking american ones such as The Ring and The Grudge. His Beverly Hills based production company Vertigo Entertainment has a first-look deal with major production company Warner Bros. 

Magazine cover conventions.

1. name of magazine (masthead)- top quarter of the page, stands out, biggest font 
2. dominant central image of the actor usually in character 
3. web adress 
4. date, issue number and price 
5. barcode 
6. coverlines
7. dominant cover line directly related to film on cover 
8. banners- rectangular, circular, triangular 
9. slogan 

Taglines

• Jaws: The Revenge  "This time.. it's personal."
• Army of Darkness  "Trapped in time. Surrounded by evil. Low on gas." 
• Ravenous  "You are who you eat."
• Saw II "Oh yes, there will be blood."
• Halloween "trick or treat... or die." 
• Alien "In space, no one can hear you scream."
• Graduation Day "Some kids are dying to graduate...."
• The Sentinel "She's young, she's beautiful, she's next...." 
• Edward Scissorhands "His story will touch you... even though he can't." 
• Jaws 2 "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water."
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre "evil has many faces."
• Woman In Black "what did they see?."
• Se7en "7 deadly sins... 7 ways to die."
• Carrie "You will know her name."
• Dracula Untold "The legend is born"
• Jessebelle "The dead are back for life"
• Annabelle "Before The Conjuring there was..."
• The Babadook "If it's in a word, or it's in a look, you can't get rid of the...."
• Child's Play "you'll wish it was only make-belive." 
• Wolf "the animal is out."
• Psycho "Check in. Relax. Take a shower."
• The Astronaut's Wife "Imagine the face of terror is the one you love."
• Alien Vs Predator "Whoever wins... we lose." 

Taglines

Taglines used of horror/thriller films are often very personal and used in such a way to make the audience feel personally affected by the film. After looking at real taglines I have complied a list of protein tailgates for my film; The Room. 

1. Would you let them in? 
2. One door closes... 
3. Could you handle the truth? 
4. Would you go back? (if sequel) 
5. All it took was three knocks. 
6. How many secrets can one room hold? 

Poster sketch 3.

Poster sketch 2.

Poster sketch 1.

Conventions of film posters.

1) Name of film- largest text on the poster. 

2) Images of the main characters or stars 

3) Credits or billing

4) Imagery/iconography associated with genre 

5) Release date

6) Tag line- often indicating genre  and gives a sense of the narrative 

7) Actors names

8) References to awards

9) Reference to other films 

10) Production company logos 

11) Certificate

12) Social media links 

13) Reference to products 

14) Font- often indicated genre 

15) Extracts from reviews and star ratings 

16) Reference to director

1. 
   

Poster questionnaire.

1) Is the poster design eye catching?

2) Is the film genre obvious just by looking at there poster?

3) Does it have the conventions of a real poster?

4) Does the poster look like it could be a poster adversing a real film?

13 Sins poster

The Conjuring poster

Dark Skies Poster.

The first poster I looked at was Dark Skies to see whether it followed the conventions that are typically seen in horror movie posters. 

Insidious poster.

Texas Chainsaw poster.

The Woman In Black poster annotation

The Wolf Of Wall Street poster annotation