Questionnaire For My Poster

Having gather lots of secondary research, I have now decided to create questionnaires to gather some primary research which I will add to my secondary research which I already assembled. Primary research is also important as you now know 'first hand' what the audience will like to see on A Thriller Poster, Teaser Trailer and Magazine Front Cover.

Below is a questionnaire in which I attempt to gather information which will help me create my poster , teaser trailer and magazine front cover in terms of background colour, font, certificate etc. I distributed this around my school to people that enjoyed Thriller movies.

I will then incorporate what I have found in this questionnaire to what I have already found when analysing Posters.

What do you expect the main image of the poster to be

• Protagonist holding a gun.
• Protagonist and Antagonist in a two shot
• The box 
• Nothing

What do you expect the colour scheme to be 

• Soft and pastel colours
• Dark colours
• Fiery colours
• Plain white 

What do you expect the background to be

• Background that links to the main image
• Big city
• No background

What do you expect the certificate a Thriller to be

• PG
• 12
• 12A
• 15
• 18

Do you expect upper on lower case letters

• Upper case 
• Lower case

What season do you expect a thriller to come out

• Autumn 
• Winter 
• Spring
• Summer

Would you like the names of actors to be on the poster

• Yes
• No

Would you like taglines on the poster

• Yes 
• No

Would you like to see reviews on the poster

• Yes 
• No 
• Don't know   

My Films Certificate

I have decided to make my movie a 12 certificate. I thought it will be the most practical for the audience I'm trying to attract.

My movie will consist of violence, sexual references and behavior and strong language. but they will all be brief and within the guidelines of the BBFC.

Although it makes me more restricted when filming but it allows a wider target to benefit from this movie.

 

BBFC Research - Certificate For My Film

I have done research on two certificates 12 and 15 on the BBFC website to see whats more appropriate for my film.

I have also taken the effort to add a link of the website which I did my research on.

BBFC Website

Here is my guidelines fora 12 film

The BBFC guidelines state that strong language may be used including F*** may be passed as a 12 rating. However it depends on the context of it being used. Moderate language such as twat and bitch may be used in a 12

BBFC however writes that any discrimination will not be tolerated in a 12 movie and could result in being pushed up to a 15 unless it's clearly condemned.

This site goes on to say that there can be some sexual behavior in a 12 movie however it has to be discreetly and and briefly portrayed. Verbal sex references shouldn't go beyond is suitable for young adults. Sex and sex references are treated he same, no matter about sexuality.

Furthermore in a 12 moderate violence is allowed but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries and blood. Fight scenes are allowed even long ones. However if you are using weapons in these fight scenes that are easily accessible to children, for example knifes, the age rating will be bumped unto a 15

Horror films may be passed for a 12, but they may only have moderate physical and physiological threat and these scenes are not frequent and the tone is kept on a average normal.

Imitable behavior and drugs in  movie may still get you passed for a 12. However it has to be brief and very difficult to copy. Anti-social behavior will not be endorsed


The guidelines for a 15 film:

What you might see in a 15 movie is

• Strong violence 
• Frequent strong language
• Portrayals of sexual activity
• Strong verbal references to sex
• Sexual nudity 
• Strong brief scenes of sexual violence or brief scenes of verbal violence.
• Discriminatory language or behavior
• Drug taking

My Billing

After looking through a few billings of real posters I have made my own billing for my film. this is all through my research of what writers, what directors and what songwriters to put in. I also knew what order to put them in. Using the names of the staff members I've made my appropriate billing for my film.

Potential Crew For My Billing

In order to actually create i'd need to learn who are the producers and writers etc. For this reason I used the website IMDB to research their actual roles and more about them. I was also looking specifically for actors directors that play roles in thrillers. As I want to give my teaser trailer and poster an extra layer of realism.



Director and Producer:   Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan was best known for his cerebral often non linear story telling. Acclaimed writer and director Christopher Nolan was born on July 30th 1970 in London England. Over the course of 15 years Christopher Nolan when from doing low budget independent films to the biggest of the Hollywood blockbusters including the famous thriller The Dark Knight.

Director:   Pierre Morel

Pierre Morel is a French director mainly known for directing the thrillers Taken, From Paris With Love and The Transporter franchise.

Producer:   Barbara Broccoli:

Barbara Broccoli is one of the entertainment industries most successful producers. However she she is most famous for producing the Bond movie Skyfall and the bond Movie Spectre.

  

Cinematographer:   Hoyte Van Hoytema: 

Hoyte Van Hoytema is a Dutch, Swedish cinematographer who studied at the polish national film school in Lodz. He is known for his works on the 'Interseller,' the movie 'Her' and the thriller 'The Fighter.'

Casting Director:   John Papsidera:

John Papsidera is a casting director based out of California. He is known for the cast of  'Secret In Their Eyes' and most famously for his role in casting the blockbusting thrillers The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.

Music Composer:   Brian Taylor

Brian Taylor is a American Composer, conductor, arranger, producer, songwriter and musician. Who has produced scores for films television and video games. He studies at Harvard University and composed the music for the thriller Fast and Furious 7.

  

Costume Designer:   Wendy Partridge

Wendy Partridge is a costume designer and is famously known for designing the costumes in the thriller Thor.

Editor:   Alan Edward Bell

Alan Edward bell is the editor for the famous franchise ' The Hunger Games'

Billing Analysis

I'm going to look at three billing from three different films, 'The Dark Knight Rises,'  'Enough' and 'Inception.' This is so I know how thriller billings/credits are structured when making my poster the billings will look authentic.

After looking at the billings I discovered that they mostly all have the same information in more or less the same order. The order and information is in the following order.

1) The production company or companies.

2) Name of director

3) Name of film

4) Name of main actors

5) Name of other important crew member including who the music is by, the editor, the production designer, director of photography, who the screenplay is by and perhaps more

6) Name of writers

7) Directors name again

Potential Production Companies

For this task i will be looking at production companies that produce big blockbuster thriller movies. I need Production companies for the beginning or end of my teaser trailer.(haven't decided.) Furthermore I also need it for the bottom of my poster, like all the others I researched had. I have now compiled a list of potential Production companies that will produce my movie teaser trailer.

The potential large companies are:


1) Universal Studios:

Universal Studios is a American film studio owned by Comcast, through is wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal and is one of Hollywood six big film studios. This studio has produced thrillers such as the Bourne franchise, the Fast and Furious franchise and the Morgan Freeman movie Wanted.

2) Colombia Pictures:

Colombia Pictures is an American film production and distribution studio of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Picture Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. This company produces thriller movies such as Spectre.

3) Warner Bros:

Warner Bros is an American Entertainment Company that produces film, entertainment, music and television. As one of the major film studios, and is a division of Time Warner with it's headquarters in Burbank California. This company Produces thriller movies such as The Dark Knight.

4) 20th Century Fox: 

Twenty Century Fox Film Cooperation also known as 20th Century Fox. It is an American Film Studio producer and is one of the Six major film distributors. They have produced thriller movies such as Taken and Kingsman.

Thriller Trailer Analysis Conclusion

After looking at three Thriller trailers in depth I have discovered the following conventions. These convention that I have discovered will help me make my teaser trailer as authentic as possible when the time comes.

• Thriller trailers often speed up non-diegetic music to create suspense.
• Most of the thriller films (with exception to 007) have young people to attract a wider audience.
• The main protagonist of the film usually goes to a male.
• Voice overs are very common in the Thriller genre.
• There is usually a battle between the protagonist and the antagonist
• Low key lighting
• changes in the angle of shots
• montage of shots
• Quick cuts
• Antagonist will nearly always have a hidden identity as it disorientates the audience.
• All  thrillers lead to a climax and then abruptly stop to keep the audience on edge and make them go watch the movie.
• The actors names are usually at the end of the trailer in block letters. 

Thriller Trailer Analysis 3

• The trailer starts with  non-diegetic high tempo music, this gives them expectation about the character like he is some sort of hero.
•  There is a series of wipes in all directions, this implies the paring of time to when this scene happened to when this movie is actually taking place.
• Lots of injuries on the protagonist makes the audience think that there is going to be alot of action coming up.
• The last wipe takes you back to the present.
• The tagline lets you know that is a direct continuation of the Bourne franchise just with a different protagonist.
• Series of explosives a fight scenes.
• Extremely high tempo music, its building up to something.
• Sniper shot, then it goes blank 
• Ends in a climax

Thriller Trailer Analysis 2

• Starts with a establishing shot of the location.
• There is calm music 
• Close up of a mysterious box, this will leave the audiences captivated
• The main Protagonist has a secret.
• The trailer makes it clear that he is some sort of spy
• He is searching for someone
• Uses a metaphor to show that there is no chance of finding what he wants.
• An anonymous person, this creates curiosity throughout the audience
• Ends with a bullet to show us that there will be a lot of action coming
• Music leads you to the climax.

Thriller Trailer Analysis 1

• Starts with a nice music tempo.
• There is a close father daughter relationship.
• Respects father by asking his permission
• Establishing shot of Paris
• It's made clear that the husband and wife are not together anymore.
• Dialing tone.. then upbeat music... something is going to be going down
• Continuous split scenes seem to erupt. This is common when the actors are using phones instead of cutting back and forward.
• Screaming and then a cut leaves the audience wanting more. This is very common in the thriller movie genre
• Cuts to the Protagonists only source of Intel. The director uses a extreme close up of this to show the audience that it isn't much to go on.
•  There are continuous shot lists to show the fast pace 
• Someone is getting electrocuted meaning that he will go to any lengths to get her back 
• Fast paced fight scenes with a very lot of shots bundled together
• There is a deadline which as to the thrill of the movie and put the audience on edge
• There is also emotion with the mother crying
• The daughter is dressed like a whore, to create eye candy for the audience. Also to show what will happen to her if her dad doesn't help her
• It builds up to the Climax with loads of explosions and glass breaking 
• Whilst all this is happening the famous tagline of the movie is going n with a voice over in the background
• The trailer ends in a cliffhanger. 

Thriller Movie Trailer Analysis Introduction

Now that I have already covered teaser trailers, I will now focus on the genre that I'm perusing, 'Thriller.' I will be looking at thriller trailers in depth to analyse the convention they possess. This is because I want to make my poster look as authentic and realistic as possible.

Possible Magazine Names

I have decided that my magazine will be like a Empire magazine. The magazine will be marketing top Hollywood blockbusters with big budgets. For this reason I wanted to compile a list of names that will be suitable for the types of films that I am talking about.

1) Cinema - I chose this possible title for my magazine because directly promotes the way the filmmakers make their money. Also when you tell someone Cinema they think movie.

2) Oscar - This was another option for my magazine. This was chosen because Oscar Awards are a prestige to receive and the movies that I'm going to be promoting in my magazine are prestigious.

3) Popcorn - I chose this as a possible title because Popcorn is instantly associated with cinema and cinema with big Hollywood blockbusters.

4) Spotlight - This title was chosen a a possible option because the movies my magazine will be promoting will be movies in the spotlight, and the name spotlight covers just that.

5) Movie-Mania - This was another option for my magazine as the mania could mean excessive fixation with my magazine will be doing with movies.

6) Zoom - This was handpicked because zoom directly links to film, I thought this may be a idea as Zoom is catchy which titles should be.

7) Ultimate-Film - This was chosen because it's promoting the 'ultimate' of the film. However because it says film i thought it sounds something that a independent magazine will choose.

8) Movie Magazine - This is plain and simple, straight to the point name that covers everything my magazine is about. The only downside is that it may be too long of a name, not catchy enough.      

Empire Magazine Analysis Conclusion

Through each of the magazines that I have looked through I have realized that the common denominators of them all are:

1) In all the Empire Magazines I looked at, block letters were used when writing the title of the magazine. This reflects the big budgeted films it promotes and markets.

2) The protagonist on the front cover is always a well known (and usually main actor) of the main movie it promotes.

3)  The background also always reflects the main movie and the role the protagonist on the cover is playing.

4) Cover lines are nearly always big Hollywood movies showing us that this magazine only focuses on big Hollywood blockbusters.

5) In most cases i have realized that the Protagonist on the cover, covers part of the magazine title. This may show that the magazine is so globalized that even part of the magazine is recognized or that the promoted movie is more important then the magazine title.

Empire Magazine Front Cover Analysis 5

• There is a famous Hollywood actor on the front cover to captivate buyers.
• The slogan promotes the magazine as the biggest movie magazine.
• There are cover lines promoting other movies
•  The main movie is in big block letters showing that it's a big Hollywood blockbuster.
• The banner is giving you an insight.
• The Empire magazine franchise also brings out on some of the months magazines that mainly focus on a certain genre, (in this case Sci Fi.)
• The background reflects the miese-on-scene of the protagonist.
• The magazine name is also in big block letters, this may be because it covers mainly big Hollywood blockbusters.

Empire Magazine Front Cover Analysis 4

• There are well known actors on the front cover of this Empire magazine to attract multiple buyers 
• The background reflects the main movie it is promoting, (in this case Expendables 3)
• Tagline above the the film title making comparison to similar movies.
• The colouring and theme promotes the action special - the colours are dim and flame like which goes nicely with the characters.
•   There are also photos promoting other movies.
• The magazine shows us to be globalized as gives us 'world' exclusives.

Empire Magazine Front Cover Analysis 3

• On this magazine front cover there is a famous well known actor, Leonardo DiCaprio which is a tool to promote buyers.
• The title Inception is of the same font as the Masthead, this may show that they have the same relevance.
• The magazine promotes the director which is another way to lure further audiences.
• The main cover line is of another movie completely. Shows the variety big film magazines need to achieve.
• The other cover lines in this poster reflects the genre of the main movie it's promoting
• The banner is another way to captivate the audience to promote something unique.    
• The background also reflects the main movie this magazine is presenting.

Empire Magazine Front Cover Analysis 2

• There is a well known and recognizable actor in a medium shot from a big budgeted Hollywood movie by the name of  'I Am Legend.'
• The slogan stating 'the worlds biggest movie magazine is telling us that this magazine is globalized and covers big budgeted Hollywood movies.
• The fact that the magazine has 25 world exclusives shows us that Empire is globalized through the world and is the right place to promote a Hollywood blockbuster which I'm creating.
•  The magazine is also seen to constantly promote itself with the main cover line stating 'Best winter preview ever.' 
•  The magazine is also promoting other big Hollywood blockbusters such as American Gangster and Rambo 4. these movies are also accompanied with an image to help promote it.
• The fact that that it says on the magazine 'and 20 more' shows us the size and the lengths the magazine has to be to keep promoting big Hollywood movies as the directors of these movies want

Empire Magazine Front Cover Analysis 1

• The dominant central image is of a famous character from a big budgeted Hollywood film.
• The dominant image is a long shot.
• The cover lines are talking about movies such as Tomorrowland.
• The issue number shows us that this is a successful magazine that has been around for along time.
• The background is the ruins of a city from the movie the Hunger Games. However the background is this magazine usually changes with the movie that dominates the cover.
• There is a tagline above the masthead, ' This time is war is there to captivate the audience into watching the promoted film.
• There is also a main cover line which tells you which is the main movie its focusing on. 
• The banner talks about an interview with the directors. this means it doesn't just cover Hollywood blockbusters. This is a important piece of information when try to create your own magazine front cover.

Empire Magazine Front Cover analysis Introduction

Due to my movie being a large budget Hollywood movie, I thought that the most appropriate magazine to reflect this would be Empire magazine as it's the most popular and big budgeted film magazine around the world

I'm going to be look at 5 different film magazines in terms of content, theme, colour, schemes and content. This is so that when I create my own magazine I know what to include to make the most realistic looking film magazine possible.

Thriller Movie Conventions - The Dark Knight

• The Words written seem to be written in blood  which already makes the poster look sinister and foreshadows violence in the film.
• The phrase is also used throughout the movie and is very chilling to the audience
• The smile is very bitter-sweet, usually a smile promoting love and happiness but as its drawn in blood in generates hate and death. This makes you feel that the antagonist is shown to be very twisted.
• The misty glass makes the poster character look very cryptic. This makes you view the movie to having mysteries and hidden truths  
• The almost heavenly halo, like a bright light behind character makes you think that he bringing death to innocent civilians.
• The fact that there is only one character in the poster represents how extraordinary and different this person is and how he doesn't fit into society.

Thriller Movie Conventions - Taken

• The tall man is the entire background, he is shadowy and is on a side angle. This makes it hard for the audience to make out his face. This is very secretive suggesting that he is some sort of spy
• The quote used is very direct, personal and threatening by repeating "I" and "YOU" and " I WILL KILL YOU." This draws the audience as it's intriguing and exciting and gives a clear sense of the movie in a cleaver way.
• The colour scheme is mainly black, white and grey this gives a sinister feel to the movie and suggests that the film is quite dark and foreshadows a lot of death.
• The pistol merges in the foreground of the poster this makes it stand out. This links well with the rest of the movie that is promoting violence and saying that he is some sort of spy looking to kill.
• The orange in 'Taken' and in the actors name 'Liam Neeson' this is done so it sticks out of the rest of the poster and will be remembered by the audience.

Thriller movie Conventions - The Kingsman

• The title of the film suggests only a thriller convention. The font suggests it's about a prestigious society 
• Several famous actors are written at the top. These consist of both American and British actors which will attract bigger audiences.
•  The main actor is not mentioned as he is not well known but he is still a dominant image on the poster implying that he his a main character. 
• Most of the actors are dressed smart and holding revolvers which continues to imply the genre. 
• The Target audience in Predominately young white Britons. however, due to american actors and other factors his movie could be enjoyed my young, old and females alike.
• The poster uses imagery from the film as well as shots taken for the poster itself. There is a montage in the background and the foreground of the poster which gives the poster a sense of perspective. 
• Above the title is says ' from the directors of X-Men First Class, this suggests that there will be the same action scenes as themes to X-Men. This also targets audiences who enjoyed the X-Men sequence.
• The unique selling point of this poster is that it's a combination of posh and chavs, attracts the young and old, is a mixture of thriller and comedy and has a mixture of American and British actors. This is a tool to attract the largest audience. 

Thriller Movie Conventions - Inception

• The poster has a dark theme to it, this revels to the audience what type of genre this movie will be (thriller.)
• The poster is darker around the edges. This is a tool to make you pay more attention to the center of the image.
• the actors are wearing suits which makes them prevail as important people. However they are also holding guns which makes them seem dangerous if need be.
• The title Inception stands out boldly next to all the other texts. The letters are red, red usually means danger and violence. 
• The name Leonardo DiCaprio on the poster will attract more people to see it.
• The light in the background could mean that they come from a brighter past or they are going to a brighter future.
• Underneath the title it says ' from the directors of the Dark Knight' this is trying to attract fans that enjoyed that movie to come and watch this.

Thriller Movie Conventions - The Box

• The first thing that people get attracted to is the actors (usually the Protagonist in thrillers) in movies. The designer of this poster is clearly trying to implement it by putting a famous actor known for her thriller movies dominating the poster. 
• The male in the inset has no facial features showing the movie to having people with no identification which will thrill to watch.
• The tagline is witty, stating that 'you are only a experiment' this will leave people on edge and will promote the movie as it's a cliffhanger.
• The pink line running down the middle is eye catchy and could maybe mean the line between good and evil.
• The name of the cast member may also be a tool to attract people as she acts in many othe movies in this genre.

Thriller Poster Conventions - Introduction

I have now decided to peruse the Thriller genre of movies and for my marketing campaign I'm going to look at 5 different Thriller movie posters. Through this I would understand what to look for and what to include in my poster when the time comes. I'm going to be looking at them in terms of colour, font, layout, images etc..

My Marketing Campaign

After all the research that I have done and some thought that I have put into what will be most suitable for me and where my interests lie,  I decided to pursue Thriller movies for my marketing campaign.

To fully understand what Thriller movies mean and what they consist of I have taken some time to do some research into the meaning of Thriller movies and what they entail.

Below is a link of the meaning of Thriller movies

Action Thriller Wiki Link     

Throughout my research what I learnt about Thriller movies were:

• They usually build to a climax
• They use Literary Devices such as, red herrings, plot twists and cliffhangers.
• Usually a villain driven plot and there are obstacles the protagonist must overcome

   

Some successful Thrillers include:

• Spectre
• The Bourne Identity 
• Taken

Teaser Trailer Conventions

As I've looked at the five different teaser trailers, I found that they contained roughly the same conventions regardless of the genre. Here is a list of the conventions which I have gathered through doing my research.

• Title of the film 
• Images of the film 
• Indication of genre 
• Website
• Voice over 
• Editing 
• Production Company logo's 
• Taglines 
• Eye Candy 
• Variety of different shots
• Music that reflects genre
• Release dates
• Images of stars / names of stars
• Sound effects
• Credits

Teaser Trailer Conventions - Act Of Valor

• Date
• Variety of different shots
•  Music that reflects genre - Not Afraid (Eminem)
• Sound effects - Gun fire
• Eye candy - Love
• Tag lines - broken up throughout the scenes
• Voice over - Man
• Indication of genre
• Production company logo - Relativity Media
• Reference to actors - starring active duty Navy Seals
• Images From the film

Teaser Trailer Conventions - Ted 2

• Production Company Logo - Universal and MRC
• Reference to date - This summer 
• Eye Candy - Tammy Lynn
• Indication of genre
• Music that reflects genre - Song about love
• Title of Film 
• Sound effects 
• Website
• Images of the film

Teaser Trailer Conventions - Transformers 4

• Production Company Logo - Paramount
• Sound effects
• Taglines
• Reference to genre
• Reference to Director
• Reference to Date
• Eye Candy 
• Images of Film
• Editing
• Variety of different shots
• Credits

Teaser Trailer Conventions - World War Z

• Production company logo -  Paramount and SkyDance
• Reference to date
• Variety of different shots
• Sound effects 
• Music that reflects genre
• Voice over
• Reference to genre
• Title of film
• Website
• Editing
• Images of film

           

Teaser trailer Conventions - Fast & furious 5

• Production Company logo - Universal 
• Sound effects 
• Reference to genre
• Reference to date
• Title of the film
• Music that reflects the genre
• Eye candy
• Tagline
• Editing
• website
• Image of stars

Potential Taglines for Poster and Teaser Trailer

Before I create my taglines for my poster and teaser trailer, I will be analysing a number of existing taglines from the thriller movie genre to see if there is a pattern of recurring features.

Below is a list of 18 Thriller Tag-lines and a summery of recurring features.

Non-Stop - 'The hijacking was just the beginning'

SE7EN -  seven deadly sins. Seven ways to die

The Bourne Identity - He was the perfect weapon until he became the target

Rear Window - It only takes one witness to spoil the perfect crime

Basic Instinct - A brutal murder. A brilliant killer. A cop who can't resist danger

Prisoners - A hidden truth. A desperate search

Zodiac - There is more than one way to lose your life to a killer

Gone Girl - You don't know what you've got until it ....

Gone Baby Gone - Everyone wants the Truth .... until they find it.

The Usual Suspect - Five Criminals .... one line up .... no coincidence

The Manchurian Candidate - Everything is under control

Enemy Of The State - It is not paranoia if they are really after you

The Adjustment Bureau - Fight for your fate

Memento - Some memories are best forgotten

Source Code - Change the past. Save the future. Make every second count

Hannah - Young. Sweet. Innocent. Deadly

Cold in July - How many men can one bullet kill.

Teaser Trailer Conventions Introduction

Now that I have compared the conventions of teaser trailers and theatrical trailers, I would now be solely looking at teaser trailers,  as it is needed explicitly for the main task. I'm going to be looking at 5 different teaser trailers to see if the conventions are the same regardless of the genre.

Comparing Teaser and Theatrical Trailers 2

In this task I would be continuing to do the same thing as the previous task. I predict the same outcome however. The second movie that I would be looking at is Fast and Furious 7. This movie is seen as a bit different the super hero movie and the conventions may seem a bit different.


Teaser Trailer:

Theatrical Trailer

Similarities and Differences 

Comparing Teaser and Theatrical Trailers

In this task I would be looking at similarities and differences between Teaser and Theatrical trailers of the movie 'Iron Man 3.'


Teaser Trailer:

Theatrical trailer:




















Similarities and Differences