Poster creation step-by-step

After creating a mockup of the poster for my promotional package, I developed it and improved certain aspects of it, and I think that I now have a completed piece. However it is important that you understand how I created it and each step that I had to make in order to construct it. In this post, I will be presenting you with step-by-step visual evidence. Below is the creation:

 1. First, I acquired an image of an eye from Google that was royalty free and okay to use for media coursework. Originally, I did plan on taking the image myself, however my camera wasn't good enough and I didn't have access to a macro lens, which would have created that very focused effect. The eye that I have used was originally bright blue - this wasn't the colour that I wanted. I therefore used the colour replacement tool to change the colour to a sinister red - the colour of Incubus's eyes. I also used the sharpen brush to make the eyelashes more detailed and defined as they were originally blurry and more "blocky". After making adjustments to the eye, I added a solid black background behind it so that the colour was more vibrant, and there was room for the credits at the bottom of the poster. This step took me around 20 minutes to complete.

 2. I then inserted the credits at the bottom of the poster as my research showed that this is a key part of posters that is conventional and expected. I used the credits from an existing poster, however I chose these colours as I thought that they worked well with the colours of the poster. They stand out, and do not look like they are part of the film. This task only took me around 5 minutes.












3. The next key part to add in was one of the main characters. As this was Incubus's eye, I came up with the idea to make it look like he was watching over and potentially harming someone - Cpt. Baker. I took a still from our trailer and inserted it into the pupil of the eye. I then cut around it and added some effects that made the image look like a reflection. The reason I chose this image was because the character looks innocent and like he is staring death in the eye. This could have a great impact on the person looking at the poster and will make them wonder who's eye this really is. This task took me around 15 minutes to complete.

4. It was then time to add in the main stars name and the movie title. I used the same font that was used on the I Am Legend poster as I think it looks professional yet classic at the same time. In terms of the title of the film, I used DaFont.com to obtain a unique font that wasn't accessible from software such as Photoshop and Microsoft Word. This particular font was under the "bullet" section, which was the style I was looking for - a very military type look that was rugged and destroyed. The original colour of this font was black, so I changed it to white and made it slightly bigger. This task took me around 30 minutes to complete as it took some time to find the correct font to use.

 5. This step was relatively easy as all I had to do was add in the text "This is". Although this isn't part of the title, it acts as a presentation line that will hook the audience when they see the poster. Again the font for this was the same used in the I Am Legend Poster. This task took 5 minutes.

6. This was a very subtle feature to add, however I thought that it was vital to make the title unique and original. As you can see, I added some zombie hands just above the "S" of "SHUTDOWN". The reason I did this was because a lot of film titles are not just text and do usually include some form of iconography. Additionally, the hands look a little like fire - this is also a good look for the title. I managed to find the hands on Google however I took the background away from them so that I could use them on my poster. This task took me around 15 minutes.









7. The final step was more of a change than an addition. As you may have noticed, the poster said that the film was going to be released "this summer". I realised that in the trailer we said that it was going to be released "this October". I quickly made the change to the poster by using another font from DaFont and implementing it into this media piece. This task took around 10 minutes to complete.













Overall, I am very happy with the way that my poster came out and I believe that it follows the conventions of modern film posters. It looks professional, and clearly highlights the type of footage that the audience should expect in the film. I will be evaluating this part of the media promotional package in later posts along with feedback from others.

Mock-up of poster for Horror Promotional Package

After looking at a few different examples of posters with a similar genre to mine, I have created a mock-up version of my poster that I hope to develop on in the next few days. I created this using Adobe Photoshop as I believe I work better digitally opposed to using pencil and paper. I have also taken into account the popular conventions of film posters so that mine will look as realistic and professional as possible. Below is the mock-up:

- This is where the main star's name will appear. It will be in a bold font that is very eye-catching and unique
- This is where the slogan for the film will be. As the title of the film is "ShutDown", I will make sure that the slogan is a play on words linked to the title
- The main image for the poster will be the eye of Incubus. I will either take a photo with a macro lens, find a royalty free image, or create the eye digitally. It will be read in colour and I want it to be as detailed as possible for the best effect. The reason I have put a question mark within the eye, is because I want something to be reflected inside. I am not sure what yet, however I think that I will take a still from the trailer and edit it so that it looks like it is being reflected. One idea that I have is using one of the innocent soldiers being attacked. This will reinforce the idea that it is Incubus's eye and not a random persons.
- Finally, I will be including the title of the film at the very bottom along with the credits and possible film distributors. I am thinking of using a font similar to the I Am Legend poster as it matches the genre and looks classy.

I will now try and develop my mock-up and start creating the actual poster. The steps will be included in future posts with how I went about the creation.

Research on posters with a similar genre 2

In this post, I will be analysing a second poster for extra research before I start to create the poster for my horror promotional film package. I think that it is important to look at as many examples as possible as this will give me the best chance of creating a product that suits the audiences needs in every way. Below is my analysis on the poster promoting Resident Evil Apocalypse:

Just like the previous poster that I analysed, the name of the main star is shown at the very top of the page. This font however is interesting as the tracking space between each letter is fairly large. There could be a number of reasons for why this has been done, although I think the most likely could be that it is easier to read like that and it resembles the separation between the zombies and the humans. The colour is also very weapon like - something that it superior, dangerous, with good quality.

Milla Jovovich is in the very centre of the poster yet she is not giving any direct mode of address. Instead, she is looking just off set where the audience cannot see - this will make the audience question what she could be looking at and is it something that will harm her - probably due to her deadly weapons and fighting stance. The colour overlay is an effective addition to the poster as it makes it look cold but futuristic. Two concepts that any horror/action film fanatics like.

The title is presented in a sharp, crisp font that look like the weapons that Milla Jovovich is holding. I really like how the font relates to the film as it almost acts like a trademark that is unique and not easily mistaken with another film. The text is also the biggest text on the page, which is definitely something that I should consider when creating my poster.

Finally, there are the conventional features such as the credits, the date, the website, and the film distributors.

To summarise, this is a cleverly organised poster, however I think my final version will be more like the I Am Legend poster opposed to this one. The reason for this could be because this poster doesn't suit my genre as well, or it could just be because of visual appearance.

Research on posters with a similar genre

As I have finished the creation of the trailer for my media promotional package, I now must think about the poster and magazine cover that will go with it. Unlike the last two years, I now have a better knowledge on what posters in such a genre should look like, as I have made quite a few posters in the past. I have however still conducted some research into similar posters and the types of things to expect.  One poster that I looked very closely at was the I Am Legend promotional poster:

The first key feature that I noticed was the main actors name at the very top of the poster. This is something that is very conventional with movie posters, especially examples in this kind of genre. I think that I may implement something similar, as the audience is always interested with who is in the film - if it is someone well known, it is likely that they will want to go and see it.

We are then presented with the slogan "The Last Man On Earth Is Not Alone". As well as striking, I really like the play on words as it sort of contradicts itself. This is definitely a feature that I want on my poster as it will be rememberable and people can link it with the film.

The background is very effective in this case. The destruction behind Will Smith just shows how much of a problem the situation is, which should attract the audience and interest them. As I have seen the film, I know that Will Smith voluntarily stays behind to find a cure. This is represented with the lighting in the background - he is walking away from the light (safe) and into the darkness (bad). Usually, it is the other way around as the main good guy is trying to escape the horror. This is a factor that increases the main characters heroism and bravery.

Finally, the conventional title, credits, and date are used at the very bottom of the page. As much as I would like to challenge such conventions, I do think that they are a safe bet when creating a poster as they tell the audience all the key information that they need to know to go and see the film. This is why I think I will use this poster as a template for my own.

To summarise, I really like how this poster has been arranged, and the connotations that it provides the audience are very strong and reveal a lot about what the film may show.

Questionnaire about the finished version of our trailer

A couple of days ago, I sent a questionnaire to 10 people who are different ages and gender via email regarding the finished version of the horror trailer. Below are the results that I obtained and what I can infer from them:

Does the trailer look professional?
YES - 90% 
NO - 10%

Were you scared or disturbed while watching the trailer?
YES - 30% 
NO - 70%

Would you watch the film based on the trailer?
YES - 80% 
NO - 20%

Did the shooting scenes look realistic?
YES - 100% 
NO - 0%

What genre do you think the trailer is?
ACTION - 10%
HORROR - 90%

Out of 10, what do you rate our trailer?
10 - 20%
9 - 60%
7 - 20%

Based on this feedback, I do think that the trailer has been a success and it has definitely succeeded in what it was supposed to do. I am a little disappointed that so many people weren’t scared or disturbed whilst watching the trailer, however I did expect this as I know how difficult it is to mentally scare someone. I am however very pleased with how many people thought the shooting scenes look realistic. This is something that Campbell and I worked very hard on. In a future post, I will be uploading a screenshot of the written feedback that we received on FaceBook a few days ago.

Analysis of the trailer - Part 2

Analysis of the trailer - Part 1