Sunday, 4 October 2009

Empire: Film Cover Analysis

  • Dominate image of the the main character. It is a head ands shoulder shot and he is gripping his hands together. This is to show the contrast between his normal human hand and wot appears to be an over sized, stone robotic hand.
  • The purpose of having the main character or actor on the front cover is to promote the film. Hellboy 2 is a sequel and the comic genre. Usually with the comic genre the character is shown on the front cover rather than the actors as the character may be in costume and the film might be better known for the characters rather than the actors.
  • the cover is not presenting a horror film however it coveys some horror conventions. The use of the edited flames on the title suggest death and hell which are commonly connected with the idea of horror.
  • The black and red theme is sinister and dark which connotes evil and hell
  • It is ironic as he has pray beads around his wrist as he is meant to be like a devil.
  • There are teasers and plugs down the left hand side of the cover and the title of the the film is at the bottom of the page the same colour.
  • Empire is a mainstream and well known film magazine, it would be an effective way to promote my production along side my teaser trailer and poster. Film magazines are targeted at people who are demographically interested in films, so is a good marketing method as it creates awareness to an interested audience.
  • Also magazines such as Empire are distributed across the UK and are even produced globally meaning a production can react a wide audience
  • The Dark Knight issue for Empire is very successful. I came across these two cover while trying to research film magazines with a horror genre. This two covers might not be for the horror genre but the promotional strategy is very fascinating.

There is two different main images for the same issue of the magazine. They have the same identical tags, teasers and information just the character is different. One is Batman and the other is the Joker. The Batman cover is blue and black to represent the night, as bats only come out at night.

The theme for the Joker's cover is green and black his appearance is more sinister. He is meant to symbolise and evil clown. The two covers are to promote the battle against good and evil. This is demonstrated by using the two main characters the villein and the hero. when i produce my film magazine front cover i could use two images one of the victim and the other of the villein.

Blair Witch Project Posters











Monday, 28 September 2009

Promotional campaign


Haxan Films is a production company, it was founded by five graduates of the university of central Florida Film Program. It is well known for producing independent classic cult horror films most famously The Blair Witch Project. This institution would be a good one to produce my horror film as although they are a small independent company they had a very successful marketing campaign which resulted in the small film The Blair Witch Project becoming a international hit.

They are also linked to the company Artisan Entertainment which use to be a private American Movie studio. However it was bought by Lionsgate in 2003. Being attached to a large production and distribution campaign such as Lionsgate would be good for my production piece. This is because it would be produced by an independent company but still have the benefits of being with a larger company such as more funds for the promotional and distribution campaigns.
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THE WEBSITE:
http://www.blairwitch.com/
The website opens on a clip of the main girl in her home. The film is all about sustaining the element of truth for the audience so even in the website keep up the idea of realism.

The homepage contains four links headed Mythology, The Film makes, The Aftermath and The legacy. These topics further enhance the viewers knowledge of the events that happened in the film and continues to portray the film as a true story.This is a print screen of a one of the web pages displaying pictures of the "found footage"


There is also interviews with the parents of the lost teenagers, the promotional campaign is really successful as it focuses on every detail of the characters lives, before during and even what happen after they went missing. They build up a whole picture of the characters to make the film more believable and as realist as possible. There is also not real inforamtion about filming, the plot or the actors information on the website.
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THE CAST
The filmmakers used unknown actors and actresses and they had to have high improvisational skills as the diolog was going to be improvised. They even used some the the acters real names to adhere to the sense of realism. They also used many of the townspeople in the interviews who were not actors when they were shooting who claimed to know about the Blair Witch.
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FILMING
IT was shot over eight days in the forest the main character hardly had any camera training with enhanced the shaky effect of the filming. They were given clues to their next location in milk bottles, given individual instructions to shape the narrative and also rationed on food. This is why the film is so realist as the actors where not really acting, it was their real reactions and they really were scared.

The Blair Witch Project from the way it was produces to it promotional campaign is all about creating a realist event for the viewer and that is why it is one of the most successful campaigns as it goes into greatdetail.

Wednesday, 23 September 2009

The Blair Witch Project Trailer

The text at the beginning is set out like a documentary; real dates and locations make it appear like true events.

Set at night which creates a mysterious and sinister atmosphere

Quick cuts of people scared and the dark forest increases tension

Shaky camera represents a hand held production, helps to create a sense that the people filming are completely alone as it makes it realistic and gives it that independant feel.

The music is truly terrifying as ti sounds ghostly and haunting; the high pitched screams have the 'hairs on the back of your neck standing up' effect.


The teaser trailer appeals to the viewers primal fears and makes them curious to the unusual filming technique and narritve.

Comparing Friday the 13th trailer