Film Poster Ideas

Film Poster Ideas 

Before creating my film poster I analysed some existing film posters for films I have viewed. I looked at The Hunger Games and Step Brothers but also had a look at other domestic comedy films. When analysing these film posters I got some ideas to include in our film poster.

When looking at both The Hunger Games and Step Brothers film posters I found that they both include the main characters from the film in the poster. This gave me the idea of having the two main characters, MATT and LAURA, in the film poster. I saw the How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days and Mr And Mrs Smith film posters where the characters are stood back to back. I thought this would be a good idea for our film as the theme of arguments runs through our film and I feel this could portray the two characters not talking.

Film Poster

Film Poster

I also decided to use the post-it notes in the film poster as they are a main theme running through the film. I had the idea of sticking them over the two characters mouths. This would portray the idea of the two characters not talking but communicating through post-it notes and represent the comedy factor of our film,  as the genre is a domesic comedy.

I decided that the title of the film, Notes, would be positioned at the bottom of the poster. I decided this would be a good idea as the picture would then be the main focus of the poster. As the title is five letters long and I have five different colours of post-it notes I decided to use one of each colour for each letter. This worked well with a white background but decided to play around with the background colour and thought the colous stood out more on a back background. This worked as our production logo has a black background so I was able to incorporate this into the fil poster.

The last aspect of the film poster is the falling post-it notes. I decided to add these into the poster as it conotes the two characters having their lives revolving around post-it notes as they are constantly surrounded by them. This also filled up the blank spaces in the poster and made it more vibrant.

Time lapse changes

new start of time lapse

new end of time lapse

Once I had put the time lapse into my film I realised this showed a good passage of time and allowed me to cut out wasted shots and time in our film. This was a good alternative to the cut and fade to blacks which we had already created. However, once I had done this and put it into the correct place with timing I realised an error which I had made. I had transitioned the time lapse from light to dark but this needed to be reversed from dark to light as it shows one of our main characters waking up in the morning. This would then make the continuity and the sense of realism make the film more relatable and understanding towards our audience. Otherwise, this could confuse the audience and make them less understanding to the way the film was structured. Once the error had been spotted we went into photoshop where our film was and reversed the clips so that the time had changed. By doing this it was more accurate and this therefore made our film look more professional.

Photo shots 2

After we had took the initial photos there were problems when we came to edit them to create our film posters. When the images were enlarged they became fuzzy and were not clearly visible to see. In order to make them more clear so the audience could see it more defined we re shot the photos in attempt to make them more clear.

When we re took the photos we took extra precautions to make sure there were more chance of the photos being accurate enough to make the poster look more professional. Before there was a limited zoom and positioning on the shots. In order to make them look better we decided to take some close up shots to convey the anger and emotion that the characters were demonstrating.

As the post it notes were symbolic in the film for one design they were included as they were used metaphorically. This allowed the audience to understand the story plot more. As in the film Laura used the pink and Matt used the orange we used these so that we used continuity as this would make more sense.

Making My Film Poster

I used Adobe Photoshop to create my Film poster, Photoshop is great in layering images and is user friendly.

First I set up my document to be A4 using the inernational paper preset. As I already had a thought on what I wanted my poster to look like, I went in and created the background.


I decided I wanted to have a black space at the bottom of the poster. This would allow me to seperate the photos of the actors and the crew and production logo.


I then added the production logo in the bottom right of the the poster as I believed it was important to show who produced the film.

Using the font steel tongs, which have short cuts to certain words, I added these four tags to show the main people that worked on the film and their jobs.

I came up with a slogan for my poster so that people could remember the film with on catchy line. As the two main characters dont not talk to each other in most of the film, I believed that the slogan had to be about silence or no speech.




As the film is about Post-it notes I conveyed this through the background of the poster. The Post-it notes add iconic colours that we used in our film.














I the added both main characters in the film give the audience some contextual background of who the main characters are.

This is the final produce. I decided to add to add the characters shadowing themselves to add more depth to the poster as i believed it needed an extra bit of detail.

Teaser poster analysis

Teaser posters are often used before the release of the film and its main advertising poster. Their main purpose is to create awareness and intrigue into the film by only offering partial information. Here is The Dark Knight Rises (right) vs its teaser poster (left).

The main differences are:

• Only a vague release date compared to a specific one. 
• No actors names on the teaser poster. 
• The teaser poster only gives the name and a small hint towards The Joker being in the film through a graphic. 
• The teaser poster has a catchy tagline which is iconic of the film series. "Why so serious?" 
• Actual images or CGI from the film is used in the real poster. 
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Making my poster in Photoshop

I used Adobe Photoshop CS6 to make my poster for my film, Photoshop is excellent for manipulating images and creating graphics.

First I set up my document to be A3 using the international paper present which has set dimensions making it easy. As I already had an idea for my poster I could get straight into it and placed our production logo into the document and rasterised it ready for any editing, due to the complicated edge of our production logo the quick selection tool didn't work very well so to combat this I made the background the same across my poster and our production logo. (Which was 040805 in Photoshop's colour picker).

Photoshop's colour picker

Then I decided to make my post it note graphics around the edge simply using the shape tool in Photoshop and picking a rectangle, I used shift to ensure the dimensions stayed square and I also used ALT and dragging the image to duplicate it exactly.

Shape tool

My background

I coloured them according which was the same as the notes' colour in our film which was orange, blue, green, pink and yellow. I then positioned them around the edge in a formation I liked and grouped  them into a folder.










After I was happy with my layout here I decided to construct a 3D looking post it note using text and Photoshop's shape tool. I used a collection of drop shadows and duplicated layers with altered opacity to build up a nice looking effect on my typography. I made the note look 3D by adding a small triangle in the bottom corner and using a drop shadow to build up the 3D effect and I also made the triangle darker to add emphasis to it being a fold.





I then decided to add our names to the bottom like many film posters do, using a font called Steel Tongs there are shortcuts that add certain things to do with film production in such as "Directed by" and "Produced by" and this made adding the text easy.


Here's how it looked at this stage.

















I then needed to come up with a tag line to market our film with and draw in more interest, I decided to use a nice bold sans-serif font.

I also added drop shadows to my tag line as well as a gradient overlay on the background from grey to black and re-arranged my text on the poster.

 















For my final step I added the two main characters to my poster to give a hint to the audience to who's in the film.

Here is my near final poster, I am unsure as to whether I like the picture I added but overall I am happy with it.

Shortly after this I decided wanted to add some reviews as a lot of film poster contain them as they act as a good selling point.

Film poster shots

Matt's poster image

In order to make our film posters to the highest standard we possibly could we decided to take photos of our characters which we could then include in our posters. I used a Samsung Powershot SX170IS camera to take the shots as I have used this before and know the quality of the pictures which can be retrieved. As we all had different film poster ideas we took a range of shots which would resemble those in the film poster designs.

Matt's poster image

As we were taking photos for different film poster ideas the photos which we wook were different but similar as the theme in the film was remaining the same. The shots were filmed in the costumes used in the film. This is so that the audience would be able to make a clear distinguishment between the characters in the film and those who are on the film poster.

Laura's poster image

When the photos were being taken I decided that it would be a good idea to take multiple shots of the desired photo but from different zooms and angles. By having more of a variety of taken shots we could have more options to see which would be the most suitable looking in the film poster. Also, if some shots didn't work or look right there were then back up choices which we could use in order to make the film poster look more professional and structured. Lighting when taking the photos changed also as some could make the photos appear different to what they actually were.

I decided to use a plain background when taking the film poster photos as then they would be easier to edit later on. The plain background gives a clear contrast between the characters which would then lead to easier editing as there is a clear outline which is used to separate the characters and the background.










Brandan's poster image

However, when we came to insert one of the pictures into Photoshop the shot was out of focus which meant we needed to reshoot one of the pictures which we had already done.

Brandan's poster image

Brandan's poster image

Brandan's poster image

Paige's poster image

Paige's poster image

Paige's poster image

Viral advert

Idea for a viral advert: 

After the production and creating of the film, one key step next is the marketing strategies used to make the potential audience aware of the film. When marketing there needs to be persuasive strategies which need to be used so that the film looks interesting enough for the audience to watch. There are obvious marketing techniques which can be used such as film posters and film trailers which all allow the audience to see what the film could include. However, I wanted to think of a marketing technique which would be unique and different so that the audience would have a clearer link to the viral ad being related to the film which I've created. 

An idea I had for a viral ad would be using post it notes to make paper airplanes. Thes paper airplanes could be used to see who could throw them the furthest. This could make people tell their friends and even put videos on social media websites such as Twitter or Facebook. By using social media it makes more people aware as videos can be shared or liked between friends. Another way people could find out would be by word of mouth. This could happen quickly between friends or family as they could become competative and want to throw it the furthest. Also, there could be a range of different post it notes  patterns and colours to distinguish the different people throwing them. There could be patterns of speech bubbles with sentences which have been included in our film. 

By having a different idea when it comes to marketing it could give the film a competative edge making the film appear to be more fascinating to watch. This would be different to other marketing techniques used by other film makers and this would make my film stand out more from the rest.

Radio Trailer Ideas

Another way I was going to market the film was through a radio trailer. As radio trailers have no images or visual aspects within them most of the advertisement was to be done through conversation and talking. When creating a radio trailer there are many factors which could be included:

1. Music
2. Dialogue
3. Voice over
4. Sound effects

When looking at the different factors to include one main one to include is dialogue from the film. Although there is not much dialogue in our film at the opening sequence there is an argument between the two main characters. In the film we could cross reference our dialogue from the argument and play this alongside our voice over.

The voiceover would be describing the film and what the plot is as well as including information such as genre. Another important feature which would be included is information such as directors, editors and producers as well as the cast who played whichever roles. This is a good feature to include as people or the audience may be interested in what went into making the film. This would highlight the different aspects each contributor has made. In previous films these could potentially help people to get other jobs as other potantial film makers could take a liking to their work and want their help when making their new film.

Often found in radio trailers in the background is music. The music can add a particular tone to the radio trailer depending on what genre of music is chosen. For example, if an upbeat happy piece of music is included it will add a light mood to the radio trailer making it seem less problemtaic within the film. However, if a dark piece of music was to be played it could add suspense and tension to make the audience intrigued as to what will happen in the film. For my radio trailer I think that the music we should use is loud noises which will reflect the argumentativeness which is present in our film. This could reflect it and if there is a lot happening within the film it could make it more memorable.

The last feature which we could include is sound effects. Sound effects can add a new diemension to the film as well as making it sound more interesting to the audiences. Noises such as the flicking of post it notes could be used as this could represent the use of post it notes when communicating between the characters. As this is the most important feature to get across it was important that we emphasised this as then it could make the audience understand what is happening more. Also, it could possibly make the audience relate to the characters in our film as they all know what it is like to argue with people. 

By including these features in our radio trailer it will make it seem more interesting to the audience and would be used as a successful marketing technique. This could then persuade people to go and watch the film which could contribute massively to it's success.

Film Poster Design Tips

Film Poster Design Tips

When researching the components included in a film poster I came across a website stating that there are 7 key elements to a great film poster design.

1 Attention: The first element included in a film poster is to grab the audiences attention and encouraging them to look at the poster. This can be achieved in many  different way, either through the picture, the title, the colours or the graphics.. It is said that there is a four step formula on which all film posters are based on. Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. Using a large image to text ratio brings the audiences attention straight to the image. Having well know actors on the film poster also draws attention as people will recognise them from other films/T.V shows.

Film Poster

Film Poster

2 Iconography: Some of the most effective film posters use iconography to imply themes within the film and what the film is about without just saying the word. Close ups of characters or specific objects are used to establish the films plot.

Film Poster

3 Interest: You need to create an incentive for people to see the film. Many modern film posters use images that put the viewer in the middle of a scene from the film. The incentive is that in order to resolve the situation you need to view the film.

4 Appeal: You need to create desire with both fans and non-fans. As more and more new releases are based on books and comic books studios need to draw in both fans of the book and fans new fans of the film. Studios can rely on fans of the books to see the film regardless of the promotion, so you need to create desire to draw in new fans.

Film Poster

Book

5 Style: The poster needs to contain a look that is consistent with your film and other promotional materials. Make it unique using different styles to your advantage.

Film Poster

Merchandise

 

6 Lasting appeal: Use a design that will look good on both the large movie posters and on the much smaller DVD box. Many designs when shrunk down to size look to busy and too close together as the major details are not visible.

Film Poster

Film Poster

Film Poster

7 Recognisable:  Film posters need to be recognisable. You want people to see the poster and instantly understand the main theme of the film and recognise it, whether that's from the name of the film or the actors involved. Sequals for the film have to have recognisable film posters as well as poeple may not realise that it is a sequal from the original film. They need something that ties them in to the original film.

Film Poster Planning

When designing my film poster I wanted something which would reflect my film so that people would easily associate the link between the poster and the film. Once I had researched into different film posters and analysed them I knew what aspects should be included within the film poster I was going to create.

My first aspect to incorporate was the domestic side of the anger between the two characters. This made me want to have part of the poster brightly coloured as this would be symbolic to the relationship before the arguing. Next, the other side was to be more dark and deep colours which would show the negative arguing which would be demonstrated in the film. The different colours would be clearly contrasted and give the audience an idea of what the film would be about.

Then the film title should also be included within the poster as this would then allow the audience to see what the film was called as it would be more memorable. I would want the font to be a clear bold title which would allow it to stand out amongst the rest of the poster. This should be one of the first things to see as this would be the centre of the film. When adding colour to the title I want the colours of the title to resemble colours which have been demonstrated within the film. I would use one of the colours which we used on the colours of the post it notes. This would be in bold neon colours such as pink, blue, yellow or orange. 

An iconic part of the movie is the establishing shot at the start of the film. This is an important shot of our film as this is where the whole film is set. By having the house as an icon on the poster it would be easily recognised as the whole movie is set in various rooms in the house.

Although, the poster would have looked better by being created on software such as Adobe Photoshop I was not familiar with this software and found it hard to use. I began to draw my film poster by hand as a potential idea to be able to market our film. Every person in my group was designing a film poster which would resemble and advertise our film well. Once this is done we will look at all the film posters to see which would looked the best. However, if there are certain features of different posters which we like we could combine them altogether to make the best poster which we possible could. Once the final film poster had been designed the best user of Adobe Photoshop will create the poster electronically.