Analysis of 'Fearane' teaser poster

When Starting on my teaser film poster, I viewed many others beforehand whereby I took influence from 'The Grudge 2' film poster as its connotations successfully fitted in with the genre of horror, appearing appealing to its viewers.

I feel the image on a film poster is what immediately grabs the viewers attention as such an image engraves into their minds and is unforgettable. It is what viewers remember when seeing the next stage of marketing which is generally a teaser trailer. My central image of Fearane is dark and haunting, due to his head appearing out of the darkness. His intense facial features is what largely contributes to the horrific outview of the poster. Although his hair is unclear to see due to it blending into the background, as it half covers the villains eyes which are downwards looking up appears as though he is watching passers. The unusual colour of them being white washed is yet another element which successfully makes the eyes look horrifying, as its abnormality is unease and uncomfortable to view. Another facial feature that denotes the idea of horror is of the presentation of Fearane's mouth. His teeth which viewers can vaguely see appear dirty, reflecting the unkept state of the character in the film. As the appearance of his mouth is red with a trail of blood down his chin is a convention typical throughout horror. The colour red and blood denotes the idea of danger and death which are elements present in the film of 'Fearnane'.

Above the central image is a background image, contrasting to the continuous darkness spreading across the poster. The grey musty colours are of the ruined ceiling which is the prime location of the abandoned room in which the victims of Charlie and Emily are enclosed in. Fearane's left hand holding the ceiling in the background of the poster symbolises that the location is a place he is authorial and in control of and that his presentation reflects the place in which he inhabits. As an educated audience, we are aware that the antagonist in horror and the location combined together is to an extent what can make the film more disturbing as it is the mise en scene and human villain which makes the horror more realistic and I originally aimed to make this come across on my teaser poster.

Both the title 'Fearane' and tag line 'His mind is their prison' are both in the colour deep red which is a convention I follow throughout the different aspects displayed on the poster. All denote the same meaning which strongly indicates to viewers the type of horror 'Fearane' is all about.

The age rating '18' is a further clue to the extent of horror in 'Fearane' as this age rating vindicates the amount of gore and violence present in a film. Nowadays, people are more interested in horror films with this age rating as they want to be scared as the prospect of being afraid is exciting. My horror movie is based around realistic settings and situations which can happen to anybody and this is what lovers of horror are looking for.

Halloween release date

On looking at high revenue films and when in year they were released to their target audience, I assessed my own product and at which time its distribution should take place. Placed in the horror genre, I felt that Halloween, the 31st October was a time of year in which people seek to watch a horror movie therefore resulting in a wider span of audience wanting to view my product. An example of a movie having a sub-genre of horror is Saw 3D released in 2010 which in its open week-end alone in the USA made a total of $24,230,123 and shown in 2808 screens. Although an internationally popular film, I feel that the success of my independent horror 'Fearane' would be largely great as the time of year draws in my target audience as oppose to the film having been released during the summer season.

Icon Film Distribution

Icon Film Distribution is part of the group which includes Icon Film productions. This independent film production company was founded in 1989 by Mel Gibson who is an actor and director to finance his production Hamlet. I chose this distributor as it has become a leading distributor of independent films, especially in Australia and New Zealand so is well known world wide. Examples of films it has distributed, are Bend it Like Beckham, Slumdog Millionaire and Knowing.

Marketing process

As an independent film maker, the marketing process is essential in promoting your must-see movie. It is vital to release a poster, teaser trailer and magazine cover to advertise and lure in your target audience so when the film comes out, they are eager to see it.

The first part of this process is to advertise the film through a teaser poster, which usually displays one central character, object or text that holds a high significance within the film. It establishes the genre through its presentation, and through not displaying enough shots from the film, excites viewers as there is a thrill of suspense. Whether it be an image, object or title that is displayed locks into viewers minds and is a memorable visual that we recognise in the next stage of marketing.

This stage is the release of a teaser trailer. Just as a shot is about to reach its peak, the turn away from that shot onto the next is a technique used to invite viewers to watch the entire movie to find out what they were previously hidden from. The teaser allows viewers to have a sneak preview into aspects of the film but doesn't reveal too much information, only providing a taster as to what the film is all about.

The final part of the marketing process is a magazine cover which is generally printed a week before the release of the film. This stage allows viewers to find out more information about aspects in the making and the actual film itself with one or more images displayed, providing an insight as to who the protagonists are.

When developing my own product and its ancillary texts for marketing use, I considered how each would appeal to my initial target audience. As an off-beat horror, it acquires the audiences full understanding in which my direct audience group; that being readers of Sight and Sound magazine are a suitable target. However, to stretch beyond this target is where the teaser trailer and poster come in. The protagonists being in their teen years allow passers between the ages of 16-24 to become attracted to these promotional products as they can relate to the characters. Although both females, the male antagonist and gory sub-genre appeal to males as well which results in a wider span of audience.

'White Material' film article analysis

Amongst the many film articles that 'Sight and Sound' magazine includes, I chose to analyse 'White Material' as it is a perfect representation as to the type of film the international film magazine reviews, giving a synopsis and critical response.

When first viewing the two page spread, it is the proportion of text which stands out against the other features, covering about 65% of the space. The article by Claire Denis talks about both the pros and cons of the film. Although complementing the physical and abstract melodrama, commenting of the master of rhythm within as well as the fusions of image and sound, she also makes the point that the obscure pieces of the plot make more sense 2nd and 3rd time round of being watched, possibly because the images create the narrative rather than vice versa. The perfect balance of critical and complementary points make the article an enjoyable read, appealing to a more older, middle class reader who appreciates the long wordy review. To promote the film in order to successfully achieve having a wider span on viewers, there are constant references to similarities between this and big budget movies. The mention of well known actor Johnny Depp further shows the standard of 'White Material'.

Other text on the two page spread which is deliberately made to stand out against the other text is of the bold slightly larger font. One- 'The symbolic centre of this maelstrom...who seems to be a dead man from moment we glimpse him' relates to the image of the close up of the man and explains the idea of him looking 'dead' just as the fear of the man we sense from the image displays. The mans facial expression denotes the problems which occur in the film, and we as viewers gather him being a victim.

As the image on the close up of the man is on the left side of the page, so is another image of two other protagonists in which text surrounds both. Just as there is a divide of race in the film, both images denote this message. The use of colours in both images are contrasting. The man appears to be in a room, looking as though he is too afraid to leave. The interior from what is visible is dark and glum with a bleak atmosphere. The second image on the other hand is a shot filmed with high key lighting during daytime, with the characters surrounded by greenery. Although the atmosphere is not uncomfortable just as the first image is, the medium shot of the characters engaging denotes concern, evidently from their facial expressions.