Feb 23rd - Film Posters continued

Learning objective:
To identify the visual and technical codes that make a film poster successful.

Key words:
Target audience - who the text is primarily aimed at.
Denotations - literally, what you can see.
Connotations - the hidden meanings behind what you can see.
Enigmas - Puzzles or mysteries contained in the text, a film poster will only give snippets of narrative in the hope that the audience will want to pay to see the film to find the answers.
Tagline - the memorable phrase or slogan that appears on all the marketing material for the film.
Main image - usually takes up most of the poster. It may tell the audience about the genre, characters or narrative.

Task 1: Read this blog post and note the keywords with meanings neatly in your orange books.

Welcome back!
Your homework over half term was to identify a film poster that you saw on a billboard, magazine or newspaper. One that you felt was successful in appealing to its target audience.
People do not spend a long time looking at a film poster so the images and words on there must make an immediate impact and be easily remembered.

Posters try to attract an audience using enigmas to which the answer can only be found by going to see the film.

Film posters are one of the ways in which the film industry promotes a new film to an audience. They are used to persuade an audience to go to see the film.
Your task for today is to annotate an image of your (homework) poster using Word or Power point with denotations and connotations of the visual and technical codes that you can identify.

You should ask yourself the following questions:

• Are there any clues to the genre of the film?
• What iconography is present to tell us this? The objects, settings and costumes are further clues to the genre.
• Are there any well known film stars? Big name stars will tell us what to expect and often give us a clue to the genre. For example, Tom Cruise tends to appear in action genre films.
• What is the tagline and how does it sum up the film?
• Images - Why have they been chosen and what do they tell the audience about the film?
• Graphics - How have the font styles and illustrations been used to give clues to the genre?

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Textual analysis

Interview with a Vampire poster.

Tagline - gives a clue to the genre; 'Drink from me' suggests a vampire's love of blood, 'Live Forever' implies that vampires never die.

The main image - takes up most of the poster. It is the face of a vampire with recognisable features; pale skin, piercing eyes, sharp teeth. He looks straight at the audience and his face is half in shadow which gives us a clue to his role in the film.

The big name stars tell us that the film will have high production values. These actors are known to a range of audiences that will pay to see the film just to see these stars.

The name of the film clearly places it within the vampire/horror genre. It suggests that another character comes dangerously close to the vampire through the word interview. (This is an enigma, it may persuade the audience to go to see the film to find out what happens).

The low key, dark, lighting makes the setting seem sinister or mysterious which is in line with the genre.

The clothing, setting and the object of the old street lamp tell the audience that the film is set in the present. The overall colour of the poster sets it in the past.

The second, smaller image gives some clues about the narrative and the characters that may be involved in the film.

Task 2: Write the learning objectives and key words in your orange books under the title Film Poster Conventions

Task 3: Annotate the film poster that you noticed over the half term using the example above (Interview with a Vampire) to help you to get started.

If you didn't see anything then you should annotate the poster below for the new film 'It Follows'

Email your work to me at the end of today's session:

aealey@de-la-salle.co.uk

Year 10 Written task success criteria
Knowledge of the concept of genre/narrative/representation
Awareness of relevant theories
Demonstrates knowledge of the convergent nature of contemporary media
Use of media terminology/key words
Quality of written communication

Gran Torino task. Peer assessment.

First, a nice little animation created using Photoshop and Flash software to start us off.

Learning objectives:

1) To grade each other's submitted task which deals with genre conventions used in the trailer for the feature film Gran Torino.
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1) Complete and proof read the Gran Torino (connotations/denotations) task set.
2) Swap documents with partner and give grades and comments based on this marking criteria:

Knowledge of the concept of visual codes and conventions;
Costume, facial expression, colour, body language, graphics /20.

Knowledge of the concept of technical codes and conventions
Framing, lighting /20.

Knowledge of audience targeting. /20
Has appeal to audiences been stated?
For example, 'the film will appeal to fans of Clint Eastwood'.

Use of Media Studies terminology. /20
Does the homework use the right language? Connotations, implies, close up, wide shot, sans serif...

Quality of written communication./20
How legible is the writing? Have proper sentences been used?

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2) To complete the assessment for learning document demonstrating which level of learning you have reached in Media Studies. Mark with an X.

Assessment for Learning.

Media Studies Year 10

	Basic	Intermediate	Advanced	Expert
Evaluation	I have evaluated some aspect of my final product.	I have evaluated many aspects of my final product.	I have used a simple evaluation technique to assess my final product	I have used sophisticated evaluation techniques to evaluate my final product.
Genre	I can recognise genre correctly through the inclusion of iconography, visual and technical codes.	I can identify hybrid and sub genres when applied to texts	I can describe intertextuality within texts and how it is used to appeal to audiences	I can evaluate the relationship between organisational and audience/user needs through generic conventions.
Narrative	I can recognise narrative structure through shot types and the role of editing.	I can identify narrative structures based on theory of equilibrium.	I can describe character functions within narratives.	I can evaluate implied narratives – visual organisation, hierarchies and compositional codes.
Representation	I can recognise what makes representations - images plus points of view about them	I can identify stereotypes and representations - processes of categorisation, identification and recognition	I can describe the way events and issues are represented in the media.	I can evaluate the processes of 're-presenting' mediated versions of the 'real' world
Marketing and Promotion	I can recognise the ways in which media organisations market, promote and brand themselves	I can identify the use of stars/celebrities in marketing, for example celebrity endorsement	I can describe cross-media campaigns	I can evaluate audience ratings
Regulation and Control	I can recognise how different types of media are regulated and controlled	I can identify the reasons for media regulation and control and the problems of regulating	I can describe the way individuals can manage their own media.	I can evaluate Scheduling techniques for example the watershed on television
Audiences and Users	I can recognise ways of categorising audiences/users using NRS categories.	I can identify how audiences are targeted, appealed to and positioned.	I can describe audience/user response issues such as everyday uses and pleasures	I can evaluate the different ways audiences and users interpret and interact with a variety of media.