Film poster: making of;

This is the finished version of my poster, however I just need to add credits to it at the bottom, which are a convention of film posters. Then after I have added them my film poster will be complete.

I have added the names of my characters at the top of the poster. This is a convention of film posters, as they usually put the names of the actors at the top of the poster, especially if they're very famous as it attracts the audience to the film. I have put mine at the top in a bigger font than the text, as I want their names to be quite focal of the poster. However I have not put them in pink as I want the name of the film and the review to be the key features of the poster, and if I put there names in pink it would detract from them.

I have decided to put the age of 15 on the film as even though I am aiming it at 20-45 year old females, I would still like females who are maybe in their late teens to come and watch the film, as I think they will also be able to relate to the plot of the film. The definition for a 15 certificate is 'no one younger than 15 may see a 15 film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a 15 rated DVD'. I have chosen this certificat as while my romcom may be quite subtle, it still will have scenes of my couple kissing and scenes which are inappropriate to under 15's. As I want some of my scenes to be quite romantic I have chosen this certificate, as this allows for some of this content but 'not in strong detail', and this is what I want for my film. As films under this certificate can contain adult themes, and moderate-strong sex references it is an ideal certificate for my film. I have also found that some of the films I researched for my romcom trailer were given a 15 or under rating. 'Bridget Jones Diary' was given a 15 certificate, and I have found that many romcoms recieve this certificate as most do contain sexual content, as that is a convention of romcoms. Also under this certificate swearing is permitted as long as it is in the right context, and as my film is aimed at adults, and as my characters in the film are young adults there will be some swearing, although not much and will be in the right context. There will not be violence in my film, as it is a romcom and that is not a convention of romcoms. However there may be some arguments that may get a little physical, and this certificate allows for it. There will not be any harmful imitable behaviour in my film either, as again that is not a convention of romcoms. I have chosen this certificate as I feel it is appropriate for my film, as the theme is more for adults and not under 15's.

Film Poster making of;

This is my film poster, and I have added features that are a convention of film posters. The name of my film is in the middle of my poster, as this is a convention of film posters, and makes it the focal point of the poster. This therefore attracts people to my poster, and the colour of the title is very bright and bold, again attracting people to the poster. The text on the poster is in the same font as the text on my front cover, and I have done this as it is a running theme through my poster and cover, and it links the two together. Also I have done that because on my trailer the font of the text is also like this, so it again links my poster, trailer and front cover together. The font is also quite soft and feminine, therefore reflecting my target audience of females. I have chosen the colour pink for my poster as it is feminine, and the colour is a convention of romcom posters, this reflects the genre of my film. It also stands out against my white background, making the name of the film pop, which in turn attracts people to my film. I have also positioned the title of my film there as it looks like my female character is looking at the title, and therefore this catches peoples eyes, as when they look at her they will follow were she is looking. The pink also mirrors my film trailer, because the text on my film trailer is the same colour, this again links my poster and trailer, and is a running theme between them.

I have put the phrase which is a convention of film posters to have a line, reflecting what the film is going to be about, subtly conveying the plot to the audience. I have put mine under the name as it contrasts the name of the film. 'Sometimes love is not what you think' suggests that something is going to happen to her, and the way she is portrayed on the poster as being innocent, and kind, suggests what is going to happen is not her fault. This therefore makes the audience have sympathy with her, and empathise with her. However there is a double meaning to the phrase, that something bad is going to happen, or that love is not what she thought, but it is still good. This double meaning keeps the audience guessing, and makes them want to see it, as they want to see what happens to their relationship. I have chosen to put it in black, as if I put it in pink it would contrasts what it is saying, as the pink is very vibrant and happy. I have put in black as black is associated with death, and unhappiness, therefore conveying that something bad is going to happen.

I have added a review to my poster as this is a convention of film posters, as it is a way of attracting people to the film. Most films have a review on their poster, either stars on the poster or a comment from a magazine. I was originally going to have a review from a well known film magazine such as Total Film, but I decided to have a review from my magazine. This links my poster and cover together, but also conveys that my magazine is a romcom magazine, and is a way of further promoting my magazine. The name of my magazine also reflects the films plot, as it is about relationships, and the name heart reflects that. The review is in pink as it is eye catching, and I want my audience to see the review, as by saying it is the romcom of the decade it makes them want to see it. The review is also on my trailer, and in the same colour as it is on my poster, and this again links my trailer, and poster. The colour is very vibrant and bright, and this subtly conveys that the film is going to be happy and vibrant, which in turn makes my audience want to see it.

I have put the name of the company producing my film on my poster, as this is a convention of film posters to have the company producing it on the poster. I have put it at the top of the poster in the corner, as it is still able to be seen, but it is not the main focus and does not detract from the other features on the poster. I have put it in black, as that is a running colour theme of both my poster and magazine front cover, and it is the same colour as the other text.

Film Poster: making of;

For my film poster I am just having my female character on the poster, I wanted this because my target audience is females from the ages of 20-45, and therefore I have put her on the poster as it will entice them to the film, and they will be able to relate to the female character. I also did this as it is quite unique and goes against conventions by having just one character on the poster, and it conveys that the film is really about this person and their life; and this is exactly what my film is about. I chose to have my character in the corner of the poster looking up, as its almost like she is looking up to the sky daydreaming, and this reflects the title of my film. This conveys that she loves the person she is with, and her expression is quite happy and trusting suggesting she loves and trusts the man. This poster leads the audience into a misconception that the film is going to be very happy, and their love is going to be a dream, and this is what I want them to think, as when they see the trailer and realise it isn't, it makes my audience interested in the film. Therefore it makes them want to see it. Also with it just being my female protagonist on the poster, it makes her seem quite independent, and the target audience I am aiming at are strong, independent women. Therefore the poster relates to them. I have chosen to have a white background, as it reflects my magazine front cover, as that has a white background, therefore linking the poster and front cover. But also I have chosen white because it is very pure and innocent, conveying that she is innocent and nice which is what I want my audience to think. I want them to empathise with her, and relate to her. Therefore as I portrayed her as a nice woman they will, because if I used a black background, black is associated with evil and death in traditional film syntax and this would reflect on her. Therefore my audience would not relate to her.

Film Poster; making of;

For my poster I have changed my original idea of having a long shot of the characters, and the title of the film in between the characters. I have chose to have a close-up of the female character, as you can see her expression much better with a close-up shot. This is the original shot I took to begin my film poster. Even though I am not adding Alex in the poster, I have included him in the shot, as it is easier for my character Sarah to make the expression I want with him in the shot. As if he wasn't in the shot the expression on her face may look a little fake and forced, whereas with him in the shot it makes the poster seem much more genuine.

Front Cover: making of;
I have added some new things to my front cover, to make it seem more of a front cover.

Cover Lines: I have added cover lines onto the other side of the cover. I have done this as a convention of film magazine front covers is to have cover lines on both sides. My cover lines are all related to the genre of romcoms, and my cover lines are able to identify as being part of that genre. I have added a cover line on Katherine Heigl's engagement to George Clooney, as these are both famous actors and have starred in famous romcoms; Katherine Heigl in 'The break-up'. It reflects the genre, but the story attracts the audience, and the theme of the story reflects the genre. I have also put a cover line about Hugh Grant, he is probably one of the most famous male actors who stars in romcoms. He ahas starred in some of the most famous romcoms ever made; 'Four weddings and a funeral', and 'Notting Hill'. I have included the film 'Four weddings' as it is very recognisable, and the readers of the magazine-women from the ages of 20-40-will be interested in the story. There is also a cover line of a sneak peek of film 'Life as we know it', this is a convention of film covers, as they usually have a cover line advertising a new film. The film is a romcom again reflecting the genre of the magazine, but it also stars Katherine Heigl as the main protagonist, and I have done a separate cover line on her. This links my cover lines together, and makes it seem much more professional, and like a real magazine front cover.

Front Cover: making of;

Cover Lines: For my front cover I have changed my cover line of new romcom 'The Switch', and I have changed it to a cover line promoting my film. I have chosen to have a cover line advertising my film 'Love's Young dream', as it links my poster, cover and trailer. Also it is a convention of film magazine front covers to offer free tickets to a premier, or a film, as it entices the reader to the magazine. It is also a way of promoting the film. The text is in the same font as the other cover lines to go with the running theme, and it is also in black to match the running colour theme of the cover.

Front cover: making of;

Image: For my front cover I went with one of my drafts of having a medium shot of both characters. I chose to do this as you can see much more than a close-up, and I believe it is much more striking than a close-up. I have also researched many front covers for Film magazines; for example TotalFilm, and I have found that many have a medium shot; or long shot on their front cover. In the image for the front cover I have put the woman; Sarah in a red dress, to go with traditional film syntax. This being that red is dangerous, subtly suggesting to the reader that something will happen to the couple. Also red also represents love in film syntax, and this represents the genre of the film. Again conveying to the audience that the pair are in love, and the film will be based on their love story. The man, Alex is dressed in a checked shirt, and this is because many young people wear checked shirts, and therefore it will communicate to the audience that this film is aimed at young people. Therefore my audience will read the front cover, as they will feel it is aimed at them. Also the checked shirt is red, and this with the dress conveys that there is a danger in this relationship, and in turn entices people to watch the film as they're interested to see what will happen to the couple. I have put the man behind her to show that the woman Sarah will be the main character of the film, and to show that she is somewhat authoritative in the relationship. I have done this purposely to mislead the audience into believing that the relationship is affected by her, whereas in actual fact it is affected by him. This therefore does not reveal the storyline of the film, and interests the reader into watching the film.

Masthead: The masthead is along the top of the cover, as it catches the eye of the readers if it were in a magazine rack, as you can only see the top of the magazine. It also follows conventions of magazine front covers, as the masthead's are usually at the top of the magazine front cover. I have also chosen to use different fonts for the masthead, as it contrasts the different words. Heart is in an itallic font, and is quite soft, representing the genre of the magazine, as this magazine is about romcoms, so I have chosen the soft font to reflect that. The colour heart is in purple, also to reflect the film genre, as purple is a feminine colour, and is also associated with romcoms. I chose to do purple instead of red, as with the characters in red it would be to overwhelming, and therefore I chose purple as it also reflects the genre, and goes with the colour scheme. I have chosen to put Cinema in a different font, a much stronger font to contrast between the words. As cinema reflects all types of genre's, I chose to put it in a font that can reflect the different genre's, such as Action and Horror. I also did this to convey to the readers that although it is a romcom magazine, it can include other genre's as well. The font is also in black to represent other genre's, not just romcoms, and it attracts males as well to the magazine. As romcoms are conventionally a female genre, and by putting some of the text in black it attracts males as well, also the image with attracts men as well, as there is also a man on the front cover.

Cover Lines: The cover lines are on the left side of my front cover, but I am going to put cover lines on both sides. I have done this as I have found that a convention of film magazine front covers, is to have cover lines on both sides of the cover. As you can see on the Total film cover, there are cover lines on both sides of the cover. For my front cover I have chosen cover lines that reflect my genre, for example interviews with famous romcom stars. I have a cover line of Jennifer Anniston, she is a famous romcom actress; who has starred in many famous romcom films such as 'The Break-up'. I have also put on my cover lines interviews with Patrick Dempsey, and Gerard Butler. These are also famous actors who have starred in many romcoms, for example Gerard Butler has starred in a very famous romcom 'P.S I love you'. I have also put a cover line of my film on 'Love's Young Dream'. This links my cover, my poster, and my film together, and is another way of promoting my film. This also reflects conventions of front covers, as when magazines have an image on their cover, they usually have a cover line reflecting the image. I have put it at the top, as it shows it is the most important cover line, and is another way of attracting the readers and audience. Some of the cover lines are in the same colour as the masthead heart. This is because it shows the importance of the cover line, and it is eye catching. I have only put the title of my film 'Love's Yung dream', and the Jennifer Anniston's name on the cover, as they're the things that attract the reader, and I want them to be the key features of the cover lines.

Date: I have put the date under the masthead 'heart', as it is at the top of the cover and this is a convention of front covers. I have chosen to do it as a monthly issue, as the most expensive and prestigous magazines are monthly issues. For example Vogue and Elle are monthly magazines, and are also the most expensive. I chose to do this as it makes the reader want to buy it more, as they only get it once a mont. I chose to use the same font as the cover lines to show a running theme, and it is in black also to link it to the cover lines.

This is my front cover, but it is not yet finished.

Test shots:

These shots are test shots for both my film poster, and front cover. The bed shots were what I originally wanted for my poster, as it is quite unique and catches your eye. Te characters in the bed shots are positioned so he is looking at her, conveying that he loves her, and she is looking at the camera in quite an uncomfortable way conveying she is unsure about something; their relationship. I decided not to use them and decided to just have my female protagonist on the front cover, as I felt that it would be more suitable for my target audience of females from the age of 20-45. The other shots were for my front cover, I took many photos so I had a range of them to choose from, but I went with some shots I took before these, as I felt they were more suitable for my film, and looked more appropriate for a front cover. However I kept the shots just in case I needed to use them.