Poster Image Creation

Photo-shoot

• I used the lighting studio in order to take the image as I wanted to ensure that I there was only a dark and plain background for the image. The dark backgrounds are common conventions of horror posters as it reduces the light in the images. I also used the plain background in order to remove distraction from the main focus of the image which is the killer and the camera lens. 
• The lights that are supplied were used from different angles to cast shadows across the villain and create darker areas to obscure the audiences view of the killer. When taking the image I took multiple different ways of holding the light including above, bellow and from a side angle of the killer. The lighting was used to help create an enigma into who the villain is and what they look like.
• The image of the antagonist is further distorted through the use of aperture, allowing me to focus on the lens that is closest to the camera and blurring the person in the background. Once again I took different images with his camera facing different ways, however in our final image I used the image of the lens facing directly at the camera as it will allow me to edit the image further in photoshop.

Editing

• Once I had chosen the image I wanted for the final piece I dragged the image into photoshop to edit and manipulate further. Firstly I edited the levels increasing the shadows and deepening the highlights to make the image appear darker and more dramatic. Not only this, I also removed the product name from the camera to remove any distraction as it was bright white text in the centre of the image.

• I then cropped a small amount of the image from the top. This allows me to re-frame the image and select the section in which I want to keep and develop further. I selected the burn tool and 'burnt' around the camera, this effect darkens the areas making it more difficult to see the antagonist in the back of the image. I also used the blurring tool to further distort the image and make the culprit incredibly difficult to see in comparison to the un-edited image.

• Once I had finished this I duplicated the layer in order to have two of the same image layering over one another. On the top layer I selected the lasso select tool and outlined around the inside of the lens. I then used the rubber to remove this section.

• I then completed the same process again with the duplicated layer, however this time I inverted the selected area and removed majority of the image leaving only the lens.

• Next I dragged in the image of the victim in to the poster and placed it below the layer with the hole in the lens. I then places the layer with the lens above this image and reduced it opacity. In doing so it created the effect that she appeared in a reflection in the lens. Creating the final image:

Practical Poster layout

When creating the poster layout we had to be very specific as to where we placed the information. In order to obtain the idyllic poster we completed a lot of research that we used to style and design our poster. We wanted to conform and subvert to certain conventions depending if they followed our genre.

• Firstly we took into consideration the image for the poster, we took a series of images for our final photo shoot. We experimented with multiple angles to change the lighting, I took images from lower angles and straight on. I took the lower angled images to convey the idea of inferiority as the antagonist would be seen in a higher position. I also looked into the different effects that I could create through framing. The lens will be the main focus point of the image once I have completed the poster in photoshop, this was something I had to take in to consideration as I did not want the lens to be perfectly centred within the image. I used the rule of thirds principle, the eye naturally rests on the top left of an image and slowly follows lines in a 'z' shaped form. Therefore I slightly places the lens of the camera to the right of the image, forcing the audience to look at other details other than the centre.

• Once I had taken the image the location for the title was my next main priority as it is the main aspect in promotion, the common conventions demonstrated that the title is usually located at the top or in the lower half of the image. When looking at our own image we came to the conclusion that the title will most likely have to be bellow the camera lens, this helps to draw the audiences attention down towards the lower half of the poster. Not only this we included a tag line, this was placed on the far right of the image bellow the title, the text is considerably smaller to the title. However this is to help intrigue the audience and to give a small amount of information to the viewer. The tag line "smile for the camera" is also a small form of comedy for the antagonist and shows the he is recording his victims.

• For the billings block we placed it at the bottom centre of the image as this is one of the main conventions of posters that is seen across all genres and is not specific to the slasher horror. We made the text white so that it would be visible to the audience on the dark background, although we didn't want the block of text to be predominant on the poster, Therefore while I was placing the text at the bottom I reduced the size of the text to be as small as possible, not to mention that I changed the opacity slightly to make the text appear less obvious. Though it was a small alteration we noticed this technique to be used in other horror posters to keep the focus on the main subject. Originally we placed the production company details bellow the text. Due to this the text was pushed higher up on the image and therefore covering the poster, after considering different ways in which we could alter this we moved the billings block down and reduced the size of the production companies. In doing this it allowed us to place the images either side of the text.

This is the final product:

Research Typography

 Frontier(s)

• The colour of the text is white, this is a common convention of older horror films and it has carried on into the modern design of the slasher horror film genre. Not to mention the inclusion of the red 's' at the end of the name, this colour suggests blood and death. Once again the use of these colours are shown together, they convey the idea of purity and innocence being destroyed and ultimately dying. The colours of the text alone state that the genre of the film will be in the horror genre.
• The style follows the common conventions of slasher typography, looking in to the history you are able to identify that the font is bold and widely spaced. Another convention that you do not see within this text  is a cut through the letters. However in this image you are able to see the small detail of the text deteriorating and falling apart. This follows the idea that the plot in the film will do the same, likely following Todorovs narrative theory.
• The titles text is san-serif while the "what are your boundaries..." is seen with the serif font type. This could be linked to the era in which the film is set as the use of serif text is commonly seen with older films and plots that have the story set in the past.
• Another aspect that is seen with horror film is that the text is usually written in capitals. This helps the tittle to stand out and appear bold on the image. Not only this, it also suggests to the audience that it is going to be exciting, possibly with action as it appears to be exclamatory without the exclamation marks.

 

 

 

The Collector

• Once again the colour of the text is white portraying the idea that the victim is pure. It also helps the text stand out on the black background of the image behind it. While the text in red is difficult to read as it is a darker colour on the black background. However the colour use demonstrates that the company has chosen to follow the conventions of horror films. The colour scheme is continuous throughout the image without a range of multiple colours that would be seen in romantic comedy texts.
• The style of the typography is frequently seen in the slasher genre as it appears to have a thin slash cutting through the text. This makes the genre obvious to the audience as it includes a literal slash. It is bold and dominates a large amount of the image at the bottom with the billings block only using a miniscule amount. They have also used a layering style with the colours of the text, having a pattern of white and red.
• This specific example does not use the serif font, this could be due to the period in which the film is set. When looking at the poster as a whole you are able to see a modern house (possibly representing the American dream). This could suggest that the plot is set in modern day making the film relatable to the audience and increasing the fear factor of the film.
• In this image the text is written in capital letters again highlighting the main text and making it obvious the title of 'The Collector'. The use of capital letters is also used for "He always takes one" at the top of the poster. This text is also clearly visible for the audience to see and gives a small insight at to what may happen in the film while also creating an enigma as to who he takes and possibly why.

 

The Hills Have Eyes

• The style is subverted in this image with the use of black text instead of the white text that is generally used for a horror film. However the background is lighter in comparison to previous posters and therefore it would not have been practical to use a light colour as the audience would not be able to see it. Although it includes a slight hint of red in the typography suggesting that this will be a horror film and has the same aspects of a slasher film. The text also appears to be further distorted with a blurred effect along the bottom. This could be suggesting something about the plot, not to mention that a blur is due to a defect with the eye and therefore could be referring to the title of the film.
• The style of the typography also appears to be subverting the conventions of horror genres with the use of thinner text.
• Serif is used in this style of text possibly suggesting that the plot is set in a different time period. Serif text is a regularly seen in possession films and therefore the designer could be hinting at possible aspects of the film including possession.
• The use of "the lucky ones die first" help to highlight to death and possible torture aspects of the film. While the name of the title could also help create enigma in to the developing story of the film.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poster- Creating the Title

Our poster required the title of the film we were making a teaser trailer for. To create the title I used paint. As our trailer and website show the YouTube logo distorting within the title I wanted to follow this theme with the poster. After looking at horror posters they normally use sans serif so I decided to use this as well. The YouTube logo was then placed instead of the 'E' and I left the colour of the logo red as red is a common feature on horror posters.

I selected the middle of the logo and moved it slightly to the right to give it a distorted effect.

I then used the white pencil tool to add a few white patches to make it seem more distorted. 

The final title looked like this:

                                                                         

The black text will need to be white in order to make it visible on the background of the poster so the colour will be inverted.

This is what the title looked like on the final poster:

Poster deconstruction

Saw poster

• This is the poster for the Saw franchise, it has very little detail with a white and clinical background while along the top there is the jaggered edge of a saw which helps symbolise the name and conveys the genre. 
• The genre is clear through the image alone with the severed leg that has become discoloured and dirty over time, Not to mention the blood and the bone at the far end of the image. The red suggests death and shows the litteral image of blood.
• The title has the same typography throughout the entire frnachise as it has become memorable and is easily related back to the series of films. It is a dark colour on a white bacground to make it stand out further and follows common conventions of film posters with the title being large and clear for the audience to read at a distance.
• Billings block at the bottom is faded as it is not the most important information given on the poster, it gives more detail in to the actors, production companies and makers of the film. However people who are more interested would look at this section to find out more information.

Raw Cut poster

• The Raw Cut poster is almost an opposite to the preious Saw poster, it has darker colours drawing the main focus onto, what is most likely, the victim in the refelction in the knife. They have a use of white, portraying the innocents of the victim, that has been distorted and splattered with a blood effect. while the second is completely red text suggesting death and blood.
• The image is of a knife with the reflection of the victim appearing affraid, they would have used digital technology such as photoshop to create this image as it would have been impossible to capture a clear reflection. This is something we will take in to consideration when creating our own poster. The background is dark and scratched with white marks, it could reseble a working surface, however the dark colours help to highlight the main image and texts.
• The text is futher distorted with the appearance of a cut through the text, this shows that it is also a slasher film clearly stated through the use of mise-en-scene and typography.
• The billings block at the bottom is very small and does not take up much of the image, it contrains extra information on the production company and creators. Another aspect of the billing block is the colour, they have used the same blue as the knife to reduce distracting the audience and to link with the image.
• At the top there is additional information about the actors involved, this shows that the actors are considered a main selling point of the film and they want to use that to the fullest potential.

Slasher poster

• This is the Slasher poster, once again there is the use of darker colours with the addition of red and blue. This appears to be common in slasher film posters and will be something we need to take into consideration.
• The image shows a figure with their back against the camera creating enigma in order to intrigue the audience. Not only this, the mise-en-scene in the image shows the antagonist holding a knife and some rope, these two items help the audience to identify that this is a slasher/ gore horror film. In the background you are able to see the house that the victim may live, this could be identifie through the change in colours as yellows are used. This colour usually suggests happiness and light, however in this image it conveys the idea that the happiness will be taken over.
• Simular to Raw Cuts poster the typography also has a slash through the centre of the text, this is the litteral portayal of a slasher horror film. Just bellow the slash there is blood, this conveys the idea of cut skin and death, once again the main conventions of the slasher/ gore genre. The text itself is white, this could show the purity and innocents of the victim before the killer arrived.
• Billings block is once again place in the centre at the bottom of the poster, the text is extremily small and very difficult to read. However this follows common conventions of billings blocks on posters.

Poster Ideas (PICTURE PLEASE)

One of the ideas we produced allowed us to develop our final project further creating a developed image for our poster. we completed a series of different ideas for our poster and used different aspects from each design to create our final piece.

The Poster

In the image shown bellow you are able to see one of the original designs that I created. As you can see there is an extreme close up of the victims eye with the reflection of the antagonist in her eye. We chose to use a camera to cover his face to create a sense of mystery and an enigma. We contemplated this design as the horror genre regularly uses an extreme close up of an eye of their eye.

[PICTURE]

The Image

The image shows an extreme close up of the victims eyes, when we were talking about developing this image we took into consideration the use of make up to convey the idea that the victim has been tortured. An example of this would to include a bruise around the eye while trying to create a bloodshot effect on her eye. Not only this we would have a tear on the side of the image, we considered different ideas such as she was crying or a drop of blood. The use of blood would have been a common convention for the horror genre as majority of images that we research included a form of blood or the use of red for symbolism.

In the eye we would have had the villain holding the camera close to her face while still covering his identity. Once again showing a small glimpse of the antagonist is commonly seen in posters through the use of silhouettes or something hiding their face. We thought it to be usefully to have a camera to connect the idea of having him recording her for social media. When taking this image we knew that I would require a lot of photoshop as the image would have been extremely difficult to take and make clear that the villain is filming her and that the photography camera was not just reflecting in her eye.

The Golden Rule

This image does not conform to the golden rule and was one of the reasons as to why we did not choose to use this design. The eye is centred in the poster with the title being located at the top of the poster. As the eye naturally rests on the top left of the image the viewer would not see all the detail that we would incorporate into the poster as they would be focused on the title only. Another issue that arose with this image was the empty space around the eye as we would not have anything to fill the gaps with. We considered making the billings block larger however this would cause a large distraction to the main poster as the large amount of text would become the main focus.

The Title

This was one of the first ideas that we created at the beginning of our process. Due to this fact we placed the title at the top of the poster without consideration of other places that we could utilise it better. However as we developed our ideas further we chose to incorporate the use of the YouTube logo into the title. We used this style throughout the entire project including the website and the teaser trailer. We chose to once again show it on the poster for a sense of continuity and to convey the idea that social media will be included in the film that the poster was created for.

Poster Deconstruction- The Strangers

The Strangers (2008)

- This poster contains five different characters. One of the first things we notice is the use of masks on the three characters standing up. This conforms to the common conventions of slasher horror films having masked killers.
- The two people sitting in front of the masked people are the victims and look as if though they have been tied to the chair. The female looks as if though she is looking at the killers whereas the male looks like he is looking towards the ground.
- The main killer is shown in the middle of the other two women wearing masks. He is looking down at the lady. In addition to this having the killers higher than the victims on the poster shows their power.
- The tagline is placed at the top of the poster and reads ‘because you were home’ which gives an indication that the film is set in a house. The tagline is also placed on a backdrop of bricks showing that the film is set inside a house. This conforms to the common conventions of the horror genre. Normally the house is in an isolated location where there is nowhere to run or hide.
- The poster also has the two main actor’s names just above the title. This means that if people have liked these actors in other films they are more likely to go and see the movie.

• The colour scheme of red white and black is conforming to conventions in the horror genre.
• The text on the poster is all serif however the tag line is in lower case whereas the main title is all in lower case. The title is on a black background which contrasts with the white letters to make it easy to read. The text also has a slight glow it which is similar to fire which may give some clues to the audience about the plot of the film. The large black gap beneath the film poster may signify the unknown and the audience need to watch the film to see what happens.
• This film poster subverts the common representations that males are often the killers in horror films as there are also two females. Subverting the common representations allows the poster and film to attract more people.

Horror Deconstruction

 

Characters

Characters normally include a killer who has had a traumatic past and is out for revenge and the victim who is often female and linked with the killers past. The two to three characters at the beginning of the film are often the main characters throughout.

Props

Many horror films involve the use of weapons such as axes, knives or chainsaws to symbolise death and violence. The use of weapons also evokes sympathy from the audience as they become worried for the lives of the victims. Masks may be used to create enigmas as the audience are unable to identify who is responsible for the events taking place therefore has them predicting the outcome. Props that are religious symbols such as the crucifix may be used to show Good Vs. Evil. Other props may  everyday items such as chairs, tables, beds, coffins or dolls.

Location

Horror films are normally set in places that have a hidden past of signify isolation where there is nowhere for the victim to run or find help. Common locations for horror films include:

• Woods
• Abandoned house
•     Hospital
•     Asylum
•     Grave yard

Camera shots and Editing

Extreme close ups and close ups are used to show the audience facial expression of the characters allowing the audience to determine whether they are the victim or the killer. They may also be used to show gore to shock the audience. Tracking shots can build up the suspense further as they allow the pace of the film to quicken to show that something bad is about to happen. Another common feature in horror films are flashbacks often showing how the killer has got into such a state and how the victim is linked to the killers past. Common colours used are reds and blacks to suggest danger and death. The main action in the movie is normally accompanied by stormy weather showing pathetic fallacy.

Lighting

Dark lighting or bright but sharp lighting is used throughout horror films. Many people have a fear of the dark as it has connotations of danger and evil therefore many horror movies are normally set at night. Bright and sharp lighting is often used quickly to show sudden danger.

Insidious poster

• From the makers of Paranormal Activity and Saw’- using this at the top of the poster attracts people who have already seen these two films and shows the audience that it will be a good film as it has been made by the same producers who created two popular selling films.
• This poster conforms to the conventions of horror movies being set in houses, as shown behind the boy. The dark clouds above the house and boy suggest that something sinister is bearing over them both. Also giving connotations  of  darkness and evil.
• The boy is positioned in the centre of the frame, showing that he is a victim, with his eyes directly looking towards the viewer and his colour drained. This suggests that the boy has been possessed by dark forces showing Levi- Strauss’s theory of binary opposites, child vs. evil. The use of a child being possessed by evil also evokes sympathy from the audience as children often are associated innocence and vulnerability.
• The boy’s pyjamas symbolise childhood but are mainly red which is a common colour used in horror movies to show danger and blood. The use of the low lighting and clouds suggests the loss of innocence and heightens the sense of fear in the audience who foreshadow that the innocent boy gets turned into the opposite.
• The title Insidious is mainly in white which has connotations of purity however two letters are in red connoting danger and evil suggesting that dark forces are coming to take over.