MEDIA LANGUAGE AND REPRESENTATION COMPONENT 1 SECTION A: ADVERTISING AND MARKETING #3: Kiss of the Vampire Film Poster

FILM MARKETING

FILM MARKETING

FILM MARKETING – MEDIA LANGUAGE In no more than 15 words explain why marketing for a film is important

What are the functions of a film poster? A successful poster captures a moment of a film that personifies the whole film What themes or issues might this film deal with?

What are the functions of a film poster? It captures the USP (Unique Selling Point) of the film Uses compositional techniques and devices to draw the reader to the USP: A star A setting A part of the narrative Which of these does this poster use to attract an audience?

Poster/Trailer Comparison TEXT NARRATIVE GENRE POSTER TRAILER

Compositional Techniques 3rds: Notice how this poster comprises of 1 part for star actors names (U.S.P); 2ND PART MAIN IMAGE AND FILM TITLE AND 3RD PART PRODUCTION CREDITS AND TAGLINE Geometric shapes: TRIANGLES, DIAMOND SHAPES AND ZIG ZAGS. Readers ‘enjoy’ the patterns created through shapes like this Visual Hierarchy: Where the eye is drawn first, second, third...last and why it is taken there

3: credits 1: ACTORS TRIANGLE SHAPE 2: MAIN IMAGE VISUAL HIERARCHY: EYES DRAWN FROM TOP OF TRIANGLE TO ‘THE MATRIX’ 3: credits

OTHER COMPOSITIONAL ELEMENTS Typography: the types of font used and why they have been used Colours: colour schemes on the poster and what these might suggest about the genre of the film and the narrative/themes What does the typography of this poster suggest about the film’s: Genre Narrative

THE CONVENTIONS OF FILM POSTERS Tagline: a short sentence or phrase that appeals to the reader and often raises unanswered questions that the reader wants to find the answers to e.g. in space no one can hear you scream Production credits: who made the film / who distributes it / actors

THE CONVENTIONS OF FILM POSTERS Main image: again, may raise unanswered questions. often denotes a scene or character from the film itself. often medium close-up/close-up Release date: coming soon or more specific 12.12.10

Analyse the film poster for INSIDIOUS Analyse the film poster for INSIDIOUS. What codes and conventions have been used to attract the audience?

Example annotations of a film poster using appropriate terminology and DCE (denotation, connotation, effect) analytical structure

HAMMER HORROR What is it? Hammer Film Productions is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies — and, in later years, television series. During its most successful years, Hammer dominated the horror film market, enjoying worldwide distribution and considerable financial success. This success was due, in part, to distribution partnerships with major United States studios, such as Warner Bros.

Hammer horror KISS OF THE VAMPIRE FILM POSTER (1963)

KISS OF THE VAMPIRE PRODUCT CONTEXT: Produced by Hammer Film Productions and distributed by J. Arthur Rank and Universal, Kiss of the Vampire was intended to be the second sequel to 1958’s Dracula, although the film’s script actually makes no reference to Stoker’s character. This is to perhaps distance itself from unfavourable comparisons to the superior Christopher Lee who starred as Dracula. In addition to Dracula, Hammer had, by 1963 success with other ‘monster movies’ such as The Mummy and Frankenstein. Distributers Universal also saw early success with films in this genre. Historically, 1963 saw the early stages of ‘Beatlemania’ and the so-called ‘swinging sixties’, the assassination of JFK and the Soviet Union lunching the first woman to space.

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KISS OF THE VAMPIRE CULTURAL CONTEXT: The 1960s audience for this advert could be assumed to be familiar with the codes and conventions of ‘monster movie’ film posters- such as its composition, fonts and representations of ‘the monster’ and its (usually female) victims.

Compare the 2 adverts using media language to that of Kiss of the Vampire. What similarities/differences to they have? F – 1964 BFMT - 1971

Analyse the codes and conventions of the film poster. Consider: FONT COLOUR IMAGERY VISUAL SIGNIFIERS How do these elements convey meaning to the audience? Write up 500 words to explain

RELEVANT THEORY SEMIOTICS – ROLAND BARTHES – ENIGMA CODE (HERMENUETIC CODE) How can this be created in the film poster? SEMANTIC CODE – What can you see within the poster that relates to the genre cementing it for the audience? SYMBOLIC CODE – What signifiers are embedded into the poster to reference the genre of the film?

REPRESENTATION ‘ Older’ stereotypes of women as passive victims of men and more modern ‘male fears’ of women challenging male dominance can both be seen in the to be encoded into this film poster! POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXT: The 1960s is often seen as the start of the women’s sexual liberation, aided by events such as the introduction of the contraceptive pill in 1960. More than ever women were entering the paid work force and sixties feminists were campaigning for equal pay, an end to sexual harassment and more equality between men and women in wider society. In America, equal pay legislation passed in 1963.

ANALYSE CONSIDER HOW REPRESENTATIONS HAVE BEEN CONSTRUCTED THROUGH PROCESSES OF SELECTION AND COMBINATION: THINK ABOUT: DRESS CODE GESTURE CODE GENDER STEREOTYPES EFFECT OF HISROTICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXT

THEORY STUART HALL – representations – How are the audience actively engaged in decoding the genre? DAVID GAUNTLETT – identity – thinking about the social and historical contexts of the 1960s how could the female vampire be seen? LIESBET VAN ZOONEN – feminism – how does the female vampire reinforce the cultural change happening in the historical context of the time?

TASK Using your understanding and knowledge of Hammer movies create your own film poster for a new film called ‘REVENGE OF THE MUMMY’