A2 media evaluation

2. The message and purpose of the film
The storyline to letter for tom was adapted and changed during
the planning and research stages. This was mostly due to the
changes in filming locations.
After we had finalised the plot and storyline we created a
treatment that gave an overview of the film.
We now had a better idea of who are target audience was, what
genre the film was and the appealing aspects of the film.

3. First and foremost our film is a romance drama. As with all
romance films we wanted to show a passionate love story
between two characters. The film portrays the common
theme of sentimental and to some extent forbidden love. The
dialogue and music are practically important in a romance.
Our film uses the dialogue to explain the plot and show the
personality of the characters to the audience. Eventually the
dialogue of the characters is used to tell each other how they
feel.
The media product purposefully plays on stereotypical codes
and conventions found in romance films. Such as the montage
editing which shows a passage of time during which hints are
given to the audience that suggest the characters are falling
love. However our film does subvert audience expectation as
the film doesn’t have the classic ‘happily ever after’ ending.
What were we trying to achieve in our production?

4. Secondly, the film uses elements from costume dramas. We wanted the
audience to understand that Alice (the main character) is from a very
different time period and also of a different class and status to Tom (the
love interest). This was achieved by using deliberate pastiches and
parody’s of other costume dramas. For example we used an Edwardian
script font for the titles of the film. also we juxtaposed Alice’s costume
with toms to show they are from different social backgrounds. The
setting locations and props were also carefully considered to make it
easier to understand which scenes are in modern day and which are in
‘1910’.
What were we trying to achieve in our production?
Overall we were trying to provide audience pleasure and entertainment. We
hope our short film is enjoyable and has an easy to follow narrative that
appeals to our target audience (young to middle aged women).

5. The Poster
After we had made the film. I started researching and analysing
the advertising posters for other films in the romance genre.

6. The Poster
I found that although the posters each expressed the plot
of the film they were representing, they still had lots of
things in common. These things include:
•The main part of the posters is a photograph or shot
from the film showing the two characters in a close
relationship. This is done because the main selling point
and focus of a romance film is the relationship between
the characters.
•There is usually an emphasis on the female as its this
character that the audience will most relate to.
My main inspiration was the pride and
prejudice film poster. The film pride and
prejudice has the same mood and genre as
our film and targets a similar audience. I
think the layout of their poster design works
well so I chose to use the same structure in
my design.

7. How does the advertising poster reflect the
message of the film?
We made the release date of the film
valentines day. Because the festivities might
encourage people to watch a romance movie.
The credits were written in the font ‘steel tongs’
because its similar to the standard text used in all film
posters. This shows that it’s advertising a film. it also
makes the poster look more professional.
The bottom photo is a screen
shot from the film. we chose to
use this shot because it looks like
a scene from a period drama.
The tagline sums up the message
of the film. The same tagline is
used in both the advertising
medias. This makes it clear that
both products are promoting the
same film.
The top photo is the biggest part of
the image this shows that the
relationship between the characters
is the main aspect of the film. the
closeness of the characters displays
that they are in love relationship.
The female character has a
more central position in the
shot which reveals the story
is mostly about her. The characters style of
dress is juxtaposed as one
is wearing vintage clothing
and the other is wearing
modern clothing.
The long shot allows us to see the
characters costume. The clothing of
the character speak volumes about
who the character is. Also the pale
pink dress has connotations of
innocents and young love.
There is a large amount of
black space in the
background of the image
this could foreshadow the
emotion and sadness of the
narrative.
The banner in the centre of the
poster has a ‘textured paper’
background that links to the idea of
an old letter.
The title is written the same font as
the film titles which keeps the
continuity Between the products.
The names of the actors are displayed at
the top of the film because sometimes tis
can be a selling point of the film. because
the actors listed are not well know it
suggests the film is an independent
production.

8. The radio trailer
Before making the radio trailer I looked into existing radio film
advertisements. Unfortunately I couldn’t find any examples of romance films
advertised on the radio. But I did manage to find recordings of sci-fi film radio
adds.
I analyse the star wars radio adverts.
Link to video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoPBKc_73qk
Analysing the radio trailer showed me what was put into a professional radio
trailer.
We now felt ready to begin drafting up
our own scripts for the radio trailer
incorporating the things we had learnt
from the analysis.

9. How does the radio trailer reflect
the message of the film?
Link to our radio trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwR_BrPFXtg
There are 5 different scripts for the radio trailer. We made different versions to keep the
listener interested instead of the same trailer being played over and over.
The audience knows the trailer is advertising a film because the narrator tells us the
production company and the certificate.
We know the film is aimed at a local audience because in the first trailer the voice over says
“ an Edwardian girl is dragged through the years to present day Barnsley”.
The radio trailer uses small sections of dialect taken strait from the film. we chose the
quotes “‘What year is it?’ ‘1910’” and “You’ve travelled in time”. We decided on these quotes
because they played a major part in the films plot also they put forward the sci-fi element of
the film which according to our audience feedback is one of the films selling points.
We've also used music from the film. we chose to use the soundtrack from the film montage.
The music is happy, fun and upbeat which might entice the listener to go and see the film.
The narrator in the trailer makes it clear what to expect from the film by briefly explaining
the narrative, film reviews and certificate.
The audience knows the film is a romance because the narrator says “a touching love story
that transcends even time”.
The trailer also reflects the same message as the poster by using the same tagline.

10. Conclusion:
How effective do you think the two ancillary texts are in
selling the production?
Poster:
It was important that the product looked like a film poster so that the audience can clearly see
what is being advertised. I think that creating the poster in Photoshop and modelling it on
previous examples we have seen has made the poster look Professional. This is essential
because If the poster looked unprofessional it would likely put people off wanting to see the
film . A poster that hasn’t been put together well could cause people to think that the film is
also poorly produced.
Overall I think our poster presents the film well by showing exiting aspects of the storyline
causing people to want to find out more about the relationship between the characters.
The only changes I would make to the poster would be to add the certificate symbol so that the
audience knows the age rating. Although I think the product would attract the target audience
because the two actors are young adults and the photograph shows that its an emotional story
with a ‘grown up’ theme.
Radio Trailer:
The radio trailer engages the listener by using the films audio to convey the action and emotion
of the film.
I think the radio trailer would be effective at selling and promoting the product especially if the
trailer was featured regularly on a local radio station as this allow the film to be advertised to
our target market.
On the whole I feel the two ancillary text compliment the three media products we have created
show our creativity and enthusiasm to the project. In my opinion the two ancillary texts
complement the film and promote the key aspects of the production.

11. Conclusion:
Results of questionnaire regarding the success of the two ancillary texts
We asked our audience to view the two advertising products and
complete a questionnaire answering some questions about them.
The results show that the audience received the intended meaning of the
film that we were trying to promote in our advertising material. All those
questioned said that they could tell the two products were advertising
the same thing. This shows that the two texts corresponded with each
other.
The majority of people said that the advertising products were very
relatable to the film.
Overall I think the ancillary texts were successful. People said the trailers
“tell us the things we need to know without giving away too much of the
story”. And after viewing the poster the audience knew that it was “a
romance film” and “a love story”.
I think the poster is the most efficient way of reaching our target
audience as this product received more positive reviews.