Difficulties in creating a Short Film...

Creating a Short Film can be challenging when trying to fit your whole storyline into a couple of minutes. Short Films use the same structure and story telling techniques as longer films, the difference is that turning points (the direction of the film takes a sudden turn) and elements such as rising and falling action are quicker. You also have to be certain your idea is worth doing, as you only have a certain amount of limited time to draw people into it, so it needs to be spot on, and worth sharing with other people.

Dialogue is also a major factor in short films, as this can take up a considerable amount of time, so being selective with shots and speech parts is important if you don't want your film to drag on. I will need to take all this in to consideration when creating my short film and try to make it as exciting and engaging as possible.

What is a Short Film?

A short film is a film that isn't long eough to be considered a feautre film. The Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits." Longer films were rare before the 1920's, so length based catergories had little meaning, however now this has changed, although we do still get shorts within mainstream comerical distribution. 'Pixar' for eample has screened shorts alongside its feautre films, so has Disney, in 2007 they produced the 'Goofy' short 'How to Hook up Your Home Theater.'
Short Films are a typial first stage for new film-makers, as they are cheaper to create and can make a big impact if done correctly.

Successful Poster Campaigns

Film poster campaigns exist not only to promote the film but also promote the genre the themes and the characters involved. Harry potters film campaign had a variety of film posters with different characters in each poster; this is a good way to attract a wide range of audiences as different characters have different fan bases, meaning some characters may influence more people to watch a film than others.

Twilight is another film campaign, which has been very successful. It’s obvious that the two characters on the poster are glorified, and gives us an immediate sense of what's going on in the film, as we see a boy who is a vampire, and an innocent looking young girl. There's also a slogan on the top left hand corner, and more details towards the bottom of the poster, showing the release date in bold writing.

Common conventions of the Film Poster

Film Posters are a vital aspect for the promotion of any film during its marketing process. They attract audiences because they are a major form of visual communication. The main forms and conventions of a film poster include:
- A bold, large title to show the name of the film, and to attract the attention of viewers, so they are aware of the name of the film.
- A central image of either characters, or an object which symbolises the film.
-Contrasting colours, so the poster stands out and again attracts people's eyes.
-The names of the main character, to show the audience who is acting in their film, and to express how popular their film is/could be, due to the famous actors and actresses who are in it, this could also draw more fans in, if they really like that particular actor.

The way a poster is constructed and utilized is really important in ensuring that you drawing the right attention to your film. For example, if you’re promoting a horror film, you wouldn’t want the font to be bubbly, and welcoming, with bright pastel colours, otherwise your film is rather likely to be perceived incorrectly.
When I design my own poster for my short film, I will ensure that all the conventions fit in with my genre, and I will carefully consider what colours and types of font to use.

What influences do Film Posters have?

They're striking works of advertising art, but do they actually serve a purpose? Film Posters used to be everywhere, on bus stops, walls, doors etc. However recently they have been decreasing, with the amount of people now who look online, the need for them aren’t as relevant any more. Although some would disagree, posters can really influence people's decision to look further into a seeing a film, or deciding whether or not it's for you. It's also a way of giving the public an insight into the film, without giving too much away, which the web and adverts have been previously criticized for. Also not all people watch a huge amount of T.V so a poster could be their first realisation of a new film. Other's however could claim that movie posters show a film in a cheap light, which on the other side could put people off seeing a film. I personally like seeing film posters, as it excites me and makes me more aware of the new films coming out.

Fim Posters in Popular Culture

There are a number of images, which today we would immediately recognise, whether it’s a symbol, a pop group, an iconic figure or a film. Film Posters are a way of advertising your movie to the world, however sometimes they can capture people's attention, and be printed again and again onto tops, covers, wall posters etc. Some of the most famous and well known movie posters are quite a few years old, but still today we recognise it and it becomes something iconic to us.

'Jaws' for example is a world-wide bestselling film, with the iconic Great white shark. This poster has the classic image of the massive Great White shark, about to strike the midnight swimmer in the film's opening sequence. This poster has sold for thousands of pounds in today's market.

Another iconic film poster is the horror 'Alien' which was released in 1971. The artwork of this poster has been coolly designed, with a hint of the horror that is lurking around. The egg at the centre of the poster, suggests something is going to appear soon, with the green tones of colour cracking out, giving the poster an eerie tone, as well as the striking opening title sequence.

Film Posters

'The Dark Knight'
The first two poster I looked at were from the film 'The Dark Knight', which were both dark and mysterious, and gave off a very eerie vibe. Considering the majority of film posters, they were also rather scary for public viewing, but definitely caused you to be engaged and drawn into it. The other obvious thing about the posters is that they have little relevance to the actual main character of the film, Batman, especially the one on the left, where the only thing connection the poster to Batman is the small logo at the bottom, faded behind the title. However apart from that, the poster is filled with the Joker, and a faded dark mist. The body language of the Joker suggests he is rather dominant and a dangerous character, dressed in all black, and out of focus, making his hands the only thing clear enough to see, showing the use of pathetic fallacy, again enhancing the horror aspect. The only use of colour on the poster is the bright, red smile and the smeared writing of 'Why so serious?' Which again makes us think of horror and gore, as the red looks like blood. This poster experiments with the stereotypes of an everyday hero film, with very little resemblance to the logo and showing a much more dark, 'horror' feel to it, this enables them to draw in a whole new audience which may not necessarily watch a hero film, such as Batman. The Second poster on the right, is a little more sinister, showing more resemblance to the Batman film, with the outline of his costume, this is more likely to draw in the traditional Batman fans. However we are still getting a hint of the Joker, with a pack of cards scrawled out in the background with the Joker logo on them, emphasising the importance of this character, and also giving us a hint of what the plot may endure. I believe both the posters are succefsful in drawing in an audience, especially those who may not usually be interested in this style of genre. They are both extremely effective and leave you eager to see the film.

'Confessions of a Shopaholic'
The second poster I looked at was the teenage drama film, 'Confessions of a Shopaholic, which in comparison to 'The Dark Knight' is a lot more lighter, colourful and welcoming. With a plain white background, our full attention goes straight to the female character holding numerous brightly coloured shopping bags. Immediatley it's obvious this film is focusing on the female audience! Her bright, pink clothing and accessories express every girl's dream as she holds six expensive looking shopping bags, and her surprised/guilty expression on her face, is something we all can attach ourselves to, after spending too much money shopping. The film title is also rather bold, in a bright red shade, and the word 'Shopaholic' enhanced, again drawing in a certain audience. There's also a sentence at the bottom of the poster, giving people a hint as to what the film could be about, and already giving the viewers a slight insight into her personality.
This poster is definitley effective in drawing in a certain audience, and embraces a light-hearted, funny chick-flick film, which people will warm to seeing.