Evaluation 2

Evaluation 2How effective is the combination of main

product and ancillary tasks?

The Poster

The films poster clearly shows the films natural environment and use of location shooting. This may be to show the niche audience who may view the film. This is

reenforced by the in fabricated nature of the film poster unlike main stream hollywood

posters, again showing the film may be for a niche audience. The natural environment in the poster says something about the style of the film as well. The top right picture showing

the same kind of natural style and environment. When it comes to the issues we can see that the boy carries the exact same

facial expression from the poster into the film, showing that there may be problems in his

life. And also in the poster we can see the boy standing alone in the woods bringing up the theme of isolation and loneliness which is

another issue of the film.

The PosterThe poster reflects the style and informs the audience about the film in many ways. Obviously the natural style is shown. The poster is set in that woodland area just like the bulk of the film. But it’s not only that the natural style of the film that is communicated in the film it self with the acoustic music that plays. So the natural style shown is key to the

film. There audience is informed about the film through the issues and themes shown in the poster amongst other elements. The theme of isolation and lowliness are clear on the poster and the child’s abuse issues are slightly shown as we see that marks on his face. This tells the audience some of what the films about. The reviews also indicate to the audience that

the film is ‘subtle’, clear that the film isn’t going to be an action blockbuster from that comment, more likely to be a more quiet and detailed production.

The Poster

The poster promotes the short film many ways. The first and most obvious is the official selection logos and the reviews. These are demonstrating how good the film is form a critical point of view, and although the quotes and ratings may be seen as biased as they are picked

out by the maker of the poster, the official selections are from prestigious institutions are a clear signs that the film is of a good quality promoting the film.

The poster creates preconceptions about the films story and how well it may do at competitions. When it comes to the story the issue and themes have been spoken about, but other

preconceptions about the story may be how much ‘action’ there may be or how big the cast may be. These are both shown you would assume the the ‘subtle’ comment in the quote would

be telling the audience that a lot of the stories main points are communicated through other mediums rather than just the actions taking place in the story. The great reviews and

competition reefs on the poster give away that the film will be very well received by critiques

The Magazine Review

From reading the film review what do we learn/understand about the genre of/audience for/directors rationale behind the film?

How does the film review inform my audience about my film?

Overall the film review reference the film and it’s main story points. It brings up the films themes of isolation and the fragility of children and issues of

abuse and bullying. This informs the audience about the film in a way the film itself doesn’t do, by offering

critical analysis of it. In each paragraph you get an unpacking of the story with critical points as well as

information on how well this is done by the film maker. The themes, issues and directing style is also commented on ‘However Geldard isn’t one to shove such a reassuring tale into the audience’s face’. A

quote showing the information on the director.

The genre of the film is actually referenced in the text so the reader gets a complete understanding of the genre of the film, and from this we learn about

the audience, the audience for a British realism short is quite a definitive one. I know from my own research that this is a niche audience who are very

informed and know about film form a technical point of view. And when it comes to the director we learn about his previous feature film about a child with mental health issues, showing that his new film

about the a similar type of child with mental health issues, this is an issue that he is clearly invested in

displaying.

The Magazine Review

Is my film review in any way biased and what might be the impact of this?

How does the way that the film review attracts and audience to my film differ from the way that my poster does?

Well the film review attracts the audience of a magazine like sight and sound magazine. An audience that enjoy an intellectual film

magazine that discusses the complex issues in a film. Where as the poster could attract anyone. The poster has a universality,

meaning that it fits the style for a short film poster, but wouldn’t seem out of place with hollywood film posters among side it,

because of it’s use of poster conventions. Depending on where the poster is placed anyone could see it and be intrigued. But overall I feel the same audience will be attracted the poster as by the film review, as the poster shows the signs of the film being for a niche

audience, with its natural setting and un fabricated feel.

Overall I think the review isn’t biased, however the review does bring up more good than bad points about the film and this could be seen as biased. And although the producer of the film is impersonating a film reviewer and may have tried to be as unbiased as possible, questions about the if the products bias have to raised. It would be expected that if a film maker reviewed their own product they would say it is of a good quality, as they are the creators and think that, and also they want the film to be well received and have a larger audience. The effect of this may be that less people read the review and want to see the film because they feel its being over sold and is just going to be a let down from what the review is

promising.

The Magazine Review

How effectively does my review breakdown/articulate the themes and issues that are then chief concern of my film?The review communicates the themes and the issues of the

film clearly. The issues of abuse, loneliness and social interaction problems are shown in comments such as ‘the effects of abuse are certainly shown in this subtle realist

drama set in present day suburban England’. The themes of appearance vs. reality and the effects of abuse are also

broken-down. The mental illness problems are brought up the most, and are even broken down by referencing the directors

previous works ‘Geldard’s first film ‘‘In My World’’ showed similar subtle signs of mental illness we see here in his new

short’. The circumstances of abuse are also well described as what is happening the film is broken down as the task the

main character is sent on is described along with the challenge of convention that is the middle class setting. This

quote is taken from the review ‘On the whole the film delivers a quiet social commentary of the effects of abuse, in this subtle realist production that has the ability to make the

audience think.’. This is clear breakdown of the main theme of the film. All of these themes and issues are

communicated/articulated well, using the language of an academic film review, as seen in the quotes used.

The Main Task

The effects of abuse or how children can be fragile in contrast to being equipped to rise

when knocked down. The issues and themes are explored in a more impersonal, critical way in the film review, but in the picture

shown we do see the main character down on the ground giving us an perspective on his character, one that shows him to be weak or defeated. An issue that is explored differently in each product throughout each product is the issue of loneliness. Sam is shown to be alone in all the pictures for both ancillary

task is alone for most the film. However the we see a different kind of loneliness shown in the poster in comparison to the film review. The poster seems the show the effects of

loneliness in a more psychological way with the character standing still alone in a forest. Where as the film review shows loneliness in

a more physical way, with the character shown to alone while the middle of spying or

being knocked down. In the film and magazine review we see the effects of this

neglect and isolation, as the main character can’t talk talk to anyone until he overcomes

this at the climax of the film.

What key thematic elements that are common to both the main and the ancillary tasks? How are these explored/represented differently in each?

The Main Task

Do the film review and poster convey/communicate the same message/meaning as the film or do they mediate narrative/characterisation elements?

Overall I feel my poster and my film review together communicate the same issues, although this may be in slightly different ways. When it comes to both of them in

comparison to the film the message and characterisation may vary slightly. As I said before the poster and film review reflect upon the isolation of the child in different ways. The poster shows the isolation of the boy in a more psychological way where as the film review shows it in more physical ways. But the film shows the boys loneliness and both the psychological and physical effects. On the whole I feel the film review and the film deliver the same issues and message but the poster may be the only one that people

could miss interpret as it has the least information about the film.

PhysicalPsychological

The Main TaskHow do the review and poster reference one another to promote/deepen our understanding/introduce extra layers or meaning into the film? It could be said that the poster references the film review with

it’s use of a quote from it and this is promoting the films subtlety giving the audience a greater understanding of the

film before it has been viewed. However I don’t feel the poster can add anything more after the viewing of the film, but the film review can. The idea of the review is to breakdown and

help the reader understand the issues, meaning and narrative by offering critical judgement of them ‘This delivers a true testament to realism, offering a slight resolution with Sam

finally speaking to anyone’. The film review brakes down many of the themes, issues and meaning in the film, and this has

been said before. Overall as the film review is a very positive one the message and narrative of the film are promoted by the review and its positive comments about them. The film review can also be read before the viewing of the film, the

sight and sound audience will read the review and accepts it opinion and watch the film because of the good words said

about it. This also allows the audience to understand the film on a deeper level as they have already read the review and

have an understanding of the film, they can watch almost as if its a second viewing of the film and unpack the film for

themselves on a greater level.

The Main TaskHow do my ancillary tasks impact on my main product?

Are my ancillary tasks a clear reflection of my main product?

Both tasks impact on the product in different ways. The impact of the poster comes before the viewing of the film and the impact of the film review comes after the viewing of the product but can also have a impact after. The poster

captures some the main themes, issues and characterisation of the main product, whilst simultaneously

promoting it with its good ratings and official selection logos. And the film review has a huge impact after

watching the film because it offers that new layer of meaning to the film. The critique of the film allows the reader to reflect on what they thought of certain parts

brought up in the review. Overall they have a huge impact on the final product both before and after the viewing of the product showing them working together well with the

film. On the whole I feel yes, but as with anything, there could

be a clearer reflection. The environment is key to the story, and in the poster it almost looks like a horror film

poster which the film is not, this could be slightly misleading for the viewer. Besides that I feel it represents

the issues in the film well as well as the character and narrative. And as for the film review, I think its an

extremely clear representation, offering insight into the story as well as directors back ground and critique. It may be said that the review doesn’t reflect the main task as it is to positive but I feel its fair and offers up negativities in

the film also. Overall I feel both products are a strong representation of of the main task.