Film Industry Final Evaluation

In this project I feel I have learnt a great deal about the US and UK film industry, most importantly how the industries both operate and how they differ. I feel I have been able to produce work that proves my understanding for the fundamental elements of both industries particularly through the designs of my film posters. Towards the start of the project we were tasked with creating a timeline on one of the top US conglomerates within media, and an infographic explaining the differences between the UK and US film industries. This part of the project in particular was extremely beneficial for me, it gave me the fundamental knowledge about the two industries that I was able to take into the rest of the project. I would consider myself to be a very visual orientated person, so having that infographic by my side whilst I was making decisions on my film posters, really helped me to choose the best choices for each film because I could refer back to it as and when I needed it. The other part obviously was my timeline. I ended up presenting the history of Disney. This task fascinated me in a way that none of the other tasks did. I did an immense amount of research into the history of Disney, and the development of the corporation in terms of a business is what I find so incredible. How Disney himself was on the verge of going bankrupt many times and taking a risk often he couldn't afford to take. But the risk taking element is what is so apparent in his creative work, which is interesting to see is not the case with the current state of Disney. I found my UK film poster the most beneficial to make because I felt I had really encompassed the design elements I had previously researched to influence my design. Aesthetically I feel I was able to achieve the style I first set out to do. However, If i could improve it I would possibly make the proportions of the text elements easier to read and re cropped the image so that there is no hard border along the bottom of the image. I used a monochrome style with dark greys to convey my film and In my opinion it has worked really well. I wanted to design the poster so that it appeals to teens and over. And wanted my design to not only reflect what type of person mcqueen was but how his reputation is perceived in the current day. In doing this I looked into the aesthetic of his brand and how they use colour, fonts and graphical media to promote themselves, I felt I was able to incorporate all of these elements in my film poster. Although I enjoyed making my US film poster it did not quite turn out how I first anticipated it would. If I could go back and do my poster again I would possibly make the colours, slightly brighter and bolder. I would also re-design the layout of the pictures and graphics so it told more of a story about what the film is about and maybe what the film represents, like I tried to achieve in my mcqueen poster. I would also add more information onto the poster, as I have found in my research US film posters are normally quite busy with information. Another thing I would do is to create a few versions of the poster. This is something that is used not just in the US film industry but throughout the UK one also. Overall I feel I have gained a huge amount of insight into both industries from this project. Not only theory based, but my creative outlook on content created for commercial use. Before this project I found it difficult to understand how films are actually managed and made. Through my research it has made me more aware of what actually goes into making a hollywood or british film. The level of detail, and the amount of intricate planning that is involved not just for the production but for pre-production and post-production also. I have also come to understand how films are sold through visual based media and the codes and conventions that are used to attract an audience. This has been deeply interesting for me, particular in how the graphic design of the poster can make or break selling a film. The codes and conventions that I have learnt for example using colour to infer a particular genre, such a yellow being an indie film colour, is something I am going to keep for further projects on this course and onto further education. In this project I feel I have been able to understand that when you are creative you need to find a balance between art and commerce, something that is very important in the film industry in particular. It is also something I have been able to examine when looking at the US film industry, how in its current state the executives are not only looking for how well the film will sell but how they can sell other products along with it, for example merchandise.