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 is communicated in the film it self with the acoustic music that plays. So the natal 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, and although the quotes and ratings

may be seen as biased as they are picked out by the maker of the poster, there is no arguing with the film being elected for prestigious awards. And when it comes to the reviews they could be seen as biased but if they are a

respected film critiquing publication then then there is no arguing with them either. Both of these promote the film as when they are looked at deeply they can’t be seen as being overly biased.

The poster creates preconceptions abut the films story and how well it may do. When it comes to the story the issue and themes have been spoken about, but other preconceptions about the story may be how action driven it is 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 it’s not very action driven and the lone child in the shot may say that the cast will be a small one. The great reviews on the poster give away that the film will be very well received.

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 and issues. 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 a brief telling of what is happening in the story at certain

points and then 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 resealing 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. 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 shows the signs of the film being for a niche audience, with its natural setting and un

man made 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. 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 ReviewHow 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. 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. 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 quote used.

The Main Task

The effects of abuse or how children can be fragile yet surprisingly equipped to rise when knocked down. In the poster the main character is shown to be slightly stronger than he is in the film. As a poster is made to

attract an audience it is easy to make the main character seem strong and more imposing in the

poster. However this doesn’t mean that he is displayed too differently see the main character overcome his

fears at the end of the film. 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 over perspective on his character, one that shows him to be

weak or defeated. An issue that is shown in more or less the same way 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. And 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

How do the review and poster reference one another to promote/deepen our understanding/introduce extra layers or meaning into the film?

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 shows the boy in the poster to be a more dominating character than in the film having a difference on characterisation, added to this it has an effect

on the meaning as from the poster you may feel there will be a ending of more resolution creating the message that all problems can be over come. If you look at it you can see the film review goes against this saying about how the director wouldn’t shove such tale of resolution into the audiences face. So the poster and film review differ there. 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.

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 dil 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. 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 ver positive one the message and narrative of the film are

promoted by the review and its positive commoners about them.

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. 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 posters image although good may be slight

misconceiving with the main character looking so strong within it. And also the environment although key to the story, in the poster it

almost looks like a horror film poster. 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.