⌖ Film Promotion
summary
Selecting a film of your choice ~ create promotional web campaign to announce the opening of the first showing and present the required information.
project brief
As part of the publicity team for a new release, your job is to promote the film by designing a promotional website, with the optional addition of a poster, to draw people away from their home screens and back into the cinema to enjoy the big screen. Use this project as a way to make a statement - either to bring back memories (for film classics or an older audience) or to generate curiosity (for newer or alternative films).
Take your chosen film and use its story, mood and genre for inspiration. Working on original and unusual approaches to page layout, create a visually engaging design that catches the attention of the audience and expresses the emotion of the film. Focus on the experience the film will provide the audience. Represent this through your choices of colour, typeface and layout, with a particular focus on using visual balance to express emotion.
If you choose to design the poster as well, ensure that the print design and the opening page of the promotional website are complimentary to each other and to their respective media.
deliverables
The website must contain:
- Opening page
this is for the film itself and must include:- Film title
- Director
- Producers
- Actors
- Date and time of opening
- Info page
this is for the showtime information and must include:- Times the film is showing
- Cinema details, including location
- Supplementary page
this is for any optional information of your choice, for example:- The film
- The story
- Reviews
- Recognition
- Genre
submission requirements
You are required to submit all working files for the final design,
including visuals, drafts and plans.
The website must be online and viewable by the deadline.
assessment
Technical aspects (such as coding) will not be scored in this exercise. Your work will be examined for appropriate implementation of colour, type and aesthetic design.
Your mark will depend on the success of the visual impact of the final design, taking into particular consideration the concept, visual balance and expression and interpretation of the subject matter.
This essay represents 35% of your total course mark.
deadline
7/12/2011
Thanks Prisca, that sounds good. I’ll go along with the idea that it’s a one-off showing at a local small cinema.
Priscilla,
I can see what you mean about the cinema information. When I wrote the brief ~ I saw this as more of a local re-showing of a specific film, ie possibly only shown in certain cinemas, possibly only one.
For example: small cinemas like the Rio Cinema in Hackney or the Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square would be the kind of cinemas which show old or more alternative films.
The idea for the campaign is to promote one evening, the opening night of the re-showing of your film, a sort of premiere if you will. So you can focus on just the one cinema and show its details.
Hope this makes sense?
Hi Prisca,
Just another question about the brief –
You’ve said that page 2 of our website should contain film showing times and cinema locations. Isn’t it quite unusual for a film website to include this information?
I can’t envisage including all the UK / US cinema addresses and showing times, which would become obsolete anyway – so what exactly should go on this page?
Sorry if I’ve misunderstood the instructions!
Priscilla
Got it – thanks Prisca :)
Tom, more than happy to answer more questions
~ and this is a very good one ;)
Of course, your creative animated elements will count towards your mark, most definitely. The emphasis for the grading will be on the design ~ the concept and execution, focus is on your visual approach. This leaves you free to make the odd technical faux-pas without being penalised for it.
Prisca, another question, sorry :)
The project brief mentions that we’re not marked on the code, but if we use code to create an interesting aesthetic, or a visual effect, will we receive marks for that? For example would I get credit for using an HTML animation, assuming that it’s appropriate to the brief and not just a technical exercise?
Tom :)
SciFi sounds fun :) – I’m looking forward to this as well ~ curious to see the choices of film from everyone as well as the final pieces.
Hope you’ll enjoy working on this ;)
Thanks Prisca – that’s what I thought, but I just wanted to check. I’m quite tempted to go with a science fiction film from the ’70s myself! Really looking forward to this project.
Tom,
yes, absolutely :)
I wanted to give you complete freedom to choose any film whatsoever: old classics from the black&white era, technicolour, new cinema ~ even alternative films no one might have heard of.
(I’d feel tempted to work with an old silent film like Nosferatu.)
Prisca, I have a quick question – can this be any film that’s ever been made?
Hi Jana,
well, it is a ficticious project ~ i.e. it will not be used officially by any cinema or film producer. But it will make a nice portfolio piece for you – so I would like you to treat it as if it was a real brief :)
You will need to plan, design and code it (3 pages) and it needs to be online by deadline. Hope this clarifies?
Happy designing ;)
Hi Prisca! Bit confused, does it has to be real or just a proposal?
Negar, sorry – there are no previous examples.
This is a brand new project – so you’ll be the first to explore it ~ a blank canvas ;)
is there any way for me to see other students works in the last year for this project?