Thriller Movie Posters- Placeit

Here are some example designs I have created using templates on the website Placeit.

The use of this website was to create different placeholder designs so I can develop upon these and envision how I want my final design to appear.

The photographs used are all also placeholders and helped give me inspiration for finding similar locations so I can take my own photographs using these as my creative intent. I eventually ended up choosing the graveyard design as a main inspiration for when I created my final designs using photographs at a church and graveyard.

I also created the layout using research into numerous movie posters and put details such as placeholder text which mirrors the information typically on film posters and can replicate how real designs look and how I can make mine appear detailed and realistic.

I also experimented with different fonts, seeing whether sans or sans serif fonts fit the tone of the film more and which would work better for advertising and the style of film I want audiences to expect. I decided to use a serif font more often in my designs as I wish the film promotion to appear more classical and old rather than a modern day horror film.

D2: Demonstrate how the technical and aesthetic properties of the media components meet the client brief

 D2: Demonstrate how the technical and aesthetic properties of the media components meet the client brief

Assessment Criteria for D2:

Learners are required to demonstrate how the advertisements technical and aesthetic properties meet the requirements of the clients brief and their preproduction plan. 

Learners should evaluate their final components against their client brief and demonstrate how the components support the advertisement campaign. 

THE CLIENT:

21st Century Productions Ltd.

ABOUT THE CLIENT:

21st Century Productions Ltd is a medium sized independent film company with an annual turnover of 15 million pounds. They specialise in producing high quality short film productions aimed predominantly at an audience aged between 17-25 years. 

The audience/customer is approximately 70% male and 30% female.

They have achieved a reputation in particular for producing films of the Horror/Thriller genre. It is this specialism that they wish to develop and promote.

THE BRIEF:

The company want to run an advertising campaign to increase ticket of their latest film release (Disciples). They want to produce a campaign that uses traditional poster sites at bus stops, motorway service areas and billboard facilities close to cinema locations.

The company also want to take advantage of digital advertising platforms.

Research data produced by the Data Detail Marketing and Research Company show that 70% of the target audience are more influenced by such advertising platforms.

Produce a range of visuals and proposals that present ideas for the Company’s consideration. The advertising must be appropriate to the target audience, be clear and effective in its message and cost effective.

Initial ideas and visuals should develop with the approval of the Company’s management team to produce a cutting-edge campaign that attracts the interest of potential customers and existing customers alike

My Response

When beginning to plan the advertisement designs, the components I planned to develop were print adverts and posters. This is because poster designs are commonly more seen by the public and potential target audiences, as any audio or audio-video adverts would have to be consciously clicked on and watched, meaning not many people are going to see the advert unless they are already interested in the product. Unlike print adverts, as they are designed to instantly catch the eye and garner interest from just a glance. They are also more likely to be seen since posters are placed in many public areas such as on buses or billboards along the road. They can also appear on the internet via pop up ads, social media posts, etc.

In order to begin making print designs, I drew thumbnail design sketches for what I planned the final posters and billboards to look like. Following codes and conventions from my research into advertisement of horror/thriller films to create as many different variations as I could until eventually deciding which thumbnails I would develop into real designs and which I wouldn't.

As shown below, I believe my poster design perfectly fits the codes and conventions of the horror/thriller genre. For example, I have used a mostly dark colour palette, yet contrast it with much bolder colours to draw the viewers eye where I want them to look, more specifically with red, connoting blood and danger. This is also used in the poster for It (2017) and the similarities between this design and mine demonstrate my understanding of genre conventions and how I can communicate with and reach my desired target audience.

 

I believe my print advertising product fulfilled the brief to the best of my ability, and used the guidelines given to create the best possible product. For example, the brief states that the production company "want to produce a campaign that uses traditional poster sites at bus stops, motorway service areas and billboard facilities." Therefore I made both traditional poster designs but also alternative billboard posters that would fit in public areas, as shown from the images below.

I also believe my poster and billboard designs to be incredibly cost-effective, as the posters themselves are quite simple and minimalist in design, using less to achieve more, and so the production value for these is relatively low for the props, photos of locations, etc. Aswell as costs to display the designs on billboards in public, thereby saving money and advertising to focus on the production and post-production funds.

Overall, I believe I have achieved the goal of the brief to the best of my ability, and created an advertising campaign which catches eyes and demonstrates codes and conventions of horror/thriller movies and lives up to the production company's record. The approach of design is much more classic than modern, and makes use of colour contrast and ominous aesthetics to catch the interest of the desired target audience and what they're interested in seeing.

I also believe I developed the brief by creating the website shown above. The brief states "The company also want to take advantage of digital advertising platforms." and that "70% of the target audience are more influenced by such platforms. 

Therefore, I created a website around the production company and promoted the film within the about section. This creates an online platform in which people can find the film and share to others to garner interest, spreading promotion across a digital space much more effectively than physical posters and billboards in public.

https://kieranriley2104.wixsite.com/website/about

D1: Discuss the legal and ethical constraints within the planned campaign

D1: Discuss the legal and ethical constraints within the planned campaign (*Synoptic assessment from Unit 1 Media products and audiences)
Assessment Criteria for D1:

 YOU are required to discuss the legal and ethical issues applicable to your planned advertising campaign. 

What do I have to do? (This is an individual task!)

Produce a word processed report (at least 750 words) where you list the legal and ethical issues that you think will be applicable your planned campaign.

Legal and Ethical issues are about ensuring that a product being created does not cause any offence by containing harmful messages implicit or explicit towards a certain group of people, representing them with respect, dignity and sensitivity. This could possibly be suggested from my Thriller film promotional material as the imagery being used in a religious setting with churches and crosses featuring in my posters. This implication could possibly be considered harmful to the Christian community and could be inferred I'm attempting to label Christians as murderous and cult-like. 

In resolving this issue, I mainly utilised gravestones in some poster designs and edited them to look like the graves are stained with blood, this implies it has been tainted with by something unholy and not representative of true christianity or it's beliefs. This ensures that any concerned viewers cannot claim the legal act of Slander, as the promotional products and film itself make no false accusations or implications of any kind, keeping in mind when creating the product that anyone who could potentially feel this way doesn't because of the handling of the representation.

The films plot and editing will be created with this idea in mind as to avoid anything that could be claimed as legal slander. Portraying the subject anatagonists in the film as being against actual practiced christian values yet still religious. This means that for a practicing christian viewer, they do not feel slandered or mis-represented.

Another possible cause for issues would be the use of blood in the posters and billboards. All final designs feature bloodstains on the background gravestones as well as deep red text for the title. It's very possible that parents could take issue with this design being shown in public due to its graphic deptictions, worrying in case children see it. I believe I resolved this issue by using as much subtly as possible in the graphic details. I show only the blood and the gravestones, meaning adults and more mature people will see the poster and be able to link the two mentally and understand the films genre and what to expect, while children will likely be left oblivious and overlook it without a second thought, easing the concerns of parents worried about their children seeing violence on a film poster.

These changes did slightly put constraints on my original ideas, as I had envisioned a poster design featuring a masked, cloaked figure holding an axe, with the figure itself concealed in darkness and shadow. I believe this would've given a sense of ominous fear to the viewer via introducing the antagonist of the film so the audience can both become familiar enough with the characters presence to still be threatened, while also keeping mysterious and leaving the audience asking more questions. Therefore not using the idea left a few constraints on my vision for the final designs.

I believe I resolved this constraint by simply further emphasising the intended affect of my other designs. For example, when using images of gravestones and adapting them to poster designs, I made the picture entirely black and white, and only added colour from the red bloodstains and red text. This contrast of colourless background to deep red text is used to catch the eye of anyone walking past and spotting the poster while in public, alongside the threatening tagline "Pray for their mercy." The target audience of people looking for an ominous, unsettling thriller is instantly reached by this design and how the message is instantly communicated.

M3: Explain how the created media components comply with the codes and conventions of the media sectors

 M3: Explain how the created media components comply with the codes and conventions of the media sectors 

Assessment Criteria for M3:
Learners are required to explain how the required codes and conventions have been met when creating their media advertising components.

What do I have to do? (This is an individual task?)
Learners will complete a report evaluating & analyzing their components to show:

 how what has been created has utilized understanding of real media products in the Horror/Thriller genre you have chosen
·  how what has been created has utilized research undertaken on real media products in the Horror/Thriller genre you have chosen
·  how the codes and conventions you considered in your planning have been met and how this was achieved
You should illustrate your report with examples from research and your own graphics.

I believe the poster and billboard designs I produced perfectly demonstrate my understanding of real media products in the Horror/Thriller industry due to the research I have done. For example, I use a mostly colourless colour palette, and contrast it with the red text of the title/blood stain. This is very similar to the example below of the 'IT' film poster, contrasting the deep black background with the deep red of the title and the iconic red balloon. Connoting blood symbolism and leaving an unsettling atmosphere, accomplishing the same goal as my poster, proving the research I have done and my understanding of it.

       

This is also seen in my Billboard design examples, in which I have best replicated codes and conventions of other thriller film billboards I have researched. As shown below, I have utilised the minimal colour palette and simple, yet eerie imagery in order to stand out, placing most focus on the title and tagline, encouraging people who pass by to see and remember only the title, yet still be left intrigued by the brief glance at the unsettling visuals. I also made sure to add as many details as possible such as the release date, information of the film-makers/production company, social media hashtags and age ratings to ensure I replicate as many of the important details as I can to make people aware of the film and make myself seen similarly to other incredibly high budget, professional films.

M2- Justify the choice of Planned Components by Targeted Media Sector

 M2: Justify the choice of planned components by targeted media sector

Assessment Criteria for M2:

YOU must justify your choice of components (elements which make up a Horror/Thriller genre poster) and the reasons why they have been incorporated within the advertising campaign.

What do I have to do? (This is an individual task!)

Produce a word processed report (at least 500 words) where you justify your decisions to include the components (elements of poster) you decided upon in the planning process. 

The working title of my thriller film is "Disciples" using the slogan "Pray for their mercy." Therefore, when making the promotional material for the film, I plan to use religious/cult-like imagery to inspire fear in the audience. The title itself I have also made short, simple and only one-word. This is to make it seem more memorable and iconic rather than something that's too long or wordy to make it seem forgettable.

My thriller film advertising campaign is targeted towards majority male, 17-25 year old's, meaning I must create my advertising in order to be seen by adults/ older teenagers. This also means that in the posters/billboards I can use subtle symbols/icons to better create horror. This would likely be done with a mask, a dark street, or religious imagery such as a cross or a church. The effect of this would be the target audience understanding the horror and figuring out the theme, encouraging the audience to use their own imagination to understand the feeling of dread and fear I want them to, effectively drawing them in and grabbing their attention.

The products I am going to make are a poster/billboard promoting the film aswell as a short trailer, lasting about 30 seconds. Utilizing Print and Audio-Video media pathways for the promotional material. For the print advertising I intend to use a colour palette of mainly black and small amounts of red. This is to give the poster an eerie, dark atmosphere to set a particular tone for what the audience should expect. Ensuring the dark atmosphere stands out when seen.

The text will likely be a graphic display font for the title. Then a small serif font used for the slogan. Serif fonts are used largely to make something appear more classical and old, which is the style of thriller I aim to make. The graphics used will be an image of a mask with a cross design on it, and splatters of blood at the corner. This is creating iconography for the campaign. Helping the bran itself by creating an easily recognizable symbol to represent what causes the fear. Other examples of this are the It red balloon, the mask from Scream, etc. I will  layout the graphics to make sure that it is the main focus of the poster, with the title and slogan around it, making sure the mask is the most prominent thing in the whole design.

In terms of positioning the other elements of the poster, I'll likely put the title at the top of the image. With the slogan going at the bottom of the image. Making sure that the title is in a much larger sized font than the slogan, this type of layout creates hierarchy in the poster. Guiding peoples eyes to see the graphic at the centre, and becoming intrigued enough to read the title and then the slogan. Drawing them in and convincing them to watch the film.

However, on the billboard design, I will likely make use of the space by placing a vertical, bloody cross along the entire billboard, and then place the title and slogan inside of it. This is done to achieve the same purpose as the poster, but done in a different way which still stands out to audiences and looks unique when seen.

The AV trailer will feature myself and other people in costumed robes/masks. Aswell as filming in places such as churches, cemeteries and other generally religious locations that we can use to best show the theme of the film. I will also use editing software for the trailer to include a lot of quick cuts and insert music for dramatic effect. Creating the tone of the trailer and scaring the audience with the intensity of it.

M1- Evaluate Different Cross-Media Adverts

  M1: Evaluate different cross media advertising campaigns for consistency of message

Assessment Criteria for M1:
This can be built on from evidence of P1 with learners selecting campaigns that deliver/communicate across at least two media pathways.

Choose a similar promotional campaign which delivers across at least two pathways. An example might be two different campaigns for a soft drink.

Background

Monster Energy began in 1935 as Hansen's Natural Corporation, originally not making energy drinks but rather selling juice to film studios and other retailers in Southern California, where the company was founded. Eventually expanding and deciding to produce Energy drinks, among many others.

It had many former drink products such as Soda, Drink Mixers, Juices for children, etc. But as of 2015, all non energy drink brands were sold to the Coca-Cola company. The rebrand from 'Hansen's' to Monster was only in 2012, just before the other products were sold.

Monster Energy since the rebrand very quickly identified it's target audience, reaching out to Motorsports, Action Sports, E-Gaming and Punk Rock scenes. While competitors like Goliath (aka Red Bull) already occupied these places, Monster offered a more aggressive alternative – a trait that the audience identified with. It promoted and sponsored many sports events such as UFC, BMX, Skateboarding, etc. In addition to the promotion of many punk rock bands such as Asking Alexandria and Five Finger Death Punch.

The company deliberately avoided advertising toward the mainstream, and instead targeted directly towards a specific target audience and capitalized from it.

The company's growth now means they hold about 39% of the $57 billion US energy drink market.

From 21st October 2013 to the 31st December, Monster Energy had a partnership with Activision for promoting the latest release in the Call of Duty franchise. Call of Duty: Ghosts. To do this, they released print advertising and different products of Monster which featured Call of Duty artwork on the can, aswell as a redeemable code underneath the tab for in-game prizes and rewards, such as the 'Double XP' promoted in this example ad.

The Target Audience of Call of Duty is not too dis-similar to that of Monster, while Call of Duty is an 18 rated game, Activision is in full knowledge that its main audience are mainly angsty teenagers, and so by partnering with a drink company very associated in the niche gaming scene, it allows both customers of Monster and Call of Duty to mix, gaining a massive amount of synergy from both the incentive of in-game rewards but also by being a part of that kind of community.

The advert itself uses very dark shades of black for its backgrounds, and then contrasts this with the bright green and blue of the logo. The product is also featured on the right hand side of the ad, blending in with the colour schemes of the rest of the ad, using the same black and blue colours, making the product being advertised small and almost un-noticeable, the main focus here is on the cross-promotion with 'Call of Duty: Ghosts' creating synergy between the target audiences of both Call of Duty and Monster Energy.

The overall tone of the ad is very dark and aggressive, fitting the aesthetics expected of Call of Duty and then using it to promote Monster, cross-promoting and causing the products to be associated with each other effectively and send customers of both to each other.

Another print ad for Monster Energy is this example, which features the tagline for Monster, "Unleash the Beast!" shown prominently just beneath the logo. This increases the aggressive feel of the ad, aswell as the reach to its target audience. Making the promotion intentionally dark and edgy so that it seems cooler and distinct from most other soft-drinks, reaching a more niche demographic and taking advantage of cross-promotion and synergy in order to sell and make profit.

The product is featured much more prominently in this ad, taking up the majority of the left hand side while still matching the colour scheme of a dark black background contrasted by a bright, glowing green. This is still mainly to just make the product stand out and look interesting to potential consumers, making the products identity well known enough to cross-promote and gain synergy as easily as possible.

                               https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QskJmmAQME

Focusing on another media pathway, this Audio-Video Monster advert from 2017 features celebrity endorsement from popular UFC Fighter Conor McGregor, using the promotional hashtag "#IAmTheBeast" This is done to both draw attention from fans of Conor McGregor, but also promote the energy given from Monster from an athlete endorsing the product, making it seem even better to potential consumers who are interested in sports and wish to be full of energy to perform as well as possible.

The advert itself is just clips of McGregor training with Monster product placement and logos being placed on different pieces of equipment such as the banner on the boxing ring, the punching bag and a drink bottle. This is used to affect the public image of Monster, and have people associate it with training and athleticism so that people who wish to train and regularly exercise/go the gym feel inclined to drink Monster while doing so.

P4- create the media components to be used in the planned campaign

P4: Create the media components to be used in the planned campaign (*Synoptic assessment from Unit 3 Create a media product)
Assessment Criteria for P4:

YOU must produce your planned media components to be used in the advertising campaign. You should provide an introduction to your advertisement components you will be producing and present, as evidence, views of your advert and supporting materials.

What do I have to do? (This is an individual task?)
Create the components for your advertising campaign and present them on your blog using a range of mock ups.

Powerpoint- Unit 20 Advertising Horror/Thriller

P3- Unit 20: Advertising Campaign

 P3: Create a pre-production plan for the media components in the planned advertising campaign

Assessment Criteria for P3:

YOU are required to produce pre-production materials for their planned media components.

These may include: pitch documentation; research into genre and conventions; images and mood boards; production schedule with proposed launch dates; any other relevant material (i.e. sample footage and sounds). 

Evidence could be produced in the form of a formal word-processed document, presentation or hand drafted documentation with supporting notes and digital files.

Genre- Thriller

Advertising campaigns for thriller movies all share very similar codes and conventions in how it reaches its target audience. While the advertising itself may be greatly different, they all use similar conventions which prove to be effective with other successful films.

-As seen here, the promotional material all seem to focus on a person, usually in a close up or extreme close-up shot. This is used very commonly because it gives a feeling of claustrophobia or danger to the viewer, drawing them in and setting expectations for a threatening presence throughout the film.

-Another convention used in thriller promotional material is the use of an item as a form of iconography. Such as the 'It' red balloon or the knife in 'The Shining', these are symbols that hold meaning to its audience and people can recognize/ associate with the film, meaning that fear can be created with subtlety from simply the presence of a single object.

-With all these aspects considered I believe it would be best to include them in my own promotion, following the codes and conventions of separate thriller films while still attempting to remain unique to make the film have its own identity.

Mood Boards

Colour Palette for Promotional Material

-I plan to use a colour scheme of primarily red and black, dark colours that make the audience feel unsettled and afraid, while also remaining mysterious enough to draw people in with intrigue.

-Text on the poster will likely be minimal except for the title, presented in a large font that appears boldly but still fits in nicely with the rest of the design.

-Use of graphics for the sake of showing either people or creating iconography, such as the Hellraiser face, the Saw spiral pattern, Jason Voorhees, etc. making the work instantly recognizable and distinct to average audiences.

Typography for Promotional Material

-The font I plan to use is a very detailed, artistic display font. This would allow for a lot of detail and personality in the title, preparing the audience for a thrilling, fearful film.

-Display font being used for the title also means it is likely to stand out more and stick better in the viewers mind, making the product much more iconic and recognizable.

-The colour of the text is also important when considering typography, as the majority of the example display text logos used red text, which is reminiscent of blood. Creating the atmosphere needed for  a violent thriller, both excited the audience aswell as inciting fear, which is why I will likely choose red text for advertisement designs. 

-White also resembles elements of the supernatural, and encouraging viewers to feel fear of the impossible and unknown. This is used most famously for films like Alien, so I may consider incorporating in my design.

Layouts and Graphics for Promotional Material

-The layout of all of these posters consist of a very close up figure/symbol. The text is kept to a minimum of usually a large title, a small tagline, release date and then an even smaller cast list of the people involved in the creation of the film.

-The figures on the posters are close up or extreme close-up photos of people which are edited to appear more horrific and supernatural. The impossible nature of the image creates fear by itself, discomforting the viewer and showing what they should expect in terms of horror and graphic content, acting as a teaser for what's possible and what the viewer should be scared of.

-The other layouts that feature symbols rather than people also prove quite successful. Such as the 'It' red balloon, these are effective as they create tension without even showing anything explicitly scary, rather the warning of what could happen and creating more fear from simple iconography, and so I will consider how important symbols/items are when creating my promotional material.

-For the designs I will use graphics which involve a religious, cult-like imagery. Ensuring it to be as ominous and threatening as possible using familiar, common iconography that unsettles people and puts them on edge. For example I could make promotion with an extreme close-up on the example mask in the mood board with a bloodstain on it. This application of graphics into the promotion both creates iconography and sets up expectations of horror in a subtle way without being cheesy or overly graphic. 

-The idea of including masks as a part of the graphics is because it takes away the viewers perception of identity for the horror, creating the fear from not just a single person, but a detachable symbol that can better communicate a specific emotion to a target audience, and the use of it on a poster and in advertising will be incredibly effective in getting across this idea.

Risk Assessment

When making a risk assessment, I must account for a large number of different factors that could possibly create issues or cause harm. Such as filming locations, in which I must account for our permission to access the location, transport for cast and crew, safe operation of equipment only by professionals, as well as food or water so the cast and crew aren't hungry or dehydrated.

P2- Unit 20: Advertising Campaign

P2: Create a plan for a cross media advertising campaign in response to a client brief.

Assessment Criteria: You are required to create a plan for a cross media advertising campaign to a client brief. The information gained from P1 could inform the advertising campaign 

Working Title: Disciples

The Product I wish to create is promotional material for a horror/thriller film. I will use promotional material in formats of AV and Print, designing posters, logos and billboard alongside a short trailer with the purpose to entertain audiences and promote the film effectively.

Some of my examples for inspiration are the promotional material for the films 28 Days Later (2002) and It (2017),as they both have similar colour themes and horror imagery which isn't too overt but rather subtle and unsettling to audiences. 

My design, inspired by these will have a dark colour scheme, making use of reds and blacks, while also appearing minimalist and simple, inciting as much fear and mystery as I can with as little as possible, giving an ominous atmosphere to all the print material. I plan to use imagery of weapons or puppet-like masks, these paired with dark lighting and minimal text or images will give the exact eerie, unsettling atmosphere I intend.

The layouts between the two posters are quite different, It places most emphasis on the image of the clown and the child, placing the title and slogan around it. Whereas 28 days later places the title in the very centre in bold, large text, with a similar sizes slogan above it. The graphic is secondary to the title, making it seem more emphasized and drawing the audiences attention. I will likely use a poster layout more similar to It, placing the audiences focus on the graphics rather than the title.

Text in the design would vary, using small, serif fonts for taglines in order to keep the design minimalist, but the title itself would be large in either a sans serif font or one that appears very graphic and detailed similar to the font in the It poster shown above.

The Target Audience is 17-25 years old, making it suitable for young adults/older teenagers, with a gender demographic of 70% Male and 30% Female. This means when creating the promotional material, I have to draw in people of these demographics as effectively as I can. In this case, for a horror/thriller film, I need to make the advertising as ominous and unsettling as possible without being too overtly explicit or vulgar. The audience being adults means I can trust their intelligence to pick up on subtle details which help make a poster unsettling and creepy. This prepares the audience for the content of the film and what to expect, without seeming cheesy or too overt.

The resources and personnel I have for this project consist of Adobe Photoshop and InDesign, aswell as Sony Vegas Movie Studio software available to me from the school computers. I also have multiple personnel of people who are willing to portray characters on camera in photoshoots, people who can do make-up and costume and also assisting with photography, while I will primarily be editing and overseeing the creative aspects in making the promotional material.

Furthermore, the distribution and marketing can be used to produce posters and billboards posted around public areas, aswell as online promotion via social media accounts and pop up ads that promote the film and make more people aware of it and intrigued in the film. I could also cross-promote and feature the film in magazines to draw in more audiences and in return, send audiences towards a specific magazine to learn more about our film.

P1/M1- Unit 20 Advertising Campaign- LO1

 P1: Describe an existing media advertising campaign.

Assessment Criteria for P1:

Learners are required to describe an existing media advertising campaign. They should consider the advertisements used within existing advertising campaigns across a range of media products.

One example of an advertising campaign is the promotion It (2017) In most of the promotional material, the monster itself was hardly even visible and mostly obscured him in shadow, but left the focus on the iconic red balloon, creating iconography and a symbol that people can associate with the film, people all around the world even putting red balloons on sewers, encouraging people to watch the film by putting it so clearly in their mind with such simple, unforgettable imagery. This strategy clearly worked since the film made $292.9 billion from licensed merchandise sales and becoming the highest grossing horror movie of all time.

It also approached it's target audience incredibly well, making the advertising incredibly unsettling and eerie and clear that it was a horror film, but not overly explicit or violent in promotion, meaning that even if children see the poster, it won't scare them too much while still leaving older audiences fully aware of what they're seeing and make them feel unsettled going to watch the film and prepared to be scared.

The advertising online on social media was primarily carried via official and influential social media accounts, the official movie accounts appeared on every major social media network, making posts of eerie, unsettling images from the film alongside text encouraging the audience to overcome their fear, promoting positive, encouraging messages to be brave and see the film.

Influential social media accounts also had a massive impact, such as the Instagram of the films director, Andy Muschietti, in which he would post behind the scene images, storyboards, props, etc. Giving the audience a small look into the production process. Making fans feel included in how they made the film, aswell as making sure old fans were pleased by showing them that the film would be more similar to the book itself rather than the source material that strayed quite heavily.

M1: Evaluate different cross media advertising campaigns for consistency of message.

Assessment Criteria for M1:

This can be built on evidence of P1 with learners selecting campaigns that deliver/communicate across at least two media pathways.

Another famous advertising campaign for a horror film similar to It is 'The Blair Witch Project' A part of the advertising campaign for this film involved making people question what was and wasn't real, such as the missing person posters they placed around college campuses in America. The link to the website and the mystery that intrigued people managed to draw them to the film before it came out, creating both conversations about the films promotion to be common-place and make people feel tense and nervous about the mystery.

The vast majority of the promotion wasn't the print, but rather digital formats of advertisement and how this spread on the internet. A website that described the urban legend of an evil witch. This website ended up getting 20 million page views from people all over the world. They also posted interviews with the 'families' of the missing people from the print promotion missing posters, making them seem as real people with actual lives, confusing people as much as they can. The popular online forums had conversations on this also, with the film-makers feeding false information into the thread.

This promotion essentially became its own online phenomenon, creating mystery and unease for all the seemingly real victims and urban legends the film revolves around. While the film itself isn't held in high regard as an actually good film, its amazingly genius advertising cannot be ignored and the reason it gained $250 million in the box office, becoming one of the most successful independent films of all time and landing a spot on Esquire's Scariest Movies of All Time.

One of the small details this campaign did well was finding its target audience. The missing person posters with links to the websites were intentionally placed on college campuses, ensuring they reach young adults/teenagers who they wish to advertise to, and creating a mystery and starting the promotion right where they are.

This type of campaign is incredibly similar to the 'It' campaign previously mentioned, they both advertised films of the horror genre and used the world as a way of setting tone, bringing the fear out of the film and into reality to make people feel tense and uneasy, while also maintaining subtlety and ensuring the promotion material reached its target audience, both being teenagers and young adults, so even if young children saw the advertising they likely wouldn't understand it and not be worried or scared.

Horror/Thriller Moodboards

    Horror Film Mood board

Thriller Film Mood board