Unit 21- Culture Campaign/Award Proposal- Liverpool Cultural Arts Campaign and Young Visual Artist of the Year

 Unit 21- Culture Award Proposal

Young Visual Artist of the Year Award as apart of 'The Liverpool Cultural Arts Campaign'

Introduction

Liverpool is a city thriving with passion and talent for the arts industry, named Cultural Capital of Europe in 2008, this city has become renowned for its care to many art forms such as film, television, music, theatre, paintings/drawing, etc. This reputation has made Liverpool an amazing place for tourism and sightseeing to witness the city were so many amazing artists came from, therefore a campaign and award to help celebrate these talents and qualities will help sustain that reputation and demonstrate how it lives on today. 

Therefore, I started with the idea of 'Artist of the Year' but then realized that that is possibly too broad and can be referring to any large number of artforms such as music, theatre, sculptures, paintings, etc. I then decided to narrow the category to purely Visual Art. This focusses the artwork to drawings, paintings, sculptures, films and theatre, as they are all  artforms appreciated through what the viewer or audience sees. 

I then decided to narrow the category even further, and specify the award base on age group. So rather than aim the award towards older people, I decided to use the demographic of Young artists, specifically under 18, as it demonstrates an excellent message that our passion and appreciation for art which won our city Capital of Culture is still carried on to the younger generation, as well as inspiring the younger generation themselves into pursuing careers in art such as drawing, acting, film-making, etc. This ensures Liverpool can both maintain its high esteemed reputation but also encourage tourists to visit simply to experience the positive, motivational atmosphere.

This event intends to draw the attention of people all across the world young and old to demonstrate the talents and artwork of the local community and to help encourage younger people to pursue creative careers and be inspired by their surroundings to excel as much as they can in whatever way they desire.

We will also make use of many different kinds of promotion including many different print posters promoting the campaign and the visual arts award, but also a short AV promotional clip about the award nominees from the Liverpool community and showing off the work they produce. This is so we can build-up excitement for the awards ceremony itself and allow the people to vote for which artist they believe should win, being able to browse galleries in the city itself or look online and watch the promotional videos to get an idea of what the artist is like and their art style.

Schedule

The event will be held on the 24th November 2022 at Liverpool's World Museum, starting from 4:30pm and ending at 10:00pm. The event will move from outside the museum, to the galleries inside holding the artwork and even street performances outside the museum and around the city centre. There will also be an allocated stage nearby for performances and a projector for short films made by nominees. This stage is also where the award for Young Visual Artist of the Year is given and the winner gives their speech.

• 4:30pm- Opening Speech from Liverpool Mayor
• 5:00pm- Gallery open with all nominees artwork from the local community and ballot for visitors to vote for who's art they most prefer.
• 6:00pm- Performance begins on stage- Pantomime play
• 7:00pm- Short Films on the projector, six in total, roughly 20 minutes each
• 8:00pm- Nominees for Young Visual Artist go up on stage and give short speeches to whole audience introducing themselves.
• 8:30pm- Ballots gathered and counted
• 9:00pm- winner of Young Visual Artist is declared, winner gives short speech
• 10:00pm- Closing Speech from Liverpool Mayor 

Gallery open until 9:00pm

Food will be available from food stalls and stands whole day

Street Performances found throughout City Centre from 5:00pm to 9:00pm

Short films made by nominees for Visual Artist of the year via the medium of AV films

Budget

Stage Rental Cost- £2,800

Food Stall Rental Cost- £6,300

Projector Cost- £250

Projector Screen Cost- £200

Gallery Rental Cost- £945 (£135p/h x 7 hours)

Theatre Performers Cost- £2,000

Promotional Material and Distribution (Print and AV)- £1,500

Total- £13,995

Culture Campaigns Research PowerPoint

I have also attached my research into past cultural events and the starting ideas/inspiration for my own campaign and awards ceremony.

Unit 21- Evidence for Planning and Research for a Culture Award/Campaign

Initial Ideas PowerPoint

For Unit 21, we have to plan an culture campaign and culture award promoting the city of Liverpool, for my culture award I plan to use Young Artist of the Year for the award, this could be for visual arts, performing arts, music, etc. I can details further on with more depth but the powerpoint above is simply my initial ideas for starting to plan the campaign as a whole.

Culture Campaigns Research PowerPoint

Furthering my Unit 21 work, I have done research into previous UK based Culture Campaigns and Culture Awards in order to become aware of how to structure my own. I have also done planning and development of original ideas in order to make my own award for a Culture Campaign in Liverpool.

PowToon Screenshots PowerPoint

For my pitch, I made a short visual presentation pitch for my idea and showed the video during my recorded pitch. However due to financial issues I am unable upload the video file. I have however uploaded screenshots of each important informational slide.

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.