Evaluation Q.

2- How Effective is the combination of your main

product and ancillary tasks?

HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE

COMBINATION OF YOUR
MAIN PRODUCT AND
ANCILLARY TASKS?
A2 Media Evaluation Q.2

Main Product: Short Film- ‘On The Ropes’

Ancillary 1: Theatrical Poster

Ancillary 2: Magazine Film Review

By Fardad Khayami

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TABLE OF
CONTENTS
(To be finalised)

My Products ................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Heading 2.................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Heading 2................................................................................ 2
Evaluation Q.2- How Effective is the combination of your main
product and ancillary tasks?

RESEARCH
ANCILLARY 1:
POSTER

APPROACH TO RESEARCH: ANCILLARY 1

THEATRICAL POSTER.

The quality of my ancillaries was vital to the overall success of my

product as each product complements each other and aims to draw
in audiences. Therefore, I approached research to my theatrical
poster as if it was a real poster for a Hollywood feature film.

‘It’s clear Fardad has taken inspiration

from the posters of Hollywood
Blockbusters’
I analyzed these posters as it would make a professional looking
poster which therefore would be effective in promoting my main
product.

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ANALYSIS OF POSTERS

I analyzed the theatrical poster for the film

‘John Wick’ (2014). I chose this film as it has a
similar genre to my film- hybrid of the Action
and Sports Drama Genre. John wick would be
appealing to similar audiences as my main
product and therefore I studied the convention
of this poster. Implementing the convention of
an action film in my poster would make the
combination of my Ancillary Task 1 very
effective alongside my Main Product ‘On The
Ropes’.

CONVENTIONS OF ACTION POSTER

From analyzing the John Wick Poster, these are the conventions of
an Action movie poster that I have discovered.

 Theatrical poster must include release date.

 Must clearly see name of film, and distinguish from other text.

 Theatrical poster must have ‘technical credits’ at the bottom.

These credit the actors, production companies, editors, producers
etc.

 Information about the release- where audience can view the

product.

 Name of the actor playing the protagonist, especially if he is an

‘A-list’ actor.

 Photo of the protagonist.

 Tagline.

 Information about the director

 Website

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 CONVENTIONS
ANCILLARY
TASK 1: POSTER

APPLICATION OF CONVENTIONS

In order to mimic a professional looking poster, I have included all

the conventions of a theatrical poster. I have chosen to follow all
conventions in order to effectively convey the quality of my Main
product. This will draw audiences to my main product. Below are a
description of the conventions I have followed:

 The Release date (May 4th) is on the bottom left corner of the poster.
This is to inform audiences when the film will be exhibited. This
creates build up to the film as audiences look forwards to the date.

 The title of the film ‘On The Ropes’ is in the center of the poster
and distinguished from everything else in the poster. I have done this
by making it the only thing in color. The color red also draws attention

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 the title. I have done this so that audience are clearly informed of the
name of the film. This will allow them to easily find the film when
searching for information online.

 I have included technical credits at the bottom of the poster. This

is done to give credit to those who helped produce the film as well as
to make my poster look like a professional theatrical poster of a
feature film, which may draw in more audiences.

 I have included information about the release of the film above

the technical credits. ‘Available on YouTube and Vimeo’. This was
done so audiences know where to find the film on May 4th.

 Actors name for main characters, ‘Khayami’ and ‘Carrol’. My film

is a hybrid of the drama genre. This means that my characters are
complex and therefore there is no clear protagonist. Therefore, I have
included the names of both main actors in order to draw more
attention to the film. However, as this is an armature production, my
actors are not highly recognisable. Therefore, I have made their
names blend chromatically with the rest of the poster.

 I have included the photograph of the main characters. Once

again, my film does not have a main protagonist, it is up for the
audiences to decide who they believe is morally a better character.
Therefore, I have included both characters.

 In the bottom left sector of my poster, is the tagline for the film ‘The
Biggest Battle is Outside the Ring.’ I have included this as it provides
a hint of the story to the audiences. The tagline, therefore, may make
the audiences curious to find out more about the film. This would
hopefully lead them to watching it.

 I have provided information about the director of the film in the top
right sector of the poster. ‘From the Visionary Director of ‘The Last
House’. I have included this as audiences who viewed and enjoyed

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 my previous production ‘The Last House’ would then be encouraged
to watch this film.

 Finally, I have included the web address for the film. If audiences
want to learn more about my film they can go onto the website. This
would increase traffic on my site which would hopefully lead to more
audiences watching my main product.

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THEME’S
ANCILLARY
TASK 1: POSTER

In order to accurately represent my film, I have decided to maintain

a sense of continuity between all my products. This ensures that
when watching my short film after viewing the poster, they get what
they have expected from my main product. This would be an effective
combination. I have done this by maintaining similar theme’s in the
main product and poster.

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DEATH AND VIOLENCE.

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 1 (Yadislav dying in the first scene), Image 2 (Naomi getting

shot) and Image 3 (Reza lying on the floor with a gun to his head in
the last scene) are screenshots from my main product- ‘On the

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Ropes’. They demonstrate how death and loss is a main theme in my
short film. Therefore, I have ensured that the theme of death and
loss is connoted in my poster.

In order to maintain the theme of death and violence in my poster I

have decided that the whole poster would be colorless except from
the title, ‘On the Ropes’ which is in red.

I have made the rest of the poster colorless, and the poster red in
order to draw the eyes of audiences to the title of the film. I have
chosen to make it red, as red is linked to blood and the theme of
death. The dark red tone that I have chosen also connotes violence.
Therefore, this fits in with the theme of my film.

Using non-verbal communication, I photographed the actor of Reza,

myself, and directed myself to look aggressive. I have framed and
edited the photograph to make myself look into the space of the rest

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of the frame. This makes it look like Reza is aggressively looking at
something. This alongside with his clenched fist, is a very violent
image. The use of a black and white gradient also brings out the
intensity of the poster, and removes any warmth on complexation.
Using a high contrast, the shadows and highlights juxtapose each
other harshly, as shown on Reza’s forehead. This creates a very
violent looking image, which takes up half of the poster.

Image 3.5

The type on the poster ‘From the visionary director of ‘The Last
House’’ can also let audiences know that this film will be violent. ‘The
Last House’ was a horror film (Image 3.5, is a screenshot from ‘The
Last House’ where Villain is murdering Victim) and therefore was very
violent. Therefore, viewers of ‘The Last House’ could expect this film
to be similarly violent.

Through these ways I have created the theme of violence and death
on my poster. This way, when watching my main product, audiences
know exactly what to expect.

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REVENGE

Image 4

Image 5

Image 6

Image 4 (Inside Ben’s bedroom, he picks up a gun and contemplates

taking revenge for the death of his lover, Yadislav), image 5 (Leading
up to the final the scene, Ben is about to break into Reza’s apartment
to take revenge) and image 6 (Ben pointing a gun on Reza’s

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forehead) are screenshots from my main project. They demonstrate
Ben’s character process of revenge through the film.

Revenge is one of the most important theme’s in the film. Therefore,

it was critical that my poster represents revenge in the film. I
photographed the actor of Ben similarly to the photograph of Reza.

The non-verbal communication of Ben’s expression conveys to

audiences that he is angry and perhaps wants to take revenge. Ben’s
and Reza’s expression above create the overall mood of conflict within
my film and therefore effectively conveys the theme of revenge.

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To further create tension between the two characters I have played
with black and white. Ben’s background is bright and his face is dark,
while Reza’s background is dark and a side of his face is bright.

To add on, ‘Khayami’ is white with a black background and ‘Carrol’ is

dark with a white background. The conflict of black and white
between the two characters creates an overall impression of conflict
within the poster. This creates as greater hint of revenge occurring
during the film.

MENTAL HEALTH

image 7

Image 8

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Image 9

Image 10

Image 7 (From Scene 2, Reza hallucinates Yadislav in the mirror

reflection), Image 8 (From Scene 4, Reza screaming at Naomi),
Image 9 (From Scene 4, Ben remembering his loved one, Yadislav)
and Image 10 (From Scene 3, Ben throwing his laptop) all show the

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volatile mental state of the characters. They are in an emotional state
and can quickly act out in moments of range. This demonstrates the
problems that they face mentally after the death of Yadislav.

To communicate the mental struggles of the characters I included the

tagline ‘The biggest battle is outside the ring’. This communicates to
audience the drama aspects of my film. For the battle to be outside
the ring, means that the battle for the characters is mentally. This
therefore links to the film effectively and audiences will be able to
expect this when watching the film.

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AESTHETIC
ANCILLARY
TASK 1: POSTER

In order to accurately represent my film, I have decided to maintain

continuity between all my products. This ensures that when watching
my short film after viewing the poster, they get what they have
expected from my main product. This would be an effective
combination. I have done this by maintaining similar aesthetics in the
main product and poster.

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TYPOGRAPHY

Image 11

Image 12

Image 13

Image 11 (Screenshot from ‘On The Ropes’, the end title) Image 12
(Ben YouTube Thumbnail for ‘On The Ropes’) and Image 13

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(Screenshot from ‘On The Ropes’, first scene writer and director
credits) all have the same typeface.

Through my products I have been consistent with the typography

used. From the credits within my sequence, to the YouTube
thumbnail, end title and ancillary task poster, the same typeface has
been used. This creates a continuity throughout my products which
means that they effectively reflect each other.

I have used the typeface Minion Pro throughout my products. For the
title of ‘On The Ropes’, the lower case letters of ‘Oh The’ are in small
caps. This is also consistent for all the products.

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I have decided to take care with this continuity as it makes my
product look more professional. This would hopefully attract more
audiences to my film.

MARTIAL ARTS

Image 14

Image 15

Image 16

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Image 14 (Screenshot of the first shot in ‘On The Ropes’, Reza
wrapping his hands before sparing), Image 15 (In the first scene,
Reza performing a Muay Thai style head kick on Yadislav) and Image
16 (A screenshot form the final scene, Ben performing a Karate round
house kick on Reza) are all linked in with Martial arts.

The film is a sports drama, and therefore it was important to

communicate this to audiences. I used mise-en-scene in the
photography and the tagline to make my poster look like it represents
a martial arts film.

In the photograph, Reza has his hands wrapped and is making a fist.
This has the connotation that his Reza brings his fist to the left side
of his face. This has the connotation that Reza is ready to punch
someone. I have directed myself to hold my fist close to my jaw. This
has the image that the character of Reza is protecting his jaw incase
an opponent is trying to punch him. This can suggest to audiences
that he is in some kind of fight or competitive match. This therefore
can demonstrate to audiences that this film is about Martial Arts.

I have also made Reza’s hair wet, by spraying water on it. This make
Reza look sweaty and therefore suggests that he has been fighting
for some time while the photo was being taken.

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The Logo for ‘On the Ropes’ can also symbolize martial arts. The use
of Ropes has connotation to a boxing ring and therefore marital arts
imagery. The logo also has 2 horizontal lines running through it, this
is meant to symbolize the way boxing ropes form the ring. This again
links my poster to the art of Kickboxing. By having the title in red I
give audience the connotation of violence and this can also therefore
link to martial arts.

The tagline, ‘The biggest battle is outside the ring’ contains the word
‘ring’ that has a direct link to the sport of boxing or kickboxing.
Therefore, when reading the tagline, audiences can infer that these
forms of martial arts play a big role in the film.

LOGO

Image 17

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Image 17 (Screenshot form ‘On the Ropes’, FAMK productions Ident
before the film begins) demonstrates the FAMK productions ident
animation playing before the film begins.

To keep continuity between my products I have included the FAMK

productions logo on my poster. It is conventional to have the
production and distribution companies’ logos on the poster, and
therefore I have included it for this reason. Having the logo on my
poster will also create a link to audiences as it is the first thing they
see when watching my film.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Image 18

Image 19

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Image 20

Image 18 (Screenshot form ‘On the ropes’, The first shot of Reza),
Image 19 (Screenshot from scene 1, Ben and Yadislav’s Coach
watching Yadislav) and Image 20 (Screenshots from scene 4 of
Naomi shouting at Reza) are all close up shots of characters in my
film.

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As my main product contains a lot of close up shots, I decided to use
the same style when taking photographs for my poster. I took a close
up shot of Reza and Ben and decided to choose them for the poster.
This creates a similar aesthetic for the photography between my
poster and main product. Therefore, when audiences view the film
the poster reflects it well. This therefore makes the combination of
the two products very effective.

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REPRESENTATION
ANCILLARY
TASK 1: POSTER

In order to accurately represent my film, I have decided to maintain

continuity between all my products. This ensures that when watching
my short film after viewing the poster, they get what they have
expected from my main product. This would be an effective
combination. I have done this by maintaining similar representation
of character in the main product and poster.

REZA

Image 21

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Image 22

Image 23

Image 21 (Screenshot from ‘On the Ropes’ Reza in the first shot)
Image 22 (Screenshot from scene 2) and Image 23 (Screenshot from
scene 4) shows Reza at various points during the film. In the film,
Reza is mostly represented as mentally weak and fragile, yet a
talented kickboxer.

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On my poster, Reza is represented through the photography, tagline
and the title. The photograph of Reza is a very aggressive
photograph, the color grading I have done on Photoshop emphasizes
the aggressive nature. This could be seen as an inaccurate

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representation of Reza when compared to my main product, as in the
main product he is portrayed as weak. This may throw some
audiences off as they are not expecting this representation of him.

However, I have decided to ignore this and keep this photo anyways.
Reza is still a kickboxer and is represented as aggressive and violent
in scene one (image 21). The violent nature of the photograph will
attract my target audiences more effectively than a photo of him
looking weak. Therefore, I have decided to not represent him very
accurately.

I have also used layout to represent Reza. I have placed Reza’s

photograph above Ben’s photograph to demonstrate he is the main
protagonist in the film. This will allow audiences to go into the film
with him as the protagonist in mind.

The tagline, ‘The biggest battle is outside the ring’, is a better

representation of Reza. This tagline represents his mental struggles
and therefore audiences will expect this when watching my film,
therefore creating an effective combination of products. The Title ‘On
the Ropes’ also suggests Reza’s volatile mental state. To be on the
ropes in kickboxing is not ideal for a fighter, therefore to say that
Reza is ‘On the Ropes’ suggests his fragmented mental state.

BEN

Image 24

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Image 25

Image 26

Image 24 (Screenshot from scene 1 of ‘On the Ropes’, Ben throwing

in the towel to stop the fight), Image 25 (Screenshot from scene 3,
Ben throws his laptop in rage) and Image 26 (Screenshot from scene
4, Ben having second thoughts about taking revenge) demonstrate
Ben’s character at different points in the film.

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Ben is represented through the photography of him on the poster. I
photographed ben in front of a window in order to make the
background look very light, and chose not to use a light on his front
to make his face shady. This created the effect of a bright background
and a dark face. This symbolizes that Ben is not sure whether he
should take revenge. The bright background symbolizes the good
intensions, to avenge the death of his love one, however, the shade
on his face portrays his inner conscious that that he knows it is wrong.
This can be seen regularly in the film, for example image 26, where
he looks unsure of whether he should break in.

I instructed Ben to look over his shoulder, compared to the photo of

Reza where he is facing head on. Ben looking over his shoulder
symbolizes that he does not accept Yadislav death and is looking to
place blame on someone else. This represents him accurately as he
searches to take revenge. Instead of thinking that he should have
thrown in the towel earlier, he blames Reza. To aid this, I also
instructed Ben to look serious and angry. This makes Ben look like
the antagonist in the film, which in many ways, he is.

As mentioned above, Ben’s photograph is placed lower than Reza’s

symbolizing that he is not the main protagonist. However, by placing

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him on the poster it demonstrates to audiences that he is a major
character.

OTHER CHARACTERS

Image 27

Image 28

Image 29

Image 30

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Image 27 (Screenshot form ‘On the Ropes’ scene 4, Naomi at dinner
with Reza), Image 28 (Screenshot from scene 1, Reza’s coach
screaming at Reza), Image 29 (Screenshot from scene 1, Yadislav in
the ring) and Image 30 (Screenshot from scene 1, Ben and Yadislav
coach watching the fight) are all the other characters within my film.

My poster does not represent any of them are represented on the

poster (apart from Tara Shani, Naomi, and Andre Sobol, Yadislav,
who feature on the technical credits). This is as they are secondary
characters and their motivations are not focused on during the film,
however, their motivations all effect our 2 protagonists.

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