Notes on Blindness - Short Film Poster Research - Sam Swinson

Notes on Blindness - Short Film Poster Research - Sam Swinson

This film follows an old man just days before the birth of his first son. In order to make sense of the upheaval in his life and he begins keeping a diary on audiocassette. This film encompasses dreams, memory and imaginative life, excavating the interior world of blindness.

MRANG Concepts:

Here are the three MRANG concepts that I am going to apply to this short film poster:

• Narrative
• Representation
• Media Language

1. At the top of the poster there some awards that this film has won. This is good because it shows the audience the quality of the film because they are very well known film festivals which are recognised to give awards to very good quality films. Some of the awards it has won are Sundance, Sheffield Dog/Fest and San Francisco film festival.
2. Also, there are star reviews which are a visual representation of how good this film is. This gives the audience a quick idea of the film and because they are 4 and 5 stars it may entice the audience into watching the film.
3. Additionally, there are some summary reviews which are just a few words that describe the film. These are also, used to show the audience how good the film is and entice them to watch it. 
4. The title appears on the film poster and it is the largest text on the poster. However, it uses the same font as the rest of the text which is good because it is easy to read and it makes it fit in well with the poster. On top of this, the text colour is a dark blue which matches the colour of the protagonist and it also, stands out very well from the light background which means you can read it clearly from a distance and it stand out when looking at the poster.
5. Just below the billing block are some references to websites for the film. This includes a dedicated website for the film, a Facebook page, a Twitter page and a hashtag to use which means that people can find out what other people are saying about the film.
6. Also, there are some logos of companies which are involved in the production of the film. If the audience see a logo that they recognise and they know that company has made good films in the past then they are more likely to watch the film.
7. In the man there are other pictures that are overlayed over the man. This represents the memories that the protagonist is thinking about after he goes blind.
8. Also, the close-up on the man shows that he is wearing glasses which are commonly worn by blind people or it could represent that he has always had eye troubles before he went blind. 
9. This is the protagonist of the film because he takes up a lot of the poster to bring attention to him.
10. The background of the film poster is a white colour. This created a massive contrast between the protagonist and the background to make him stand out more. This could also, represent that the protagonist can see anything anymore apart from the memories that he has stored in his head before he went blind.

Layout:

• Along the left side of the poster, there is all the text information that follows the same line and it all uses the same font. This information included is:
• Awards
• Star rating
• Summary review
• Title
• Director
• Billing block
• Websites
• Company logos
• Then on the right side, there is the protagonist with some pictures that appear to be memories overlayed on his head.

Title:

• The title of the film accurately represents that film itself because it is called 'notes on blindness' and it is about blindness from the perspective of a blind person.
• Also, it is the biggest text on the poster which is done to draw more attention to the title of the film.
• In addition, the title is in the same font as the rest of the text on the poster which keeps it consistent and it is an easy to read font. 

Review and awards:

• This film poster has lots of reviews and awards on it.
• The awards it has won are:
• The Sundance Film Festival 2016
• Sheffield DOC/FEST Storytelling & Innovation Award 2016
• The San Francisco Film Festival 2016
• It has 2 four star ratings and 1 five star rating.
• Also, there are some summary reviews about the film:
• "a sensitive, moving and poetic recreation of one man's experience of looking sight"
• "miraculous... a beautiful, accessible and thoughtful work of art"
• "audaciously ambitious, formally inventive revelatory cinema"
• "profound and deeply affecting"

Spacing:

• This film poster has a lot of information on it, however, it doesn't look too overcrowded which is good because it means that the audience isn't hit with a lot of information at once.
• All the text is spaced out well to take advantage of the space to the left of the protagonist and it is easy to read because the text isn't crammed together.
• Also, all the text is on one vertical line which makes the poster look very professional. 

Audience:

• The audience for this film is more focused to adults who are either male or female. 
• Also, it is for people who like drama films because the poster shows that it is a drama film due to the memory that the protagonist has when he is holding a woman when it is raining.

Website:

• This film has a dedicated website which is referenced on the poster.
• The website is notesonblindnessfilm.com and it shows the film poster and it shows different ways that you can buy the film.
• Also, this film makes use of social media:
• Has a Facebook page
• Has a Twitter page
• Has a hashtag that you can use to talk about the film

Billing Block:

• The billing block is at the bottom of the left side of the poster.
• It includes the following information:
• Production companies
• Producer
• Director
• Title
• Composer
• Costume Designer
• Writer