Researching Postcard Advertisements

Postcard advertisements play a significant role in promoting films, commonly during film festivals. This form of marketing technique helps filmmakers establish connections with those interested, specifically individuals who are influential in the film industry, and invite more of the public to attend the screening of their film. 

When it comes to short films, this marketing technique becomes crucial. This is due to the fact that these films are typically made with a lower budget than feature films and do not make an appearance in movie theatres worldwide - making it harder for filmmakers to gain the necessary finance. Therefore, creating a postcard advertisement is a cheap and essential way to sell and promote a short film by conveying all of the significant information on it.

Barking Water (Sterlin Harjo, 2009)

The following postcard advertisement promotes an independent drama that involves a dying Native American embarking on a journey with his former lover in hopes of seeing his daughter and grandchild.

The narrative of the film is clearly reflected on the postcard as it conveys an illustration of an elderly couple towering over a car - which is seen driving along a remote road. This detail seems to be the main visual imagery in conveying the emotive aspect of the film. 

Additionally, the colour scheme used in the design of the postcard appears to generate tones of brown, orange and yellow colours. This comes in contrast to the subtle pattern seen in the background, but it still establishes a natural and harmonious overall look. Furthermore, the colours used appear to act as symbolic codes which denote a sunset and bring about a dramatic and pastoral cinematography.

There are several conventions used in the postcard advertisement. These conventions include the use of the film festival nominations, selections and awards - which provide credibility to the film and further attract possible viewers. The postcard also provides a lot of information on the bottom left corner; this includes film credits which mention producers, directors, editors and so on. 

Overall, the postcard of 'Breaking Water' communicates all of the important information and conveys the genre of the film very well. However, information on the screening schedule of the film seems to not be provided, as well as any contact information that could be useful for those who want to reach out (it may be possible that this information is provided on the back of the postcard, which I could not find.)

Written Off (Molly Hermann, 2016)

The following postcard advertisement promotes a documentary that shines light to a young man's complicated and personal experience with addiction.

The postcard advertisement, like the one above, shows an emotive photo of the main protagonist and several film festivals it was noticed by. This is all important information is it reveals the narrative and its achievements. Additional information that is seen on the postcard includes the screening schedule - with both the date and time being displayed.

Moreover, the postcard provides a website that allows for the audience to gain a deeper understanding of the story being revealed - generating greater interactivity - and have a way to contact the team behind this documentary. 

Overall, the postcard of 'Written Off' reflects the theme of the documentary with the image, fonts, structure and design revealing the kind of narrative is presented to them. The tagline and website used forces the audience to engage with the product, which further plays a significant role in promoting the documentary.

From the research I had done, I understood the purpose of a postcard and the kind of conventions it has to follow. Therefore, I plan to use a photo that will draw attention to my short film - with a clearly established design that will work well with the nostalgic aspect of my narrative and look aesthetically pleasing. I also look forward to using film festival selections, contact information and a screening schedule that will be provide insight and help build an audience for my short film.