Evaluation - Marketing Campaign for 'Equinox'

Here is the evaluation for the marketing campaign I have created for the imaginary folk horror film 'Equinox', which includes two trailers, a poster and a social media page.

In the evaluation I answer the following four questions: 

How do your products represent social groups or issues?

In terms of the representation of social groups in my marketing campaign for the folk horror film ‘Equinox’, I have focused almost exclusively on the representation of gender, which I felt was most appropriate considering the broad genre I have chosen to work within, horror, and the sub-genre my film belongs to, folk horror. 

Conventionally, films from the horror genre feature vulnerable female characters who are presented as victims or sex objects, and dominant, sinister and threatening, predatory male characters, who are presented as voyeurs, killers or the ‘monster’ character type which features heavily in the broader horror genre. In many ways I have chosen to challenge, and subvert, these conventions after my initial research revealed that modern horror movies often feature stronger female characters, such as ‘the final girl’ character type.

Once I researched the folk horror genre, however, these kinds of representations became more complex, and I found that frequently women were presented as dangerous predators in the sub-genre (for example the characters I noticed in a whole range of folk horror films from the classics ‘The Wicker Man’ and ‘The Blood on Satan’s Claw’ to more recent incarnations of the sub-genre such as ‘The Witch’ and ‘Midsommar’) and often it is the male characters in these films (such as Sergeant Howie in ‘The Wicker Man’ or Christian in ‘Midsommar) who are presented as the victims, suffering sacrifice and a brutal and bloody death.  Because of my chosen sub-genre, I incorporate a male victim into my narrative (Jim, the photographer), seen in the teaser trailer arriving at the Manor House, lost after his car has broken down. I have chosen to represent him atypically in terms of conventional horror representations, as he is the victim and his naivety certainly presents him as vulnerable, but arguably stereotypically if you consider the tropes of the folk horror sub-genre.

I wanted to move away completely from the trope of the ‘first victim’ character type I had seen in some of the horror films I initially researched, seen for example in the horror film ‘Scream’ and, instead, wanted to create the expectation that the male protagonist in my film was at risk. Conventionally, in horror films such as ‘The Shining’, ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ and ‘Friday the 13th’, the villain/antagonist or ‘monster’ character type who presents a threat to the female and male victims, is a male character. However, in my trailers I decided to feature a female antagonist, the leader of the cult, Brigid, who by the end of the film’s narrative, will sacrifice and kill the vulnerable man.

In both of my trailers, I have presented my female ‘monster’ character type as mysterious rather than overtly threatening and sinister, placing subtle hints that she may be dangerous (her look at the end of the first part of the teaser trailer, the fact that she watches Jim through the window in both the teaser trailer and the TV spot). These creepy and sinister character traits manifest themselves subtly through a number of incidents that feature in both of my trailers, including the Brigid’s unusual conversation with Jim, and referencing creepy rituals like the ‘equinox’ ritual of the film’s title, foreshadowing her status as a cult leader. For the male character I emphasised his vulnerability through cautious and nervous figure behaviour and loose framing which connotes his vulnerability and also draws audience attention to the extremely isolated rural setting, a key convention of the folk horror subgenre. These are intended to establish the characters’ vulnerability, and therefore create expectations for the audience about what may happen to him. Through the figure behaviour of the ‘monster’, the use of sinister music (and her delivery of lines of dialogue in the voiceover I use in the TV spot) and through the way I have edited shots of her, I have presented the female antagonist in an unconventional, atypical way that audiences would be unfamiliar with from gender representations less common within the horror genre, but as instantly recognisable by spectators familiar with the folk horror sub-genre.

How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of 'branding'?

My research into film marketing campaigns, like the opening post I created on the marketing for ‘Barbie’, highlighted that film distributors tasked with promoting a film work tirelessly at creating consistency across the various elements of the advertising for the film, so that audiences are aware of exactly which film is being promoted, and will therefore make links between the trailers, posters and social media pages that they see. 

'Barbie' - Unity in Branding

In an incredibly crowded marketplace consistency across branding can be crucial to attract an audience, in an era when consumers are attending the cinema far less frequently than they once used to (because of the rise in streaming platforms and the development of home cinema technologies). It is therefore important that the different elements of a film marketing campaign build upon, and reinforce, each other so that audiences are encouraged to go and see the film in the cinema. Of all genres, horror films, I believe, are best viewed in this environment, where viewers can be swept along by a collective response to the scary moments on screen, making for a more immersive, and uncomfortable, viewing experience. The elements of each of my productions, the teaser trailer/TV spot, the poster and the social media pages, work together to create a sense of branding through, for example, using the same font on each of the media products. I chose a serif font called Cheltenham ITC, a font that instantly creates expectations that the film belongs to the folk horror genre, because it is closely linked to the recognisable font seen in iconic folk horror films, such as ‘The Wicker Man’ and ‘Starve Acre’. The fact I have used it in uppercase throughout, in all of my copy, from the titles and billing in my teaser trailer and TV spot, to the copy on my poster, and for each word on my Instagram page, ties all of my media products nicely together. 

This sense of branding is reinforced by a unified colour scheme across my products; black and white for the copy on my poster and the title cards in my audio-visual elements. There are numerous other elements which tie my products together, from the use of similar images of the ‘monster’, Brigid, (she features heavily in all of my products, dominating the poster and many of the social media tiles, and is central in both of my trailers), to the use of the same tagline – ‘The Sun Will Set On Your Sins’ – in my trailers and on my poster. 

The names of the cast and crew are consistent across the billing block on my poster and the credits in my trailers, as is the release date for the film; September 26th. The music is also consistent across my trailers, and my TV spot and poster both feature the same reviews.

How do your products engage with the audience?

It is crucial when marketing films that each element of the campaign resonates with the target demographic. Of course, I wanted the audience to care enough about my ‘victim’ from seeing him in the trailers and through getting a sense of his vulnerability, but chiefly my aim was to create enigma and fear about what may happen to him at the hands of the mysterious cult leader, Brigid, when he becomes stranded in an extremely isolated environment. 

I have left both trailers on a cliffhanger, to encourage spectators to want to go and see the film and to root for Jim to escape the clutches of the female cult leader; but I have also hinted (through shots of the burning sage bundle, shots of Jim with his arms aloft as if worshipping, and an extreme close up of his wide-open eyes) that he will succumb to the cult. Here, the representations I mentioned previously were crucial in creating enigma, but so too were the elements of lighting (which is high-key as I had seen in my favourite folk horror film, Ari Aster’s ‘Midsommar’), mise-en-scene (isolated and rural settings, unusual props associated with rituals such as the large urn Brigid sprinkles seeds into and the burning sage) and sound (the sinister folk non-diegetic ballad, that plays throughout both trailers). These are all typical conventions of the folk horror genre, that spectators familiar with the sub-genre would instantly recognise. 

In terms of making each of my products engaging, I worked hard at ensuring they would appeal to my chosen demographic (fans of conventional folk horrors are often older than the conventional 15-24 age bracket targeted by mainstream horror films), partly by making the characters slightly older, to encourage my target audience to see the film (an audience appreciative of ‘Starve Acre’, for example, or ‘Enys Men’). My trailers use lots of techniques to engage audiences, from the production company logos (idents) at the beginning which indicate that this is a folk horror movie from companies with a proven track record in making successful films from the sub-genre, to the sinister and unsettling non-diegetic music that is recognisable from the folk horror genre and will unsettle audiences by making them believe that ‘Equinox’ will be a truly unsettling film to watch. The tagline also creates enigma, referencing the supernatural elements of the film (a typical component within the folk horror genre), and I leave both trailers on a cliffhanger, with images of rituals which suggest the main protagonist’s danger. One of the trailers is fast-paced in terms of editing (the TV spot), essentially a montage of images of nature and some of the intriguing moments from the film, whilst the second trailer delivers more narrative exposition, regarding how Jim arrived at such a remote setting. Each trailer contains some of the same footage (which was a convention I found during my analysis of existing trailers and TV spots), but each also includes some new/different footage, not previously scene in other trailers, to tease the audience with more information about the plot and characters in the film just before they go and see it. 

My poster also makes reference to popular and successful horror films, which have a similar aesthetic and are made by the same director and/or production company. This will encourage audiences familiar with these movies to see the film, almost giving ‘Equinox’ a seal of approval. The social media page for the film engages with audiences by including images from the film, teaser trailer and TV spot, alongside some of the positive reviews the film has received, drip-feeding information about the film’s release. Social media platforms, like X and Instagram, encourage audience interaction, and I would hope that followers would share this information, using the hashtags, with like-minded people.

How did your research inform your products and the way they use or challenge conventions?

Throughout the planning stage of my project, I logged all of my research onto a blog so that I could quickly and easily refer to my findings when creating my trailers/TV spots, film poster and social media page. Much of the research I did was related to conventions (of the different media formats, but also of my chosen sub-genre, folk horror) and I was able to look back at my findings when creating my products so that I could incorporate these conventions into all of my marketing materials. This was incredibly helpful in enabling me to create authentic media products from my sub-genre, incorporating as many of the conventions I had found as I could. 

For the trailer research, I found that a common convention (which I have incorporated into my trailers) was the inclusion of production company logos/idents at the beginning of trailers (often accompanied with sinister and unsettling music appropriate for the genre). I have included logos for New Line Cinema, A24 Pictures and Blumhouse Productions; all production companies with a proven track record of making horror films and, in particular, films from the folk horror sub-genre. I also included these production company logos in the billing block of my film poster. 

The font which I used for my trailers, film poster and social media page, was typical of the fonts used in marketing materials for films from the folk horror sub-genre, a serif font with unusual flicky feet. In terms of my storyline and the use of film language, such as fades in the trailers, sinister non-diegetic music, high and low angles (to connote the relative power of my characters) and mise-en-scene typical of the genre, I do not challenge conventions of folk horror films at all in my marketing materials, instead embracing and utilising them. I followed the classic narrative structure and patterns of folk horror films, with recognisable archetypal characters. 

My TV spot incorporates reviews, a common convention I found (in the ‘Nosferatu’ TV spot, for instance) and both trailers make reference to other films made by either the director or the producers. My poster contains the majority of conventions I found during my research – such as reviews, a tagline, a billing block, production company and sound logos, and the title being the largest copy on the poster. I feel that I have incorporated not only the conventions of each medium that I discovered during my research, but also many of the narrative and aesthetic conventions of the folk horror sub-genre.