2. 24 Hours in police custody
The press shot featuring the main participants of the documentary fits the
codes and conventions of TV Drama ensemble cast shots, rather than a
representation of real life events . At first glance, this looks like a
promotion shot for a gritty fictional crime drama
3. Whole cast shots for gritty Dramas use high
contrast and deep focus giving the image
itself a sense of gravitas as well as the
product it represents.
Breaking Bad
This particular publicity shot of a highly
stylized ensemble does not appear to
convey the brand identity and
distinctive production style of Breaking
Bad as a drama series.
Misfits
4. It is clear from a simple
Google search how the
pre-released images
have generated a press
frenzy around 24 hours in
police custody. Reviews
from the telegraph,
guardian and the
independent all
respectable broadsheet
respectable newspapers
demonstrate how a
documentary can have
an exaggerated
marketing strategy
without loosing its
credibility as a piece of
filmmaking.
5. The effectiveness of using a dramatic
promotional image in terms of
creating a buzz around a
documentary inspired me to consider
adopting the codes and conventions
of a fashion orientated drama poster.
‘The Carrie diaries’ is a drama series
set in the 1980s following the life of a
teenage girl interested in vintage
clothing. Although it is entirely fictional
and conventional of a TV Drama
series, the marketing campaign
establishes a clear brand identity.
6. After further research, I came across a second Carrie Diaries advert,
this time solely focusing on the protagonist. The stylized colour scheme,
bold youthful graphics and unusual clothing establish the subject of the
drama as fashionable, retrospective and youth orientated. The studio
shot, high contrast image adheres to the rule of thirds, a convention of
mass market aimed film posters and publicity shots.
7. The Carrie diaries publicity
shot bares striking
resemblance to the banner on
the channel 4 website for
Dawn O’Porter’s This Old
Thing. Despite the carrie
diaries being a fictional drama,
This Old Thing the
documentary still appeals to
the codes and conventions
established by glamorous teen
drama programs like the
former.
8. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact codes and conventions for
documentary publicity shots, as they have become so
deeply enmeshed in the conventions of American, mass
market aimed drama franchises. When I begin to create
my own documentary ancillary productions I will definitely
consider adopting the conventions of a drama franchise.
This will hopefully defy the stereotype that exists amongst
my target audience of documentaries being boring to
watch.
