Professional Pre-Production: Critical Reflections

Now that all of my work is completed, I'm able to look back over this whole term and reflect on the results of my work, the biggest challenges that I faced, what I feel was the most successful, what I would improve on, and what I've learned.

Biggest Challenges

Initial Story Idea: I found that at the start of the project, I struggled to come up with a solid idea for my overall story. While knowing early in the term that I wanted to create a hypothetical three-part series, I needed an entertaining plot. With the help of tutor and peer feedback, and a large amount of research on story structuring, I was able to create the beginning story for The Identity - along with its catchy title.

Casting: In some areas, casting felt natural. From the start of creating the characters of Lauren, Helen, and Ethan, I was automatically envisioning them as the now confirmed cast of Tatiana Maslany, Felicity Huffman and Michael B. Jordan, as they were so right for the roles. However in other areas, I spent a large amount of time researching a variety of actors and actresses to portray the remaining roles, struggling to find the right fit. Especially with a character that no long exists (Evelyn) and Chris, as I changed their casting during the project, and eventually scrapped Evelyn altogether. While it wasn't smooth and simple in the casting process, I feel that the problems I faced were a learning curve and added to project development.

Synopsis: This felt like my biggest challenge, having never written a series or episode synopsis before, I was inexperienced in the process. My initial draft of both the series and episode synopsis proved to be too detailed in action, too long, and not visually descriptive enough for a conventional synopsis. I feel that in the first few drafts, I struggled to grasp the ways to write effectively, but with a lot of tutor feedback, I was able to achieve descriptive and entertaining synopsis across all areas that really capture my story.

What I'm Happiest With

Characters: I think that from early in my project, the characters that I was developing for the story started quite strong, and just got stronger. I feel like they were able to really come to life and be believable as watchable and realistic characters that all connect with each other. By researching character types, development and profiles before beginning all of my work on characters, this seemed to really help to improve them.

Broadcasting Channels Choice: I'm very glad that with tutor feedback I decided to use international co-productions for my series, as, after researching further, I found that this was the best way to broadcast a series that stars international cast and locations, along with broader possibilities for crew and marketing. After researching a number of international co-productions between American and England, I decided on AMC and BBC One, which I'm very happy with because they suit the show perfectly and allowed my creative possibilities to open up.

Opening Titles Editing: While there are areas of the opening titles that I would improve, I'm extremely happy with my editing style of the video. I enjoyed being able to produce this type of material in my project and incorporate editing into this term. I think the music selection, colourisation, cutting and text suit the series very well and are enjoyable to watch.

Marketing: One of the most enjoyable areas of the project, I loved creating all of the promotional material for The Identity. Through researching all marketing areas of both my channels, I was able to split and vary the creations that I produced, which I feel gave this area diversity. I'm pleased with how much I was able to create in such a small amount of time, producing two promotional images, two fake websites, five posters, a billboard, and a bus advertisement, all on my own, using online and my own images, and Photoshop.

Package Website: I'm very happy with the end result of my series package. I have no regrets about changing my idea to using a website instead of a book, as it's much more suited to my project and gave me a lot more creative freedom. I enjoyed creating each part of the website and developing the areas throughout the term, and I think the result is easy to use, professional and supports my project a lot.

What I would Improve

Opening Titles Content: While I'm very happy with the end result of my opening titles, I think if I could have (unrealistically) travelled across Philadelphia and London and used a large amount of realistic footage for my titles, it would obviously look a lot better. But I do feel that I made the best out of what was available to me, and achieved the look that I wanted from my footage.

There is only a very small amount that I would want to improve, as with careful planning, scheduling and organisation, I always made sure to leave myself enough time to improve and develop all of my work, making sure that nothing was rushed or not how I wanted it.

What I've Learned

I've learned that conducting a lot of research alongside tutor feedback is absolutely key in all projects. Without this research and feedback my work wouldn't be at the standard that it's at now, and I feel that they both really helped me to understand every area of my project before beginning or completing work on them.

I'm also glad that I faced challenges in the project, as these helped me to learn the ways in which to overcome them and ways to avoid problems in the future. And I'm also extremely proud of myself for the amount I've achieved in a very short amount of time, creating fourteen large, detailed and exciting areas of my work, all in a solo project.

In relation, I've learned that planning and organising is everything. From the start of the term I created my own timetable and a list of tasks to complete for every single day since September, by sticking to this, I was able to complete everything on time and to a high standard.

This has been the most challenging project that I've completed so far, pushing me to work harder than I ever have before. But at the same time I've enjoyed this project more so than any others, and I think my hard work has created fantastic results.

Professional Pre-Production: Package Creation & Results

From early in the term, I decided to begin the creation of my website and start adding each feature after the completion of each area. For example, finishing my broadcasting channel research and decisions, then soon after adding them to my package etc. This allowed me to stay on top of my work and complete each part of the package while it was fresh in my mind.

Overall, I have mostly continued with my initial plan for my package, with some features being removed and some added, and the format that it's presented on has changed. But the end result is extremely insightful and supportive in looking into every area of my miniseries creation.

Package Features

Synopsis: This section includes the series' pitch & logline, alongside the final series synopsis, and all final episode synopsis. Giving the reader descriptive and clear information on the series' plot.

Broadcasting Channel: This includes researched information on international co-productions, BBC One and AMC. And the ways that The Identity is well suited to the channels. With channel and television series example images.

Schedule & Run Times: To give clear representations of the series being made for these channels, exact run times are presented for each episodes in chart form.

Characters: Supported by many suitable character images, short bios and in depth character profiles are presented professionally for all characters to portray their exact personalities, lifestyles and appearances.

Cast: These pages tell the reader who each actor and actress is, about their previous work, and why they're suitable to their characters. Along with professional photos of each cast member.

Crew: This section is made up of researched role descriptions to provide information on each crew member's job and importance in the production, crew bios, previous work, written and image portfolio examples, and why they're suited to the production. Alongside images of the crew where possible.

Locations: This page consists of all location types from the start to finish of the story, discussing where and why they're used, their themes and their colour schemes. With a large amount of image examples.

Visual Style: These pages include a researched definition of visual style, and very descriptive definitions and examples of all themes, cinematography and lighting that would feature in the series, with how, where and why. With many images to support this.

Editing Style: Similar to visual style, these pages include a researched definition of editing style, with very descriptive definitions and examples of all colour grading, cutting and pacing, and editing techniques that would feature in the series, with how, where and why. Alongside many example images and videos.

Branding: This section explains the importance of branding in the series, along with the fonts that were used and the series' finalised logo - with where, how and why, alongside colours, styles and sizes per series element (such as promotional posters, website etc.). Also, a personalised colour chart is presented with an explanation to how and why it used in each element. With example images of each area.

Concept Images: These pages discuss how and why my concept images are useful for the series' visuals and promotions, along with featuring all five concept images individually, with in depth descriptions and their original images to accentuate the end results.

Marketing: This section is one of the largest, with descriptions of The Identity's marketing style and the broadcaster's effects on marketing. With pages on the promotional images created, with how and why they were made, alongside where they're used, and the original images and the final images. The next two pages are on the series' BBC One and AMC marketing, with researched information on their conventional promotional styles, and detailed descriptions and images on the BBC One trailer and website, and the AMC website, posters, billboard and bus advertisement.

Opening Titles: This page features researched descriptions on the uses of opening titles and their common features, along with explanations of my opening titles' length, features, visuals, themes, editing style, sound and why it's suited to the production. And most importantly, the page features the opening titles video itself, able to be viewed on the website, and key image stills from the video.

Together, every one of these features provides all of The Identity's important information and visuals that I have envisioned and created.

The Advantages of Creating a Website

Initially, I intended to create a hard copy book as my package. But when considering other options, and reviewing my past work, I realised that creating a website was a much better option for me and my project's elements.

By using a website to present The Identity's package, I was able to use my previous knowledge and experience in creating websites to contribute to it's professional look, and a smooth, unproblematic creation of the site. The website also allows for access at any time for anyone simply with an internet connection - something that is unavailable with a book. And lastly, and most importantly, the website allows for interactivity and accessible visuals. With my project being one that is extremely visual based, the ability to use an unlimited amount of images and visuals that can be enlarged, used in galleries and slideshows, and viewed as many times as required, greatly supports my project elements.

Above & Below: An example of the website's interactivity and visual elements. With the contents permanently at the header of the website, the site is easy to use. Along with the home page consisting of all contents of the package with professional and supportive aesthetics and images (the images consist of relative themes of London, Philadelphia, travelling, loneliness, and identity).

Above & Below: An example from Promotional Images, Marketing. This represents how the website allows for not along descriptions, individual images and a large image. But that the smaller images can be clicked on and enlarged through website tools (below).

Above: This part of the Opening Titles page shows the video presented and constantly available for the viewer, as opposed to having to watch a hard copy of it instead.

Finished Package

The finalised website package for The Identity has a large amount of information, visual content and professionalism. Below are descriptions of how and why each element was added to the package...

Firstly, the overall layout of the website was decided when creating my very first page, Broadcasting Channel. When testing a number of tools, fonts, colours and layouts, I decided on using one block colour as the cover page, consisting of blue, black and white in particular orders across all pages. I then decided on my branded fonts (which are explained in my Branding post), and decided to create an article/column style of text layout and simple middle-of-the-page text, separated by simplistic lines, depending on appropriateness for content. When deciding on backgrounds, I wanted them to alternate in a similar way to the block colours, but remain consistent throughout the website. I decided on textured black and white backgrounds to achieve this.

In terms of speech, I wanted to consistently avoid saying words such as 'I' or 'my', in order to keep the package completely professional. All text consists of professional speech, with researched quotes from professional sources and cast members (all research can be found on my journal, with referencing links). I feel that the quotes on certain pages adds to this stylish, high quality approach.

I also found that something that adds to the high-end and entertaining style of the website is using tagline for every page, providing brief descriptions on what the viewer is about to read. I think this is informative, unique and draws the reader in.

Lastly, by using images and videos that I carefully selected from my blog, along with more of these that were carefully selected specifically for the package, I made sure that every single visual element included in the pages were highly supportive of the content surrounding them, and appealing for the viewer.

Below are three examples of the above. The Broadcasting Channel page is an example of everything just discussed, the Synopsis page is an example of the continued use of these elements, along with the argument that the stylish layout makes a page aesthetically pleasing to look at even without images or videos, and the Visual Style section is another example of my layout, speech and quotes...

Reflections

On reflection of my package work, I think that the amount of time and effort that I put into presenting a high-quality website has shown through. I think that the package is easy to navigate around, provides extensive amounts of information across all areas of the series and is enjoyable to view due to it's branding, images and videos.

With so much opportunity to change and develop the website, there isn't anything that I would change, as when those opportunities have arisen, I've been able to do so with ease. I think that the package achieves all content from this journal without unnecessary areas included, greatly improved professionalism, and large quantities of improved on and newly added content and visuals.


Here is the finalised website package for The Identity...

www.theidentitytv.wixsite.com/home

Professional Pre-Production: Branding Research & Creation

The branding of The Identity has slowly been established and created over time when producing each part of my work. For example, I decided on the main font and logo when beginning my package website and have incorporated this into each cut of my opening titles so far, along with my package, as I feel that the styles worked together.

Each part of the series' brand plays a major role in how the show would be presented to the public and the types of moods, content and overall style that they would be able to draw from the brand. Before narrowing down each component of this, I researched real life examples of style guides, finding a Channel 4 guide that I found extremely helpful.

Channel 4 Identity Style Guide [1]

While the guide is for a channel as opposed to a television series, the same style and branding rules apply in a number of areas. Drawing inspiration on where to focus my branding elements from this guide, my brand is made up of fonts, a logo, colour schemes, a log-line, taglines, and how these effect marketing and the opening titles.

Fonts

The selected fonts for The Identity's package, opening titles and promotional materials are variations of the fonts Lulo Clean and DIN Next. I found these through firstly searching through a number of downloadable fonts that proved to not be the mix of modern and bold that I was looking for. I then looked through the Wix website designer fonts that were available and found two that work extremely well together and suit the themes of the series.

Lulo Clean in bold is the most commonly used font across all platforms, mostly used for key information such as cast names, headings, and most importantly, the logo. All in caps, and very sharp yet rounded, I found that this font allows for clear writing, a stand-out appearance and a modern and serious look that suits the series and its uses.

Sizes:

60pt in opening titles cast & production names

40pt in package contents headings

10pt in package contents subheadings

18pt in package page headings

12pt in package page subheadings

Colours:

Opening Titles - Black

R: 0   G: 10   B: 16

Opacity: 100%

Package - Lighter Black

R: 40   G:  47   B: 54

Opacity: 100%

Package - White

R: 255   G: 255   B: 255

Opacity: 100%

Lulo Clean regular is a lighter version of the above bold variation, that allows for stylistic contrast when using the two fonts together. For example putting a cast member's first name in regular, and their surname in bold in the opening titles.

Sizes:

60pt in opening titles cast & production names

Colours:

Opening Titles - Black

R: 0   G: 10   B: 16

Opacity: 100%

DIN Next Light is used for descriptive writing across the promotional and package platforms. This allows variation from the use of Lulo Clean, and as a font that works in upper and lower case forms, it is more suitable as a font that provides larger or more descriptive pieces of information. I think the similar mix of rounded and sharp suits the above fonts as well as the series very well, with a less intense appearance.

Sizes:

14pt in promotional posters

50pt in promotional billboard

24pt & 48pt in promotional bus ad

15pt in package page text

Colours:

Promotional Posters/Billboard/Bus Ad - White

R: 255   G: 255   B: 255

Promotional Bus Ad - Blue

R: 85   G: 120   B: 160

Package - Lighter Black

R: 40   G:  47   B: 54

Opacity: 100%

Package - White

R: 255   G: 255   B: 255

Opacity: 100%

The italic style of DIN Next is used mostly for quotes within the package platform, to clearly and conventionally indicate that the text has come from a different source. This also adds variety to the font styles.

Sizes:

15pt in package page text

Colours:

Package - Lighter Black

R: 40   G:  47   B: 54

Opacity: 100%

Package - White

R: 255   G: 255   B: 255

Opacity: 100%

The bold style of DIN Next is used in the promotional materials platform of the series, to make certain text such as taglines and schedule information stand out more so than the rest of the text that it features in, without distracting from the uses of Lulo Clean.

Sizes:

14pt & 36pt in promotional posters

40pt in promotional billboard

24pt & 48pt in promotional bus ad

Colours:

Promotional Posters/Billboard/Bus Ad - White

R: 255   G: 255   B: 255

Promotional Posters - Blue

R: 85   G: 120   B: 160

Logo

The logo of the series underwent multiple versions in order to find the right fit. But once the main font was decided, the logo naturally started to come together. The logo consists of simple text without gimmicks, this fits with the conventions of both AMC and BBC's logos such as The Missing and The Night Manager.

This was the initial logo idea that I used in a poster mock up. Using Letter Gothic font in all caps, this proved to be useful initially establishing the type of brand that I would like the create. However, it was slightly too sci-fi looking to me, and didn't have a unique look.

Once deciding to use Lulo Clean Bold as my logo font, I tested a number of different approaches. Firstly by matching my initial logo idea - however this having 'The' beside the identity didn't seem to fit right as a logo. I then placed the word above, and while this looked better, it still appeared off. I then found the right placement for the two words, with 'The' sitting in the centre above 'Identity', this looked much more like a professional logo.

I then cleaned up the appearance, making 'The' slightly bigger in order to fit directly over the 'N' and 'T' of 'Identity'. I think this makes the logo much neater and structured. I then decided on two colour options, a slightly light variation of black for when the backdrop is light (avoiding the harshness of pure black), and a white variation when the backdrop is dark.

Overall I'm extremely pleased with the end result of the logo, I think it has the modern, serious and cold feel that I was going for, in order to fit with the dramatic themes of the series. I also feel that testing a number of options supported it's development and improvements.

Sizes:

12.47 x 2.82 pixels on promotional posters

25.58 x 6.17 pixels on promotional billboard

14.53 x 1.42 & 16.33 x 3.10 pixels on promotional bus ad

2.64 x 3.02 pixels on promotional AMC website images

Unknown pixels, 69 & 100pt on opening titles cast & production names

600 x 172 pixels in package home page

Colours:

Promotional Posters/Billboard/Bus Ad - White

R: 255   G: 255   B: 255

Opacity: 85% (Posters)  95% (Billboard)  90% (Bus Ad)

Opening Titles - Black

R: 0   G: 10   B: 16

Opacity: 85%

Package - Lighter Black

R: 40   G:  47   B: 54

Opacity: 100%

Package - White

R: 255   G: 255   B: 255

Opacity: 100%

Colour Schemes

The overall colours of the series' package, opening titles and promotional materials are mostly dark colours such as greys and blacks, contrasting whites, and blue toned colours to give a more eye catching addition of colour to the palette, along with one yellow colour from the AMC logo on promotions and a slight cream from the fake BBC website layout.

Below is the colour palette that I created for The Identity's colour branding, based on my work across all platforms...

Logline

'A logline is a one- or two-line synopsis of the concept. It is an essential part of presenting or marketing your idea to the networks and is typically used in tandem with the treatment or script.

Successful loglines immediately provoke interest and make the network executives envision the show's potential. If they see potential, odds are they will consider it for development.' [2]


Tips on Writing a Logline

'1. A logline must have the following

-       the protagonist
-       their goal
-       the antagonist/antagonistic force

2. Don’t use a character name
It has no intrinsic information and so is a useless word. Instead, tell us something about the character.

- A sous-chef
- An ex-superhero

3. Use an adjective to give a little depth to that character
This is your chance to show some character. Beware of cliche, and also of the power of irony. It's helpful if the characteristic you describe will have something to do with the plot.

- A mute sous-chef
- An alcoholic ex-superhero

4. Clearly and quickly present the protagonist’s main goal
This is what drives your story and it will drive your logline too. Make sure that the goal is present early in the script - if you don’t make good on your logline’s promise early enough the rest of the script won’t get read.

- A mute sous-chef wants to win the position of Head Chef at her boss' new restaurant
- An alcoholic ex-superhero searches for his daughter

5. Describe the Antagonist
The antagonist should be described in a similar, but preferably shorter, manner than the hero. If the hero faces a more general antagonistic force then make it clear that they are battling something, not just life’s bumps and buffets.

- A mute sous-chef must fight off an ambitious rival to win the position of Head Chef at her boss's new restaurant.
- An alcoholic ex-superhero searches for his daughter after she is kidnapped by his dementing, jealous former sidekick.

6. Make sure your protagonist is pro-active
He or she should drive the story and do so vigorously. A good logline will show the action of the story, the narrative momentum that carries you through the script. In some cases the protagonist will be reactive, but note, this is not the same as passive.

7. If you can, include stakes and/or a ticking time-bomb
These are very useful narrative devices that add urgency to your script. If they fit in easily, include them in your logline.

- To save his reputation a secretly gay frat-boy must sleep with 15 women by the end-of-semester party.

8. Setup
Some scripts operate in a world with different rules to our own and require a brief setup to explain them, e.g. most science-fiction stories. Others have a protagonist whose personal or psychological history is crucial to the story and needs to be explained. Again, be brief.

- In a world where all children are grown in vats...
- Driven to a mental breakdown by an accident at work, an aquarium manager...

9. About the ending
Do not reveal the script’s supercool twist ending, even if it is the next The Usual Suspects. The story, and thus the logline, should be good enough to hold up by itself; a surprise ending should be a lovely bonus found when reading the script. N.B. This all changes when you get to writing your treatment.

10. Don’t tell the story, sell the story

Create a desire to see the script as well as telling them what’s in it. Loglines are like poetry, every word counts. Tinker, test, and tinker some more.' [3]


After researching the main purposes of a logline, alongside very helpful tips on how to approach a logline for my own series, I have created one for The Identity that I feel is strong and has the ability to draw in the audience without spoiling anything.


After being stolen as an unborn baby in 1989, a hidden away young woman is determined to find her birth parents, unknowing of what she could lose along the way.

Pitch

The Three Visible Elements Your TV Show Pitch Must Have [4]

'- Distribution channel

- Length of the show

- Time slot'

With this in mind, I have stuck roughly with my original pitch for The Identity since the beginning of the project, that I feel provides the key information of the series type and structure:

A BBC One & AMC drama miniseries consisting of three hour-long episodes, broadcasting on Wednesdays at 9pm.

Branding Thoughts

Overall, I think that the branding of the series has developed to be very clear and precise, with suitable fonts, logos, colour schemes and loglines/pitches. I also think the unique logo and font combinations make The Identity's brand very recognisable, and represent the overall style of the series.

By developing a specific, professional and modern brand for the series, my package, opening titles, and marketing has greatly benefited, giving them all continuity, themes and a stand-out approach to it's audience - as can be seen in my previous posts and within my finalised package.

References

1. Channel 4 Identity Style Guide

2. Television Show Loglines

3. 10 Tips for Writing Loglines

4. How To Pitch A TV Show

Professional Pre-Production: Promotional Material Creation

Following my marketing research & style post, I began creating my promotional materials for The Identity. Using all of the previously mentioned marketing styles and elements.

BBC YouTube Trailer

The first promotional material that I created was a fake screenshot of how The Identity's trailer on BBC One's YouTube channel would look. Below is the final result, using The Night Manager as a template, all created and transformed through Photoshop.

Before

After

To achieve this, I...

• Researched the types of fonts that BBC One use.
• Replaced the original title with 'The Identity' 's logo.
• Replaced 'bbc.co.uk/bbcone' to a simplified version to match the rest of the text.
• Replaced 'The Night Manager Trailer - BBC One' with 'The Identity Trailer - BBC One' both underneath the video and in the top left window tab.
• Replaced the published date to match the date of this Photoshop creation.
• Used Gill Sans MT for the BBC One font on 'bbc.co.uk/bbcone', and Helvetica and Ariel fonts to match YouTube and Microsoft conventions for all other text.

I think this was a great first step creating my promotional advertisements, and I think the end result looks highly realistic as a BBC One trailer for the series.

Promotional Photos

As well as creating posters, I wanted to create two separate promotional photos that can be used in my fake promotional BBC and AMC websites, along with adding to realistic visuals for The Identity.


First Photo
The first image that I decided to create was a landscape image of all characters in mid-shot framing, layered up. Placing main character Lauren in the centre, Helen and Ethan either side, and so on in consideration of character importance and type.

To find suitable and convincing images, I searched through Google images for each individual cast member, finding images that are high quality, have similar lighting, only black, grey or white clothing (aside from Lauren, allowing her to stand apart) and framing to each other, and suit their characters in my series. I then searched for a gritty, dark background to suit the overall style and themes of the series. All images that I collected are below...

Step 1:

The first part of the editing process was recolouring and sizing the background image. I then made precise cut outs of each, individual cast image.

Step 2:

I then added all of the characters to the background image, arranging them to looking organised and well positioned. Alongside cropping and altering the backdrop's contrast.

Step 3:

Following this, I then altered each character's colouring and brightness/contrast to match each other and fit with the tone of the overall image. I then continued to make precise, extensive and detailed changes to every character's light and shading, colouring, positioning and even certain facial features. This gave the image a large amount of consistency, realistic character appearances and a clean, professional look.

Lauren edited

Helen & Ethan edited

Frank & Amanda edited

Kathleen & Chris edited

Step 4:

Lastly, I made shading alterations to the background, making the characters appear to actually be stood in front of the backdrop. And lastly, gave the whole image a slightly blue tone to give a cold feel to this drama/thriller promotional photo.

Here is the final result...

I'm extremely pleased with the end result of the first promotional photo, I think it's of high quality, appears realistic as a promotional photo and supports the visuals of the series.

Second Photo

The second image that I wanted to create was a wide shot image, I initially hoped to include most of the cast for the wide shot image, however I struggled to find any usable wide shot images of cast members other than Tatiana Maslany (Lauren). So I decided to create an image using just her character and a slightly chaotic background.

I decided to go with the idea of Lauren being alone, looking lost in London, while everything races past her. Which is symbolic of everything changing before her eyes in the story, along with presenting the main character and location to the audience. For this I would need a wide shot of Maslany with an appropriate appearance/expression, and a dark but slightly motion blurred and colourful London background. I found the two exact images that I wanted.

Step 1:

To create the image that I had in mind, I firstly cropped and recoloured the background image of London, along with adding motion blur to create a rushing by feeling. I then carefully cut out Lauren's image.

Step 2:

Following this, I then added Lauren's image to the background, positioning her to appear as if she's standing on the street, and recoloured her image and altered the shading to blend her into the scene more.

Step 3:

To really put Lauren into her surroundings, I then decided to add fake extra hair to her image, to create the look of it being blown around in the wind of the street. I then added a shadow on the floor of the street to give the impression that it's Lauren's shadow, and blurred and darkened the edges to blend her in even more.

Step 4:

And to finish the image, I slightly brightened the centre of the image and added vignette shading to the edges of the frame, giving a dark, cold look.

Here is the final result...

I think that the end result is better than I imagined when I started work on the image, I think the wind in Lauren's hair gives the photo extra flair, and this second promotional image greatly differs from my first, making them both unique and able to stand apart.

BBC Website Pages

To fit with the previously researched conventions of BBC's advertising, I decided to create realistic website pages for The Identity on BBC's website. This is typical of all BBC One shows and provides a clear insight into series content, images, clips, interviews and characters.

Using The Night Manager's pages as starting points for my own, I used Photoshop to replace each feature of the pages with my own content. I decided to use my second promotional photo of Lauren in London as the background for the website pages, as the colouring and style fits with the layout BBC's pages. However I decided to move Lauren's image to the left side of the screen, so that she wasn't covered by the content in the middle of the page.

Below are The Night Manager's home page, and my starting template created from this...

The Night Manager Home Page

My template

Home Page

By using my own background, and copying BBC's use of Gill Sans MT and varying Ariel font uses, I was able to create a realistic looking initial structure. I then began work on the home page of my own BBC website section. Here is the result...

Before

After

To achieve this, I...

• Copied The Night Manager page's initial layout, replacing each individual component with my own information and images.
• Decided to use my first promotional picture as the series image, as it's a good representation of the gritty style and whole cast.
• Used a simple explanation of the series to describe the outlining story.
• Switched the iPlayer information to all episodes available, as my miniseries would be - to use the correct conventional font and writing I referenced 'The Missing's page, which is available on iPlayer.
• Left the information that 'there are no upcoming broadcasts' - as the idea is that this website is being viewed after all three episodes have aired. But changed the last episode aired to episode three, and the broadcasting time to my own schedule.
• Made my series only available for video download.
• Used an online image of Tatiana Maslany for 'Cast and Characters' as it has a professional look and as she is the main character/cast member. And replaced the description to fit my own character's part in the story.
• Replaced the article below to work as what would be an entertaining article on who Amanda is, along with part of Katie McGrath (Amanda)'s image.
• Replaced the two articles on the left to suit my series, while keeping a rough theme of cast and crew interviews. And replaced the images and content with my own cast and crew.

I think overall, this home page would draw in the audience with eye catching images and entertaining online content.

Episodes Page

The initial The Night Manager page differed largely from my own as the series has twice as many episodes as The Identity, so I decided to slightly edit the template of the Episodes page, while still keeping the conventional BBC look.

Before

After

I achieved this by...

• Re-positioning the episode stills, titles, content and 'buy online' section to suit three episodes instead of six.
• Used my concept images to appear as episode stills, using images that are based on each individual episode.
• Created brief summaries of each episode that allow insight on the content without giving anything away.
• Removed available to buy on DVD.

I think the end result looks just as realistic as the before image. I'm glad that I re-positioned and sized elements of the page to avoid it looking sparse with three episodes.

Clips Page

I decided to slightly crop the Clips page at the line of where the crucial content ended, therefore this page and the following page are of a different aspect ratio. This page consists of episode clips, interviews and trailers which all needed to be replaced with my own.

Before

After

To achieve this, I...

• Reused my concept images where appropriate, creating four separate sections on the page that could appear to be episode clips.
• Used my previously created trailer still image to appear as The Identity's trailer.
• Used a screenshot of the ending to my previously made opening titles, to appear as the opening titles video.
• Used online interview images of Tatiana Maslany and Katie McGrath to appear as watchable interviews.
• Replaced all titles, certain episode details, and certain timings to suit my own content.

I think this page looks realistic as a clips page, with a large amount of varying content that the website user would be interested in viewing.

Characters Page

This is the most simplistic of all pages, featuring cast images, character names and the cast that they're portrayed by. So I simply replaced The Night Manager's with my own cast and characters.

Before

After

I achieved this by...

• Using online images of my cast that were as similar in colouring, lighting and background as possible, that also appeared professional.
• Replacing all names to match my own series.

The end result of my entire BBC mock-up website pages for the series feel very effective. I think they look like realistic screenshots of a real website, and appear professional and entertaining for the audience to use and gather insight from. I think this greatly adds to BBC's promotional side of the miniseries.

AMC Website Pages

For my first AMC promotional creations, I created fabricated website pages for The Identity on AMC's website. Using the same methods as my BBC pages, I used The Night Manager on AMC as a template, and replaced all images and content with my own.


Home/Episodes Page
In an attempt to make the AMC page stand apart and differ from the BBC page, I decided to use my first promotional image as the cover for the home page, I then replaced all other photos and text with my own, along with changing the colour themes. From my The Night Manager template to the finished home page, the results are below...

Before

After

To achieve this, I...

• Copied The Night Manager page's initial layout, replacing each individual component with my own information and images.
• Created shading over my first promotional image to use as the cover photo for the page, so that any text wouldn't blend or become lost in the image.
• Replaced the logo with my own official 'The Identity' logo.
• Replaced the purple colouring with a deep blue colour to fit the themes and colour schemes of my own series.
• Unable to find the AMC website's exact font, I used a mixture of Ariel, Gill Sans MT, Helvetica, and Verdana to mimic the template's text.
• Replaced the pitch under 'Limited Series' to suit The Identity, outlining the premise in a descriptive way.
• Replaced all episode images with my own concept images to appear as screenshots, alongside shading the bottom of the images to make text stand out more.

The end result feels professional, eye catching and typical of an AMC website section.

Cast & Crew Page

Skipping to Cast & Crew due to a lack of interactivity on a fabricated website as previously mentioned in my Marketing post, I then created the page using online cast images and character descriptions for The Identity. As The Night Manager's cast images differ to that of BBC's, I decided to continue this by using different cast images from The Identity to my BBC page.

Here is the result...

Before

After

I achieved this by...

• Using the background from my first promotional image, edited and blended into black to create a suitable background for this page and the About page.
• Continued to recolour any purple themes into blue themes.
• Using professional-appearing images of the cast for each character.
• Replacing all character names and descriptions with my own, alongside adding two extra spaces for my cast members.
• Thinking up one-line descriptions that best represent each character of the series.

I think as a basic page, my changes make it stand apart largely from the initial template, as well as the BBC page, giving a unique and interesting feel.

About Page

The last AMC page that I created was one that describes the show and features a promotional image and clip, acting as a very informative and entertaining page. The results are below...

Before

After

To achieve this, I...

• Continued with colour, logo, background and text replacements.
• Replaced the large clip image under 'About the show' with my second promotional photo, as I think it's an interesting visual to add to the page.
• Replaced the brief synopsis with a newly created short synopsis of my own, that describes the premise and key characters.
• Used concept images and an online image of Tatiana Maslany to use as fake clips of trailer, behind the scenes and interviews.

Overall, I think The Identity's AMC website pages dramatically stand apart from the BBC pages, which is important so that their promotions are separate and don't feel like a copy of each other. I think these pages feel professional and visually stimulating.

Promotional Posters

One of the key marketing elements for the series is producing AMC promotional posters that feature the main characters, title, schedule information, and individual taglines for each character. One of the advantages of using AMC for the American production of the series is the fact that the channel creates and markets posters to promote their series, so I have created posters that captures their conventional styles.

As previously mentioned in my last post, I used a number of AMC posters as inspiration for my own, and decided to go with five close-up, black and white character posters that present an overall dark tone, key colours and AMC's schedule.

I decided to create a poster for Lauren, Helen, Ethan, and Amanda, and a joint poster for Frank and Kathleen. This is because I feel that their characters are always connected and are strongest together. I decided not to make a poster for Chris as his role and appearance in the series is too minor.

The first poster that I created needed to also act as a template for the other four posters, as they all needed to look identical in layout and image styles (eye level close-up shot, head on). I firstly created Lauren's poster, being the main character.

Lauren's Poster

I started by selecting my ideal image of Tatiana Maslany...

I then cropped the image to a poster format, completely desaturated the image to be black and white, altered the brightness and contrast, and used lighting effects to highlight her face and have the rest fade to black...

After this, I repositioned her image to leave more room for text, altered some lighting and shading on her face, and painted any extra unfaded areas in black. I then added The Identity logo, along with deciding to add the text 'Miniseries Event' (inspired by The Night Manager's poster), and the pre-decided AMC schedule time and logo. Using a professional and structured layout.

Lastly, I created a tagline layout, deciding to use bold, caps text in blue, with lowered opacity to blend into the image slightly. I then thought up ways of approaching the tagline, and liked the idea of each character seemingly addressing either other characters or the audience - allowing the taglines to be open to interpretation.

For Lauren's I decided on 'You can't hide me anymore' I feel that this greatly fits for either addressing Helen, who hid her away for 27 years, or her birth parents, who covered up that she ever existed after she was stolen. I wanted Lauren and all character taglines to represent a change, ambition or stubbornness that each character feels in the story, hinting at their role in the series.

Once this was added, Lauren's poster was finished and the layout for the next four posters was decided. I feel very pleased with Lauren's poster, I think it gives a clear representation of her character, the dark and modern tone of the series and provides key information.

Here is the end result...

Helen's Poster

Using the same image type, Photoshop tools and styles, and overall layout I then made Helen's promotional poster. Firstly using this image...

I wanted all of my images to match by being face on and at eye-level, however I struggled to find a suitable image of Felicity Huffman aside from the one above, so it required extra work. Following the same steps as the last poster, I altered her image's size, colours and lighting, and brushed around the image to make a dark background. I then added a small amount of ageing detail to her face, as the image of Huffman is one of when she was younger...

As the shading of the image appeared to be quite flat, I then added lighting and shading to her face and hair, to make it slightly more similar to that of Lauren's...

Lastly, I brightened her face even more, and added the title, AMC logo etc. And using the same layout, created Helen's tagline; 'You can't undo my mistakes'. I think this is suited as being addressed to Lauren, explaining that no matter what she does now, Lauren can't change the past.

Here is the end result...

Ethan's Poster

Finding an appropriate image of Michael B. Jordan for Ethan's poster, I selected the picture below...

When starting his poster, I slightly rotated his image before cropping and continuing with the step by step poster alterations, along with shifting his image up slightly. Achieving the below result...

Following this, I brushed out the rest of his image to give him a black background and fade, matching the posters' themes. I then added the poster's text, deciding on his tagline to be 'You can't use me for your benefit' - allowing for an audience's misconception of him addressing Lauren when helping her, when in actual fact this represents a message of Ethan standing up to Chris when he doesn't want to help him anymore.

Here is his final poster...

Amanda's Poster

When looking for a poster of Katie McGrath, I found an image that no only matched my requirements, but closely resembles my chosen poster image of Tatiana Maslany/Lauren, so I decided to use this image to represent their similarities - with Amanda being her replacement...

I then made my step by step alterations of cropping, recolouring, and adding lighting to the image.

After this, I added extra shading and lighting to her features, making her image match my other posters more. And added extra shading under her eyes to give her character a darker look. Along with brushing over the edges of the image for fading.

To finish the poster, I added the usual text and Amanda's tagline of 'You won't get in my way'. I think this gives the audience the impression that she's the villain of the story, along with her addressing Lauren about taking her family away.

Below is her poster...

Frank & Kathleen's Poster

In order to create a joint poster for Frank and Kathleen, I need images that weren't too close up, as they both needed to fit within the frame. Struggling to find new images that I needed, I decided to use images that I'd already used in a promotional photo, but I feel that as they are both for promotional purposes, it still works.

Once I selected their images, I tested them side by side, to make sure that I was happy with my decision before editing.

I felt that the combination worked, so I began work on the poster of the pair. Using Frank as the base image, I made a cut out of Kathleen and added her next to Frank, then proceeded to paint around their images to create a black background.

Following this, I recoloured, lit and further blending their images into the poster by brushing over the edges of their image. I then added extra shading and lighting to both images, and altered Kathleen's facial features to appear less happy, and slightly more aged.

Finally, I faded the edges of the image and added the poster's text, with the tagline 'You won't tear us apart'. I think this shows a slight stubbornness, as they can be seen to be addressing either Helen after she stole their baby, or Lauren once she comes back into their lives. But ultimately they're torn apart by Frank's affair and their daughter's death.

Here is the final poster...

I'm very pleased with all of my posters, I think they have a great amount of professionalism and and consistency, and I'm glad that I added the extra touch of personalised taglines, as I think they make the characters come alive in the posters.

Poster Marketing

The final promotional materials that I created for marketing The Identity are two fake displays of promotional posters in public places in America. Following research (which can be seen in my previous posts), AMC most commonly advertise their promotional posters on billboards and on bus advertisements in the USA. So in keeping with this, and as another way that my miniseries could be advertised and marketed to the general public, I created one billboard and one bus ad for the series.

I decided to use a similar image of Tatiana Maslany (Lauren) to her promotional poster, sticking with the overall poster's theme. Alongside this, I used the gritty blue background that I used in the AMC website home page and my first promotional photo. And lastly the same text content as Lauren's promotional poster - all on both the billboard and bus ad.


Billboard
Using an official American AMC billboard for The Walking Dead as a template for my own billboard, I began to combine my own content with the billboard's angular shape. Below is the original billboard...

Using a wider-shot image of Lauren, I made a cut out of her image to use on both the billboard and the bus ad...

I then cut out the original advertisement from the billboard and placed Lauren's image over it, and began reshaping the image with a number of tools to give it an angular look...

After this, I added my promo photo backdrop to give the background of the poster more texture and colour. I then improved the shape of Lauren's image, and began adding and reshaping the logo and schedule text in the same way.

In the last few additions before my final billboard, I decided to add Lauren's tagline to give the billboard some extra content and that same personal touch that her poster has, and re-positioned and slightly blurring the remaining text for authenticity.

Lastly, once I was certain of Lauren's positioning, I cut out the rest of her body to have her fit onto the billboard. And then made final colour, shading and lighting alterations to her image. The final result of The Identity's billboard is below...

I think that the appearance of a real life billboard being used to advertise the series really brings the whole show to life to see it in the public eye. I think that this would be a great way to grab a viewer's attention.

Bus Advertisement

I decided to use another real AMC example for this marketing type, by using AMC's Humans promotional poster on the side of a New York bus...

Once deciding to use this image, I removed AMC's ads from the bus, and added my previously cropped and cut out images of Lauren and my backdrop to the image.

After having already used my text and logos once and figured out the best ways to reshape them to appear three dimensional, I continued to simply add them to the lower advertisement in a similar style to the billboard.

I then added similar text and the AMC logo to the top bus advertisement, in a similar style to the bus's original Humans advertising.

In my finishing touches, I made sure to crop, recolour and blur each element of the advertisement to make it appear realistically in the image. I then also added a small amount of lighting effects to the images to add to the realism.

Here is the final bus ad...

I think that hand-in-hand with the billboard, these present the many ways that The Identity could be advertised all across America, and that the promotional material layout is very eye catching.

All Content

With visuals being a very important part of my project, I wanted to make sure that the promotional content that I produced for my series was not only realistic and conventional for both of my broadcasters, but extremely eye catching and enjoyable to view. I feel proud of my Photoshop work and use of initiative from creating each individual promotional item, and I feel that they greatly support the project and prove how well the series could succeed in the real world.