After researching different film Instagram pages and stalking a few other blogs for inspiration, I realized something important: promoting a film isn’t just about randomly posting pictures from the movie. A lot of filmmakers actually think about branding and how their project is presented online. Because of that, I decided I want to create a brand identity prism for my film’s social media page to help guide how everything will look and feel.
The brand identity prism is basically a way of understanding how a brand (or in this case, a film) communicates with its audience. It focuses on six parts: physique, personality, relationship, culture, reflection, and self-image. Even though this concept is often used for businesses or companies, it can also apply to media projects because films also have identities and communicate ideas to their audience.
Right now I’m still figuring out if this prism will apply more to the film itself or to the social media page that promotes the film, but it kind of works for both. Since the Instagram page will represent the story and tone of the movie, the two things will probably end up being connected anyway.
Physique:
Physique focuses on the visual identity of the project. For my film, this will mostly come through the style of the images I post on the social media page. Since my story is a psychological thriller, the visuals will likely include darker lighting, nighttime settings, and dramatic close-ups of the main character. I want the page to feel tense and mysterious even before someone knows the plot of the film.
For example, I might post things like:
- shots of the road at night
- close-ups of the clock prop
- blurry or shadowy images of the main character
- teaser visuals that hint at the accident or the past
The goal is that someone could open the Instagram page and immediately understand the mood of the story.
Personality:
The personality of the project describes the tone and voice of the film. My film’s personality is definitely going to feel dark, tense, and psychological. It’s not meant to be loud or overly dramatic, it’s more about subtle tension and discomfort.
That personality will show up in things like:
- The captions I write on posts
- The pacing of teaser clips
- The types of images I choose
For example, instead of giving away information directly, the captions might be vague or cryptic to build curiosity.
Relationship:
Relationship refers to how the brand (or film) interacts with its audience. Since this is a short film project, the relationship will mainly come from behind-the-scenes posts and updates during production. Showing parts of the filmmaking process can help people feel more connected to the project.
For example, I might post:
- Behind-the-scenes photos from filming
- Pictures of the storyboard
- Prop design or location scouting
- Small updates about the production
This helps the audience feel like they’re watching the film come to life rather than just seeing the final product.
Culture:
Culture represents the ideas or values that influence the project. My film is heavily influenced by psychological thrillers and suspense films that focus on guilt, tension, and internal conflict rather than action. The culture behind the project is rooted in storytelling that explores the human mind and how people deal with mistakes or trauma.
This will influence the overall tone of the social media page and the types of references or inspiration I share.
Reflection:
Reflection describes the type of audience the film might attract. For my project, the audience will likely be people who enjoy psychological thrillers, suspense stories, or films that make them think rather than just entertain them. These viewers are usually interested in mysteries, darker themes, and stories that slowly reveal information.
So the social media page should appeal to people who enjoy that type of storytelling.
Self-Image:
Self-image refers to how the audience might see themselves when engaging with the film. For example, viewers might feel like they are observant, curious, and interested in solving mysteries. Psychological thriller audiences often enjoy trying to figure out what is happening before the story reveals the answer.
Because of that, the social media page should encourage curiosity and interpretation rather than giving away the whole story.
Overall thoughts:
Creating this brand identity prism actually helped me think more clearly about how I want my film to be presented online. Instead of randomly posting things during production, I can now think about how each post contributes to the overall identity of the project.
The next step will be turning these ideas into actual content for the page, such as teaser images, behind-the-scenes posts, and visuals that match the tone of the story. If everything works well together, the Instagram page should feel like an extension of the film itself rather than just a place to upload pictures.
I decided I want to post on Instagram!
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