Both plays and films need to be economically viable and so both need to advertise themselves to their potential audiences. There is little difference in the need of each to create a narrative image in their display advertising. The main difference would arise from the different ways in which they have to be economically viable. A film company puts all its resources into one production which will be shown over and over again, will possibly be shown on television and rented out in video form. The producer of a play, on the other hand, has to recoup the investment during the play season and take into account the ongoing cost of paying actors night after night, paying for space in which to present the play and paying for sets, props and costumes which will only be used for a limited period. In both forms, the budget expenditure is planned against potential income. Hiring a star may increase the initial cost, but ensure a reasonable income.

It is interesting to compare the narrative image created behind the credits with that created by one of the display advertisements for the film. In raising expectations about the film, advertisements usually call upon our recognition and arouse our curiosity. They then pose an enigma, a puzzle that the audience has to solve.

How is recognition conjured up in the display advertisement for The Sum of Us? Firstly, we find the elements in it that we recognise. Some will recognise the stars as seen in the pictures and named in the text. Some will recognise the names of critics.

Note that the use of critics' opinions is expected to appeal to a certain type of audience. How would you describe this audience?

All the words in large type: PROUD TO BE AUSTRALIAN, WARMTH, ORIGINALITY, FUNNY, HEARTWARMING, HUMOROUS, 5 OUT OF 5, DON'T MISS IT, POWERFUL, TOUCHING are used to arouse some form of recognition in us.

What arouses our curiosity?

Curiosity is aroused by the visual images. We are presented with three couples:

• Man and woman—no problem
• Man and man—well, one is older, could be father and son
• Man and man—both young; is this one of the 'surprises' mentioned in the text?

The enigma posed by this advertisement is: what could be surprising (a word mentioned twice) about the love portrayed in this film?

How does this compare with the narrative image created by the script?

The only reference to the setting of the film in the advertisement is contained in the word, 'Australian'.

The visual images in the advertisement give much the same information as the film script. There is a young man, probably his son. There is a relationship between the son and another man. (The son's sexuality is hinted at in the script's orientation but it is obscure enough to support the film's claim to present 'surprises'.) The advertisement tells us that the film is to be about 'love' with such words as ' warmth', 'heartwarming', and 'touching' as well as the quite clear 'A surprising comedy of love'.

Further differences between film and play arise from the need to be economically viable in different ways.

As the producer of a play has to cater for the payment of every actor for every performance, many playwrights keep the number of actors required to a minimum. Although there may be many characters appearing in a play, generally these will be played by only a few actors. Playwrights write plays in which there are only a certain number of actors on stage at one time and several roles may be played by one actor. This has become such an accepted practice that contemporary Australian playwrights like Michael Gow turn this to a virtue, in that the characters played by the one actor can be seen to be dramatically linked and this device adds meaning to the play. Rarely does the writer of a film script do this (unless there is need for identical persons such as twins) as the budget for a film usually allows for numerous 'extras' as well as different actors for each of the main parts.

A film producer will look for overseas sales and may attempt to boost these by emphasising those aspects of its country of origin that are most attractive to overseas audiences. The same can be said of a play but the ability to export the Australian scenery is far greater with a film than with a play. We might therefore expect to see far more references to specific setting in a film script than in a play. Note all the references in The Sum of Us to attractive aspects of the physical setting. However, is the use of the harbourside locations by the director justified on grounds other than the need to make the film attractive to an overseas audience? Could it be symbolic of hope in its bright, open, pleasing aspects, or is it just pandering to a supposed overseas curiosity about Sydney?

The camera reveals the Sydney Botanic Gardens, naval and commercial docks, and pans along Sydney Harbour, the lower North Shore and then across to the Opera House.

In making a film accessible and attractive to the largest possible audience a filmmaker may not only be searching for an investment return for her/his backers but may well be looking for the widest audience for the message the film has to convey. A decision about this can only be made after a consideration of the film's main concerns.