Research And Planning - Group Meeting Identifying Roles

Beth and I have been discussing which roles we want to take on to make our trailer. We discussed which areas we feel most comfortable in and have decided that Beth will do Mise-En-Scene and Editing and I will do Sound and Cinematography.

Research And Planning - Audience Theories

The Hypodermic Model -

The media injects ideas into the audience, giving them "ideas" - like a drug.

Cultivation Theory -

The more time people spend living in the TV world, the more likely they are to believe the social reality portrayed- eg, watching several crime shows and believing the outside world is full of crime.

Desensitisation- 

The idea that violence no longer affects people in the way it once would've- we are used to seeing more 'brutal' things on tv and see it as the norm.

 

Modelling/Copycat Theory- 

Media influences and effects the audiences behavior and how they think- hence, people 'copy' what they see.

 

Uses And Gratifications Theory- 

The audience has control over consumption and what they take in- understanding why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs, therefore taking in/seeing what they want.

 

Research And Planning - Good vs Bad Trailers - Good Examples

Good-

Last Night- 

The trailer for independent film Last Night shows the couple acting 'happily' together to begin with, and then, as the trailer goes on, you see the couple as tension begins to arise. By doing so, it is evident that the film will be following the two going through changes and something will happen to their relationship, and this for the audience is very engaging. The narrative is set by the use of a montage, which has small 'clips' of the film, these show simply what is going on without giving too much away. It will be easy for me to 'recreate' some of these techniques in my trailer, as the budget for both this film and my trailer is low. However, with a bigger budget, this trailer could potentially be even better, as more effects could be added as well as better locations and props etc which all make for a more appealing film.

The Time Traveler's Wife-

 

The trailer for The Time Traveler's Wife is evidently made on a high budget, with an all star cast and good editing. The trailer begins with an engaging voice over, which sets the scene and informs the audience on what they 'need' to know. This is a way to make it easy to follow what is going on, and so, this is something I will do. A montage of engaging parts of the film is used to create this trailer- with great climax to the end. This makes the audience want to know what happens next, and makes them want to watch the film. This is an idea I could use for my trailer; ensure that the montage is 'shocking' and well built up, so that the audience are left wanting more. This could however be hard to do on a non-existent budget (the complete opposite to that of The Time Traveler's Wife) although, it will be ensured that the script is well written and the setting and acting is all up to a high standard so that the trailer is still just as engaging despite this. 

Research And Planning - Good vs Bad Trailers - Bad Examples

Bad-

How Do You Know-

The trailer to How Do You Know is very hard to sit through. It has very long scenes and a lot of dialogue. However, for a good trailer, the montage should be straight to the point and engaging. It is hard to follow what exactly is going on here, and so, this has made me believe that the use of a voice over or having characters 'set the scene' is the best way. The budget for this film gave them the potential to create something much better, however, it seemed they tried too hard to seem realistic that it all became very simplistic for the audience and boring, which is something that I will avoid when it comes to making my trailer.




Forces Of Nature -

The start of this trailer has the potential to be good, in that it has a voice over to set the scene and is quite fast paced. However, not far in the trailer begins to digress from any form of romance, and begins to 'jump' from one point to another. Similarly to how do you know, a lot of speech is used, however, it seems irrellevent and becomes quite boring to watch. As I have seen this presented in two 'bad' trailers I will ensure that I do not have too much speech in my trailer, and that I use a better, more engaging narrative such as a voice over.

Research And Planning - Treatment Of Proposal One

I have been told to make some adjustments to my chosen proposal, you can see these changes below-

There is a young male who is popular at school, well liked, captain of the football team and seems untouchable. he has a close relationship with his younger sister. The male falls in love with a girl whom he goes to school with, and his sister finds herself being put second best. She constantly asks her brother to go out with her and do things the two usually do, however, he ignores her completely. This begins to create tension between the siblings, as their once strong relationship begins to break down. His sister begins to get extremley depressed, and as he realises he may have caused this, it puts a strain on the couples relationship- the story mainly follows the couple as they try to work together on rebuilding their relationship as well as the male and his sisters, although the two girls do not get on.

I have changed this proposal by making it less specific, so that issues such as casting are easier to overcome, and it will be easier to change things last minute if we so wish to. I have removed how the younger sibling commits suicide and have kept it as she gets unhappy and the story follows the couple trying to get over the tension this creates, as the little sister blames her brothers girlfriend for their shattered relationship. By taking this out it is more suitable for any audiences, and so this makes the trailer more simplistic and less harrowing to not only create but watch, meaning it would hopefully reach a wider audience.

Research And Planning - IMDB Research

As part of my research I looked on IMDB at the most popular romance films. Firstly I searched for the most popular romance films. From this, I found that the romance films which are most liked are those with a 'mystery' twist to them, such as in The Mortal Instruments, a woman goes missing, and in Kill Your Darlings, there is a murder. By adding this 'edge' to the genre this makes for a more interesting watch,and this is therefore something I will try to add to our trailer/film. However, I need to take into consideration how these are for feature films, and creating something like this would be difficult to do as we evidently do not have the sufficient resources.

After this, I looked at the most popular summer romance films. I did this as this is the form my trailer may have, and so I believe it is important to know what is liked in this sense. I have noticed how in the summer romance films, it always seems that the main characters are quite young- as this is obviously appealing to the audience, if I use the summer romance idea, I will ensure that my main characters are young also, so that this is not 'changed' in any way as it obviously works. The romances tend to happen away from home- eg, on holiday; this is another aspect I could add to my trailer, by adding a 'different' kind of location, this will ensure that the trailer is engaging as it will feel, to the audience, like something they have never seen before, which is key when producing a good trailer/film. 

Research And Planning - Trailer Analysis Two: The Vow

Genre- 

The genre of this film is romantic drama. This can be seen straight away by showing the couple getting married at the start, dressed in traditional wedding attire; however, as security come and the couple run, the audience sees that there is a 'dramatic' spin on the romance film, presenting sililarities with small differences to past movies of the same genre, which supports Steve Neale's theory of there being a "repetition with an underlying pattern of variations." At the begining of the trailer the montage shows the couple enjoying their life together, doing things such as going to the beach and the woman being asked to move in- these are stereotypical things for couples to do, and so this shows the romantic side to the genre straight off.


Representation- 

One of the first things we see during the montage is the 'strong' man picking up his wife and spinning her around as she shouts "no" - this shows that he is the stereotypical muscular male whereas she is the stereotypical delecate female. The film is based on the woman losing her memory and her husband trying to help her to remember things, and this is presented in the trailer as he suggests she goes home with him and starts to get frustrated with the situation. This shows the stereotypes theory, in that the male is the one who is having to care for his wife, as she is the one who is vunerable and 'needs' looking after.


Narrative - 

The film is about a young couple who have got married, and, when they are together in a car, are in a bad car crash. The car crash causes the woman to lose her memory; the film follows the two trying to get her to remember her husband/rebuild their relationship. A voice over of the main character informs the audience of what is going on by asking "what if one day, you can no longer remember anything" and the montage then goes on to show the car crash. This shows what goes on in the film without giving away too much, so that the plot is clear however the main challenges faced in the film aren't ruined. Todorov's theory of there being equilibrium, distruption and equilibrium restored can be seen here as the montage begins with the happy couple, then shows their relationships downward spiral due to her memory loss, ended with the main characters voice over saying "we will always find a way back to each other" as the couple are seen getting on again, which shows that something positive is happening. 


Audience- 

 The film is rated a 12A, which means the trailer is quite suitable for 'all' to watch. Due to the use of the voice over and speech in the montage, the it is very easy to follow what is going on- the active/passive theory is presented here, as we see that the trailer is 'active' in that everything is simple to understand and this therefore means a wider audience can be reached. The trailer is simple enough for younger audiences to understand, however, the film its self, containing more sensitive topics such as memory loss, may engage those who are older, such as young adults. The two main actors in the film are Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams- these two actors are already established in mature/teen films, and so, this will appeal more to those who are at an older age such as around 15, as they will be more interested in seeing the actors works, as they have seen other things that they are in. 

Media Language -

(Cinematography, Editing, Sound, Mise-en-scene) 

At the begining of the trailer, a lot of close up shots are used, and the couple are framed tightly together. This shows the evident attraction between the two and shows that they are obviously very much in love. While to two are getting married shot reverse shots are used at an eye angle- this shows the two are equals and both on the same level. It also shows their emotion well and the audience can see how happy they are together. This contrasts with the rest of the trailer where the two are framed away from each other- a high angle shot of her in the hospital bed while her husband is stood over watching her shows how the two are no longer close as they both were, and shows that he is now 'above' her and presents her vunerability. The montage uses a lot of dissolves to change from one scene to another- the slow edititing shows that the film is quite sad and serious, and this is engaging as it shows the suffering the characters are going through without giving too much away.

The start of the trailer has no sound other than the diegetic sound of the couple talking- then light, upbeat music begins. The music seems quite joyful, however, after the car crash the music cuts off, and this makes you really listen to what is being said. A dramatic song begins which gets 'faster' and more intense- the music is sang with a womans voice, and this makes the music show how although it is a powerful song, there is still vunerability, which represents the film as it shows there is strength between the shattered couple. The costumes used are very simple- everyone is wearing what you would stereotypically 'expect'. At the begining the bride and groom are wearing a white dress and dark suit, and the nurse is wearing clothing to show her job role- this makes the film seem more realistic as nothing is too dramatic. At the start of the trailer we see the wife wearing 'girly' things where she shows her personality, however, her clothing changes to more laid back clothes in the middle- this shows her confusion following the accident through the use of costume. However, how her husband dresses remains the same, which represents how she has changed and move on but he has not. High key lighting is used when the couple are together, which shows that they are 'meant to be.' The locations they visit are all well lit and places you would expect couples to go, such as a restaraunt, and this ties back to the romance genre, ensuring the audience understand what is going on and what to expect of the film throughout the entire montage. 

Research And Planning - Social Networking Feedback

Here is some social networking feedback I recieved, after I sent them the URL of my blog-

Research And Planning - Sharing Our Proposal With Our Tutor

Once our proposals were shared with our tutor, she gave us some feedback. She told us that some of our ideas were 'too dramatic' and so, we need to make them more realistic. This was especially in proposal two, where she said that the couple should not meet again with one as a homeless man, as this is just too  unrealistic. We are thinking of changing this so that the two have a summer romance and meet again in a more 'natural' setting, and it could be more focused on the two trying to get together as one does not accept their sexuality.

Our first proposal was okay, however, we will ensure that most of the film would be focused on the couple other than the males sister, thus meaning the montage in the trailer would show the two getting over the death and building up their relationship.

Research And Planning - Proposals And Treatment - Proposal One

Proposal One-

There is a guy named Zac, 18, who is popular at school, well liked, captain of the football team and seems untouchable. Zac has a very close relationship with his younger sister, Alana, 14. Zac falls in love with a girl at school, Ramona, also 18- and Alana finds herself being put second best. Alana constantly asks her brother to go out with her and do things the two usually do, however, he ignores her completely. This begins to create tension between the siblings, as their once strong relationship begins to break down. As Alana's confidence and popularity spirals she finds herself secluded and commits suicide. The end of the film shows the couple trying to get over Alana's death, and in the end, having a child that they name after her.

Cinematography & Sound - 

• High key lighting following the couple
• Low key lighting following Alana's death
• A voice over of Alana
• Slow piano music on sad, dramatic parts
• High angles on Alana to show her sadness and vulnerability 

In the trailer we will not show much of the suicide, as this may 'disturb' the 12A audience that the trailer is aimed at- however it will still appeal to the 15 rated audience as their will be disturbing cries and a close up of the note.

Research And Planning - Proposals And Treatment - Proposal Two

Proposal Two-

There is a guy named Jake who is from a very strict background, his dad is retired from the army and has very old fashioned views. He expects Jake to follow in his footsteps by marrying early to a high-class woman, starting a family, and then joining the army. However, Jake develops feelings for his childhood best friend Chase, who feels the same. Jake knows that his father would disapprove of this and is terrified of the thought of him finding out. Chase is cuddling Jake on the sofa when they believe Jakes father is away- however, Jakes dad comes home early and catches them. He throws Chase out and says the two must never see each other again; he beats Jake up and says he will be thrown out if he continues with this relationship as it is "not right". Unable to forget Chase, Jake is thrown out of his home and does not hear from Chase again. A few years later Jake is homeless, when he sees a couple passing. The couple is Chase and his wife- Chase, doing well for himself, throws a penny at Jake. Jake looks up and says "thank you" there eyes lock together and they recognise one another, there feelings come back and it is evident nothing has changed. The end of the film concentrates on the two trying to rebuild their relationship, ridding of Chase's wife, and building a stable home.


Cinematography & Sound - 

• High key lighting of the couple at the start- when they are beginning their relationship
• Low key lighting when Jake's father gets in the way
• Diegetic sounds when Jake is homeless, eg, dogs barking
• Fast paced music while the two are being broke up
• Low key lighting when Jake is homeless
• Slow meaningful music when the two come together again  

As the trailer is a 12A we will not show too much of the violence of fathers homophobic behaviour, as this may be 'too much' for them. However there will be subtle hints to what is going on which will be engaging for the 15 audience. 

Research And Planning - Film Certificates

Today beth and I had a group discussion regarding the certificate of our film and trailer. We decided as we are going to be making a romantic film, a fifteen would be most suitable, as this gives us the freedom to add in mature content, which those watching a romantic film are more likely to find enjoyable.

The trailer however would be a 12A, as this will allow the trailer to get to a wider audience, thus meaning more people will watch it and create a greater synergy.

Research And Planning - Trailer Analysis One: About Time

Genre- 

The genre of this film is a romantic comedy. The genre is presented in a variety of ways, from the way the characters are framed together to the clothing they are wearing. The woman wears mostly bright colours, whereas the male wears darker, more 'serious' clothes such as suits. This shows the stereotypical 'prom scene' type love. The locations used for the trailer are all very 'romantic', such as a white house on the beach.This shows Steve Neale's theory of there being a repetition with an underlying pattern of variations. As this shows the 'stereotypical' settings that most romance films have.


Representation- 

Laura Mulvey put forward the theory of 'The Male Gaze', which says how representation is done in a very stereotypical way- in that, the women are vunerable and seen as an 'object' where as the males are the ones who are strong, and the film is seen from their point of view. This can be seen as true in some respects for this trailer, such as when the female character is shown; the montage changes to slow motion as she turns and smiles sweetly- this shows how men see women as a 'innocent' object they need to care for. However, instead of the male being tough in this film, it seems that there is a difference, as he seems to be quiet, vunerable and scared. As the two are talking the girl sounds very kind, caring and understanding, whereas the male is much more laid back and awkward; this shows how the woman makes more of an 'effort' with making an impression, meaning it is true to the stereotype. 

Narrative - 

This film follows a young man as he tries to change his future by going back in time to win over a girl, and then when this does not work, follows his life as he tries to work it out with another girl he meets in his future- he strives to make everything 'perfect' by reliving moments to make them the best they could possibly be, ensuring they work the way he wants. This is quite a difficult concept to grasp, and so, it is explained in a simplistic way, through using a voice over and parts of the film which explain what's going on embedded into the montage. The theory of there being a prontagonist here is evidently true, as the film focuses around mostly the one male main character, as he tries to overcome negative points in his life. 

Audience- 

This film is rated a 12A, and so the trailer is aimed at those of this age and above. Despite its low rating, I believe the main audience would infact be teens, around the age of 15, as the content of the trailer (such as a the couple laying in bed together) is more aimed to those of an older age, who would understand what was going on more. This presents the reception theory, which suggests how we take different meanings from a text. As what younger auidences don't understand, those of a more mature age will, meaning that the audience could technically be both as both ages get 'different' things out of the film. Rachel McAdams appears in the film, and having been in other 'teen' and 'adult' movies such as Mean Girls, The Notebook and The Vow, it is clear that this would appeal more to the teen audience as they will be more interested in seeing more of her work than younger audiences would.

Media Language -

(Cinematography, Editing, Sound, Mise-en-scene)

A lot of medium close up shots and close up shots are used in the trailer, as this allows the viewers to see what emotions the characters are feeling, and, by doing so, you get a feel for what the film will be about, as this allows you to get an understanding of how sad/happy the film is. As the 'main' woman turns, a medium close up shot is used a long with an expansion of time- the slow motion makes the woman seem more 'appealing' which makes you know the male finds her attractive, setting a basis for the film. Several shot reverse shots are used between the male and his father, as this shows a 'comedic' debate between them- this is more engaging for the audience as it shows there is more humour. Kuleshov's method of the montage is evident here, as a montage is used to show the viewer what the film will be about. Jump cuts are used to break up the montage; this allows the trailer to be more fast paced and straight to the point. The shots are usually at eye level, however when the two are in bed a high angle shot is used- this shows them close together which shows their obvious attraction.

A voice over is used of the main character, and this allows the scene to be set as well as allowing the audience to get to know him. The music used is very simple- it is upbeat but not too intense; it ensures your main focus remains on the voice over and the characters on screen. As the trailer gets more tense in parts the music stops- this is really engaging for the audience. The lighting is mostly high-key throughout, and the locations are very 'normal' - such as at houses. This makes the film seem more 'real' and by doing so is more appealing. The costumes worn are very simplistic- the female wears her stereotypical dresses while the male wheres his laid back outfits; this shows how the couple could be 'anyone' and this is more engaging for the audience as it makes them have more belief in the trailer they are watching, as they feel they can relate to it more.

Research And Planning - Audience Interviews

Through my audience interviews I found that the audience tend to want a plot that is straight to the point and easy to follow, however, it does need to be interesting. This could be through the use of some comedy or a dramatic event. All of those interviewed said that they like an interesting storyline, and something that makes the film 'different' to those already out there. The setting most desired is in the city, somewhere natural and believable, and so this is something I shall take into consideration when making our trailer. The main aspect of the film that those we interviewed liked was a simplistic set up of someone falling in love with someone else, and them ending up together in the end- and so, this is the narrative we will follow.

Research And Planning - My Questionnare Results

The gender of those I asked was mostly female, and so I believe this is who my trailer should be aimed at, as this means it will appeal to them more (as the results are from a female point of view.) Most believed that a stable camera would work better- and I agree, as this would look less 'messy' which fits with the romance genre. The colours that people associate with romance most are red, pink and white- and so I will use these on the film poster. There was an equal result for the best location- four people chose the beach and four chose the city. This has gave me the idea to have the main setting as the city, however the couple could have a romantic outing to the beach.  I think will be using a female main character as this is what my results show is most liked. Lastly I asked if people preferred slow or fast editing- to which, most said slow. From this I will ensure I keep the trailer slow paced, and so this fits with the romance genre.

Research And Planning - Questionnare

 

During today's lesson I wrote out a questionare and asked different people to answer it for me. This will help me to decide on what to do for my trailer, and to decide what is right and most liked for my chosen genre.

Research And Planning - Audience Feedback Questions

The questions I will be asking people are -

What was the last romance film you watched? Did you enjoy it? Why?

What is your favourite romance film? Why?

Where do you think romance films should be set?

What do you like to see in a good romance film?

Do you like dramatic plot twist films or films that get straight to the point?

Research And Planning - Group Meeting

I will be working with Beth Hampson. We both share the same interests and have similar ideas for the trailer we wish to create, and so, we believe that by being partners we will be able to create the best possible trailer to our abilities.

Research And Planning - Pitch

My pitch from Emma Hibbert

Research And Planning - Social Media

In order to get more people to take my poll, I have posted it on the social media sites twitter and tumblr. This will help the poll to reach a wider audience, and I will therefore gain more results in the end; meaning my poll will be more reliant.

Research And Planning - Audience Poll

Research And Planning - Trailer Analysis

Comedy-

From this trailer I have found that for comedy films, the music is upbeat, and high-key lighting is used. A voice over is used to 'set the scene' and add a comedic value to the trailer, and so if I was to do this genre this is something I would have to consiser using. There are a lot of shot reverse shots used to show 'funny' conversations happeining, as this is 'snappy' and gets to the point, which allows the audience to find humour in the trailer and this will therefore make the film seem more engaging.

Romance-

  

The Last Song trailer uses high key lighting, similarly to comedy, however, the music is less upbeat and is more slow and meaningful. The voice over used is much more 'calm' and sets the scene for something positive. An introduction to the characters and their lives is also used- this makes the viewer feel a connection with them, and this therefore ensures that they are left wanting to see more.

Horror-

For horror trailers, it seems that instead of a voice over being used, the characters set the scene. This makes the film seem more realistic as it is from a first person basis. The music is eary which makes the trailer seem more tense. Straight cuts are used in order to create a more fast pased feel to the trailer; this a long with the low-key lighting makes watching the trailer very engaging and 'shocking.'

Action-

For action trailers the lighting is high-key and everything seems to be bright and 'the best'. Up to date vechiles and technologies are shown which gives the film extra appeal. The music used is quite electronic, however most of the sound is diegetic; showing the 'fastness' of the car by presenting the noises it makes whilst speeding, for example. This makes the film seem more interesting and is very intense, however I do believe a trailer of this genre would be difficult to produce.

Research And Planning - Photoshop Challenge

I have not used photoshop since last year, and so, we were set a challenge to create a film poster off what knowledge we had, and above was the result. 

Research And Planning: The Chase - Our First Trailer

We were told to create a trailer based of the theme "the chase." My group interpreted this in the literal sense, and decided the plot would be on a man who makes a living off stealing peoples money when they believe they are buying drugs off him, but eventually, people start to seek revenge.
The trailer begins with 'intense' music, which makes the audience know straight off that the film is based around something very fast, and that it is an action film. As the 'chase' continues the music gets more and more intense, however, we edited the clip to be slow motion, which makes the 'fall' of the male seem more dramatic. Quotations and an 'award' come up slowly, which makes the trailer seem more professional. At the end of the trailer the colour changes to black and white, and the slow motion begins again- the music changes to a slow, sad piano song, which makes the audience feel sorry for the person and more engaged, meaning they are more likely to watch it.