Facebook group

We have decided to make a Facebook group to get feedback about our movie, website, poster, e.c.t. Facebook is the perfect place for us to conduct audience research as people can take part in quizzes or answer our questions interactively without taking up a lot of time.

Many films use social networking sites to advertise films. This is an example of how film companies use new technology in order to reach out to their target audience who use it. The most popular target audience is 18-26 year olds and the main users of social networking sites such as Facebook are also 18-26 year olds. This suggests that film companies are using a new advertising and research technique which was not available before the technical revolution.

We used Facebook for the following reasons

• To conduct audience research- to see who would be watching our film
• To see if our ideas appeal to our target audience
• To gain feedback on our rough cut and final piece

Our decisions based on the questionnaire

According to the questionnaire our target audience is males between the age of 16 and 24. Because of this it is important that our genre is popular with the target audience in order to attract them. Originally we decided to make our movie a teen drama, however the most popular genre with our target audience is comedy. We have therefore decided to make a teen drama with a comedic edge. This will appeal to more than half of the target audience (males ages 16-24), which will hopefully give us a larger audience.

Questionnaire analysis

60% of the females sampled watched a movie once a week.

The most popular genre (according to our research) is Romance, followed by Comedy. The least popular genre is Action.

The females who we questioned are attracted to movies by the actors and the trailers. The did not actively seek out trailers but watched them when at the cinema.

The most popular teen dramas are Kidulthood, Skins and The Inbetweeners.

These results are regardless of age- as all different ages had, on average, the same results.

80% of the males asked watched more than one film a week.
The most popular genre is Comedy, closely followed by Action. The least favourites being Romance and Horror.

Good trailers and the actors are what attracts them to go and watch a film.

The members of the sample who actively seek out trailers, watch them on Youtube or on T.V.

Skins and The Inbetweeners are the most popular Teen Dramas.

These results are based on 16-24 year olds.

Costume

Website Research and Analysis

According to this research the main features of a movies website are:

• Images of the characters
• Details of the production and distributors
• Film trailer
• Links to other parts of the website e.g. character profiles
• Link to facebook and Twitter pages
• Title and film catchprase

We need to use this research and include these features when producing our own website. This will help it to look more proffesional and work better as an actual movie website.

Shooting

Day 1 - Cuckoos Hollow and surrounding areas.

We first started filming in the October half term. We decided to use actors due to the fact that it would better allow the group to focus entirely on the production side of filming.

The main locations we used were Cuckoo's Hollow in Werrington and garages in Gunthorpe, which we chose to use instead of the originally planned ones in Walton. This was because the Gunthorpe garages looked less urban as they were better kept, and based on the idea that our film is a comedy, we thought it would be funnier if the story was set in a very leafy, green Suburbia kind of setting. To give the allusion of “posh kids acting street”.

These are our actors: Anthony Race, Sophie Wardell and Joe Stimson. We dressed them all in the similar costumes of jeans and jackets to make them look geeky, plain and very ordinary.

This is a photo of Dan (production) positioning an actor so that he is framed correctly in the shot and according to his surroundings.

Prop list

In our trailer we will have to use some props to make the production more realistic and professional. A prop is an object that is used by a character to help add to the atmosphere of the scene. A small prop such as a pen or a bottle is known as a "hand prop" these are the types of props that are used the most usually without the audience realising. Larger props such as cars and tables are used as part of the set and these are obvious to the audience.
The props that we need are as followed :

Sports bag filled with money
We are planning on using one of our own sports bags so that we do not have to buy a new one that will add cost to our production. We also need a large quantity of money this will be hard to obtain so we are going to print off several "specimen" notes that are found on google.

Vodka bottles
We need these to feature in a scene where the characters are celebrating that they have found the money by getting drunk. For this we will use empty Vodka bottles that have been filled with water.

Water gun
We need a water gun to film a comedic scene. We will buy this from a local shop before production.

Dog
In our production a character is chased by a dog. To add to the comedic edge of the film we don't want to use an intimidating breed of dog. Two members of the group have dogs as pets so we will use one of theirs as they have given their consent, allowing it to be used.

Car
In another scene the characters are driving a car but are over taken by a walking old lady. One of us owns a car so we will probably use theirs due to easy access.
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Location shots

We have chosen to use this particular tree for the "dog" scene because it is near the groups base. It is also located near a path, which we can use to put the tripod on whilst filming. This would help us prevent having a wonky frame because it would give us an even surface to film on.

We have chosen to shoot in this underpass because it is close to the school and the group members houses. It also matches the atmosphere that we are trying to set as it has graffiti on the walls. We will use this area to film the "kissing" scene.

These garages have been chosen because the paint is peeling off of them, which gives them an urban "grunge" feel. It is also secluded which means that we will not have to stop filming for passers by to cross the frame. It will also help in keeping good continuity because nothing will change whilst shooting.(e.g. a parked car moving)

We have decided to use this alley to film in because it is secluded so we can film without the worry of passers by getting in the frame. It also suits the idea that we have about a character pushing another on in a bush. It is also close to the groups base so we do not have to waste time travelling there.

In preparation for filming we have gone to places, which we think suit the type of atmosphere that we would like to capture in our film and have taken photos of them. We have done this to make sure that we are aware of all the elements in that location and so that we can have something to look at whilst planning our film.

Storyboard draft

This is our draft story board. It outlines all of the scenes, edits and shots that we are going to film.

music

We have decided that the music we are going to use for our Trailer is Trip- Who's that

Costume Moodboard

This moodboard shows the main conventions of wardrobe. Most male characters are dressed in Hoodies and Track-suit bottoms or Jeans. They are also unkept and dirty, which shows the audience that they are "rough" and do not come from a good background. The girls are always dressed provocatively with short skirts and tops, this shows their place in the film, as they are usualy only sex objects. Their dress sense seperates the two types of women- If they are wearing dirty unkept clothes, they are seen by the audience as dirty and somewhat "easy". The other type of girls are seen as more high class and less provocative. They tend to wear smarter clothes and their hair/makeup is better kept.

This information is going to help us choose what our characters are going to wear. This is particularly important in a Teaser Trailer because there is not alot of time to tell the audience about the characters. Costume is a very quick, effective way of telling the audience about the character because they make assumptions and judge the character by their clothes.

Location moodboard

I have created this moodboard to make it easier for us to identify the location conventions of this genre. It will also hopefully help us decide what locations we are going to film at. I have created this moodboard by compiling screenshots from the trailers of the films Kidulthood, Shank and 4,3,2,1. I have found that the locations featured the most are typical inner city areas, consisting of high rise buildings and dingy alleys. These places would suit us and would be easy to film at because there are areas around our city that are similar. This would be both time and cost effective as we will not have to pay for transport or spend time traveling to large inner city areas such as London.

Teaser Trailer Analysis

This Teaser lasts less than a minute, it also does not give much away about the storyline. These features are typical conventions of a Teaser. However this Teaser does contest with one major convention- only using non-digetic sound, as the people screaming is clearly audible(digetic). I think that the producers have decided to use digetic sound to give the audience an impression of the film without going into too much time consuming detail, as screaming is a typical convention of the horror genre.

There are flashing lights throughout. This helps the edits flow together better and creates a sense of urgency. It also makes the audience wonder what the flashing lights are representing, as the characters scream/run every time there is a flash.

The titles give the audience the basic plot line, this is time effective and it tells the audience what is going on without giving too much away.

The camera also doesn't focus on one person in particular, just as crowd. Any individuals that are seen on screen are not focused on long enough for the audience to form an opinion or stereotype of them.

Teen Drama Moodboard

I have created this moodboard by using screenshots from trailers of Teen Drama movies(Kidulthood, Adulthood, 4321, Shank)The conventions of trailers are very clear in this Moodboard. The overall look of the shots are very dark. This is because it shows the overall mood of the film very effectively as it does not require long establishing shots which would be unsuitable for trailers. Sex and violence often features in the trailers. I think this is because the producers know that these things are what attracts the target audience to watch the film.

Initial idea and feedback

On the 14th September my group presented our initial ideas to the rest of our class.

Our initial idea
We want to produce a Teaser Trailer advertising a teen drama film. We would like to include the following conventions:

• Drugs
• Sex
• Hoodies
• Violence

The feedback we recieved and the changes we will make

• "Examiners are getting bored of marking hoodie films, so they might lower your grade because of it". We are going to continue producing a trailer under the Teen Drama genre, but we are going to use different conventions to make sure that our Trailer is original.
• "You need to make sure that your Trailer is long enough, so that it doesn't look like you haven't done much because you are lazy- not because it is the convention" Teaser Trailers only last between 30-60 seconds, to avoid only doing a minimum amount of work we are going to make our Trailer last for the maximum amount of time allowed for a Teaser.
• "How are you going to make your Trailer original?" We are going to make the storyline different to any other film that has come out recently. However we can't make it too original because we have to follow certain conventions to make the Teaser a good standard.

What is a Teaser Trailer?

We have decided to produce a Teaser Trailer. A Teaser Trailer is different to a typical trailer because it usually only lasts between 30 and 60 seconds. It is also released up to 18 months before the film can be seen at the cinemas. The idea behind this is to tease the audience, let them know that the film is upcoming and to get them interested in the film. Teasers often contain very little actual film footage, which is partly due to the fact that it hasn't yet been filmed and to make the audience wonder what the film is about. They are used in conjunction with other advertising products such as posters. They wouldn't be effective if they were the only type of advertising used because they would not give the audience enough information and would therefore be discarded.

Production ideas

Idea 1
A group of teenagers find some money in the middle of the street. They take it and spend it all on cars, clothes, drink and parties. Drug dealers find out that their stolen money was taken by a group of teenagers and hunt them down. The group end up accidently killing a member of the drug gang , landing themselves in more trouble. The group try to run for their freedom, both the police and the gang are after them and want to bring them to justice- only one can be the winner.

Shot list
Girl hitting gang member round the head with something
Opening a bag of money
Shot of money
Getting out of a nice car

Research- Shank trailer analysis

I have chosen to analyse this trailer because it is the same genre as the trailer that we are going to make (Teen Genre).

Camera

I have decided to list what types of camera movements are used in this trailer because it will give me an idea about what to use in our production.

• Crabbing
• Dolly
• Long shot
• Close up
• Match on action
• Extreme closeups
• Panning
• Mid shots
• Point of view
• Over the shoulder shots
• Tracking
• Sweeping panorama shot

Editing

• Quick jump cuts- Create a sense of urgency and makes the viewer think that something is happening that they aren't seeing. It forces them to look between the lines and to form their own opinion about what is happening. This involves the viewer, so that they are more likely to go and see the film as they will want to know what happens.
• Slight pauses between cuts- Blackness- Creates a sense of contrast between half of the trailer and the other. Separates and emphasises the happiness and darkness parts of the film. The blackness suggests that the film will be dark in places. This awakens the viewers connotations which also injects them into the film. The producers did this intentionally to make the audience want to know what happens as they will already feel involved, so they are more likely to watch the film.
• Stills- There are several pauses, the last less than a second, throughout the trailer. This makes the audience linger on a specific part of the trailer, adding to its significance, E.g. The reaction of a character after he has been stabbed

Sound

• Digetic- A minimal amount of digetic sound used. This is because it would not affect the overall mood of the trailer in a way that would make the audience want to watch it. It is therefore unnecessary. The only form of digetic sound apart from the speech of the characters (which is kept to a minimum) is a dog barking. I think that they use this because it adds to the aggressive atmosphere of the trailer.
• Non digetic- Music beat spontaneously with quick cut edits music. The music that they have used has no lyrics- this is because they do not want the audience listening what the singer is saying rather than the characters appearing in the trailer. The beat of the music is also very noticeable, it also quickens as the tension grows. This makes me think that this music was also chosen because it could represent the heart beat of the main character which is quickening with anger and adrenalin. The beat also adds to the dramatic atmosphere of the trailer.
• Dialogue- The speech is kept to a minimal amount to keep the amount of information given to the audience to a minimum. This is so that they are still kept wondering what is happening and what will happen, therefore they are more likely to want to watch the film. When the characters do talk they speak with a thick London accent and regularly use slang. This is to "harden" the characters and make them more intimidating as it awakens the audiences connotations of inner city gangs who are notorious for their violent behaviour. The connotations make the audience have certain expectations of what the film will be about and what the plot will involve.
• Sound Bridges- Sound bridges are where music/sound continue from one shot to the next,over the edit. are used to make the trailer flow better and make the audience link each shot to the next more efficiently.

Mise en Scene

• Costume- All of the male characters are wearing hoodies, which awakens the audiences connotations of violent youths. The clothes also appear creased and dirty, which suggests that they are not clean cut members of society. The female characters are not seen as often as the male characters, however when they are present they are only dressed in their underwear and/or are stripping, suggesting to the audience that they are promiscuous.
• Makeup- The males are not wearing any visible makeup. This is to avoid conflicting with their tough image. The women are only wearing eye makeup which is to show the audience that they do not care about being preen, however they have to wear some makeup to add to their promiscuous character.

My group

My group consists of:
Me (Kayleigh Harris)
Dan Twinn-Waters
Nikki Thorpe

Initial Brief

2. A promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with two of the following three options:
a website homepage for the film;
a film magazine front cover, featuring the film;
a poster for the film.