Focus Group

Here is some feedback that I recieved from my focus group

When I first started editing my footage taking inspiration from other trailers I had analysed I thought about adding a voice over to the trailer. These voice overs are usually done by a male, going against conventions I thought about having a female voice over but after recording some dialogue it didn't go. I then decided to not have a voice over at all and just have it all come up as text on screen throughout the trailer.

In one of my first cuts as the release date appears on screen you heard the male character scream for help (this creating some suspense because the audience wouldn't know what was happening to the character.) Some mentioned that it didn't create my desired effect, and after disucssion I decided to cut it out.

Other feedback I recieved was that some parts of the trailer could be played quicker to speed up the pace of trailer. Also I was told some clips shown could have been cut down because of their length especially with the start and end not being focused on the action, all I needed to show was my characters coming into shot. After cutting the clips down I found that it added to the trailer a lot because it quickened the pace.

When creating my soundtrack I used loops from garage band. I had this loop all the way through the trailer at first, someone commented on saying it was a good loop to use with its eerie sound but was to repetative. With my next edit I decided to have the loop just play once at the start of my trailer and then go into other loops that aren't as repetative.

After watching my trailer I asked the focus group if they understood the narrative of the story and understood what was happening to the characters, after asking them this question I decided to ask the group about the age limit for my film because when researching I looked at trailers aimed at 12 and over, so would my target audience be suitable? Their reply being they yes depending on what happened to the character at the end of the film, which also shows I didn't give too much away in my trailer.

Magazine Front Cover - Total Film - Star Trek

Preview

Analysis of Magazine Front Cover - Total Film - Star Trek

Cover image - with the image being black and white, the image of the character is the main character of the film the magazine's main article is about.

Red and white font constantly used throughout to stand out on the black and white image.

Mast Head - near the top of the page just under some headings so it would still be seen when on a magazine rack. Being in a bold font it stands out, as well as being white it stands out because of the image.

Cover line - Telling you the title of the film which is the main feature article of the film. The bold font makes it stand out on the page as well as the size of the font making it attract the readers eye straight away.

Puffs - '4 amazing covers, collect all 4' bigs up the magazine and gets the reader to buy the magazine again especially fans of the film.

Plugs - They tell you what else is in the magazine as well as the main article. Also the use of explicits with some letters being starred out. 


The banner down the side of the magazine tells you the issue number and some of the film titles the issue was concentrating as well as the main article and those at the top of the cover.

Magazine Front Cover - Empire - HellBoy 2

Analysis of Magazine Front Cover - Empire - HellBoy 2

Mast Head - Still uses the usual colour of the magazine which is red they also keep the bold font which makes it stand out on the page. They add flames to the mast head because they are relating it to the film, with the main character being able to create fire.

Cover Line - The cover line for the magazine is just telling you what film the main article is about, to add to the cover line they use headings above and below the main text. They place the cover line central at the bottom of the page, placing it over the picture. By having the text in white and bold it stands out against the picture making it eye catching for the reader.

Background - by using a plain black background it makes everything on the page stand out especially with the colour scheme used.


The plugs the magazine have used once again fit well to the house style. With the main heading being in white to catch the readers attention first, then the subheading being in gold so it is still readable but just adding a bit more information on what that article could be about. 

Magazine Front Cover - Total Film - Jennifer's body

Analysis of Magazine Front Cover - Total Film - Jennifer's body

Mast head - with its bold font in red it makes the mast head stand out as well as it being placed at the top of the page.

Main Image -  With the main image covering the mast head it shows that the reason they can do this is because of it being such a well known magazine that regular buyers will know which magazine it is without having to see the full name. Using the main character of the film which their main article is based on. The full length image of Megan Fox wearing the cheerleader costume she wears in the film,  will also attract not only the regular buyers but also a different audience.

The main pieces of text relating to the main article are placed on the page in red so the reader can link them together. The text then relates to the main cover image with 'the deadly' with Megan Fox having blood one her hands and dripping down the image and onto the floor.

Total Film also compares to Empire Magzine with the mast head being at the top of the page, they also have similar placing of their issue number, month of it being sold and the price of the issue.

The house style of the cover also links to the main image with the use of blue making it stand out on the page with it being the main headings for the articles. They also use the colour grey a lot on the cover somtimes as backgrounds and others to make the parts stand out such as the 'biggest' at the top banner of the page.

At the top of the page you see photos from movies that have are also featured in the magazine with Total Film claiming its their 'biggest preview ever!'

Magazine Front Cover - Empire - Harry Potter

Analysis of Magazine Front Cover - Empire - Harry Potter

Placing the mast head at the top of the page makes it viewable for someone going to purchase the magazine will be able to see it on the stands, also the bright red font makes it stand out compared to the dark background and picture. 

The text used is all bright colours such as red, white and yellow to make it stand out from the dark background.

The astrix after Harry Potter at one side of the cover links to the other astrix on the oppostie side of the page, the astrix at the opposite side of the page "Bloody Hell!" is a well known quote to be spoken by one of the main characters in many of the films. The quote also makes a strong link to what the article could be about, with the subheading 'Harry comes out fighting' relates to what has happened in the film just realsed and also relates to the picture because you see Harry with cuts and covered in markings.

The box under all the names of movies that the magazine will be talking about in their 'Preview Special' contains some characters from films have been mentioned above.

Magazine Front Cover - Total Film - Inception

Analysis of Magazine Front Cover - Total Film - Inception

Mast head - In the same font as usual issues but also links to the main article, with it being a aerial view of buildings. 


Plug - 'Tron everything you need to know' tells the reader that they as well as the main article on Inception they have articles on other films that have been recently released. 


The background image also relates to the main article with it being of some of the buildings the occur in the film itself, the colour of the image is a very cold blue which adds to the eeriness and confusion of the photo. 


The main image stands out against the background because of how dark the image is. With the back light it creates some eeriness of the image.


The cover line for the magazine 'inside the ultimate head trip' relates to the film.


The colour scheme for the cover is red, white and silver which makes everything on the page stand out. The silver creates an illusion on the page which relates to the film because of it being based on an illusion.


The 'plus' appears twice on the page one in word form and the other being a plus sign (+) allowing the makers to vary the text and sometimes not use up as much space or sometimes to use more space. 

Magazine Front Cover - Empire - Captain America

Analysis of Magazine Front Cover - Empire - Captain America

The background allows everything on the cover stand out because even though they have used the American flag to relate to the film, but have darkened the image to allow the text to stand out.

Having 'magazine of the year' above the mast head, it would be the first thing people see, if they were looking at a magazine rack.

Mast Head - Being in a bold font it stands out, as well as being white it stands out on top of the darker background. 

Cover image - They have placed the image on top of the mast head. even though the background behind the image is dark, they have added a shadow to the image to make the main character of the film stand out even more. 

Cover line - Telling you the title of the film which is the main feature article of the film. The bold font makes it stand out on the page as well as the size of the font making it attract the readers eye straight away. What gets the readers attention is because of where they have placed the cover line, with it being directly placed in the centre of the page.

The tagline 'how summers biggest superhero went to war' 

Puffs - 'meet Marvel's first avenger' stands out on the page with it being placed in a yellow circle.

Plugs - They tell you what else is in the magazine as well as the main article. 

The banner at the bottom of the magazine tells you about a special magazine inside of the main magazine telling you about the latest sci-fi films.

Magazine Front Cover - Empire - Dark Knight

Analysis of Magazine Front Cover - Empire - Dark Knight

The mast head is the usual font and colour as most Empire issues, this is unusual because with other issues when they have a set colour scheme the colour would change too. Which could be compared to Total Film as well eg. Inception Cover. It is also placed at the top of the page like most issues.


Unlike looking at your typical magazine front cover, this cover is different. Usually the cover line of the magazine is the name of the film that the magazine is focusing on mainly, where as for this issue the title is placed at the top of the page along with it telling the reader it is a world exclusive. Also the cover line of this issue is placed differently to usual magazine layouts with it being placed at the side of the image instead of across the centre covering the picture.


Apart from the typical red mast head the colour scheme goes with the costume of the character featured on the film, the colours are green, purple and white. The green being the brighter colour is used for the words that needed to catch the readers eye first, such as the 'joker' which is the character they are focusing on.


They also like most magazines have placed a plug on the cover to tell the readers what else is in the magazine.

Production Schedule

Production Schedule

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Location Reece - The Common Room

Location Recce - Common Room

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Location Recce - The Sixth Form Art Room

Location Recce - Sixth Form Art Room

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Location Recce - Astroturf

Location Recce - Astroturf

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Location Recce - The Boys Changing Rooms

Location Recce - PE Boys Changing Rooms

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Location Recce - The Girls House

Location Recce - The Girls House

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Location Recce - The Boys House

Location Recce - The Boys House

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Target Audience

My decision on what my target audience is has been based on the age restrictions of the films I have analysed and who I would I want to aim the film at. 


A lot of the films I have researched have been psychological thrillers and being in the mind of someone who is becoming obsessed with a certain person, wanting them and not going to give in until they get what they want. 


Also in the film  trailer's I researched contained some violence indicating that there would also be some more violence throughout the film itself, because of violence being a main part of the films this makes the age restriction on the film higher, and with my piece not containing a large amount of violence it can be rated lower. The main character usually being a man is being chased by a woman, and when she can't have him this often leads to use of violence. 


I have also thought about why my film could be aimed at a lower age of viewers, one main reason is that because the story is set in a secondary school which is what an audience of people around 12-18 can relate to. It also contains the use of the social networking site Facebook and how it is used in their every day lives, which a lot of people today can relate to. I also think my film could be aimed at a lot of teenage girls because a lot of girls go through the problems my main female character are going through, the problems of getting mixed signals and then struggle to tell the boy they like how they feel. 

Scripting the Trailer

Release date - February 14th 2012

"her obsession for one goes a step too far"

"can send a girl into madness"

"one girl"

"one look"

"an unintentional event"

"but will she go too far?"

"in an every day school"


All these will either be spoken as a voice over or as text on the screen"now you're part of my collection" - spoken - final frame of the trailer

Outline of what will be in my trailer ...

Crowded corridor - when they first meet

 See her friends request
- pressing accept

Her point of view shot from her bedroom window
- seeing him outside her house - taking photos
 
Copy of his timetable in her diary - follow to PE

Boy and friends playing on the Astroturf
- her stealing his jacket from the changing room

Girl sat in art room
- drawing pictures of him
(zooms into picture - zooms out)
To see the picture on her bedroom wall

See him going into his house - followed him home

Placing a pin on a map on her bedroom wall - Home

His chat message to her - "I'm sorry"

Writing her feelings in her diary
- tears falling onto the page

See him tied to a chair - depth of field
- seeing her obsession
"now you're part of my collection"

Institutional Information - Release Date

The film will be released on Valentines Day (February 14^th) 2012, which is unconventional because most films released on that certain day are romance or romantic comedy. My film is about love and the romance between two people but with a twist.

I have decided that the trailer is going to be unconventional of a thriller also because of some of the footage taken.

Budget

Production Budget

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The remaining £3,080 of the films budget would be spent on marketing the film including: 
The trailer
The posters
Internet advertising
and Billboards

Contingency Plan

What would I do if something went wrong?

10% of my budget would be saved for if something went wrong.

These scenarios could be:
- If my main actors couldn't be present for filming, where I could get somebody else to play their part.
- If I couldn't get a specfic location for filming, would have to find somewhere similar to film. 
- If I couldn't get hold of certain equipment I needed for filming on that day, or if equipment broke and couldn't be replaced straight away.

Themes employed in my film

Genre

Institutional Information

Title of the film: Madly In Love

Studio name: Innocent Studio
Distribution company name: Harpoon Pictures
Production name: Ginnion Productions

Key Actors and Personnel

Director and Producer - Iona Ginn
Main Female lead, Grace Summers - Emily Mason
Main Male lead, Chris Laws - Lewis Fennel

Boys friends - Will Tollerfield
                       - Ryan Ward

Plot Synopsis

The story starts on the first day of a new term and in a crowded corridor, you see a girl fighting her way through the crowd when she bumps into a boy. Keeping constant eye contact this is when her obsession starts, with this the girl starts getting mixed signals about his feelings for her.

Throughout the film you see the girl writing her feelings in a diary she has bought, her feelings of love, happiness, anger, pain and sadness.

At points you see him out with friends and because she see’s him she stands staring at him and his friends shout abuse at her.

At school she is a talented pupil and spends most of her time in the art room drawing and since her obsession for him has started she draws pictures of him, and when she gets home she puts them on her wall and this expands over the next couple of months of her obsession, the wall includes a map of the village where they live and string representing where he has been including a little marker placed on the point where he lives.

Like all teenagers they both have Facebook so after adding him as a friend, this gives her a chance to keep an eye on him such as what he is doing, who he’s talking to and where he could be going, she also takes his mobile number off of the site so she can text him, even though he would never know it was her.

As well as drawing pictures of the boy she ‘loves’ whenever she has the chance she also takes photos of him to add to her wall.

Her obsession for this boy is taking over her life, one day when she see’s him going into PE she goes into the changing room after he has left and starts taking his stuff such as his jacket.

One day she doesn’t turn up at school and he comes round to her house to see if she is okay because rumor’s had gone round the year about why she wasn’t there, once again giving her mixed signals because she thinks he must care about her.

One night she finally gets the courage to tell him how she feels but all he does is apologise because he doesn’t feel the same way about her, this is the last straw for her because she has to have him.

After months of waiting she decides that today is the day she’s going to get the man she wants, and when he leaves to go home he leaves behind some work, this giving her the perfect opportunity to get him to her house, she lures him to her house by telling him she has his work.

When he arrives her mother sends him upstairs to her room but when he gets there her room is pitch black and suddenly gets hit round the head and wakes up tied to a chair having to face her obsession.

Trailer - Single White Female

Analysis of Single White Female Trailer

• You are told the name of the film towards the end of the trailer because it wants you to watch the whole trailer to find out what it’s called. It also matches with the voice over.
• Told who is starring in the film. Given to us by use by the voice over and their names appear on the screen.
• We see a lot of action from the film including when she is writing the ad for a flat mate, and then the good times of them living together and then once Jennifer Jason Leigh’s character copying the character of Alison and trying to kill her, so you see a lot of the action.
• The music gives us a lot of clues about what type of film you were going to watch. The use of strings and repeated piano parts gives an eerie atmosphere.
• The voice over for the trailer adds tension to the trailer, because of the tone of his voice. Also because of the scripted parts he is saying.
• The speed of the trailer alters as it goes on, because at the start of the trailer the speed is slow because you are not expecting anything to happen, then once you find out what Pedra’s plan is and the action appears on the screen the speed quickens up.
• In the last frame of the trailer you see her lying/ being pushed to the floor and looks right towards the camera, which creates the effect that she is talking to the audience “be careful she’s crazy” is that she is warning the audience to watch out for her.
• I feel that the poster and trailer equally attract the audience just in different way. In the trailer I think the action showed along with the voice over would make the audience want to see the film. Where as with the poster it shows you both characters and the way the poster is laid out with one character being in the dark it could represent the evil side of her. On the poster they have placed some text, which are like the words that the narrator would say on the trailer.

Trailer - Obsessed

Analysis of Obsessed Trailer

• We are told the name of the film at the end of the trailer because it creates some suspense throughout the trailer for the audience when they want to know what the film is called.
• In the trailer we are not told who is starring in the film but from the action we see well-known actors and actresses playing the main characters.
• We see various pieces of action from the film that helps tell the story to the audience.
• The music builds up tension throughout the trailer especially the drumbeats that add to the dramatic tension of the action the action you are seeing. Also the strings playing under the drumbeat add eeriness to the action.
•  There is not a complete voice over throughout the film, you do hear lines from the film without seeing the character speaking but then it cuts to you seeing the character.
•  Compared to how we would see the film in the cinema the action of the trailer is slow at first because it is just getting you into the story but once the audience is gripped by the story the speed picks up along with the music.
• In the very last frame of the trailer we are shown the date in which the film is going to be released. It is shown in the same font as all the other texts has appeared in throughout the trailer with there being a black background you see the silver text but also they enlarge some text behind in pink which contrasts well with both the background and main text. In the frame you see 'in theatres spring' as the front text and the year in the pink background font. Also in the last frame you see the films website 'AreYouObsessed.com'.
•  I feel that the trailer is more effective in making me want to go and see the film than the poster because you get a lot more information out of the trailer. There are bits of information on the poster that you don't get in the trailer such as the names of the actors and actresses staring and the month the film actually comes out.

Trailer - Fatal Attraction

Analysis of Fatal Attraction Trailer

• Like most trailers they show you the name of the film at the end of the trailer to keep you in suspense and it also keeps you watching the trailer to find out what it is called.
• We are told who is starring in the film right at the end of the trailer along with the directors name and who is producing the film, the trailer doesn't gives you the names of the actors like most trailers do. The names are in a smaller font and are not put in your face because you don't need to be told who they are because the two main characters are well known film stars.
• We see varied action from the film, which shows the audience how the story develops.
• The music gives us some clues about the type of film it could be especially with the low strings under the spoken dialogue, creates tension because you don't know what will happen.
• The speed of the action in the trailer differs from what you would see when watching the film; the action is slow which blends in well with the music because together they create tension.
• In the very last frame of the trailer you see the names of the people who wrote and adapted the screen play, the producer and the director, all of this is in white, which stands out on the black background. Also something else stands out from the black background is the yellow writing which says 'coming soon to a cinema near you'.
• I feel that the poster and trailer are equally effective in their own way because of how they tell the audience the story. The poster is effective because you can see both the characters clearly and have the actors names above them, but what is most effective about the poster is that of how it looks like a torn photo of the pair and in the middle the text is telling the audience a hint of what the story is about.