Evaluation - How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stage?

I have used various new media technologies throughout the whole process of my coursework. Below I will state each one and explain how I used it and for what purpose.

Scribd.com

• This is a document upload site which enables you to upload word documents and embed them onto sites such as this one.
• It's quite easy to use all you have to do is create an account on Scribd then just choose upload and select the document you want to upload.
• I've used this on my blog to break up text and make it more appealing on the eye.
• I have also used it for a genre research table that I have done as tables cannot be done on normal posts on Blogger.
• http://lornasa2bloggy.blogspot.com/2009/11/genre-research.html here's an example of the use of Scribd on my blog.
• Being able to use a new media technology on my blog like Scribd means it allows me to produce a blog that i much more appealing on the eye.

Podcasts

• We chose to try using this concept of a Podcast to speak about what we'd done so far in the week and the plans for the week ahead.
• We saw it as something a bit different to put on the blog compared to us just writing notes, it would be a more interesting way of communicating to viewers of our blog.
• This enabled us to be more interactive with our blog.
• Here is our first Podcast: http://lornasa2bloggy.blogspot.com/2009/11/podcast-51109.html

Facebook

• We used Facebook to get our audience feedback.
• We uploaded our final cut teaser trailer onto the networking site and asked for comments from our 'Friends.'
• It was an affective concept to use as there is a wide audience.
• By using this networking site it meant we had a variety of feedback from different people from different backgrounds and also saved us time as if we couldn't have used Facebook we would of had to ask people personally to give us feedback.

Blogger

• I've used Blogger to keep an account of my process in my coursework and to keep a record of research as well.
• This is an easier way to process my coursework as it is all done in one place which can be accessed on any computer.
• You can also upload videos and have a much more interactive way of presenting your coursework.
• Using a blog to present my coursework rather than simply writing it up means that it is more appealing and interesting to viewers and it's also easier to keep a constant live log of everything I have done.

IMDB

• IMDB is a movie database website which has all sorts of details on a variety of films.
• There are details such as budgets, box office figures, actors etc...
• This website has been very helpful during the process of producing my coursework.
• The most helpful details I have got from the website are the budget and box office takings for films similar to mine such as Pride and Prejudice and Becoming Jane, I have used these figures in my intertextual research.
• If I didn't have access to these sort of details I would struggle to understand the genre that I have worked in (period drama) and therefore find it a struggle to produce my final piece with a detailed understanding in terms of my target audience.

Photoshop

• I have used Photoshop to produce my teaser poster, magazine front cover and film poster.
• We took pictures while we were shooting our footage then used them to make our ancillary texts.
• There are allot of different tools on Photoshop that make it possible to create a professional looking poster/magazine cover.
• This is the film poster: http://lornasa2bloggy.blogspot.com/2009/12/ancillary-text-film-poster.html
• This is the magazine front cover: http://lornasa2bloggy.blogspot.com/2009/12/ancillary-text-magazine-front-cover.html
• This is the teaser poster: http://lornasa2bloggy.blogspot.com/2009/12/teaser-poster.html
• Without using Photoshop the ancillary texts would be nowhere near the quality they are and multiple images wouldn't bee able to be used.

iMovie

• We edited and produced our whole teaser trailer on iMovie.
• Its quite simple to use and has a variety of tools such as transitions that can be very effective.
• In one of my previous posts I have gone into more detail of the positives and negatives of iMovie: http://lornasa2bloggy.blogspot.com/2009/12/software_21.html

iDVD

• Using iDVD meant we could produce a professional looking DVD.
• iDVD produces a 'start' page for your DVD so it comes up with he option 'play movie.'
• It just helps to finish off the DVD.

Audio Recorder

• We used this to record our soundtrack and our voice over.
• The recording quality is very good and is easy to use.
• Using this piece of new media technology was better than using a camcorder to recorded audio as it gives a sharper more precise finish.

Camcorder

• We used a Canon digital camcorder MD101 which we recorded onto a DV tape.
• It was easy to use and gave good results.
• I have written further information about the camcorder on a previous post: http://lornasa2bloggy.blogspot.com/2009/12/hardware_21.html
• The camcorder had a zoom, the footage filmed was clear and of good quality.

Scanner

• We used a scanner to upload our storyboard.
• Using the scanner meant that we could upload our first storyboard along with the pictures we drew to represent shots
• Here is the storyboard we scan into the computer then uploaded onto the blog: http://lornasa2bloggy.blogspot.com/2009/11/storyboard.html

YouTube

• I used YouTtube to view teaser trailers for different films but especially the genre of period drama.
• I then analysed the trailers for my genre research.
• YouTube is an easy video search engine that is quick and efficient to use.
• If I hadn't of used YouTube I would of had to have searched for teaser trailers which would have taken more time.
• Although one problem was that if I wanted to use YouTube I had to use it at home as it is blocked on the school computers.

Evaluation - How effective is the combination of your main product and the ancillary texts?

Producing a teaser trailer is in fact just another marketing strategy to make your film successful. To accompany our teaser trailer we developed a teaser poster, a main film poster and a magazine front cover.

A teaser trailer is a form of media that would typically be shown either on TV during ad breaks, in the cinema before a film (of a similar gene to that being advertised) or on websites such as YouTube. So therefore teaser trailers accommodate the interactive market.

However a film needs a presence elsewhere too. For example on Billboards and advertised in
magazines (type depends on the target audience of the film) such as Closer and Look for the genre of our film and our target audience. This is wear our main film poster would appear.

Another market that also has to be addressed is the audience with a great interest in film, those who buy specialised film magazines, our magazine front cover featuring our film addresses this audience.

It also has to be considered that a film featuring on a film magazine front cover means that the film has been publicised enough to be 'worthy' of front cover space. This means that this type of publicity confirms that your marketing strategy has been successful so far.

The teaser trailer, main film poster and magazine front cover all have the same basic aspects that will attract the target audience. They all link together as a 'brand' for the film and if put into action would hopefully attract the target audience efficiently and effectively.

Evaluation - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

We seeked audience feedback at different stages of putting our teaser trailer together. Once we had produced our rough cut we showed our teaser trailer to people in our class. Audience feedback is a vital process of editing and producing a film even big budget films. An example is Bridget Jones Diary. When a scene from the film was one where the male actor turns to face the camera and is wearing a stereotypical Christmas jumper was shown to a small American they didn't get the comical aspect. This made the producers realise that they would have to change aspects of the film to appeal to an American audience. Another example that is more specific to our genre is Pride and Prejudice. When producers showed the film to an American sample audience they didn't understand the ending of the film as their isn't a kiss between the main female and male protagonists. So from this feedback the producers filmed an alternative ending for the American audience which had the main male and female protagonist sharing a kiss to give clear anchorage that they were together.

This is some of the feedback we got and how we addressed the negative feedback:

Some of the shots are too dark.
Due to the problems with our location we were working to a tight time schedule. Therefore when we shot some of the footage it was darker than we would have liked. These are: the mid shot of the gentleman, the mid shot of the main female protagonist and the gentleman and finally the over the shoulder shot of the main female protagonist laughing. Again due to the time schedule we didn't have time to re-shoot these shots, we also considered starting to edit in Final Cut but after much deliberation we decided this wasn't an option due to time. Therefore we decided to use a 'wash in' transition so that the trailer fades from a white background to a dark shot. Doing this means that the viewers eye is adapted to the colour change slowly so that the content in the shot isn't as difficult to see.

More anchorage needed to show its a teaser trailer.
The rough cut doesn't have any non-diegetic music or title cards with text. As it is a rough cut we still had these to add however it made us consider that more anchorage was needed. So we added more title cards to signify the story in more detail and also to give the viewer a further insight into the main female protagonist feelings and emotions.

More anchorage needed to explain the story as there's no diegetic voice or non-diegetic voice overs.
When we began planning our teaser trailer we debated whether to have a non-diegetic voice over or not. We decided not to but agreed to consider adding a voice over if audience feedback suggested we needed one. This is what has been suggested that we need a voice over. We decided to use the main female protagonist's voice. Not particularly to tell the story but more to give the viewer an insight into her view of the story.

Final Piece

Although we've made changes to address the problems highlighted through our audience feedback there are still flaws in our final piece. Some of the shots we would have liked to have re-shot due to the lack of light. We would also of liked to have added some extra footage of the 'love triangle.' Regarding the soundtrack we would of liked to of had a piano accompany the flute as it would of added further drama to the teaser trailer.

Evaluation - In what way does your media product use, develop and challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In the process of developing our teaser trailer I have researched many different teaser trailers from horror to romance. Then as we decided to concentrate our genre on period drama I specialized my research on this genre.

In general, a teaser trailer's main aim is to purely advertise a film and its release. It is stated that the length of a teaser trailer is approximately 30 to 60 seconds long but while looking at other teaser trailers this doesn't seem to be a fixed rule. For example The Duchess teaser trailer is 1.49 minutes long. Our teaser trailer, in total is 2.07 minutes long which is possibly a bit too long so if we were to improve our trailer this is something we could look at, shortening the length.

Another factor that I discovered after researching teaser trailers is the importance of including narrative enigma's. So therefore we included some narrative enigma's in our trailer one being: does the main female protagonist end up with the main male protagonist? We hope that a narrative enigma as influential as this to the plot of the film will attract our target audience and convince them to see the film at the cinema.

Looking at teaser trailers that were of a similar genre as our teaser trailer was the most vital piece of research I did as they had the biggest impact on our trailer.

These are aspects of our trailer that were influenced by my genre research (I will also state the influence the research had on our trailer):

Editing
After looking at a variety of period drama trailers I realised that the editing is always smooth and never too fast.
Although I did realise that as the trailers develop the speed of the clips and transitions do pick up pace and we tried to incorporate this into our trailer
Another factor that I realised was that the transitions in the trailers are always fade ins and outs we also incorporated this into ours except for the dark shots when we used wash In's but this is still a subtle transition so I believe it still fits with the conventions of a period drama teaser trailer.
After looking at the trailer for The Duchess I realised the importance of framing shots, so we concentrated on this for example using the trees in the woods to frame the main female protagonist and using the pillars at the Ball scene.

Lighting
In our teaser trailer we have scenes both at night and in the day time.
This seemed to be the case with other period drama trailers.
The lighting at night was important, so after viewing teaser trailers that featured a Ball scene (The Duchess and Pride and Prejudice) we decided that some outdoor lighting would be appropriate. However we would have to be careful due to the time setting of the early 19th Century. So we had to ensure the lighting was subtle, as though it were candlelight.

Characters
There are three characters in our teaser trailer.
Our main female protagonist is your stereotypical role, such as Keira Knightley in Pride and Prejudice. She is portrayed as a genuine character which will appeal to the target audience. But also she may appeal to the male audience due to the male gaze. This is the view the directors may have had in mind when they cast Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice.
The main male protagonist is a dominant force in the trailer who may split the audiences opinions. This is something we hope will attract our target audience as he is portrayed as mysterious, in the trailer the viewer doesn't get to find out that much about him. This is a similar to the role that Mr Darcy plays in Pride and Prejudice. You could also look at the female gaze as an attraction for a female audience.
The less influential character in the teaser trailer is the gentleman's fiancee. The preferred reading for her is that she is a shy young woman who is oblivious to the situation around her. This would hopefully create sympathy for her from the audience.

Representation
After looking at other period drama teaser trailers I've realized that they only seem to represent the upper class. This is also the case in our trailer. We show the class through costume mostly but also the mise-en-scene. For example the grand house in the mise-en-scene and the pristine countryside. The costume consists of glamorous dresses for the women and a crisp cravat for the main male protagonist.

Soundtrack
All the period drama teaser trailers have non-diegetic music which is instrumental. The music is almost always classical either piano or strings. We chose to use classical music as well however we used the flute rather than the piano or strings. Although if we were to re-do the soundtrack we'd like to have a piano accompanying the flute on the soundtrack as it would signify drama and there would be a noticeable difference in the tempo of the music as the trailer developed.


Not only have we produced a teaser trailer, we have also produced a magazine front cover and a film poster to accompany it. There are aspects of these two texts that have been influenced through research.
Film Poster: http://lornasa2bloggy.blogspot.com/2009/12/ancillary-text-film-poster.html
Magazine front cover: http://lornasa2bloggy.blogspot.com/2009/12/ancillary-text-magazine- front-cover.html

Modes of address/language choice
After looking at a variety of posters and magazines I've realized the importance of addressing your target audience correctly. Each poster and magazine adapts to its audience so it can appeal to them in every way possible. For example, for our magazine front cover we have used a lilac colour for the text, we hope stereotypically that this will attract the wondering eye of a female or even appeal to the codes of the pink pound. Other features on the magazine such as 'Hunk Pattinson speaks out' would hopefully again attract the female through the female gaze.
Our film poster is a little more understated than our magazine front cover. The images on the poster signify upper class through the clothes and the mise-en-scene. The tag line 'sometimes love can't be denied' gives anchorage of the the theme of love which again will hopefully attract our target audience.

Layout
Our magazine front cover layout is very similar to that of Empire's .
Although we have added aspects that will help to attract the female more such as the layout which we have kept simple, not cluttered so therefore more appealing on the eye. We have also kept the layout of our film poster simple even though we've used two images however we have kept one image dominant and the other blending subtly into it so its not too harsh on the eye. Like all film posters we have kept the production detail text small in white at the bottom of the poster so it doesn't intrude on the images and distract the viewer from the main area - the title and tag line.

Final Cut teaser trailer

Software

To edit our teaser trailer we used IMovie06. There are many different transitions that can be applied to your project on IMoive. For producing and editing our trailer we found this very useful as we wanted it to be smooth and affective. We used fade in's and out's to achieve this. We also used a wash in transition for some shots as starting with a white background looked better than starting with a black background where the shots were taken in the dark.

Using IMovie06 also made it easy to upload audio recordings such as the voice over and non-diegetic music. To do this on IMovie you simply just drag it into your project and place it alongside your footage. It's also quite easy to cut audio content and to turn the volume up and down for effect, this was an important editing tool to have as sound is an important aspect of a teaser trailer.

There are some editing tools that aren't present on IMovie06 that would make a difference to our final piece. On IMovie you can't crop shots. In one of our shots there was someone in the background, it was a perfect shot but we were unable to use it as we couldn't crop the mise-en-scene. There is a cropping tool on Final Cut that we could have used if we had edited using this program. However due to our problems with locations we had a very tight time schedule, this meant we were unable to use Final Cut. Another problem we had is that some of our shots were taken at night and they are too dark in our opinion. It would be useful if IMovie had the facility to lighten a shot.

Hardware

To film our teaser trailer we used a Canon digital video camcorder MD101. Before we began to shoot we inserted a DV tape into the camcorder which is what our footage was recorded onto. Before we began to shoot we rewound the DV tape to ensure we didn't record over any previous footage we'd recorded. Also before we shot we held a piece of white paper in front of the camcorder to ensure the tone was appropriate.

The camcorder had a zoom which we used but we did try physically moving the camcorder nearer to the object in question to get a clearer image when it was at all possible. We used a tripod to get more steady shots than if we were to hold the camcorder ourselves. Using the tripod also helped us to film tracking shots more easily by moving the camcorder while attached to the tripod. However one problem that we did encounter was that for the tracking shot in the woods we used a new tripod which was stiff so the camcorder didn't move with ease so the shot was a bit shaky so we had to edit and cut it carefully.

From previous experience last year filming our AS coursework we realised the importance of ensuring that the camcorder battery was fully charged to avoid the problems if the camcorder was to run out of battery. One improvement this year is that every camcorder now comes with a spare battery so this is never a problem. Another improvement this year is that we had the option to use a boom mike however we decided not to use it as we had no diegetic sounds in our trailer.

One new piece of equipment that we used this year was a sound recorder. We used this to record the voice over and soundtrack for our trailer. The quality of the sound was very good and the recorder was very easy to use. It also uploaded onto our teaser trailer with ease. This was done by opening the audio recording in ITunes then 'dragging' it into IMovie to put over our footage.

It was an easy process to upload our footage onto IMovie. All we had to do was click the 'import' option on IMovie and the computer did the rest. However one negative aspect is that it can take a while to upload your footage.

New Soundtrack

As stated in my previous postings relating to our soundtrack we had organised a composer for the music. However in the end our composer was unable to do this for us. We listened to music that we thought would be appropriate for our film trailer and thought Clair De Lunes by Debussy was appropriate and suited the style of the trailer. Although the problem was that it wasn’t copyright free music. So after discussing our situation with our Media teacher we decided to get Clair De Lunes rerecorded by our friend who plays the flute. We thought this style of music suites our film trailer and hopefully will attract viewers who recognise the music. 

Voice Over

After audience feedback we have decided to put a non-diegetic voice over of the main protagonist onto our trailer. Some feedback suggested that we needed more anchorage to suggest the plot of the film.  So we thought it would be appropriate to use the main protagonists voice. This is the dialogue we have added:

"The definition of love is an object of warm affection or devotion. But what do you do when your loves with another, someone else's other. Your love is to be married and it's not you. Do you run away? Do you make him sacrifice everything to be with you? Together forever or apart till death. For All I Know"

2nd Rough Cut with audience feedback

This is our 2nd rough cut...

Audience Feedback

• There is no clear anchorage so consider using a voice over
• There's interference from a mobile phone in the recording of the soundtrack
• The first shot of the main protagonist in the frame, colour goes from the dress

Ancillary Text - Film Poster

Ancillary Text - Magazine Front Cover

Rough Cut with audience feedback

This is our rough cut, we still need to add the non-diegetic music along with further title cards and transitions between the scenes. We're also hoping to work on the lighting in some of the scenes as we believe that they're too dark.

Audience Feedback

• Some of the shots are too dark
• Need to give more anchorage that it is a teaser trailer - although with music and more title cards this will be more obvious
• It looks promising if the changes stated are made

Ancillary text research - Film posters

After researching film posters, particularly from the genre of period drama, I have discovered what needs to be included in a film poster.

What Goes on a poster?

• The key to selling most films is the inclusion of a star actor/actresses or director
• These tend to appear along the top of the poster
• If the director isn't that well known but has directed a famous film use the name of the film to attract attention

Title

• This should be the text that catches the attention of a passer by the most
• Consider working with the title by shaping it or giving it a glow

Tag line

• Make sure the font is different to ensure it stands out from everything else on the poster
• It can appear anywhere on the poster
• It is the slogan for the marketing campaign for the film
• It's aim is to give anchorage and exposition to the viewer

Institutional Listing

• Traditionally appears at the bottom of the poster
• It's usually difficult to read due to small text
• It usually includes: Costume designer, Producer, Executive producer, Co-producer, Editor, Production designer, Director of photography, Music composer, Screenplay, Director, Casting
• It usually begins with Distribution company presents Production companies, a film by Director, principal cast 4-7 names "Film title"
• The names that appear in the institutional listing appear twice the size in CAPS than their title
• Website addresses appear under the listing
• Production logos are place either side of the institutional listing

Reviews

• These are used to advertise the success of your film and what the experts think of it
• They usually have the name of the paper/magazine that has rated it, the star rating and one word that sums up their opinion

Release Date

• The type of film that this poster will be for is likely to be an 'indie' due to the low budget so it might not be released in all cinemas so it may be useful to put 'out on.............. ... in selected cinemas'

Things to remember...

• Make sure the genre is clearly signified in the design
• Appeal to the target audience, use star names and their image and use appropriate language
• Demonstrate use of technology
• Signify tech relationship between the main characters and give exposition to the main plot
• Create narrative anigmas
• Make it eye catching as it is a marketing strategy

Ancillary text research - Film posters

Ancillary text research - Magazine front cover

There are two main film magazines in the industry these are Empire and Total Film, respectively produced by Bauer and Future. There are other film magazines such as 'indie' alternatives and Sky Movies magazine. There are also film magazines for different age groups.

After researching various film magazines I have discovered there are certain basic codes and conventions for the design of a film magazine front cover:

• It can help to personalise a story, one of the conventions of journalism is 'hang it on a person' this means linking your story to an individual or a group of people
• The basic design elements:
• Text - stories and articles
• Headlines that highlight each story featured on the cover
• Photographs, articles are either text lead or image lead
• Captions that accompany an image
• Text boxes, quotes or summaries from the article

Layout Options

• Text to image ratio
• Formal layout with symmetry or 'cut and paste' look
• The appearance of the images, such as blending into the background or standing out
• Text can either accompany image or be separate
• You can break up the text so it's more appealing on the views eye, this is done by: using short paragraphs, missing lines between between text, using mini headlines for each paragraph and the use of bullet points
• Don't 'crowd' the cover, leave some spaces so it isn't too overwhelming
• Use a boarder of at least 1/4 or even 1/2

Typography

• Choice of text is an important factor to reach a professional look
• Don't use too many font types as it can be confusing for the reader
• Consider using two text types: one for the headlines and subheads and one for the main text
• Serif fonts are easier on the eye than san-serif font, although san-serif font is usually used for headlines as it has a greater impact on the reader's eye
• Use bold instead of CAPS to bring emphasis to a headline as its easier to read
• Font sizes tend to depend on your audience, the young the bigger the font
• Headlines are usually bigger than the main text
• The average text size is between 9 and 12
• Column width of between 8 and ten words is usually appropriate for a magazine front cover as it is easy on the eye

Below is a labelled image of a magazine although it isn't a film magazine it still has roughly the same features that a film magazine has.

New Location - Ghyll Royd School

Our new location, Ghyll Royd School and Nursery, is an old converted Manor House wich is now used as an independent school. We plan to use the entrance for the scene where Emeline attends the Ball and discovers that the man she loves is engaged to her friend. The entrance of the building is perfect although we will have to be careful to make sure we don't have any modern fixture and fittings in the mise-en-scene such as the plack and modern lighting. We're hoping that the pillars at the entrance will signify wealth and frame our shots affectively.

We also plan to use the grounds of the school to shoot our remaining scenes. There are fields around the Manor that we are going to film the scenes where Emeline meets the young gentleman for the first time and there are woods where we also plan to film. Again we'll have to be aware of modern items in the mise-en-scene such as the football posts in the field and street lights that may be seen in the distance in the shots.

Production Schedule

Media, For All I Know Production Schedule

Problems with location

As I stated in a previous posting we chose to locate our setting for our trailer at Bolton Abbey. We decided we wanted to shoot outside an imposing building called Bolton Hall. As the building was owned by Bolton Abbey I emailed the estate office asking for permission to film outside the Hall and also stated to them that we were also planning to film at Strid Woods and next to the River Wharfe by the Abbey.

Bolton Abbey estate office replied stating that they wouldn't grant use permission to film outside Bolton Hall and furthermore that we had to ask written permission to film in Strid Woods and by the river. The email also stated that we'd have to present them with a detailed production schedule with details of times, dates, actors and equipment that we'd be using, they also asked for risk assessments and a copy of school insurance liability policy.

After much thought and deliberation, although the location was perfect, we decided to change our location. This was very short notice but we eventually found a new location that we felt fit with the style of our film trailer.

Our new location is Ghyll Royd School in Burley and Wharfedale.

Teaser Poster

Institutional Context

I have looked at three different period drama films in relation to their distribution and box office figures. This is so I can have a more in depth look at what would be in store for our film if it were to be released.

Pride and Prejudice was produced by many film makers but the most recognisable are Working Title who come under Universal Pictures. The involvement of Universal Pictures means that their is the basis for attracting the American audience as Universal Pictures is an American based film production conglomerate who owns Working Title. Working Title will therefore be involved with the distribution to the British market and Universal Pictures will be involved with the distribution in America. The involvement of such a large production company means the budget was $28,000,000 (estimated) which is quite a large budget meaning that well known actors could be used to attract it's target audience. These strategies to appeal and be able to distribute both in Britain and America was obviously a success as in the opening weekend the film took $2,865,017 in America and £2,529,947 in the UK.

The Duchess had a similar budget, however slightly smaller to that of Pride and Prejudice, £13,500,000. This again meant they could have well known actors such as Keira Knightley (who also appeared in Pride and Prejudice) and Dominic Cooper. Although there wasn't a production company as large as Universal Pictures their were still relatively developed and experienced ones such as Paramount and BBC Films. This is seen in the opening weekend takings in America it was only $190,426 which is quite low this maybe due to the fact that The Duchess's plot isn't as well known as the plot of Pride and Prejudice. The opening weekend in the UK was high but almost half of what Pride and Prejudice made at £1,402,200. One reason for the takings being lower for this film maybe that it didn't have a previous following as it might of had if it had been a piece of English Literature like Pride and Prejudice.

The budget for Vanity Fair was $23,000,000, again this budget is similar to that of the two previous films I've discussed. Two of the main production companies aren't extremely well known, they are Focus Features and Granada Films. From looking at the box office takings for the first weekend it is obvious that this film was a bigger success in America than in the UK. In America it took $6,268,925 in 1,051 screens and took only £204,693 in the UK in only 139 screens. This also shows the main emphasis was on the American audience.

All these films, as there quite big budget films, will advertise through websites such as YouTube and in more recent times on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. They'll also publicise their films with posters on billboards and will set up their own individual websites for the film.

Target Audience

BBFC Rating

We have decided to give our film the rating of PG. We wanted to keep the rating quite low so not to limit our target audience. Films of a similar genre such as Pride and Prejudice have also been given the PG rating. After looking at the BBFC website and seeing the description of the ratings and what recent films have been rated at we came to this conclusion as our film will have similar themes. For example St Trinians: The Legend of Frittons Gold is rated also as a PG due to mild sex reference. This would be the case in our film as we have the theme of romance. Another example is My Father My Lord which is again rated as a PG due to scenes of mild distress. This is another aspect that would affect the rating of our film as the distress the main protagonist portrays may be too distressing for young children.


Although in our trailer all the characters who appear are Caucasian I don't believe this will affect our overall appeal of the film and limit our audience. Other films set in the same time period such as The Duchess don't seem to feature non-Caucasian characters and The Duchess made £1,402,200 at the box office in the first weekend so I don't believe this factor affected the films appeal. The reason why non-Caucasians appear in films set in this era is that multi-ethical societies were nonexistent.

Our film will mostly appeal to females due to the themes of romance and drama but also the stereotypical view that Period Drama's are the female domain. We understand that we haven't necessarily incorporated a stereotypical male theme such as action-adventure but we don't think this will dramatically limit our audience. A film that supports this view is Pride and Prejudice which made £2,529,947 in the opening weekend. Pride and Prejudice has similar themes to our film also one factor that appeared in Pride and Prejudice that we've tried to incorporate into our film is the dominant female main protagonist. This is where we're hoping that the male gaze theory will be applied and that this will be a pull factor for the male audience.

At first glance our film trailer would appear to be aimed at the upper class. This is due to the period drama theme which is frequently stereotyped as appealing mostly to the upper class. Our characters in the film are of upper class themselves and throughout the film the characters remain to be portrayed as upper class through costume and mise-en-scene such as the elegant ball gowns and the grand house. By doing this we avoid stereotyping the lower class. One of the main themes in the film is romance which is such a broad genre that we hope this will attract all audiences, whatever their class.

We have decided to not use a voice over in our trailer, we have also chosen not to use diegetic voices from scenes in the trailer. This is due to the fact that we want the trailer to be based on action rather than words and it avoids the problem of regional accents. If we'd decided to use voices we would have to deliberate over what accent would be suitable. If we chose a Yorkshire accent for example it may have limited our audience. Another factor is that without a voice over the trailer can be shown in countries such as America and not have to be adapted for American viewers.

Our film will almost most definitely appeal to fans of period dramas such as Pride and Prejudice, The Duchess and Vanity Fair. Although another audience that our film may tap into is fans of romantic dramas such as The Notebook.

Our film will probably appeal mostly to the heterosexual female. However it may attratct the 'pink pound' due to the theme of love and romance.

Our stereotypical individual that would be attracted to our film would probably be a female of middle class. As our film is a period drama they'd probably be interested in literature and history. This ties in with the film Pride and Prejudice and we hope that fans of this type of film will be attracted to our film.

Anamatic

Final Proposal

Genre: Romantic period drama
Setting: Early 19Th Century
Target Audience: 15+
Rating: PG
Music: Non-diegetic music, soft romantic
Locations: A field in the country
The woods
Outside a grand house
Casting: A woman in her late teens woman
A young man in his mid-twenties
A young woman in her mid-twenties

Emeline is a young woman who goes out for a walk in the countryside. She falls and a young gentleman comes to her rescue. They spend some time together and Emeline instantly falls in love with the young gentleman. Although she is left heart broken when the gentleman leaves without giving his name. Emeline believes she's lost her true love and will never meet anyone else like the mysterious young gentleman.

Some months later, still pining for the gentleman, she attends a Ball where her friend introduces her to her husband to be. The husband to be is the same gentleman who Emeline believes to be the love of her life. Emeline now understands why the young gentleman was so mysterious and is left devastated. The young gentleman confesses to Emeline that he feels the same way, that he loves her. Both decide they have to be together but the consequences would be devastating. The only choice they have is to leave all that they know behind.

The trailer will show what we believe to be the most crucial parts of the story. There will be scenes of when Emeline fist meets the young gentleman, when he leaves her without giving his name, when she discovers that he is engaged to her friend and when she is reunited with him.

Coursework Options

We decided to choose the option where we could produce a Teaser Trailer. We chose this as the idea appealed to us more than producing a short film as it gives you more scope to be more imaginative and more of a challenge in terms of editing as you have to summarise a whole film in approximately 2 minutes. We also preferred the Ancillary Text productions options that accompanied the Teaser Trailer option.


Media Course Work Options

Assessment Criteria

This is the OCR Media Studies Specification, on pages 70 to 75 you can find the syllabus of how the prouction/coursework is marked, and how the marks are divided up.


Media Spec

Screenplay

For All I Know, Transcript

Soundtrack

We are currently still trying to find a composer to produce a piece of music to accompany our trailer. More details to follow...

Storyboard

Currently I cannot upload the storyboard onto my blog but please find below the link to the first page of our storyboard

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0a1QPPgFJDdu4nZxvndZXBHKV7K36eJhGOad1VehAFzZglw2qt6cry9fyFBYE8xNsDUjQ7WitWunvCZEifBU-eDraAiSoj6aQLiOr6x2t_WWnhVutfRCTl08LGNW1O4qBiuck-LaLJkT/s1600-h/scan0001.jpg

The remaining pages of the storyboard (2 pages) can be found on the link below (this is my colleagues blog with whom I've worked with on this project)

http://megansa2blog.blogspot.com/2009/12/storyboard.html

• Close up of a letter
• Logo
• Extreme long shot of her in the woods
• A Spotlighted Production
• Medium shot of man
• Introducing actors name
• High angle her looking up to camera from floor
• And Brooke Shipley
• Over the shoulder shot (mans shoulder) of her laughing
• Extreme long shot of her walking towards camera
• Over the shoulder shot of him walking away
• Medium shot of her stood outside the Hall in the dark looking sad
• Text
• Side angle shot of her beginning to run
• Side long shot of the man and the woman’s friend opposite the woman
• Extreme long shot of her with her back to the camera walking away and the man going after her and grabbing her hand
• Text
• Long shot rear view of her running away from the camera
• Side view close up of her and him looking at each other and him touching her hair
• For All I Know
• Begins as long shot front view of her running towards the camera suddenly slowing until she reaches the camera – extreme close-up of her face
• Coming Soon

Final Locations

We have chosen the main setting for our film trailer. We've chosen to film our trailer on the Bolton Abbey estate. We've chosen this location due to it's unspoilt landscape which gives anchorage to the countryside setting but also makes it easier to keep the mise-en-scene simple so that their is no evidence of modern day life and therefore in keeping with an early 19th Century setting.

In our trailer the main protagonist will appear outside her house. We wanted it to appear upper class but understated, fitting with the countryside setting and the everyday life that she leads.

Also in our trailer the main protagonist attends a Ball. Obviously due to the early 19th Century it would be nearly impossible to find an inside location to fit with this era so we have decided to film this section of the trailer outside the venue of the Ball. We chose this location due to it's grand appearance which will fit the occasion but along with the greenery still signifies the countryside.

Genre Research

Genre Research Table

Deadlines for A2 Coursework

Monday 16th November

• Complete main pre-production tasks

Casting details

Location scouting

Soundtrack

Storyboard

1st draft of screenplay

Costume/props/makeup requirements

Production schedule

• Presentation on my project
• 2nd Weekly podcast

Friday 27th November

• All material outlined in the storyboard/screenplay recorded and uploaded ready to be edited
• Outline draft idea for accompany piece (eg: magazine article, DVD covert etc...)
• Draft post-production schedule: re-shoots

Podcast 5/11/09

Useful websites for genre research

http://www.perioddramas.com/

http://lightscamerahistory.com/

These websites have been very useful for my genre research. One has a timeline of all Period (costume) Dramas giving the dates of the setting of the films. This means that I can look at film trailers with a similar time setting that we have planned for our film.

Request for a composer for our film

• Tittle:


• We're doing a teaser trailer, approximately a minute long


• Synopsis: A film set in the early 19th century about a young woman who meets a gentleman who she instantly falls in love with but he leaves before she can discover his name. She later discovers that he's marrying her best friend. The young woman and gentleman decide they have to be together but they'll have to leave their current lives behind.


• Genre: Romantic period drama


• Comparable to: Pride and Prejudice meets Sliding Doors


• What type of music we'd like: Obviously with our film being set in the early 19th century we don't want anything modern, possibly piano or strings. We'd like it to be romantic and reminiscent. Possibly something similar to the music used in Pride and Prejudice the film.


• Blog address: lornasa2bloggy@blogspot.com

Music

For our trailer we'd like a romantic melancholy composed piece of music that would fit in with our early 19th century setting. We thought that due to the fact that our time setting is quite unusual it might be best to have someone compose a piece of music for us rather than try and find a copy right free piece that already exists that fits our trailer. We also thought it would be more personal and specific to our trailer and could add something very special and affective to the trailer.

Actors

Our main female protagonist needs to have a look of innocence and youth. Our actress who has appeared in various Upstagers productions is perfect for this role. She has the curled hair that fits with the style of the early 19th century and she is also very petite which seemed to be common among wealthy upper class young women in that era.

Our main male protagonist needs to be an imposing character. He needs to have dark hair and have a somewhat conspicuous look. Although he also needs a softer side that is protective of the ones he cares and loves for.

We're still in the process of casting our main male protagonist so details on this will follow.

Make-up

For our main protagonist, the young woman we would like the make-up to be quite youthful to signify her innocence similar to that of Kiera Knightley's in Pride and Prejudice. Rosy cheeks may also be a interesting concept to play with do to her immaturity that may be visible and the embarrassment that she may feel. Although we want to reach a youthful look we still would like the make-up to be visible as our main protagonist is of upper class.

Make-up will not be especially needed for the male protagonist although possibly powder to reach a more pale look.

Costume

As our film is set in the early 19th Century it's vital we get the costume correct. This means allot of research is needed to be done into the costume. We are aiming to borrow costume from the local acting group - upstagers.

Women's Costume

Here are some of the usual codes of dress for women between 1795 - 1820 which is the time setting of our film:

• Laced corsets were abandoned in favour of of high waisted dresses, similar to the natural figure
• The main clothe styles were based on the Empire Silhouette, dresses were close fitting just below the bust then falling loosely to the ground
• The dresses usually had soft flowing skirts and usually white almost transparent muslin
• As our main protagonist is of Upper class we need to look at the difference between morning dress and evening dress which was a must for women of this status
• As our main protagonist is a young woman we need to concentrate on making her appear like this, young women wore softer shades of colour such as pinks, light blues and lilacs
• The hairstyle for our main protagonist is vital. The style was mass curls worn over the forehead and ears, with longer hair drawn into a loose bun

Men's Costume

Here are some of the normal codes of dress for men between 1795-1820:

• Cut and tailoring became allot more important as it was seen to show quality
• Tightly fitted leather riding breeches reached to the boot tops and were replaced by trousers for more informal wear
• Coats were short at the front and had a tail behind and had a tall standing collar
• Shirts were made of linen with a collar and usually worn with a cravat tied in various styles
• Waistcoats were usually high wasted and squared off at the bottom
• Older men wore wigs still but younger men tended yo have their hair short with curls and long side burns

Codes and Conventions of teaser trailers

To be able to make our own teaser trailer we need to understand the usual codes and conventions of them. Therefore I'm going to look at a variety of teaser trailers all from different genres to establish what codes and conventions we should include in our own teaser trailer

• What is a teaser trailer?
• A teaser trailer is a short trailer advertising a film
• They're usually very short in length anything on average between 30 to 60 seconds although this can vary
• The aim of the trailer isn't so much for tell the viewers what happens in the film but is more aimed at letting the audience know when the film is going to be released
• They're usually released months before the film itself
• A teaser trailer can entice the audience to their film by using narrative enigma's
  

Borat

• The non-diegetic music sounds foreign this suggests that the film will not be set in a English speaking country to begin with


• The main protagonist is speaking to the camera this signifies a documentary style film


• Mise-en-scene: there is a cow in the house this is anchorage that the film isn't going to be realistic and that it may be a comedy

Link to the trailer:http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/borat/teaser-trailer

The Hangover

• Link to the trailer: http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/the-hangover/teaser-trailer


• The first clip in the trailer sets the scene of the plot for the viewer


• Titles appear saying '2 days earlier' the titles are in bright neon like lights which could signifies Las Vegas to the viewer


• A clip of a littered room with beer cans and the characters looking rough signifies that they have been drinking


• The main title of the film appears in bright lights again signifying Las Vegas again and possibly comedy

The Dark Knight

• Link to the trailer: http://www.movieweb.com/video/VI6L0e86UTxA9c


• The trailer starts with just a blank black screen


• There are non-diegetic voices from the film over the trailer


• Blue lines of light move from the centre f the screen out, throughout the trailer these become larger and more frequent


• The light reveals the Batman badge, the audience will realise this due to their prior knowledge of the film


• As the light becomes brighter the Batman sign begins to break up, as is brakes altogether a joker card appears this signifies that the joker may destroy Batman

The Haunted Airman

• Link to the trialer: http://au.video.yahoo.com/watch/6186250/16060206


• All the shots in the trailer have a blue tinge this gives anchorage to the genre of horror


• The titles appear in white on a black background although along with these there is what appears to be fog at the bottom of the screen, this is an object the viewer may associate with horror but also adds mystery to the trailers content


• There are also shots of other objects associated with horror - there's a shot of a full moon and a spider


• The non-diegetic music is also stereotypical horror music to add tension to the trailer


• One title reads 'what will rattle your nerves' this is done to involve the viewer in the trailer and to get them engaged with whats happening


• Another title says 'Twilight's Robert Pattinson' this could attract a new audience who are fans of the actor


• As the trailer reaches a climax the editing becomes faster and the shots become more disjointed signifying the mental instability of the main protagonist

What Happens in Vegas

• Link to the trailer: http://www.trailerspy.com/trailer/325/What-Happens-in-Vegas-Trailer


• Non-diegetic narrative voice used to explain the plot, stereotypical movie voice


• Editing is quick between two characters signifies that these are the main protagonists


• The characters come together and the editing gets quicker


• There is a revelation that they get married to each other then the editing slows


• The trailer gives away a majority of the plot except for the final outcome


• The clips show a majority of the theme of comedy this is anchorage that this is the main genre of the film


• The title of the film appears in what the viewer will see as the stereotypical 'Las Vegas' style - colourful and bright lights

Juno

• Link to the trialer:http://www.juno-themovie.com/


• The trailer starts with who appears to be the main protagonist making a phone call


• The main protagonist reveals the main factor of the film then the non-diegetic music starts


• Although it is quite a serious subject being covered in the film the diegetic speech and the music is quite light hearted and funny this signifies the genre of comedy to the audience


• The editing becomes faster as the trailer goes on and the story builds up to a finale


• Most of the plot is given away in the trailer, the film is based more on the comedy content rather than the plot content

Love Happens

• Link to the trailer: http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/love-happens/international-trailer


• The trailer starts quite fast with what appears to be one of the main protagonists applying a facade as he is in the public eye


• It then goes to him being interviewed and he appears to let his guard down - non-diegetic music starts which is quite slow and reminiscent


• There's no narrative voice the clips from the film tell the story


• The non-diegetic music becomes faster and more upbeat so the editing becomes faster

Drag Me to Hell

• Link to the trialer: http://www.worstpreviews.com/trailer.php?id=1266&item=0


• The first shots of the trailer are covered by non-diegetic music that sounds mysterious this is done to intrigue the viewer


• Fast editing and loud diegetic sounds are used to scare the audience


• The pace of the trailer gets faster throughout until it reaches a climax


• The titles are black but the style of them resembles that of flames this links to the stereotypical image the viewer may have of hell

The Proposal

• Link to the trailer: http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/the-proposal/trailer


• The titles are typed on like they were written by a type writer this signifies that the film may be based around a publisher


• The non-diegetic music is up beat this gives anchorage that it is a light hearted film


• The trailer gives away most of the plot to attract the viewer - the only narrative anigma is: will they get married?

The Final Destination

• Link to the trailer: http://www.worstpreviews.com/trailer.php?id=1297&item=0


• There is no use of a narrative voice so the audience has to rely on the content of the clips shown


• The clips are broken up by a plain black screen shot with a non-diegetic beating sound this adds tension to the trailer


• The clips tie in with the titles - when a tire flies towards one of the characters the titles appear with blood on them this signifies the fate of the character is death


• There is blue light on the titles which is anchorage to the genre of horror


• Fast editing is used in dramatic and significant parts of the trailer


• The trailer ends on a cliff hanger leaving a narrative anigma - what will happen to the characters?

Something's Gotta Give

• Upbeat music signifies a light hearted comedy


• Main protagonist narrates the trailer - begins with him describing himself, he portrays himself as an over confident womaniser due to the clips that are shown that link with the description that the voice is giving and the lyrics of the non-diegetic music


• Binary oppositions are shown - the main protagonist care free and happy compared to the old couple who look solum

• Link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSjI-xiH7j0&feature=PlayList&p=EB58D17C3A7AC9EB&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=58

The Duchess

• Link to the trailer: http://www.firstshowing.net/2007/12/27/keira-knightleys-the-duchess-teaser-trailer/


• The non-diegetic music is dramatic signifying the film's main genre may be drama


• The diegetic voice introduces the main protagonist 'The Duchess'


• In one particular shot the main protagonist is framed by candles on either side of her this gives anchorage of her famous status within the film and that she is the main focus of the plot

Mean Girls

• There is the use of a non-diegetic narrative voice of the main protagonist


• The setting of a high school for the trailer may attract a young audience


• The whole plot is revealed in the trailer


• The editing gets faster near the end of the teaser trailer as the plot reaches a climax with action


• The non-diegetic music is paused when there are clips that contain comedy - this gives anchorage of the main theme in the film
• Link to the trailer: http://www.totaleclips.com/player/Splash.aspx?formatId=10&bitrateId=314&vendorId=9&eclipId=e19405&playerId=38

August Rush

• Link to the trailer: http://www.worstpreviews.com/trailer.php?id=263&item=0


• The trailer has a non-diegetic narrative voice which is done by the main protagonist


• Non-diegetic music is used in the beginning of the trailer while the scene is being set for the viewer


• The narrative voice stops and reminiscent hopeful non-diegetic music is played over clips from the film which are edited at a faster pace


• When the titles appear musical notes drift, across this gives anchorage, along with the variety of non-diegetic music, that the film is based around music itself

The Stepfather

• Link to the trailer: http://teaser-trailer.com/movie/the-stepfather


• There are binary oppositions in the trailer in respect to the feeling represented - it starts of positive and family orientated but then it forms a darker slant on the plot when the main protagonist has a revelation


• The editing becomes faster signifying horror rather than an upbeat family drama which may be what viewers may have thought due to the opening clips of the trailer


• The trailer ends on a cliffhanger leaving a narrative anigma which will intrigue the viewer

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

• Link to the trailer: http://screencrave.com/2009-05-31/first-new-moon-teaser-trailer/


• The non-diegetic music in the background is in low key and quite dramatic - this signifies to the audience that the film could be of a dark nature


• The clips in the trailer tell the story of the film


• Fast editing is used again to give anchorage of action

Twilight

• Link to the trailer:http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/twilight/teaser-trailer


• Fast editing signifies the genre of action


• There is also the use of blue light on the titles which gives anchorage of the super-natural genre


• There is no use of a narrative voice this adds drama to the trailer and confusion to the viewer as they have to interpret the clips and figure out the plot for themselves

Meet the Fockers

• Link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwtp_bDmcPo


• The non-diegetic music says 'memories may be beautiful' this is dramatic irony as the clips on the screen show different


• The trailer recaps on what happened in Meet the Parents - this informs viewer that haven't seen the film about the plot and refreshes the prior knowledge other viewers may have


• There's no non-diegetic voice that narrates, instead clips from the film and titles are used