Film Poster - Semiotic Anlysis

I have analysed an independent film poster so that I can get an understanding of the conventions of a film poster; I will use this to apply similar features for the poster that I am making for my film. The film I have chosen to Analyse is Swiss Army Man directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel

Scheinert.

Film Distribution

Changes I will make to my trailer.

Since I have gathered the feedback from both the film pitch feedback video and the questionnaire, I can now start to make slight changes based on the feedback from my candidates and what they expect to see. On a positive note, the majority of the feedback is positive however there are some changes that they will expect to see and I will try and incorporate those into my film trailer.

Additional Characters

One of the main expectations that my candidates want to see in the film are additional characters, rather than just seeing the two protagonists for the whole trailer. I have decided that I will cast additional actors to play the role of Carrie's mother, possibly the brother and also the ex-boyfriend.

Tagline

All of my candidates have commented on the tagline with different opinions, however the majority of them have said that the tagline is too long so I will change it to a shorter one. I still want the tagline to be relatable to the characters so I will think of the most appropriate tagline to use. Another candidate said that the tagline is quite comical which means I may need to think of something that would suit the atmosphere of the film.


Overall, I will definitely make these minor changes because I want my target audience to feel captivated in my film which is why I asked for feedback. I will upload any further improvements I have made in future posts.

Filming Timetable - Woods Scene

Start of editing

I have successfully edited the first part of my trailer and it includes the first scenes I shot in the woods. I have included conventional trailer features including panning shots, transitions and use of texts. I have successfully followed my digital story board for the first of my trailer which I am very happy with.

I will be uploading the first part of my trailer soon.

Film Pitch Questionnaire Feedback

Digital Storyboard - Pt. 2

This is the second part of my film trailer which will include the change in pace from slow to fast (and more happy). During this part of the trailer, there will be a montage of various clips showing different parts of the film. The end of the trailer will show the title sequence and a "Coming Soon". I am quite happy with my digital storyboard and I will stick to this structure when I am filming and editing my trailer.

First day of filming

I have begun the first film shoot with my actors and it went successfully. I was quite happy with the scenes I ended up with because the actors learnt their lines and executed them well. The weather during the day of the shoot was also as expected and we managed to shoot everything in a reasonable amount of time.

I will be editing the film trailer soon.

Casting Video & Auditions

In order t identify who I wanted for my film, I auditioned and filmed my potential actors.

Selection Process

Here is the selection process for the different aspects of my trailer including the actors, location and props:

Trailer Digital Storyboard Pt. I

In order for me to get an idea of what camera angles and shots I will use, I have created a digital story board for the first part of the trailer. I took pictures of how I want the trailer to look, including a short description of why I used the shot. This will help me improve my trailer.

This is only the digital story board for the first part of my trailer so I will be creating more storyboards and uploading them on my blog. The reason I have chosen to create multiple storyboards is that I can plan out each part of the trailer; I will follow the conventional structure of trailers which will have a start, middle and end. This first part will be the introduction which essentially sets tone and pacing of my film.

Script-writing - Library Scene

This scene will take place in the library as I want to show the characters revising together. The reason why I chose this location for this particular scene is because I want to portray the characters as hard-working individuals who are determined to get into university.


During this scene the characters will be having a conversation about how they are worried that they might not get into university. One of the characters is more worried than the other, so I want her dialogue to replicate that of "real life" situations which is why I reference the names of real universities in their lines. This scene will be short but it is a vital part of the movie as it will convey that they may have to depart from each other in the future, which may cause the target audience to become more persuaded to watch the film in order to find out what happens.

The Breakfast Club - Trailer Analysis 2

For my second trailer analysis, I chose to analyze the film The Breakfast Club as this is another coming of age film. For this analysis, I also focused on the same key elements as the last trailer, e.g. Mis en scene and Representation. The analysis is on Prezi.

Location Scouting (Scene 3)

For this scene, I want the two characters to be in a library because their dialogue is focused on their future and university so I want them to be in an environment where they are studying. During the scene, I will get the characters to be revising from their text books before saying their lines. I took a few pictures for possible location ideas.

Scene 3 - Library



The Perks of being a Wallflower - Trailer Analysis 1

For task 9 of my media coursework, I analyzed the trailer for a film with the same genre as mine to give me an insight as to what I may include for my trailer. I decided to analyze the trailer for 'Perks of being a Wallflower' as this is also a coming of age film which involves teenage life and growing up. I focused on 7 main elements for this semiotic analysis which are:

1. Mis en Scene
2. Institution
3. Genre
4. Representation
5. Audience
6. Ideologies
7. Narrative

For this analysis, I recorded my voice analyzing the trailer as clips and scenes from  the trailer are shown. Here is my semiotic analysis:

Outline Scripts - Feedback

I have showed a couple of my target audience my outline scripts for the first few scenes of my trailer and I have gathered their feedback for it in order to improve it or make changes. I asked my audience what they liked about the scripts and what I should change and here is what they said:

What I liked

• The dialogue sets the scene very quickly for audiences to understand, especially the first line which immediately introduces a plot point of the film "It's been 5 months since my brother died in a car accident".
• The dialogue sounds authentic because the characters are just regular teenagers venting about their problems which is what most teens do, including myself. So I like the realistic aspect of the scripts and I feel like some people will relate to the characters.
• I like the scene where one of the characters become angry because it shows that there will be some drama within the film and I like dramatic story lines. The script looks very good and I think I would enjoy the film just by reading it.

What should be improved

• Perhaps the script could be just a little bit shorter since it is only for the trailer and will not include the full scene, apart from that keep the dialogue because it's good.
• One of the scenes included a swear word. Maybe don't include the swear word in the trailer because it may not appeal to some audiences.
• Add some more scenes where the characters deal with their problems.

Conclusion

To conclude, I gained both positive and negative feedback from my outline scripts which I can now use to improve my trailer. I will do the changes that my audience have suggested because this will improve my trailer. I will also continue to write more scenes for the trailer.

Outline Scripts - Scene 1 & 2

Here is the initial scripts for the first 2 scenes I filmed; it consists of the scenes in the woods and the stairwell when the two characters are talking. I have mentioned that dialogue is a very vital aspect of my film trailer as I wanted the audience to understand what the characters are currently experiencing. In this case, an abusive relationship and the death of a brother.

I will get audience feedback from these scripts and make possible improvements for my trailer.

The Da Vinci Code - Trailer Analysis

During our lesson, we watched the trailer for the film "The Da Vinci Code" in order to identify some of the key conventions that are used to attract the target audience. The Da Vinci Code is a hybrid genre film as it consists of several genres including action, crime and romance therefore it will have a mixture of different conventions. I will be analysing the key features within the trailer and how it relates to the target audience.




Mis-en-scene

A range of different shots were used in the trailer to represent the target audience, for example the trailer starts with the Louvre in France which is often associated with high class art. This can be linked to the target audience of the film as it may be attracted towards people in the upper-class socio-economic groups A and B, as well as anyone who is educated in art. This is also backed up in the trailer by the use of different shots of ancient classical paintings and historical architectures such as churches and stained glass windows. Additional shots include scrolls, crucifix and marble floors. There is a sense of culture being shown within this trailer so it may suggest that the target audience is anyone who has a knowledge of culture, possibly more educated and upper class.

Genre

Since The Da Vinci Code is a hybrid genre, it will contain different features of several genres. Action is one of the main genres that this film includes; action is conveyed in the trailer through the use of dramatic music and fast editing to create an intense atmosphere. It also shows the characters in danger, for example an elderly man running away from the murderer and car explosions. There is also a romantic element in the film which is shown when Hank is wrapping his arms around Tautou to protect her. Crime is also shown through high angle shots of a dead body, and the characters who are detectives can be seen investigating the crime scene. Overall, this trailer conveys a range of different genres through mis-en-scene, music and editing. All of these features will attract the target audience that are most likely male and anyone who likes action.

Representation
The film contains stereotypical representations of men, religion and class throughout the trailer. Men are portrayed as dominant, powerful and brave as they often dominate the screen time and action in the film. Shots of Hank can be seen protecting the female, who may be see as the less dominant character. However, there are some scenes in the trailer which challenges the stereotypical representation of women, for example the female detective can be seen swimming under water in a dramatic way which portrays the female character to be strong and athletic similarly to the men. Religion is portrayed in a negative way in the trailer as it shows characters who have religious beliefs to be mentally ill and crazy which negatively portrays Catholicism. The trailer also conveys that God does not exist as we could see a man praying desperately and running away from the killer; we then see a shot of his corpse which suggests that God did not help him and his prayers remained unanswered. This part conveys that religion and worshipping God is pointless.

Script-writing - Stairwell Scene

For this scene, one of the characters is explaining how her ex-boyfriend wants to get back together with her whilst the other friend is explaining how she will only get hurt again. This scene will be one of the more emotional scenes in the film which means that their dialogue will have to convey sadness, confusion and even anger. Similarly to the other scenes, I want their lines to have a realistic feel so I will have to write the scene very carefully.

Location Scouting (scene 2)

For scene 2, I wanted a location which was in a stairwell. However, due to the limited access to certain locations, I had to find somewhere that was still believable and realistic for the scene so I considered this location. Here are some pictures I took:

Scene 2 - Stairwell

The reason I chose this location is because I wanted the characters to have an intimate moment where they are alone and in a secluded area.

Film Pitch Questionnaire

In order to gain a more detailed understanding of what my target audience thinks of my film, I also asked them to fill out a questionnaire containing relevant and vital questions about my film . These questions involved elements of my film including the plot, characters, tagline and representation.


Here is my questionnaire:

I think that this questionnaire will definitely help me improve my film even more because these questions are more detailed that the ones I asked in my film pitch feedback video. The questions I have provided will require my participants to actually state their opinions and ideas rather than a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer so this will definitely benefit me in terms of improving my film to garner to my target audience.

Film Pitch Feedback Video

In order to gain a better understanding of what my audience think of my film, I decided to show them my film pitch and record their opinions on it. I asked them three main questions that would help me improve my film; this will mean that I may have to change some of my initial ideas but overall it would make my film better. Here is the feedback video:

 

Location Scouting

Before shooting the trailer, it is vital that I know where to film the scenes which means that I need to go location scouting. I have a very good idea as to where I want the scenes to take place so I went to the locations and took some photographs in order to get a better look of ho the scenes will turn out. Here are the pictures I took:

Scene 1 - Woods

I will also post up pictures of the locations for my other scenes.

Film Pitch

I have filmed a film pitch for the film that I am making; with the research I have done on film pitches, I have incorporated everything I needed to include into this video. I have explained the key points that the audience should know, including the title of the film, the characters and plot etc. 

I will show this film pitch to three viewers and ask them for their feedback on what they think of my film; it will give me some insight as to what they think of my film.

Filming timetable - Stairwell Scene

Filming Timetable (Scene 1)

Casting Actors

Since I have finished writing one scene for my film, I will use this script to audition actors and identify people who would be appropriate to play the roles in the film. The film consists of two female lead role characters so I will need to find 2 girls to read my script together; I want to cast people who would suit the roles. Obviously acting is not the most vital part of this project, however I would want to cast people who are fairly decent at acting so that it creates a more realistic feel for the film and the characters they are playing.


I have asked Jo and Eloise to audition for the two characters in my film because I think that they may be suitable for the roles. I will ask them to read some lines from the script to get a feel of what their acting skills are like, and to see if they can embody the characters that they are playing.

Analyzing 3 Film Trailers

I analyzed the 3 trailers of the films I wrote about in my previous blog post. This was task 6 on the media coursework framework and I filmed it in the format of a vlog. I have also added multiple screenshots from different parts of the trailers.

Script-writing - Scene 1

Before filming the trailer, it is important that I write the script so that the actors for my film can have a brief understanding and knowledge of what the film is about. It is also very vital that they know their lines so that when it comes to actually filming the scenes, they will not have to worry about forgetting their lines. It would be much more beneficial if they know their lines before filming as it would be much more efficient for everyone.

In terms of writing the script, I primarily focused on one particular scene where the characters are having a conversation; it is a simple and short scene however I wanted their dialogue to set the tone and atmosphere of my film which is why it's very important that I get it right. The script that I wrote included lines which basically explains the characters situation and what they are going through; I personally think that this is a vital scene as it will include the starter line for the trailer. This scene contains a total of 9 lines between the two characters; it took a fairly decent amount o time to write as I wanted to convey the characters' emotions and feelings through the lines so obviously I had to think carefully about what the characters would say during the scene. Overall, I am happy with the script for the first scene.

Pitching A Film

During our lesson, we had a look at the top 25 most successful Kickstarter film pitches; it gave me an idea of how I will carry out my own film pitch for my film idea. I have also done further research on the topic such as what is included in a film pitch and how to present it.

 

Why these films were made

Straight Outta Compton

There are a few reasons why this film was produced; one of the reasons is that there is already a large amount of established viewers who would go watch this film. The film is based of the rap group N.W.A. who were very popular in the 80's and 90's with a large fan base; this means that there are a lot of fans who will go watch this film when it is released for nostalgic reasons. Since the film is about the history of this rap group, it will want to entice the audiences who were fans of N.W.A. at the peak of their career since it retells their story and how they became famous. It may also intrigue new audiences who are curious to know about their history and how they  became to be one of the world's most famous rap groups. Overall, there will be a lot of audiences who are either fans or not who will want to watch the film, either because they are intrigued or they simply love the rap group.


Since this film is a biopic, it is similar to a documentary which tells the story of how this rap group was formed and the struggles they faced as black Americans. This film contained serious themes such as discrimination against black people and police brutality which was the reality of society at the time during the 80's; this film was made to document all of these situations and the challenges faced for black Americans at the time, as well as the rappers themselves. It will make audiences aware of what happened during the time of their career so they gain an insight of what they went through. It also showed the death of one of the rap members, who died of HIV near the end of their career, so again this will make audiences realise the reality and challenges they faced at the time. Overall, this film was made in order to document N.W.A.'s career and how they evolved as artists, as well as the reality of society in the 80's.

Lost In Translation

Lost In Translation tells the story of an actor who is having a midlife crisis and a young college graduate; the two meet in the city of Tokyo and has an instant connection with each other. The main reason why this film was made is to portray platonic relationships between two people and how friendship is an important element in life; this is shown when the two become closer as friends throughout the course of the film. Certain audiences can relate to the story which may persuade them to go watch the film; it may even have an emotional impact on them if they personally connect to the story of the two characters.

In addition to this, the film also shows the cultural difference of Japan from Western society; the film makes audiences aware of this throughout the film by portraying the character, Bob struggling to understand the language and lifestyle of Tokyo. The film aims to show how unique and different Japan is from their own country, and may even spark the interest of some viewers.

Submarine

Submarine was based off the novel of the same name by Joe Dunthorne; the director of the film, Richard Ayoade aimed to portray the film similarly as to how it was told in the book. The main reason why this film was made is to retell the original story from the novel, which already had a minor fan base. Fans who have already read the book will feel persuaded to go watch the film as it is based off the story. Another reason why this film was made was because the director said that he wanted to make a coming of age film that is based in the UK since most of these films within the genre are American. One reason t 

Film Promotional Campaigns

First Post

This is my first post on my new A2 Media course; I am looking forward to making a film promotional campaign. Filming the trailer would probably be the most challenging part of the course as I am working on my own, however I am confident that I will make it with a lot of effort. It should be fairly 'lit'.