Monday 30 September 2013

Assessment for progress report

Every few weeks our teachers check our blogs. This enables them to give us feedback in terms of what is going well and what might need improving. Below is an image of the assessment sticker that I received, I achieved an A1 grade due to the amount of work that I have produced and the high level of creativity in presentation. I now understand that I must continue to post with regularity using an excellent range of presentation technologies.


Pitch feedback


Thursday 26 September 2013

Initial idea development

As part of developing this initial idea I created this mood board to give me some visual influences in terms of shots/scenery. This will also give my audience an idea of what the trailer may look like in my pitch.



Developing a second idea for pitching

Due to my production partner and I not being able to make a final decision on our idea, based on our current conclusions I decided to develop our two favourite ideas of which we can pitch to our teachers and audience and allow them to decide.

Initial idea development

As part of developing this initial idea I created this mood board to give me some visual influences in terms of shots/scenery. This will also give my audience an idea of what the trailer may look like in my pitch.


Developing one of my chosen ideas

Due to my production partner and I not being able to make a final decision on our idea, based on our current conclusions I decided to develop our two favourite ideas of which we can pitch to our teachers and audience and allow them to decide.


Tuesday 24 September 2013

Deciding on my idea

I created this table to look at both what would work well in each idea and the possible problems and limitations associated. I decided that overcoming a major limitation in 'disaster' with the scenery would be to copy our idea in our trailer remake task which saw us use playmobil people. This would create a visually engaging piece without any location issues seen with the production of other trailers. After this task both my group partner and I have decided that the imaginary friend idea is our favourite and our next step will be to develop this idea.

Monday 23 September 2013

Initial ideas- Disaster


A struggle with a happy ending
The struggle is surviving, so yes there is a struggle in the storyline, there will be a happy ending, this would be created if I am to develop this idea 

Characters that are easy to relate to
There would be a variety of character ages (main focus on adults), genders and ethnicity's in the film, meaning characters would be easy to relate to, to my target audience.

Unexpected twists and turns
The plot is action filled so there would be lots of unexpected twists to the storyline.

A drama with an aspect of fantasy
The disaster survival aspect makes it a drama whilst the fact that this has never happened before would make it somewhat fantasy.

A film about friendship, hopes and dreams
The film would record various friendships and many peoples hope to survive.

Initial ideas- My friends


A struggle with a happy ending
The struggle sees a mother and father desperately trying to help their daughter understand that her friends are not real.

Characters that are easy to relate to
The characters would be in their mid-late 30s and children, they'd also be living in a family settings making all characters involved easy to relate to.

Unexpected twists and turns
I can think of this if I develop the idea into a full storyline. It could be something like the young girl running away.

A drama with an aspect of fantasy
This is clearly a drama with the 'struggle' aspect to it, whilst the imaginary friends side to the story gives it an aspect of fantasy.

A film about friendship, hopes and dreams
There is a key theme of hope in that the young girl forgets about her imaginary friends.

Initial ideas- Separated

My first idea 'Seperated' is a film about two twins who are separated at birth and lead identical lives unaware of each others existence. I will use a short checklist to see if it fits the 'brief' that I constructed earlier...

A struggle with a happy ending
There is no struggle, it is merely two twins who meet up after years of separation. Once the idea has been developed a little more, there could be a struggle such as accepting the fact that they had a twin all along, this, however, may not be particularly gripping. 

Characters that are easy to relate to
The characters would be in their late 20s-30s, and live in family settings making all characters involved easy to relate to.

Unexpected twists and turns
I can think of this if I develop the idea into a full storyline.

A drama with an aspect of fantasy
This is clearly a drama with the 'separated at birth' aspect to it, and the telepathy makes it somewhat fantasy too.

A film about friendship, hopes and dreams
This film is almost more about family rather than friends and has no key theme of hope.

Monday 16 September 2013

Finalising my research

After a lot of research I have enough information for me to be able to construct some initial ideas. All of my research has acted almost as a 'design brief' for a new product. It has not only shown me what is expected of my trailer, not only as a trailer but a trailer of the drama genre, it has shown me what my audience want from a film in terms of the storyline and microaspects and it has also told me what I should and maybe shouldn't include in my trailer. I have simplified my findings into this simple sheet which I can look through when producing my ideas.

Survey results

I created a survey to ask my target audience what they liked in a film, this will again help me construct my initial ideas. It is clear that my audience like characters that they can relate to, a realistic storyline with aspects of fantasy and a struggle with a happy ending.


I also asked my audience 'What makes an interesting story?'. I learnt that my audience like...
-Lots of unexpected twists/turns
-An uncertain ending
-Lots of action to make it interesting
-The unforeseeable
-Tension

Primary research- talking to my audience

I asked my target audience what their favourite drama films were and why. This will help me create my initial ideas by knowing what the audience want.


I discovered that my target audience like...
- A gripping plot
- Well developed characters
- An intense film
- Happy endings
- Emotive scenes
- Aspects of reality
- A message
- Something that 'pulls on your heartstrings'
- An engaging story with depth to it

Influences- How have other films been successful or unsuccessful?

This is a key question in my research process. By identifying what has made other films successful, I will be able to learn from their successes and perhaps even mistakes so I know what I should include and maybe what I should not include in my trailer/storyline. I will now look at reviews of other drama films to get this information.

This research will really help me when constructing my initial ideas as it has given me a significant amount of guidance. By knowing what my target audience do or do not like I am able to make my film more successful by tailoring my film to their likes.

Friday 13 September 2013

Target audience research- take the survey

Any film has a target audience which is the group of people that a film is directed at. Many of the film's features will therefore be specifically tailored to that audience and aim to appeal to them. In order for me to create a successful trailer I will need to investigate my audience further and understand what they want from a film. My first step to getting some information I can then work with is to ask my target audience. I have created this survey comprising of five questions which I hope will help me understand what my audience want from a film. This will in turn help me construct a storyline for my trailer.


Who are my target audience?


Thursday 12 September 2013

What have I learnt about the target audience of dramas?

This video below examines what I have learnt about the target audience of dramas...




This has helped me realise that the plot must be directed towards an older audience as it is likely to be an older teenage to adult audience who are my target market.

This however does not mean that all characters are of that age as it is unlikely for a person of that age not to be associated with anyone else from different age groups.

 15  or even 18 and over is still a huge age range for a target audience so there is probably not one common item of which will be interesting enough to base a film around, or a single age of a character that I can easily distinguish. However, what I can do is look at what my audience like about a drama film and possibly mind map some common 'problems' which are key to any storyline and common to those 18+ which will further aid my construction of my initial ideas.

What I also thought of is although a drama is rated 15 and over simply means it is suitable for that age group, and not directed at them. Many dramas are directed at working age adults. This has helped me to draw in a somewhat smaller target market.

Identifying the target audience of dramas

Identifying my target audience is another key task that I must complete before creating my initial ideas, this is because I have noticed that the target audience and the types of characters are strongly related in dramas. In many drama films it appears that the characters are similar to the audience, hence easy to relate to. Therefore I will need to know who my target audience are so I can make my characters easy to relate to, to my target audience. Looking at the other films will also enable me to discover the people who will usually watch a film of such genre and therefore allow me to direct my film to the people that want the film.

I will do this by looking at other drama films and who their target audience is. From this research I will be able to work out the target audience I will expect to be working with/for.

Influences-structure

I also thought that looking at the general structure/layout of a trailer of the drama genre would help me in the construction of my own. It has almost helped me to create a brief for the ideal structure of my trailer and what needs to go where. Obviously I am using this simply as guidance and my final trailer may not follow this pattern exactly.  I created this timeline below to look at the key features...


What have I learnt from looking at this trailer about structure?
- The film's rating usually appears first followed by an establishing shot with some camera movement, this is common to many trailers that I have analysed, and must therefore be something I seriously consider when creating my own.
- A shot that introduces the start of the journey may be required in my own trailer as dramas are often based around a journey that a character embarks on.
- Also introduce the 'normal' setting for that characters life (such as the family home in this trailer) this forms  a comparison for the abnormal shown such as a change in the characters life which is the issue to which they must adapt or attempt to overcome.
- Introduce the 'problem' possibly through dialogue, reinforce the fact that this is an issue through editing/mise en scene/sound. So music intensifying, lower-key lighting and maybe slow motion to suggest its significance.
- Dialogue to describe the problem further, now maybe the introduction of titles. I like how in this trailer the production company is introduced later on, not only does this make it different but it indicates the change in the mood of the trailer, from the protagonists everyday life to the action/events that are now occurring.
- Action shots which record some (but not all) of the major incidents in the film. Enough to intrigue the audience but too much as to give away the plot.
-Titles describe action shots.
-Shorter takes of several action shots.
- Dialogue that makes the audience want to know what the character is talking about.
- Film's title.

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Influences: common features of drama films

Looking at the common features/ conventions of drama films in terms of characters, and all of the micro aspects will help me understand what my own trailer should be like. It will also help me to construct a storyline which was the purpose of this task as it has shown me what kind of storyline I should be creating and the kind of characters I will be working with. My research is presented in the presentation below...


Trailer checklist

Looking at the two trailers has really helped me move one step closer to creating my own. It not only has shown me what is expected of my genre but shown me some good features of trailers that I may wish to consider using in my own trailer. By looking at what I liked about the two trailers analysed I have come up with a checklist of things I will need to consider when creating my storyboard- that is when I shall refer to it. It also concludes this research as it summarises what I have taken from this research by creating a short list of what I will be considering during planning for production. That was the purpose of this research (to give me more guidance on ideas for shots, scenes etc).


Influences- drama trailer

I looked at a second trailer for some influence when creating my own. I created this timeline and picked out particular shots/aspects of the trailer that I liked. This has helped me gather some ideas for my own. This trailer was produced by A2 Media Studies students, I looked at this trailer in particular to see what kind of a product I am expected to produce in order to achieve a good grade. This trailer received an A grade; being able to see what an A grade in A2 Media Studies actually looks like has proved to me that the expectations are high, so I have learnt a lot from looking at this trailer.


Aspects of this trailer I may consider using in my own
- Using imaginative shots for scenes that may typically be recorded using another type of shot. Such as an extreme close up of someone's mouth when they're talking rather than a close up.
- Think carefully about titles, don't just go for standard and boring, try and be as creative as possible.
- More attention must be paid to editing, don't just go with putting all the shots together and running smoothly and be done with it, try and use creative editing techniques such as the action on  the eye shot uses in the trailer for The Comedown. A split screen is also something not seen all the time.
- Slow motion can add tension and drama.

What have I learnt from looking at this trailer?
- Not to be simplistic, try and be adventurous with editing, shots and the titles used.
- Use a huge range and number of shots.
- If a trailer is to use a soundtrack with lyrics they must not overpower what is being said on screen or take the focus away from that.
- Lighting is an important aspect to consider and must be altered if it does not work well with the mood of that particular scene, small micro aspects of the trailer like this when put right can have an overall big impact on the trailer itself.

Influences- drama trailer and looking at micro aspects

I decided to get some influence from other trailers of my genre. I looked up film's of the drama genre using the IMDB database. The film Adore was listed under the theme of drama so I chose to look at the different micro aspects and decide what I like about them and look at the overall composition of the trailer and what I could learn from it. I created the timeline below to look at the cinematography as well as the other micro aspects and I will now evaluate what I have learnt from looking at this trailer...


What I like about this trailer and what I might consider using in my own...

Cinematography 
A lot of shots which are varied, this stops the visual aspect of the trailer getting boring. I particularly like the use of close ups- to extreme close ups. It really helps to draw attention to the subject that the audience need to be focusing on.
Editing/Titles
The titles match the films logo, this keeps a consistent design theme which is recognisable.

Mise En Scene
Using props to tell stories of the past, this could be important in a drama, which often has to inform the audience of the background story to the problem which the characters now face.

Sound
An instrumental soundtrack without voice over keeps the audience's attention on what is displayed on the screen. I also like how it ends with an important part of dialogue with one of the characters saying "I'll never forgive you for this". This acts almost as a cliffhanger because as soon as you think that the trailer has given away too much and you know the storyline, it reinforces the fact that you don't and it leaves the audience wanting to know what the character does not want to "forgive" the other for.

What have I learnt?
- Trailers require a variety of shots in different locations as it is unlikely for a film to be set in entirely one location.
- Drama films often require a lot of close ups as they're based mainly on human emotions and it is close ups that draw attention to that.
- The editing techniques need to match the mood of that particular scene, for example, you would not use a slow fade in a fast, action-packed scene.
- The titles do not have to comply to grammatical or the rules of standard English, in fact, if they do not it can help to tell the story more effectively by helping to convey a message.

My steps before initial ideas

I feel like my research so far has not given me enough guidance in terms of creating my initial ideas. This has lead to me making the decision to conduct more research. In the mind map presented below are a few ideas of the tasks I am going to complete before creating my initial ideas.


It is important that my film trailer attracts its target audience, this means I will have to conduct some research into my target market, but first I will need to identify who they are. For research concerning the actual trailer itself including the types of shots and genre conventions I will look at a few more trailers.

Tuesday 10 September 2013

Feedback by Sam Richards

What went well:
  1. Varied types of posts
  2. Good number of posts
  3. Detailed series of posts such as the genre research posts
  4. Creative posts
Even better if: you made an interview post, or filmed yourself for a podcast

Current grade: A

Monday 9 September 2013

Genre moodboard

Although I have an idea of which genres I was likely to be working with I have few ideas for a storyline for a film on which my trailer would be based. This lead me to creating a mind map to write down all my thoughts and associations with the genres to see if I could construct any ideas around them. This can be seen below...


This has given me some influences as to what I may like to include in a film of each genre I explored. It has helped me to decide that scenes from drama are often good at capturing an audience as they portray realistic characters in situations characters can relate to so I will most likely have aspects of drama in my initial ideas for my trailers. I think that I'd like to create a drama possibly with an aspect of mystery or even fantasy. Possibly even with toys as characters but with a main focus on human characters facing a difficulty which is often a key focus of drama films. A fantasy drama is something different which may or may not work and I like the idea of trying something different. My next step will be to construct several initial ideas so that I can decide on which I'd most like to create.

Wednesday 4 September 2013

Finalising genre choices and new ideas

Earlier in the year I created this table to finalise my genre research. It reduces the genres that I am likely to produce my initial ideas around. I made the decisions based on whether I would be able to produce a good quality trailer of that genre after looking what is expected of the genre and if I would be capable of creating such shots/special effects. The genres I finalised are horror, fantasy, drama and fantasy films. I have since decided that a horror film's are usually too stereotypical and predictable. Many horror scenes are often overused and I have therefore decided that due to wanting to make something more individual and unique I wish to remove horror from my selected genres. I have also considered some new themes/genres such as film's set in the recent past or to do with time travel, these films are often engaging as they keep the audience thinking due to the films often jumping between times.  They also, however come with limitations due to costume and mise en scene. This however could be overcome with good planning and prop/costume collection. I also thought of a silent movie, films with toys as the characters and mystery films. My next step will be to start creating a mind-map of ideas and words I associate with genres of which I may be able to draw some initial ideas from.

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Notes to remember

Evaluating my work is very important as it can show me points of my work which need improving it will give me things to work on for my final trailer and has shown me parts of the microaspects which I must pay attention to in order to attain a higher grade. The list below highlights some of the key points that I must improve on, it was through my evaluation that I identified these weaknesses.


Evaluating my trailer remake: Mise en scene

I looked at the mise en scene in my trailer remake and evaluated what went well and how it could have been improved. This is important as it will give me some aspects of mise en scene that I must work on for my next production.

Evaluating my trailer remake: Editing

I looked at the editing in my trailer remake and evaluated what went well and how the editing could have been improved. This is important as it will give me some aspects of editing that I must work on for my next production.


Evaluating my trailer remake: Sound

I looked at the sound in my trailer remake and evaluated what went well and how the sound could have been improved. This is important as it will give me some aspects of sound that I must work on for my next production.


Evaluating my trailer remake: Cinematography

I looked at the cinematography in my trailer remake and evaluated what went well and how the cinematography could have been improved. This is important as it will give me some aspects of cinematography that I must work on for my next production.

Monday 2 September 2013

Evaluating my trailer remake: Audience reviews

I asked a few members of my target audience what they thought of my trailer remake, some of their comments are listed below. All of the feedback was positive, I understand that this may be because they did not want to be negative. I will therefore evaluate it myself so I can identify things of which I must improve before shooting my final piece.