Audience Research

"We need to talk about Kevin"

"Catfish"

PLANNING: PINTEREST LOCATION RECCE

PLANNING: PINTEREST LOCATION RECCE

To further my research into looking at Locations for filming, I used Pinterest again. I felt pinterest was successful into looking at social groups. 

DISTRIBUTION CASE STUDY: TORTOISE IN LOVE

CASE STUDY: TORTOISE IN LOVE

I researched how the BFI Print and Advertising fund helped a small, crowd-sourced film to gain distribution, its story is told here.

As I am making a similar, low budget film myself I was interested in how the film producer went about getting the film released.

REPRESENTATION: Social Groups

REPRESENTATION: Social Groups

In order to show the different social groups that will be present in my short film "10 years", I created a pinterest.

Amberleigh Endora

Amberleigh Endora is a young, innocent and brunette girl, who goes missing suddenly. I pinned an image which displayed a young, carefree girl in a ballet class. I thought this was a very appropriate representation of Amberleigh as she was innocent in the missing of herself. The ballet costume and overall floaty outfits will be able to represent to the audience her childhood innocence very clearly.

Another image I pinned for Amberleigh was a child who was curled up and looked very alone and as though they had no being. I felt this was appropriate in representing Amberleighs loss of identity, and although she is unaware of her past, in reality she has a whole life in her past she is oblivious too, and this represents a loss of soul and identity. Even though on the outside Amberleigh is incredibly innocent, she has lost herself.

Winter Jones

Winter Jones is the older version of Amberleigh, who is a typical skater girl. This social representation would underpin a relaxed and carefree persona, which is ironic as her pass is very different. Winters lifestyle being so normal contrast hugely to her unawareness of her pass which I believe adds climax. Her tom boy style, big baggy clothing shows her middle classed life.

PC Luca Evans

PC Evans, throughout "10 years" displays many different social representations. He begins the film as a successful police man who works with his best friend PC Conor Hanaford. He has a smart and successful representation of his uniform. This quickly changes when being kicked off the force, as images I pinned clearly reflect this. He literally leaves with nothing, and is a middle aged man who lives in a camper van with his dog. His social representation contrasts hugely.

DISTRIBUTION: HUNGER GAMES

DISTRIBUTION: HUNGER GAMES

Click here to see the content I created.

I learned distributors use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Apps in order to distribute there new film releases.

When distributing my film, I will create a Facebook, twitter and Instagram page, in order to help create a buzz and excitement of the audience.

SHOT LIST: 10 YEARS

Shotlist

PLANNING: TREATMENT

Film title: 10 years

Amberleigh Endora has been tragically missing for just over 10 years... yet the heartache is still very raw and existing in the lives she made an impact in, with her bedroom untouched and her mother still mourning. PC Luca Evans fully involves himself in the never ending unknown identity of Amberleighs misplacement. Resulting in the loss of his job on the police force because of his inquisitive unanswered questions of the crisis , he still takes it upon himself to discover this enigmatic, unresolved mystery... even if this involves taking it too far. After losing everything (his house, family and dignity) and the harsh reality from an old friend on the force PC Connor Hannaford he still pursues the hunt, wanting a answer. 

Is there anything that makes Amberleigh different and unordinary?

After much persistant research, PC Evans understands that 10 years on Amberleigh Endora is now living an ordinary life of Winter Jones, unknown of her pass and the torturous impact she has left in so many peoples lives. 

After so long, PC Luca realises his obscure obsession of this case may just crush Winters reality and ordinary lifestyle, should she know or should PC Luca finally realise he should allow Winter to pursue living her normal and comprehensive life.

PLANNING: LOCATION RECCE

PLANNING: LOCATION RECCE

Today, as a group we went around our school looking for possible filming locations. We had possible scence's in mind in which it would be appropriate to film at school.

• The science block will be a possible location for a scence involving the ex police officers research regarding the disappearance of the girl. It will be apparent to the audience through the use of the laboratory, test tubes and overall brain sculptures that the officer is taking a much more scientific and unsafe approach to the investigation. 

• The closed off cupboard in our sixth form centre, is another area we decided would be very helpful in underpinning a crime scene possibly for flashbacks.

BRAINSTORMING: THRILLER

BRAINSTORMING: THRILLER

My group consists of Ellen, Tammy, Harvey and myself, as we all agreed from the prelim exercise that we all worked very well together. We spent todays lesson brainstorming ideas for our short film and came up with a basic plot.

We decided to base our film on a real life event, which after much discussion decided would be the Madeline McCann case. As a group we all understood the seriousness of this everlasting devastation and thought we would be able to adapt a realistic thriller of our own.

As a group, we decided it would be best if we used our friends and family as the actors as we will be able to be in full control behind the scenes. So far, the basic plot will involve a young girl who goes missing at a young age, and grows up being stalked by an ex police officer.

We have also decided on some exciting locations, props and actors as a group we have the privilege of using, such as:

• A pub were Tammy works which will hopefully unable us to film a scene involving the ex police officer.
• My VW camper van were the distraught ex police officer will live.
• Tammys dog which may be used to add tension and climax.
• Harveys younger sister (Amberleigh), who will be used to show the flashbacks of the young child.
• Polaroids which will add a rustic element.

RESEARCH: HOW BRANDS PROFILE AUIDIENCES

4. Who is YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE for a thriller film?

1. HOW DO BRANDS PROFILE AUIDIENCES?

Brands use profiling to the audience in order to release the knowledge of there new film and to specifically target the audience they think will be mostly interested.
For our thriller I believe teenagers are the most appropriate audience, so from research have decided the best media coverages would be "BBC THREE", "Radio 1" and "1Xtra".
BBC are reported to cover a wide range of interesting media for teenagers.

"Despite the huge growth in choice of media, the BBC remains a very important part of young people’s media consumption. The BBC reaches around 92 per cent of 15-34 year olds each week and BBC television remains successful at reaching younger audiences, although its usage has declined significantly in recent years. While other media providers, particularly Channel 4, are more readily associated with provision for young people than the BBC, we believe the BBC still has a unique role in bringing all audiences together, particularly at key national moments, on its broad-appeal mainstream services. In recognition of this, we will consider the interests of children and young people in other service reviews, particularly our reviews of BBC One and BBC Two due to commence later in 2009."

"Radio 1’s high reach to young people makes it a very important service for the BBC. It is highly effective at delivering some of the BBC’s public purposes to young people. We believe it has potential to increase its public value further, given the strength of its market position. "

Other ways to find your target audience is become familiar with the terms Demographic and Psychographic. 

 

 

Who would be the audience for your media product?

PLANNING OUR VIEWER PROFILE

Step 1: Make an entry in your Production Log like the one below, with the title 'Planning our viewer profile'. The aim is to jot down an outline picture of your target audience.

Today I started making outline notes about what my target audience for "..." was like:

Age group: 18-40+, young adults

Gender: both men and women

They are likely to watch TV programmes such as Danish TVdrama (The Killing and Borgen), Sherlock Holmes,

They are likey to see at the cinema: Twilight, Inception,Se7en, The Dark Knight, Sin City, Hannibal, Panic Room, The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3,  Law Abiding Citizen, Angels and Demons, Public Enemies, Road To Perdition, Batman, Ronin, Another 48 Hours, Primal Fear, Gangster No.1

In their leisure time, they will visit YouTube, play video games, download movies, drink Costa coffee / Starbucks; eat at Pizza Express, MacDonald's, Subway or Cafe Rouge

Clothes: H & M, River Island, Fat Face, Top Shop

Media: iPhone or Blackberry for internet on the move; Mac Book or iPad to see movies, play games, browse and shop; Face Book for conecting to friends

LES BLEUS DE RAMVILLE

Les Bleus De Ramville opening title Evaluation

There are many factors of the "Les Bleus De Ramville" opening title sequence that I find very interesting and influential.

• There are a few sequences in which I feel I would be able to replicate well, especially using the software iStopmotion, which I have practised and produced short footage already.In this particular opening the iStopmotion like footage is used to create suspense building up to a hockey match and I feel this is extremely effective. 

• Another effective shot is a mid-shot from inside the locker and captures the ice hockey player reaching to get his jersey.  This shot makes the viewer feel included and he can therefore understand and empathise with the climax of the for coming game. I believe this shot would be simple to re create yet is also very useful in creating a compelling opening.
• An important visual code in the opening sequence is colour contrasts. Here, the clear black and white theme  is effective in concentrating the eye. I feel again this would be easy to achieve but adds a memorable and significant touch. 

 

• Something which I have noticed is the use of old footage. This particualr method of adding old footage adds authenticity and thought. When watching this title sequence this scene reminded me of a clever technique past Claremont media students used in there project called "National Security". I believe this technique is very effective in providing the evidence of research into your project.

• When filming,  a technique and prop often used is liquid. In this opening sequence a beer is spilt in a mid-shot to underpin excitement. It is also in slow motion which adds climax and helps the viewer to understand the pure happiness felt. When creating my opening sequence, for climax and suspence I will try to include a liquid.

• Throughout the whole of the sequence the naming of the actors is carefully placed with uniformed font, sizing and colour palette. This is very professional, and creates routine throughout, without distracting the viewers eye. The writing is also strategically placed and the overall visual isn't crowded or distracting.

• Another important element that this opening title sequence uses is incorpourtating the overall images and sequences together. This again, adds a slick intro into the beginning of the film, which provides a good overall impression. In the final cut, the title of the film is cleaverly weaved into the prop used. From this, I have learned that it is important to relate each scene, as this is the first impression the viewers will see.

   

   

RESEARCH: DISTRIBUTION

PRIDE

1. How are audiences involved in order to generate buzz prior to the film's release? 

Audiences take a big part in generating a buzz prior to a film release and they do this largely through varying media techniques. Using "PRIDE" as an example, they firstly created a video soundbite from actor Andrew Scott urging audiences to book tickets 'as there is only one week left.' This makes the views feel as though the actor himself is directly asking them, and put them in a position of power. Also, prior to the films release 'The real LGSM and stars of #PRIDE marched with a live band to Odeon Cinema, Camden on Tuesday 2nd September for the Premiere!.' This again, helped include the audience and made them feel part of the movie themselves. 

      Also, another helpful factor in generating a buzz is the #PRIDE. This is noticeably a new form of advertisement and is helpful in spreading the word and allowing the viewers to share there positivity towards the film to family and friends and overall get involved! Also another way in which "PRIDE" made the viewers feel more involved was by posting regular videos and backstage gossip. The website itself was also set up like a blog, creating a more relaxed, chatty and involved atmosphere. Finally the website included a live twitter feed that would tweet regularly helping the audience anticipation and excitement build as the weeks went on. Overall, I believe the advertising of the movie "PRIDE" was largely focused on the use of media, and using popular social mediums and engaging the audience with the actors themselves helped create a buzz surrounding the release.

PLANNING: IDENT

iSTOPMOTION

Today I explored new software, iStopMotion, using a webcam to take shots then editing using 'onion skinning'. The project was to make a production company ident for our imaginary company "S & T Productions".
When creating the ident, we were aware throughout that upbeat music would be needed in order to create more atmosphere and would help to underpin with the bright colours used throughout. 

RESEARCH: DISTRIBUTION

What we did on our holiday 

1.  Its genre? Source of your info? The genre is comedy/drama.
2. Target audience? Source? Family film on a national scale.
3. Institutions spreading the word? BBC Films, Virgin Media, Amazon, David Tenants blog.
4. What did you learn about it from the trailer? The film contains humored childhood innocence and would be best suited for a family. I think it is aimed to emphasise and relate with everyone and is an overall feel good film, hopefully leaving everyone with a smile on there face. 

Sources: IMB, Google

RESEARCH: THE ART OF THE TITLE

The Art of the title

Today I started to research opening title sequences in more detail...

As I am doing the film brief, I started my detailed research into opening credits..
In class I investigated the very useful website The Art of the Title http://www.artofthetitle.com.

American Horror Story- Directed by Kyle Cooper (2011)

For my first piece of close analysis, I used my own observations, class discussion and the overall knowledge Ive earned from my time in Media lessons, to understand the title sequence of "American Horror Story" further. 

• The genre of this film is horror, so because of this the title design is enigmatic and disturbing, using dark colours and unusual images. This invites the viewer as the pictures are strange yet inviting because it is exciting to the eye. 
• Throughout the sequence, but particularly at the beginning the use of childhood innocence is noticeable, and with the mysterious background music it again adds a uncomfortable sense underpinning its genre.
• The period that the film is set is again clearly established through the use of scientific and old dusty images, it is obvious it is a present or 20th century horror.
• Colour and lighting are key visual codes. The sepia tone lends a period air and the colour black predominates, underscoring the grim nature of the subject matter: the objects are all the dusty possessions with unusual images displaying a scientific theme present.

Casino Royale

REPRESENTATION

Representation

1. Roland Barthes Mythologies (1964): state what you learned about his approach and how you 'read' this image. 
2. Roland Barthes The Rhetoric of the Image(1977): explain what you understand by 'rhetoric of the image' and deconstruct the Panzani advertisement.           After watching an article by Daniel Chandler Semiotics for Beginners, I found deconstructing the Panzani advertisement and Barthes,"The Rhetoric of the Image(1977)"  advertisement much easier. Firstly, the Panzani advertisement is a denotation ands purpose is to overall underpin the view that this is fresh, italian and family loved food. In the photograph, there is clearly a strict colour scheme, this being red, green and white again helping to imply the Italian home cooked food, since these colours are the same as the Italian flag. The use of the netted bag, demonstrates the food has been picked up from a market and this again illiterates the freshness of the following products, reassuring the viewers that they are purchasing only the best. This advertisement stunt, is also supported by the fresh produce of mushrooms, a tomato and potatoes being placed around again adding a rustic and organic sense. Finally, the use of the produce overflowing in the bag, underpins the the views that this Italian, wholesome buyer can't get enough of the Panzini range, and obviously that it is just as good as homemade ingredients.
3. Choose a photo from a recent film and analyse the representations depicted. For example, what would you say about either of the stills from Pride(2014)?  The photo I've chosen is from a scene in the recent film "The Fault in our Stars". It displays a wide shot and on the left hand side the character Augustus “Gus” Waters, grinning looking to the side of the camera holding a packet of eggs. He's wearing a dusty, brown and vintage looking leather biker jacket, which underpins a “bad boy” persona indicating to the viewers that he is rebellious, and possibly using the eggs to break the rules. The posture and gesture of the protagonist conveys the feeling of drama and elation. Out of focus in the background is what looks like a housing estate, which may imply that Gus is egging a well-kept and respectable house. His overall relaxed posture shows that his fractious actions are possibly not a big deal in his eyes, again implying his unruly behavior and characteristic.

In the middle is the character Isaac, who is crouching down, with his mouth wide open in disbelief. This implies that he is possibly shocked by Gus's actions yet intrigued and supportive, and this is evident by his conserved posture and how he isn't stopping him from proceeding. From research, Isaac is wearing glasses because he is blind, but this wouldn't be clear to the viewer with no background knowledge, which implies that the character is treated as an equal throughout the film.

Lastly, the character on the far right is Hazel Grace Lancaster who again is carrying a box of eggs, yet these are unopened. Her posture evidently shows her awe and shock towards Gus throwing them, and this is underpinned through her hand covering her mouth.  Finally, again through research and watching the film I know that Hazel had cancer and due to this experienced hair loss, which again is covered by the beanie. In this shot of the film, both Isaac and Hazel are covering there illness through items and this conveys all of the three characters as equals and doesn’t heighten there individual and personal issues.