Institution Research

I have decided on using Big Talk as the company for my film, due to the majority of their productions being comedies and starring young actors as I will be doing. This is the research I did into different companies and the films they have funded, as well as the similarities they have to my own.

Target Audience

My target audience is 14-20 year old females that enjoy coming of age films. This includes romances and comedies as those are main themes of the former genre. My target audience would stereotypically enjoy chart music, which I am going to find tracks similar to for my trailer, which will engage them. My film, on the grounds of the Uses and Gratifications theory, will entertain and cause interaction within my target audience, so the characters will be undergoing their A Levels during the film. All of these aspects will appeal to the embodiment of my target audience, Lauren.

Fonts

Fonts from zoeheinzbeanz

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower Full Length Trailer Analysis

• The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is obviously a coming of age film from the beginning of the trailer as it introduces the main character as a teenager because his first line is about his return to school after summer. The first location is a bedroom, then a school, which is the most conventional setting of a coming of age film because the majority of characters will be at that age, as well as the target audience.
• The three main characters are clearly introduced, the intertitles naming them so that the audience become familiar with them and engage in the trailer.
• Themes in this trailer are mental illness, presented by the main character; love, which the audience can draw from Sam and Charlie's clearly developing relationship throughout the trailer; drugs, suggested by the intake of alcohol during the trailer and the struggles of socialising, which runs throughout the trailer, emphasised by the fact that it is set in a school.
• The music is upbeat throughout, which is unconventional as coming of age films because they change in mood so often. The positive music juxtaposes the sad scenes shown in the trailer, for example the protagonist in tears.
• Editing is used in this trailer consistently, e.g. blackouts for transitions between, and even within, scenes. This is effective as it matches the pace of the music and suggests that the film will not be dull at any points. No CGI is used, as usual in a coming of age film because it is socially realistic.
• The cinematography is also notable during the trailer as the camera pans out frequently in order to focus on the characters and their emotions but also to show their surroundings that have impacted on them.
• Intertitles are very important in this trailer as they introduce the main characters throughout. They also give short reviews from established institutions, which will appeal to readers of them (it is likely that the audience will be literate as the film is adapted from a book).

Props and Locations

Props and locations from zoeheinzbeanz

Trailer Plan

Diary Post 2

I practiced filming today using a flip camera, making sure to use all different angles and shots in a trailer. I will film my final trailer with my iPhone 6 as it is high quality and I will have it on hand if I feel that I need to do any extra filming. Its easy portability will give my trailer a diverse range of locations, which my practice lacked due to my group being limited to the school grounds. I found that filming from a point of view angle was easier than I thought and I may use this in my trailer as it is interesting and will engage my audience by breaking it up a little. A challenge I found was keeping the camera on a tripod level and steady, although as long as I consistently reshoot scenes in case of errors my trailer should appear professional. 

Teacher Feedback

Zoe,

Summary and Strengths

You started well this year, posting regularly and really engaged - your blog has a good quality of posts that are completed and finished (e.g. generic conventions work) – your idea is also a good one and will lend itself to a high quality bit of coursework – but these posts have dropped off recently

You have a lowish number of posts at this stage (which we have discussed) – the quality of presentation and analysis is band 3 but we need further research and planning to ensure we get a high R and P mark.

Targets

• Further posts – set yourself blog post targets every week and make progress every week – stay on top of deadlines!
• Research – trailer analysis needs more trailers analysed and each one analysed in detail with subheadings etc – sound, mise en scene etc – you can stick with your chosen genre also now
• Add points to mood board analysis

The Way Way Back Full Length Trailer Analysis

• The Way Way Back is presented as a coming of age film as the protagonist is a teenage boy that clearly has a romantic interest in a girl. The trailer also uses the conventions of a coming of age film as the characters regularly joke during it, and are shown in dysfunctional relationships.
• More characters are introduced in this trailer and given larger speaking roles, the audience learning more about their backgrounds. However, this is not conventional of a coming of age films as there would not be so many characters over the age of 18.
• Themes of family relationships are introduced in this trailer, and the teenaage romance is developed further. It shows that there is a darker side to the film, in contrast to the upbeat teaser trailer, as the protagonist cries and other characters argue
• The music changes three times during the trailer, pausing for dialogue and punchlines to show that the film is a comedy, all lively songs but decreasing in volume for more emotional scenes
• Editing is used in this trailer, for example, to show cuts between scenes, which engages the young target audience who could possibly become bored of a lack of edited transitions.
• The pace of the film is moderately slow to begin with, but then a montage of clips from the film, showing a contrast of happy and sad scenes, conventional of a coming of aged film as they follow the ups and downs of teenagehood
• There is, again, a lack of headings shown, only the 20th Century Fox logo briefly at the beginning in order to engage fans of that production company and the title of the film at the end.

The Way Way Back Teaser Trailer Analysis

• The Way Way Back is a coming of age comedy film, which is obvious due to the conventionally upbeat music and jokes, as well as the protagonist being between 15 and 17 years old.
• The two main characters, a teenage boy and girl, typical of a coming of age film, are introduced on a first name basis, clearly being romantically interested in each other at some point. Other than them, the older characters are not introduced by name, showing that they will not be as significant. Also, this will appeal to the target audience as they are around the same age as the main characters.
• Comedy and romance are clearly themes in this coming of age film, typical of that genre. Family and friend relationships are also featured in the teaser trailer, although only briefly as it is quite an upbeat trailer
• The unique selling point is the sense of humour of the film, which is highlighted by the contrast of bouncy music and pauses for dialogue
• The intertitles are shown in a bright orange font to stand out, but only the title of the film and 'Now Showing', no headings. A 20th Century Fox logo is shown at the beginning of the trailer to immediately engage fans of films by that company.

My Film Plot Synopsis

Seventeen year old Scarlett has become an introvert since the death of her best friend Ella, regularly writing to her to express her predominantly negative feelings. Scarlett, having isolated herself from her peers, is shocked to find that Charlie, who she has only ever been acquainted with, takes an interest in her. Over time they become close friends, Scarlett gaining confidence and clearly displaying her romantic interest in him in her letters to Ella. The pair kiss at a party, only for her to find out that Charlie was seeing Ella before she died and sees Scarlett as a means to be closer to her. Feeling used, Scarlett isolates herself once again from society, refusing to have any contact with Charlie. He, feeling guilty about having essentially used Scarlett, attempts to regain her trust, eventually, at the end of the film, agreeing to let Ella go together, she ending her letters.

Survey Results

 

 

 

 

Link to Survey

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/XRTNTJC

Coming of Age Films Moodboard

This moodboard shows typical themes of coming of age films, for example, drugs and relationships. Films of this genre revolve around and are aimed at teenagers and their struggles through the most awkward stage of their lives.

The Fault in Our Stars Poster Analysis

Generic Conventions of Coming of Age Films

Diary Entry 1

I am currently planning on my film being a coming of age comedy, for example, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Submarine. Both of these films have elements of comedy and romance in them, although I would not class either of them as that genre. I will analyse trailers of both to see what I would have to do in the one I make to ensure that it engages my target audience, which would be 15-25 year old females. This is because my main character will be a female, one of my friends so aged 17, although I do also want to include a male co-star who will play a notable role in the trailer. Possible themes in my film would be relationships, death and sexual orientation, although the latter would be hard to convey in a trailer that is two minutes or less without giving the plot line away.

The Notebook Poster Analysis

Legend Full Length Trailer Analysis

• The film is a historical crime drama, we know this due to the voiceover's first line being: "England in the 1920s" and the use of props that are conventional of the crime genre, for example, guns and violence
• more characters are introduced, although there is much more focus on the twins and their relationship, clearing showing that they are protagonists and highlighting the unique selling point of the film
• the theme of romance is presented through a relationship between one of the twins and a woman, which will appeal to a female audience more than the teaser trailer would, although they are not the priority
• the cast, other than the woman that one of the twins is romantically involved with, are all aged 20+ males, which is the target audience of this film. There is a brief appearance of a female dancer, who, according to Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory, will have been placed in the trailer to attract the TA.
• the music is traditional of the era, not contemporary at all, which suggests that the film is authentic and would appeal to fans of that genre
• a mid shot is used in the last scene of the trailer to show both of Tom Hardy's characters side by side, as this clearly shows the unique selling point and makes it memorable because it is at the very end. A bird's eye view is also used in a scene as one of the twins is holding someone out of a window, which, showing one above the other, suggests the balance of power in a clearly hierarchical society
• The pace in the full length trailer is much slower, although it speeds up towards the end. The contrast engages the audience and does not allow them to get bored
• The dialogue is dominantly the twins, whose slightly different voices highlight the unique selling point of Tom Hardy's acclaimed acting of both characters. This also clearly shows that they are the protagonists of the film
• The credits and intertitles show the production companies Studocanal and Working Title, as well as social networking sites that the film has accounts on, which will appeal to a younger audience that are experienced with technology.

Legend Teaser Trailer Analysis

• this is the first trailer we looked at as a class before deciding on the genres of our films and is a historical crime drama, shown by generic conventions such as guns and casinos
• apparent narrative is foreign gangsters some to London looking for members, suggested by the dialogue, although it is still mysterious, which engages the audience
• unique selling point is that Tom Hardy plays both Kray twins, which is highlighted by one of the first scenes being them on either side of an unnamed character
• target audience of 18+ males as this is what all the cast shown in the teaser trailer are
• non diegetic sound used is contemporary indie rock music, which would appeal to fans of the band whose song it is
• close ups used to introduce characters, a long shot to show one of the twins with a car, which demonstrates their wealth even in their brief introduction
• there is a contrast of fast paced action shots and slow dialogue scenes
• there are about 4 characters speaking and a lack of voiceover
• special effects used in the teaser trailer are the obvious editing of Tom Hardy as he is playing both twins and an explosion
• credits and intertitles show the production companies (Studiocanal and Working Title) as well as the headings 'Power', 'Fear' and 'Family' before the title, which outline the main themes of the film

Link to Year Twelve Blog

http://zoehineg321.blogspot.co.uk