Props + Locations

This is the book that the main character will be writing in during the trailer. This will be a good prop to use as it denotes schoolwork, which may be associated with teenagers, this is good as this prop connotes vulnerability, and this is correspondent with the vulnerable nature of the main character.

This is an incense cone we are going to use to create a 'Smoky' effect in the garage scene to connote mystery and danger, and to reflect the fear of the main character as he finds himself in an umfamiliar situation.

This is the fisheye lens we are going to use when filming the garage scene in our production, we are going to use this as it enables us to capture the entire mise en scene in the garage scene which is essential to encapsulate the mood and danger of the scene.

This is the steady cam we are going to use when filming our trailer, it will enable us to capture action footage in a stable manner.

Location

• A garage for the hostage scene. This can be a house garage or an open warehouse space which is easy to disguise. By having a scene in a garage it adds reality. Therefore it is more serious and gripping as people can put themselves in their shoes.

• Rawtenstall Market/Back Alley: This is an ideal location to use when filming our production. An empty market stall is ideal as a location for our production as it is stereotypically associated with 'Chavs', and other unruly youth subcultures. Also, it is apparent that there is a backalley nearby which is ideal for our trailer. We will have a chase scene in our trailer which will take place in this back alley, we will use this as it will reflect the gritty, British style of our film.

Cast + Characters

We will be using our friends as the cast members. Several of our close friends have experience in the acting industry and have featured as extras on hit dramas on national television which credits our production very well. As they are close friends we can trust them and they will be reliable, which is an important factor when filming as they will listen to us, be on time and follow instructions as well as giving their own input.

We will be casting:
2 Gangster characters
1 Victim
5 friends
As a group we will be getting involved as characters, editors, cameramen and directors.

Costume

In terms of costume we planned out two ideas for the two different concepts we came up with, one modern and one ‘retro’ and ‘old-skool’.

Modern:
-‘Gangsters’ will wear formal "gangster coats"
-Victim will be a smart casual male in a pair of chino trousers, checkered shirt and Harrington style jacket. This dress code is identifiable with the mod revival/skinhead youth subcultures of England in the 1980's. British viewers will be able to identify this, and this further reinforces the British feel of our trailer. Also the fact that he is dressed in such a manner reflects his studious nature of the teenage character

‘Retro/Old-Skool’
-‘Gangsters’ will be identifiable with retro style tracksuits and large logos on t-shirts, bright colours will also be apparent in trainers and maybe on some of the clothing detail. They will still have an essence of smartness and wealth about them.
-Victim will be in jeans and a shirt or retro styled coat/jacket.
-Fake facial hair to comply with the 90’s cop image.

Planning Ideas

First we did a brain storm of potential scenes we could include in our production, they didn’t have to be in a particular chronological order but they helped us to distinguish a genre and to gain a starting point for our production.
This is what we wrote down:

1) Small car parked up at traffic lights or at the roadside
2) We see the silhouette/full picture of a character coming towards the rear window (from the inside)
3) The window is smashed/attempted to be smashed in ‘slo-mo’
4) Blackout transitions to hostage scenes with strobe lighting
5) Light filters and strobes over dry ice
6) Tied up characters in a garage setting
7) Speedy, smooth camera movements
8) Characters in typical shell-suits or smart suits
9) Drug dealers
10) Car hire garage to make a link between gang and victim
11) Intricate camera positioning and movements
12) Effects in the editing process such as glare, blur and fading to black


With these pointers and a general idea of the direction of our trailer we devised some ideas.

IDEA 1:
Main gang: group of teenagers
One of the teens gets dared steal an item of clothing.
He gets caught as there is an unseen person inside in a car on the opposite side of the street
The driver chases the boy down through streets and traffic and catches him
The driver (gangster) gets the teen involved into the gangster lifestyle and he grows up as the runt who turned out to be a stereotypical British gangster

IDEA 2:
A man hires a car from a car hiring showroom
That car was previously used to store, transport illegal drugs
The drugs were left side and the agency collected the car
The gangster’s lose their goods and set out to retrieve them
The new driver is just an innocent man who is unaware of the cars inviolvement
The gangsters track him down and give him trouble as they think he is playing dumb, he is simply confused and unaware
The hire car owner has retrieved the goods and they eventually track them back to him
The victim takes some sort of revenge

Planning Introduction

Short Planning Introduction

After having a discussion with the group, suggesting a range of genres to each other, we decided on the idea of a making a crime thriller with heavy influence from ‘old skool’ 'geezer' gangster films such as ‘The Departed’ and in particular ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking barrels’.
Guy Ritchie is a director who we looked at for inspiration as he has been very successful in these genres, he is the director of ‘Lock Stock’ so we did some research into him, finding out his views on the industry and how he becomes inspired, as well as some simple background information which might influence his productions. This quote in particular is a great outlook on the British film industry
“England no longer has the identity that we previously understood it to have. It's become international like New York has become international.”
This quote shows the scope that we have with the mise en scene in England and how it is such a unique and flexible place. By being so international it is very powerful and has a reputable and large audience.


The genre of our film is an action crime thriller. This will also include influences of the ‘geezer’ image.

Our film will be shown in cinemas and through other forms of media such as sky box office.

Our production will be aimed at people aged 15 or 18 and above. The reason behind this is that it will include scenes of violence, drugs and other adult connotations so it could definitely not be certified any younger than that. Films alike including, Lock Stock and Two Smoking barrels are certified 18+ which provided a guide for us.

We will include key elements of action, thriller and geezer films. This could be things such as the cockney accent (or similar regional accent) and two rival gangs. Special effects and filming techniques are also key features of these genres so they will also be present in our production.

The key focus of our trailer will be ‘gangsters/crooks/criminals. This is the type of character our film will revolve around.

A film company which would distribute our film would be Miramax if it was to a big hit with a big budget. If the film was more independent and British, with a lower budget then it would be a company like Summit Entertainment who produced Lock Stock and Two smoking barrels.
If we were to invent our own studio it would be very similar. We would like to produce similar gritty films, but we would also produce comedies. In our planning stage we had ideas of including comedy, so our company would be unique in this way.

The characters would be a selling point of our film but the unique storyline would draw in the most attention. It is a Mancunion based modern gangster film which has never been made so it is a niche already. The props and special effects will help the film to look professional and realistic which is another way to sell a film.

Institutional Information for Our Production

Media insitutions

View more PowerPoint from Alainahomer

The Target Audience of Our Trailer

Our Trailer is advertising a Gangster film set in England and as with any other genre this has a target audience. The target audience in our will most likely be males in the age range of 15-35. This is due to the themes which involve violence and criminal activities which, in films, interest men more and due to the violence only people above a certain age will be permitted by the BBFC’s age restrictions. The Audience would also be people who like previous films like Lock, Stock and Two smoking Barrels, Snatch, RocknRolla. Using the website IMDB for research I discovered that 127,700 males watched and reviewed Long Stock and Two Smoking Barrels whereas only 13,530 females did the same this is because more males watched it and also the male score is slighter high than the one from females and also males aged 18-29 rated the film 8.4 but males 30-44 rated it 8.4. Long, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a film similar to ours so our target audience should be similar.

Saw IV poster analysis

Saw IV’, written by Patrick Melton, is a horror/crime film, for young adult or mature teenagers. This is a sequel to the ‘Saw’ series, which are renowned for gory, torture films; this is emphasised clear connotations of violence in the poster. This would attract fans of previous entries in the ‘Saw’ film series, and also manages to appeal to people who are not accustomed with the previous films in the series.
The poster is mostly a white/ pale-grey colour, which connotes purity, and is a dexterical symbol often associated with ‘good’ instead of ‘bad’. The shot is a close-up of a table setting, in a high camera angle. This signifies the emotion in the film, and the angle suggests domination and the power that is held by the gentleman setting the table setting. The image denotes the gloved hand of an unnamed man, who is assumed the protagonist, placing a fork down in a table; the lack of a detailed background in the diegesis makes the audience focus on the bloody torture implements on the dinner plate. There is a subdued hint of perfectionism in the image, as the gentleman is wearing white gloves, a character code that has connotations of cleanliness or medical work, and he looks to be straightening the fork into a completely straight position. This suggests to the audience that the gentleman in the shot cares greatly about the amount of work that has gone into this table setting. This forebodes the later events in the film, where Jigsaw (the male character in the picture), shows psychopathic tendencies in his flawless torture methods and experiments.
It can be assumed from the background of the poster that the setting of the film will be medically related due to the fact that the majority of the poster is taken up by a previously used metal surgery table. The lighting used in the shot highlights the feature of the poster. The plate is highlighted as the most important part. The lighting is reflected on the silver cutlery, as well in the red blood. The lighting used in the poster is somewhat unconventional in the sense that it is high key, high contrast, a lighting style that is used to make the poster harsh and ‘moody’. The lighting used causes the entire image to be clear to the audience instead of a certain section or optical area. The title Saw IV‘, is the same colour as the crimson blood on the plate. The colour used is a colour that has codes of danger and violence, and this is used to emphasise the genre of film to the audience, allowing filmgoers to identify this as a horror genre film, and thus, horror film fans will be encouraged to watch the film. The colours used in the diegesis are primary colours, which cause different effects on the audience. Red is known as a primary colour of lighting, and this is the focussing colour of the shot. As the audience then notice that it’s blood on torture instruments.
The ‘Saw’ titles have always been the same red colour and font, and is a key identifier of the film series; because of this consistency fans of the film series will be able to identify this as a film of similar premise and genre, which attracts the audience who are previous fans. This is similar to the production companies which are shown at the bottom of the poster. Companies such as ‘Lionsgate’, and ‘Twisted Pictures’, have a background in horror film production, and are therefore associated with films of the horror genre, this will further appeal to fans of horror films, and fans of ‘Lionsgate’s and ‘Twisted Pictures’ previous works, and they will associate this film with a style and quality that are associated with their previous productions.

Get Smart Trailer Analysis

Click for trailer

For A2 media studies I have been conducting a semiotic analysis of the advertising trailer used for the spy ‘spoof’ film: Get Smart. The title in itself is a suggestion towards the premise of the film, with “smart” being the surname of the main protagonist, a deliberate, ironic choice of surname as the character possesses intellectual qualities that would not make him appear intelligent or “smart”. It is apparent that the character is promoted in his line of work, making him a secret agent, the title could also suggest towards the characters attempts to “get smart” as he adjusts to his new role, which comedy will arise from. The title is rendered in a bold, neon coloured font, this juxtaposes with a black background and is similar in style to other spy based films such as films in the 007 franchise, which the film is obviously trying to imitate in a deliberately comedic manner. The silver colour of the font connotes a technological feel, something which hints towards the hi-tech equipment the characters may use during the course of the film. This font is a typical convention of the genre of spy/action films. The trademark Warner Brother’s logo that is displayed at the beginning of the trailer is also notable as it is made up of bright, contrasting colours, such as sky blue and gold. This is significant as it reiterates the light tone of the film, and its aim to entertain in a light hearted way, as it is a comedy, it is apparent that the film distributors have decided to use a bright colour scheme to reflect the tone, which is something that would not be included in other genres such as the thriller genre. The main protagonist is established in a low angle shot, used to reflect his importance within the narrative. A low angle shot may also be used by the film makers to suggest the status that has been given to him, and emphasises his “moronic” facial expression, making it more comedic as it suggests that a person of his incompetence has been grated with a powerful position. The character is captured in a mid-shot to establish his comedic nature as attention is drawn to his facial expression, as it is central in the diegesis. A cut to a two shot of two antagonists is then displayed, where they are shown to be confused. Their confusion is emphasised with a transition from non-diegetic music to silence, which draws attention to their response. After the character is established, upbeat “mysterious” non-diegetic orchestrated music that is typical of the spy genre, is played non-shots of amusing and comedic events are shown in conjunction with this music, which establishes the movie as a parody. The music then changes to non-diegetic dramatic opera music that connotes chaos, comedic actions the character takes are shown in conjunction with this, to emphasise the fact that the main protagonist is not in complete control of his actions, which emphasises his incompetence. Action set pieces are displayed with typical conventions of the Action-comedy genre being displayed such diegetic explosions and combat, which is emphasised by exaggerated by punching sound effects, which are raised in volume to introduce an element of “slapstick comedy” to the violent actions. It is apparent that the film creators have designed the trailer to make it appeal to fans of the action-comedy hybrid genre. It is apparent that they have exaggerated the diegetic sounds of explosions and the sounds of punches and gunshots to emphasise this as an action-comedy genre film. It is apparent that the film has a USP in the sense that this is a “spy-spoof” action comedy film that has largely renowned “star” actors who will attract a mainstream audience to the film.

Dark Knight Analysis

Click for trailer
For A2 Media studies I have been conducting a semiotic analysis for The Dark Knight. When analysing the title of the film, it can be seen that there are many connotations that it presents. The dark knight refers to the main protagonist, Batman; fans of the series will be able to recognise this as a Batman film, as this is a secondary nickname given to the character of Batman in previous films and comic books. In addition the title also suggests towards the dark nature and tone to the film, and possibly the lighting which is used during the course of the film. The phrase “Dark Knight” is also a well known idiomatic image, the image of a dark knight is one that is associated with a character that is not always necessarily fighting for the best possible cause, or is a flawed character, this hints towards the character of Batman, and actions he takes which are seen as unusual, and if were to occur in the real world could possibly be considered psychotic. The title: The Dark Knight could also be a hint towards the setting of the film, as most of the action which involves the primary protagonist takes place at night. It is also noticeable that when the titles are displayed, or the production companies are displayed, an explosion precedes it when the logo’s come into focus. This in itself hints towards the nature of the film, as explosions are associated with action films. Also when the film distributor, legendary pictures is displayed, the explosion morphs into an outline of a bat, the main icon of the series, this suggests that the film is a batman film.
The actual title of the film is displayed in a bold, sanserif font, upon a pitch black background. The outline of a bat is displayed in the background, around the titles, as the silver colour of the text illuminates the outline of the bat, hinting towards Batman and the camouflage he takes when in darkness. The genre of the film is the action/ superhero hybrid genre. Also typical of the hybrid genre is the sound that is used throughout the course of the film. The trailer consists of diegetic explosions and sounds that are exaggerated and highlighted to increase a feeling of intensity in the film. An example of this occurring is the scene in which the joker is displayed wielding a switch blade. The sound that is made is exaggerated by the creators of the trailer to deliberately make the action of the film more intense, the sound would not be heard in real life. The integration of this sound effect is a technique which is typical of the action genre, as it provides emphasis upon the action of the film. There is also non diegetic music which is used during the course of the trailer to create a dramatic feel that replicates the dramatic course of events that take place during the course of the film and also the dramatic nature of the main antagonist of the film, the joker. It is apparent that the lighting that is used during the course of the film is dark and bleak, replicating the dark tone of the film. This is a deliberate technique used by the creators of the film to suggest at the dark nature of the main protagonist and main antagonist.

Inception poster analysis

For A2 media studies I have been analysing the film poster used to advertise Inception, the Hollywood produced wide-release film which was directed and created by Christopher Nolan. Text is shown at the bottom of the poster, which reads: “from the director of The Dark Knight”, this will appeal to fans of the commercially and critically acclaimed production “The Dark Knight”, and will increase interest in the film. It is also apparent that the name of the “star” actor, Leonardo Dicaprio is displayed in large lettering across the top of the diegesis; this will also serve to increase attention towards the film, as fans of the actor will be attracted to this production. The poster denotes the title in a bold, clear red font, in a sanserif typeface. The clearness of the font implies towards the professionalism of the main characters in the film, the red colouring connotes danger.

The poster depicts a male character standing in the turmoil of an ever increasingly flooding city, surveying his surroundings as he remains stationary, assuming a powerful stance that emphasises his power and central role within the narrative. This is illustrated by the ground being covered completely in deep knee high water and the presence of dark rain clouds, which dominate the skyline. The clouds are very dark, and are an identifiable dexterical symbol of impeding danger or misery. The clouds may also have been used because it is an image which connotes pathos, and a asense of helplessness, which hints towards the “tense” nature of the film. The water that runs along the ground in the diegesis appears to be flowing erratically, something which creates a sense of impeding danger and peril for the inhabitants of city, and the character that is situated in the midst of apparent turmoil. The character in question is male, and appears to have a “well groomed” image, having a smart slicked back hairstyle, brandishing a formal suit. The dress code of a black suit connotes authority and professionalism, something which reflects the apparent “cool, calm and collected” nature of the character. The fact he is wearing a suit in conjunction with a well groomed, slicked back hairstyle may suggest that he is wealthy and receives a large economical income due to the fact it is stereotypically associated with young American Businessmen, or ‘Yuppies’. The man appears to holding a gun in his right hand. This prop connotes violence, authority and danger, and presents the character as a person of high status and power. This weapon could suggest a character trait of unpredictability, and presents the character’s motives ambiguously, bringing to question the nature of the character and the role of the character as a protagonist or anti-hero with a volatile personality. It is also notable that the face of the character is not shown in the image. This further enhances and supports the feeling of anonymity towards the character and the motives he possesses. The fact that he is facing away from the camera also suggests that he is possibly ashamed of an event or action that he takes during the film something which creates a sense of mystery. The prop of the handgun and the head of the character are captured in what would be referred to as hotspots, by the principles of the rule of thirds, the audience’s perception and attention is drawn to these places, and are hence, considered central parts of the narrative.

It is also notable that the character is captured in a long shot, on a wide camera lens, which enables the onlooker to see his surroundings and the grand scale of the events occurring around the character. This shot is effective as it enables the audience to see the surroundings from the perspective of the main character, and creates a sense of empathy with the character, as we can relate to the danger which he is confronted with. The shot is also takes from the perspective of a low angle shot, which looks up upon the character to emphasise his power and status. The shot captures and the vast skyscrapers which surrounds the character, which establishes the city setting, and a sense of scale, as this is an American city comparable to New York City, which creates realism, and allows the audience to compare a situation such as this with other disasters that have occurred in city settings such as the September 11 terrorist attacks.

In addition it is noticeable that the poster uses low key, high contrast lighting, creating a “chiaroscuro” effect, which evokes misery and depression, which reflects the mood of the character, and the danger ahead of him. The shot is captured through a blue coloured filter, which creates a dark blue effect on the surroundings. In the horizon is a piercing white light that could be seen as a symbol representation of an omnipotent, malevolent force that is progressing to the character, and a force that the character is forced to face eventually.

The Key Marketing Points For Our Film

We will strategically market our production around its genre of a crime thriller, and will distribute merchandise accordingly, so it will be consistent with the ‘gangster’ theme of our production. We will distribute film posters that employ key crime thriller conventions such as images of characters holding or using weapons such as guns or knives, people will be able to identify the genre of the film through the poster, and thus, fans of this particular genre may be encouraged to watch it. The posters may employ a colour scheme that is consistent with the tone of the film, choosing black or dark colour codes to connote sophistication and the status of the criminal characters. Drug use, violence and vice may be key themes of our production, and we will market our film around key themes such as this, to establish a tone and impression of the film, and what movie-goers should expect from the film, this may appeal to fans of the crime genre, and may encourage them to go and watch the film, which would increase profits for our production company. We could use a synergetic method of cross media convergence to also market our production. We could create a website which would serve to advertise the film by showing trailers of the film, a link to an iTunes app, and also provide release information for our production. A link to an iPhone app would increase the revenue for the film, as it would provide media exposure of the film to target audiences, which is useful as we are a small independent production company, which means that we will not receive mainstream media attention, and will rely upon marketing techniques such as this. On posters for the film, we include the name of the director, as this may increase revenue of future spin-offs or sequels, as fans of this production may want to watch future work that the director does, which would create more profits for our independent production company.

The Conventions and Purpose of Trailers

Film trailers are a key promotional tool of the film industry which acts upon the reception model of audience theory. Operating on the principles of reception theory, film distribution companies such as Warner Bros; distribute their films, encoding meaning of a certain film, positioning a target audience through the audience’s gender, age and class. An example of this would take form as “Sex and the City”, a film which is encoded with conventional themes such as romance and love to appeal to a primary audience of females. The audience will be able to decode the meaning of the film, interpreting it as belonging to a certain genre which they enjoy, and hence will enjoy the meaning of the film itself.
Trailers are largely responsible for the success of a film commercially, with the method being partially responsible for earning gross revenue for the film, with the trailer bringing the film to public focus through media exposure, over the internet and on popular television programmes that are dedicated to film such as “35mm”. There are two main types of cinematic trailers, a short teaser trailer, and a main, longer theatrical trailer. Both trailers consist of shortened excerpts from the film, with the teaser consisting of very brief excerpts. The teaser trailer is usually distributed in cinemas during the early stages of the development of the film. The teaser trailer usually contains basic elements of the films narrative, with the main function of it bringing the film to public attention, with it both serving to increase anticipation of both the film and the considerably longer theatrical trailer. The teaser trailer also establishes the tone and feel of the film, making it appealing to fans of the genre of film that is being established in the trailer. An example would be “The Inbetweeners Movie” teaser trailer, in which the film is established to be a comedy genre film, the trailer employs typical conventions of the comedy genre, with main characters are shown to be laughing and joking, in accompaniment with happy, upbeat popular music. Another example would be the trailer for Crank, an action thriller hybrid genre film, the trailer reiterates this genre as it employs typical conventions of an action thriller in the trailer. The cutting rhythm of the trailer is rapid, to create excitement and tension, and shows typical scenarios such as car chases, gun use and explosions. This is a very stereotypical trailer for a film that belongs in the action thriller genre, fans of action thriller films will identify this, and hence, the film will appeal to them.
The longer theatrical trailer, which is shown within 1-3 months of the film’s release, expands upon the content shown in the teaser trailer, serving to establish the main characters and possible storylines, both main and subplots. A fitting example of a successful theatrical trailer is the trailer for commercially successful and critically acclaimed “The Dark Knight”. Copious explosions, thick and dramatic orchestrated non diegetic music and fast cuts are central devices used by the creator of the trailer, to establish the film as a typical action film. Also, the famous actors or ‘stars’ participating in the film are shown, which will increase the appeal of the film as many viewers may be able to identify the actors shown, having liked their previous film, may thus be encouraged to also watch this film. In addition the director, Christopher Nolan is named prominently in the trailer, this may increase demand for the film, for those who enjoy the director’s previous work such as ‘Memento’. Also, as the film is a marquee blockbuster, media exposure will be given in popular movie magazines such as Empire, this would also increase the audience for the film, as fans of Empire magazine, and action films will be encouraged to watch the film.
A secondary function of a trailer is to create “word of mouth” hype within the public, to establish the film as a central talking point for discussion in many conversations. This will serve to increase the anticipation for the film and in turn, demand for the film when it is eventually released, something which will increase the gross revenue for the film. It is apparent that films that are new instalments in popular franchises such as “Batman” are at an advantage in comparison to other standalone films, as the creators of the film are able to identify their key demographic of comic book, and “superhero” film fans from the beginning of production, which would enable them to visualise what fans of the series want and expect from the production, this will determine how successful the film will be, both critically and commercially. The distributors of the trailer and film will design the trailer in order to satisfy their target audience, by including key identifiers of the franchise, such as the famous “Batman” logo, which is the silhouette of a bat. The distributors of the trailer could also target a USP when designing a trailer for films such as this. The trailer may include dialogue which either refers to previous films, or famous comic book villains or anti-heroes, this will appeal to certain minorities such as comic book fans, and will hence appeal to them, as they will want to know how effectively the character is portrayed, and how it compares to their childhood visualisation of the character through reading the comic books. Certain film distributors have been known to use synergetic cross promotional methods, such as horizontal integration are use to increase anticipation for the film itself, and the trailer, or the reveal of significant information, such as a main character or release date. For “The Dark Knight”, Warner Brothers created more publicity for the film by establishing a website for the production, including trailers for the film and mini-games, which would increase the anticipation of fans, as an element of multimodal interactivity is established, where the fan takes an active role in a game which relates to the film, which could possibly create excitement for the fan to increase anticipation. This could also serve to make the production appeal to a larger demographic, as this may appeal to people who regularly use the internet as a means of communication and entertainment, and would hence, ultimately improve the success of the film commercially. In addition, horizontal integration marketing methods such as creating video game tie-ins also increases appeal for the film. An example would be the film released by Sony pictures: Spider-Man 2. Sony pictures also create video games, so they used this to increase appeal to those who play video games, this contributed towards the film becoming a commercial success. The uses of social networking sites such as Facebook are becoming increasingly common in the film industry. Facebook serves to heighten awareness for the film through advertising banners, and links to the official website created by the film distributors. Users of Facebook and fans of a certain film such as “Twilight” can choose to subscribe to information for the film, such as trailers and release dates, by “liking” the film. This seeks to increase appeal and anticipation for the film, and creates a multimodal resource of audio-visual and textual information for fans.