FOCUS GROUP

I decided to record a focus group with my classmates as a way of generating and developing ideas for my production. Since this focus group I have decided to alter my idea and I am now doing a film trailer for an inspirational sport film.

Because of my passion for sport and my interest in sport films I decided that it would be beneficial for my production if I had a better understanding of what was needed to make a successful sport film trailer.

SYNOPSIS OF TRAILER

George is a young athlete who is striving to achieve his dreams and aspirations whilst tackling the obstacles that he faces during this gruelling journey. He will encounter the trials and tribulations of a struggling young prospect whilst escaping the lures of teenage life. The trailer suggests that he will he be dragged down by the weight of expectations on his young fragile shoulders but he will come out on top and prove the doubters wrong.

MOOD BOARD

This mood board displays some ideas and feelings that I have towards my film trailer. I have been inspired by a variety of different media. Intertextuality is an important part of planning for a production.

The images include the band 'Jungle' (top right) who I may use for my soundtrack, a font that may be similar to the one I use in mine as well as several camera shots that I may look to replicate. Some of the pictures also show the lures of teenage life, i.e. parties and alcohol.

Some of these camera shots are seen in Rocky, which I have taken much inspiration from as well as the prominent 'Beats By Dre' advertisements that feature popular sportsman showing why they are the best and how music helps them bypass the distractions that interfere with their performance.

The mood board has helped me to develop more ideas to what I want to achieve and is something I can look back on if I am struggling with my production.

FINAL LOGO

 I had the opportunity to use Illustrator and put my sketch into creation, using the hourglass shape (top left) that I produced as a platform to work around. The two main designs seen above are simple yet appealing to the audience. It was out of my capabilities to produce something fantastic but I believe I created something that maximised my potential and gave me time to work on my production itself.

After receiving some feedback It was clear that the design seen above (above, centre) was better than the other. However, it read 'Gam Productions' rather than how I wanted the audience to read it. The 'AGM' displays my initials and I wanted this to be the forefront of my logo. Below shows my finished logo following some feedback from my classmates.

The logo now reads 'AGM Productions' and I have added the blue shape in the bottom section to make it look more appealing and not just the generic black and white, it now looks more like an hourglass and perhaps more contemporary. I am happy with the progression from the initial idea to this and it will hopefully represent my work in a professional and high quality manner.

ROCKY BALBOA TRAILER - KEY SHOT ANALYSIS

This is the first key shot seen in the trailer for the latest 'Rocky Balboa' and shows his past success and fame as a boxer. The shot synchronises with the classic soundtrack heard in the background, previously heard in the Rocky films. The black and white lighting also shows the history of his boxing and that his successes are far behind him. I may take inspiration from the black and white lighting as my trailer will show the struggle (in black and white) someone has to go through to make it to the top (colour).

Rocky is now seen as an older man looking back on his past memories and it is clear he is keen for one last match against the current champion. The location seen displays a fairly rundown and desolate factory with big machinery and not one person surrounding Rocky. This could suggest that he is not famous anymore and that he is no longer living the high life of glamour and fame.

The next shot is significant as it shows Rocky's trainer from the past who has clearly moved on in his life and is no longer immersed in the boxing world. His facial expression is one of shock and confusion when hearing of Rocky's intention to box the current champion.

This shows Rocky starting to train and the audience can see that his training environment is in a garden/park without an extensive amount of equipment available to him. The lighting is fairly dark and suggests that Rocky is training at all times of the day, in order to be at his best.

The shot above shows the training environment of Mason (the champion) and you can see that he is preparing for the fight in high quality and contemporary facilities as well as there being brighter lighting  and a boxing ring to fight someone in (Rocky uses a single punching bag above).

The current champion, Mason, is shown winning and this indicates his talent in boxing and there are paparazzi taking pictures of his success (the belt he wins is behind him). He is shown to be muscular and youthful, juxtaposing to Rocky who has aged and lost his peak physical condition.

Rocky is now seen punching dead cattle and this shows his old-school image of boxing and how training was done in the past. The fact he is now punching cattle may suggest he is progressing in his training and that he is taking the fight very seriously.

In the press conference Mason is wearing an expensive suit with earrings and sunglasses showing his wealth and is also laughing at Rocky, who he has clearly dismissed as someone who can challenge him. The shot shows Mason in the 'driving seat' but also sets it up for Rocky to defy the odds and win.

In the fight Rocky is landing a blow on Mason and this suggests the fight is closer than what was expected. Rocky looks in good physical condition and doesn't look out of place. The fight comes after Rocky training hard to get into the right shape and he looks like a force to be reckoned with. 

INITIAL IDEAS FOR LOGO - SKETCHES

Here are some ideas that I sketched out in preparation for the eventual creation of a logo on Photoshop/Illustrator. The ideas shown are stemmed around my initials 'AGM'. I felt that I could integrate them into a design without it looking unoriginal or displaying unaesthetic features, although adding some simplicity to the task.

The initials allow me to put my own name into my production and it looks more professional then adding 'Alex George March' to a design. 'AGM Productions' also rolls off the tongue quite well, increasing the likelihood for my viewers to remember my production company.

After feedback from my classmates the logo above was seen as one that could work subject to improvements that would need to be made. Not only does the design have aesthetics (even in its rough state) but has a meaning behind it. My production piece is an inspirational sporting film trailer and the hourglass (above) represents how you should 'seize the day' and do something productive in your life. My trailer will convey the motivation required to succeed in sport and how much time has to be put into  what you want to achieve.

After work on either Photoshop or Illustrator I hope to make this initial idea into a logo that represents my production in a professional manner, adding greater realism to my trailer, and to the 'film' the trailer will be showing.

REPRESENTATION IN 'ROCKY BALBOA' TRAILER

The primary target audience is male but will prominently be middle-aged men as the whole storyline is centered around the personal battle of Rocky having to face up to being perceived as 'too old'. Sport action movies generally appeal to younger audiences and this one is more realistic than previous film's where Rocky fights against much weaker opponents.

The narrative follows the clash between hero Rocky and the younger, fitter champion Mason Dixon. This new vs. old generation (Dixon and Rocky are seen below) story adds an emphasis on targeting middle-aged men; specifically those who feel they are getting older and want to relate to those in similar people. Those who have previously watched the Rocky films will feel that they have a connection with the trilogy and may therefore watch the film regardless of how good it is.

The trailer begins by highlighting the dominance of Dixon over Rocky, especially in the physical department where he is shown beating everything that comes before him in the ring. However, as the trailer goes on and Rocky begins to train more, action shots become more prominent, showing the new found power of Balboa. This hints that he may give Dixon more of a fight than first believed. Dixon is shown to be the 'big thing' a contrast to Rocky who is now old and past his physical peak.

EDGAR WRIGHT

Edgar Wright started his career by directing many short films throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. His first two camera's came through a gift and winning a competition on the television programme 'Going Live'. In the early 90s, Wright received an ND in Audio-Visual Design at the Bournemouth and Poole College of Art.

His first feature film debuted in 1994 with the low budget, "independent spoof western", 'A Fistful of Fingers', appearing for a limited time in theatres and on Sky Movies. The film caught the attention of comedians Matt Lucas and David Walliams, now well known for their work on 'Little Britain' and 'Come Fly With Me'. He eventually directed the sketch show 'Mash and Peas' written by and starring both Lucas and Williams. During this time he also worked on many BBC productions and

Wright went on to direct TV series Spaced in 1998 and this was his major breakthrough in TV and this eventually led onto film successes including 'Shaun of the Dead' and more recently 'Scott Pilgrim vs The World' which despite not being a box office success, received great acclaim from some critics.

In response to whether the box office failure had a knock on effect on the way he approached movies afterwards Wright responded, "Not really because it was very critically well received. The only thing that would annoy me about it is that people would equate box office with reviews as the same thing."



The clip seen above is taken from the film 'Evil Dead 2', directed by Sam Raimi in 1987, the man who inspired Edgar Wright to pursue a filmmaking career. Wright did a feature article on his idol just last year appearing on 'The Skinny' (click for a link to the article) website.

Wright remembers watching Evil Dead 2 and thinking 'Wow, I didn’t know you could make a film like this!' referring to the culmination of genres the film displayed from horror to comedy. I wonder why most of Edgar Wrights films feature a mix of genres too? (Comedy, horror, sci-fi to name a few)



The film 'Shaun of the Dead' is arguably Wright's biggest success to date and features a very similar filming style to Sam Raimi, showing quick cut editing and what has been called a frantic-zoom style. (see both clips above)

Edgar Wright has inspired me through his skill of combining a mix of genres to create such successful films. I will try and replicate his use of quick-cut editing to add fast movement to my film trailer and this technique should allow me to expand on the variety of camera shots I can use to appeal to the audience.

ANALYSIS OF 'SHAUN OF THE DEAD' TRAILER

Shaun of the Dead is a zombie rom-com film directed by Edgar Wright and stars the popular duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. It came out in 2004 and with great acclaim, it was nominated for a BAFTA and received highly respectable reviews on sites like 'Rotten Tomatoes' and 'Metacritic'. Simon Pegg plays 'Shaun' the man who is trying to sort out his life and relationship with his mother, girl-friend and stepfather along with handling a zombie apocalypse. It is still to date one of my favourite films.

The use of codes and conventions is seen immediately in the trailer as we see the logo for 'Universal studios' pop up. This indicates that the film has been backed by a well established and respected studio and therefore that the film is more likely to be a professional effort and hopefully of a high calibre. 

The voiceover is a British man introducing the concept of the film, stated on various posters (like above), and this is intercut with the news announcers that are speaking in the trailer as well. The concept of the zombie apocalypse set in the contemporary Britain of 2004. The audience has a grasp of what the film is about in the first 20 seconds. The music contrasts to the serious beginning of the trailer and hints at the comedic tone that the film will develop. A juxtaposition can be seen. It is playful and upbeat which contrasts to the unattractive features and sluggish movements of the zombies.

In the film itself the atmospheric music ('The Blue Wrath' by I Monster) is heavily inspired by the music heard in John Carpenter’s films, most noticeably Ennio Morricone's music for 'The Thing' (1982). Despite the jaunty tone of the majority of the trailer, the film itself does play with more atmospheric sounds, abiding with the dark and suspenseful conventions of the horror genre.



The film title is seen at the end of the trailer and this is done in the hope that the audiences' attention would have been captured and that they would be intrigued to know what the film is called. It is a very bold and dark film title that doesn't really display the comedy value in the film itself but rather the zombie features in the film.

There is no use of social media in the trailer as sites like Twitter and Facebook were very new in 2004 or hadn't even been created (Twitter, 2006). Despite this, the film was still very popular and now generates more interest through the development of the web and social media sites. Occasionally, Edgar Wright will tweet references to the film and this encourages his followers to watch Shaun of the Dead.

The main characters are shown to give the audience an idea of who is featuring and to boost the interest in the film. Actors like Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (seen below in the film trailer) are associated with comedy films and TV series and this allows the trailer to show the serious side as well as the comedy. There are few women seen in the film trailer and this could be because the target audience for the film has been identified as a male, 15-40 and middle class type of audience. This audience can relate to Shaun and his struggles and this makes it more appealing to go and watch the film.

The time length of the trailer is 1 minute and 40 seconds. This is the perfect amount of time as it doesn't give much away but introduces the concept and some of the good clips in the film in order to appeal to the wide audience. Arguably, film trailers can give too much away, relying on showing their punchlines to attract an audience. But from watching the film it is clear that Edgar Wright and the producers were not overly concerned about 

No name captions are seen as well and this could be because the actors in the film were not as popular as they are now and the use of name captions was not seen as often as it is now. This could be from the increase in consumers of film over time and increase in 'fanboys' through social media pages etc.

No release date is shown but 'Coming Soon' is displayed at the end of the trailer to build the hype and intrigue the viewers as to when it comes out.

It is clear the genre features horror and comedy and this is through the use of the main characters (above), several funny clips and the zombies shown. It is not clear that romance is a sub genre as we only see a few seconds of Shaun and Liz in the same frame.

Edgar Wright, the director, uses a very choppy filming approach in his films and this is to create fast and sharp movements in the film, it speeds up the continuity and grabs the attention of the audience. Here is an example of a typical Edgar Wright filming style from the film (not the trailer).

For more on his style, see my post on Edgar Wright.



In the trailer the speed of editing is faster than the content in the actual film and this is because there is a montage of clips seen in the trailer and flashes of as much as possible. The film producers want to entice the audience into going to see the film and appeal to as many people as possible, this results in a culmination of popular clips and less focus on the narrative.

I feel that the trailer is more effective in making me want to see the film as it elaborates on the concept and has some funny moments that foreshadow more funny moments to be seen in the film.

I would expect to see this trailer in the breaks of TV programmes on channels like Dave, E4 and Channel 4 as their audiences are similar to who would be interested in Shaun of the Dead. In addition, the TV series 'Spaced' that starred a whole host of the actors in Shaun of the Dead, also directed by Edgar Wright, aired on Channel 4 and so this audience will obviously be interested in a similar production. In fact, almost every actor from 'Spaced' has a part in the film. On top of this, Film 4 provided some of the funding to cover the production costs of the film.

Click here to watch the trailer for 'Shaun of the Dead'

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF FILM TRAILERS

PRODUCTION COMPANIES LOGO

- Symbolises the budget of the film and who has made it (i.e. if it is Warner Bros it is likely to be a big budget film).
- Some logos may give an indication to the genre of the film, as they are sometimes changed to look like the chosen genre. (E.g. Warner Bros original logo and another type of logo used in films like Harry Potter is shown below).
- If people see the DreamWorks logo they will know that the film has a big budget and that the film will be family friendly.

FILM TITLES

- Film titles are almost always seen in film trailers typically at the beginning and at the end of it in order for the audience to remember it and ultimately increase the likelihood they are going to see the film.

- The font, colouring and backdrop can also suggest the genre of the film and the examples below show how a comedy like 'We're The Millers' differs in title style to a Horror film like 'The Conjuring'.

AGE CERTIFICATION

- Any film that is being shown in the UK is awarded an age certification by the British Board of Film Classification and this age is shown at the end of the trailer to the audience. The age certification gives the audience an idea of the type of film it is. For example, if the film is rated 'U', then it is going to be family friendly and suitable for children to see. If it is a '15' then the audience can assume that there will be some swearing, sexual references and perhaps violence throughout the film.

SOCIAL MEDIA

- As a result of changing consumer habits and the digital revolution, films are now generating a lot of their interest through social media sites. In most film trailers, there will be website URL's, twitter hashtag's and instructions to like their Facebook page etc.

- This new convention has enabled film companies to market their films for free and let their audience create hype for the film and generate interest amongst millions of other people. It has become a huge feature for films to try and generate a large audience and we can see this through the example below (it is seen at the end of the trailer for a solid 10 seconds).

MUSIC AND VOICEOVERS

- Music is also a big feature in film trailers and tend to signal the genre of the film, budget and pace of the film. The producers of the film will tend to have their own soundtrack for the film and with a big budget, they can attract artists to make a soundtrack that is relevant to the genre or even specific to the storyline. For example, an upcoming artist like 'Lorde' was asked to make a song for the recent Hunger Games film and with this opportunity she can promote herself as well as help the film be a success.

- Voiceovers are often heard in trailers and they guide the audience through the plot and characters. A good example of a voiceover is in the 'Hot Fuzz' trailer where Sergeant Angel's (Simon Pegg) re-assignment from being an expert policeman in London to the 'safest village in the country' is introduced by a deep-voiced american man.

CHARACTER INTRODUCTIONS

- This is a prominent part of a film trailer and whether the actors are Hollywood stars or not, the audience gains pleasure from relating and connecting to them. If there is a starring young female character then those who are young and female are more likely to go and watch the film.

- An actor's reputation may also help the film to generate an audience and they may have enjoyed their previous film or are general fans of their work. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as well as director Edgar Wright have all worked together before Hot Fuzz, creating successes like 'Shaun of the Dead' and the TV series, 'Spaced'. 

TIME LENGTH

- Most films will have more than one trailer with different sections of the film edited together. There is always an official trailer that lasts between 1 minute and 2 minutes but teaser trailers are very commonly seen to create hype and leaving the audience wanting to know more. Horror, action and thriller films will use teaser trailers to build hype and sometimes don't even show the film title.

RELEASE DATE

- The release date is essential for attracting a large audience to the film on its opening night. The release date will come out a few weeks before the film is released to give the wider audience the chance to view the trailer and give enough time for people to plan to see the film and not forget about it.

- The release date is almost always seen at the end of a trailer as the people's attention is captured and to make sure the release date is the last thing the audience sees and hopefully remembers. If the release date is too far away then 'coming soon' or something similar will be used to build the excitement of the audience instead.

NAME CAPTIONS

- These are seen in every official trailer and it can be the actor's, producers or directors names that are used to capture the audiences interest. If they are fans of the actor or director then they are more likely to see the film. Even if they are not fans, directors like Quentin Tarantino and Edgar Wright have different filming styles and this will encourage different audiences to see the film.

- Captions can also be deceiving though and trailers may say something like 'endorsed by Tarantino' and the audience may misread and flock to the cinema's unaware that he did not make the film, only enjoyed it. Films can gain a large audience through the feedback of popular actors and directors even if they do not feature in their own film. 

-Furthermore, this might not even be in the trailer but on social media sites where popular people may tweet their enjoyment in watching the film or express their excitement in wanting to watch it, tweeting to their millions of followers.

SHORT FILM ANALYSIS- 'WASP'

Wasp is a short film (26 minutes) written and directed by Andrea Arnold. Released in 2003, it stars Natalie Press as a struggling single mother determined not to let her four young children prove an obstacle in the pursuit of rekindling a relationship with an old ex-boyfriend Danny Dyer.

Camerawork

Andrea Arnold has a very naturalistic approach to her filming, displaying verisimilitude and vivid realism throughout the production of 'Wasp.' The handheld shots are particularly prominent in the film and this results in the film adopting a fairly docudrama style. The free flowing production draws the audience into this impoverished and deprived world, where we are sympathetic for the mother in her desperate situation.

Mise En Scene

The clothing in 'Wasp' encapsulates the vivid realism that Andrea Arnold has generated in the film and the audience can see the dirt, poverty and struggle that surrounds the characters (picture seen below). The lighting is natural to correspond with the natural themes Andrea is trying to show as well as a location that suits the storyline and representation of characters in a deprived way.

Sound

All sound in 'Wasp' is diegetic and consists of mostly dialogue with slang and rude words being spoken fairly prominently by some of the characters. Several tones of voice are heard and they capture and draw the audience into the desperate and frustrated feelings expressed by the characters. For example, the word 'cow' is used in an argument to describe the main characters neighbour and this word is most likely one that Andrea Arnold would have been associated with in her early life and heard it around her hometown.

Click here to watch the short film of 'Wasp'

WES ANDERSON

Life summary

Wes Anderson was born in Texas on May 1st 1969 and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990. From there he moved into directing with world famous actor and close friend from university, Owen Wilson.

Breakthrough

Owen Wilson and his brother Luke made a short film Bottle Rocket and though well reviewed, performed poorly at the box office. Although, the feature-length film was generally praised by critics and Anderson went on to win 'Best New Filmmaker' at the MTV Movie Awards in 1996.


With the release of his third full-length film, The Royal Tenenbaums (again written with Owen Wilson), Anderson gained the combination of critical, box office and Academy notice that had so far eluded him.

Successes

With a global box office taking of $104m and rising, The Grand Budapest Hotel has become Wes Anderson's highest-grossing film. It's the first to take over $100m, beating The Royal Tenenbaums' haul of $71m in 2001 and Moonrise Kingdom's $68m in 2012.

Styles and Genres

One of the biggest aspects of Anderson's films are his chops behind the camera. Maybe more than anything else, it’s the look of Anderson’s films that immediately give them away as his; it’s unlikely you’ll ever watch Rushmore, or Fantastic Mr. Fox, or The Darjeeling Limited and wonder who made it.

Wes Anderson is also well known for his tracking shots and it is a technique that creates movement and energy, and it’s a huge part of what makes Anderson movies feel lively even when they’re downright depressing. It is arguably the most important display he brings to production.

The list of actors who have featured in his productions are very respectable. These include, Anjelica Huston and Bill Murray (who has had roles in all but one of Anderson’s films) lead the pack as the most experienced of the bunch, but they’re joined by the brothers Wilson (Luke, Owen, and even Andrew), Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon and many others.

Wes Anderson seems to have an indie genre, creating cult comedies. His films are well known for their distinctive visual and narrative style.

SMALL SCALE RESEARCH TASK- ANDREA ARNOLD

For my short film brief I decided to look into he work of Andrea Arnold, a former actress and now directing her own short films and more recently, longer duration films.

Early Career and Film making

Andrea Arnold was born on 5th April 1961in Dartford, Kent under parents who were aged only 16 and 17 who separated when Andrea was still very young. As a young girl, Andrea started writing dark stories about human experience perhaps suggesting that she would become a director in the future. At 18 years of age she left her hometown Kent and moved to London which saw her acting in some television shows including 1980s children show 'No. 73' and 'The Kumars at No. 42'.

After retiring as a TV presenter she studied directing in Los Angeles and screenwriting in her hometown of Kent. Andrea's short films followed with 'Milk', 'Dog' and more notably, 'Wasp', where she won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. In reply to whether Wasp was reminiscent of her early life or is in any way biographical, Andrea replies "I grew up in a working class family, so I guess you could say I write from what I know."

Andrea's style has been to direct short films reminiscent of her early life, shooting in fairly rough areas near to her hometown of Kent. The picture below shows her on the set of 'Red Road', one of her more recent longer durated films following her successful shorter films.

Andrea Arnold has inspired me to do a short film through her display and view of modern society as well as her realistic productions that significantly capture ones attention when watching. Despite several scenes being quite disturbing and perhaps fairly odd, Andrea uses various shots and editing to emphasise verisimilitude in her productions.

I hope to capture the verisimilitude that Andrea frequently does in her own productions. Following last year's task my idea of how to produce a realistic modern day film has developed and the film I produce for this year's task will have a lot of realism of the current society.

IDEAS FOR BRIEF