Sunday, 18 July 2010

sourcing the copyright free music

I will be using a variety of music and sound techniques in the trailer from unsigned bands, real bands and copyright free music.

The first song I was interested in is 'Noticed' by Mutemath. Mutemath is a signed music band therefore I needed permission to use the song. I have sent an email to warner bros to find out if using the song in my trailer is possible. This is the song I would like to you in particular between 0:40-1:13, this would be used to reveal some sort of resolution e.g the chemistry being shown between the two people. As the lyrics explain that they never noticed the feelings they had before until they met the person properly.





However Warner music didn't reply to my email sent a while ago so I kept my options open and began to look for another artist.
After going on Jamstudio.com I discovered Amy Treadwell who made a song called lifeline, I thought it would fit well in the trailer as it represents that the pair should be grateful that they have been brought together and that there was no need for a grudge as they are just fine knowing eachother hence the lyrics 'the sun still shines, my heart still beats my lifeline' and developed a new relationship and took away the grudge which goes well with the lyrics 'Dismal darkeness overhead, days repete with gloom and dread'.
Below is Amy Treadwells song






I then emailed Amy for permission and she allowed me to use the song with full credit being to her. She also requested to see the trailer when it is finished, which is fair, so she can see how her song has been used.
Gives you hell- All American Rejects






This song will be used for the majority of the trailer to display the rivalry between the characters through the lyrics such 'gives you hell'. I have sent an email to the record company and just waiting for a reply

Proposal of ideas.

Producing a magazine, film trailer and poster package will be a challenging prospect trying to make everything connect with eachother but be attractive to the aucience. The magazine and poster will be created on the programme Photoshop cs4, this includes all the minipulation of images such as adjusting the brightness and contrast to bring out the colours in the image, cropping objects out. But also using the wand tool to move images onto different background to create a scene. But also the creation of titles will be done on photoshop adjusting the sizes, colours and fonts to make the writing link well with the film. The film trailer will be constructed from the use of a video camera to log and capture the footage and final cut pro to create the final product with transitions and music but adding text to the footage. My target audience is 13-18 year olds as most of the participents in my survey and focus group were under 18. Body swap films were proved to be very popular in my research as it is a nice different twist but also it seemed to be classed as a genre comedy or even chick flick. I chose to do a body swap film because I thought it would be an interesting project to do and different from other peoples ideas, but however it can be risky if the trailer doesnt look realistic. But I may attempt to make it a comedy so it is appealing to both boys and girls because males from my research seemed interested aswell. My teacher will be helping me with the production trying to give me guidance on how to improve and progress and keep me in the right direction. However the actors will be an important aspect to the whole production because without them there wouldnt be a production or photos for the poster.


Trailer

The plot of the film is about two people one a boy who is a nerd and a girl who is popular, sworn enemies and through the connection of there hands, their lives get turned upside down when they become eachother. The trailer goes on displaying the characters trying to shine there personality through there opposite bodies with funny but embarassing moments. Will there be chemistry shown between the two characters in every rom-com they show signs so I dont see why it shouldnt be in the trailer! The intended purpose of the trailer is to entertain and create excitement for audience but also to make them feel good and laugh as it is a comedy. This can be done with the body swap theme seeing how the different gender reacts in another persons body and being the opposite sex with funny, cringy moments. There has been a variety of media work produced like this before for example the methods of how the change occurs and who the characters are, most body swap films are based on the character growing up , getting younger or swapping bodies with a parent or someone of the opposite sex. I have chosen the opposite sex theme mainly because on the questionnaire this was featured in one of the questions and this was an interesting and fun suggestion, mine will be different because it will have new interesting funny scenes which the audience will have not seen in anyother bodyswap film. In terms of the soundtrack I want to have a light hearted but upbeat soundtrack featuring a band called Mutemath with there song 'Noticed' for when the chemistry between the characters kick in. But also through the start of some scenes in the introduction I would like to include a narrator just to emphasise the importance of knowing some of the background story when I plan to include text saying 'two households' etc. But I would also like to include a dramatic upbeat song when the two are changing and discover whats happened to them. I will be trying to search for a unsigned band for this.
The roles I will be taken on in film production is editor, director, graphic designer and filming the production. But also little things such as costume, make up and hair design. I will be editing the film to create transitions and correcting the order adding music in the right places to make the final product. Directing the film and filming it needs great responsibility and time management to make sure targets are met and the production is as realistic as possible. But I also will be taking on the role of graphic designer as I will be creating the logos and titles to add to the trailer to provide institutional and general information. Costume,hair and makeup will be another important role to make my characters look the part and help them get into character and be recognisable to the audience.

Poster
The poster will be size A4 or A5 depending on how it looks and whether it would be easy to read and will be created on photoshop cs4. The intended purpose of the product is to entertain and inform the audience of what the film is about and when its out. It informs the reader of what the film is about with all the little hints included such as the title 'Romeo' has been put in pink and fancy font whilst 'Juliet' has been put in highschool font and is blue which triggers signs of something isnt right and mixed up. However the use of blue and pink displays the film is about a boy and a girl as the colours and stereotypical colours. But also the image of the characters the heads will be swapped around so theres instantly a sign of change but also creates humour and will be a well remembered cover. There are uses of taglines 'He's attempted walking in HER heels' which displays that he has changed and had to adjust walking in her shoes literally but can also relate to empathy that hes had to feel how shes like relating to the term 'try walking in there shoes'. I made the HER bit blue just to show the colour is trapped in the word like the boy is trapped in her body. But next to the girl in the boys body will be a tagline saying 'It's official she is the MAN' which also is a play on words as she literally has to live like a boy but it is also a slang term for strength and being powerful.
I also will add the date of its release in blue and pink writing to carry on the theme but also included the certificate '12' so it is suitable for the target audience 13-18 to see but also the humour can be used for this age group. The stars names will be included so they can see there work is appreciated and get them recognised to the audience. But also a critics response will be included to add another persons opinion so the audience can decide whether they want to see it from hearing an opinion.
The roles I will be taking on is graphic design, photographer, hair, makeup and costume. As the graphic designer I will be involved in the designing and bringing the flat plan to life choosing fonts and producing the colours suitable but also keeping the layout consistent. But I also will be manipulating photos especially swapping the heads on the chracters. As a photographer I will need to find the perfect image which is in right focus and shot type to match and fill the space on the page but also hint to the audience what the film is about. Hair, make up and costume will be essential to making the image look professional, hilarious and suitable to the film.

Magazine

The size and format is A4 and the magazine will be created on photoshop cs4. My magazine is to entertain and inform the readers of the latest news, interviews and movie updates. This will hopefully make them want to read more of the magazine. There are many film magazines such as Total Film and Empire which dont have a particular film genre but feature a variety to suit everyone. So therefore I will be following this as it will grab more interest from the audience.
My colour scheme is different from these magazines since mine is dark pink, black and silver which is eyecatching and makes it a bit more feminine as most of my audience from my research are females but also adds to the sophistication of a magazine. The photos will be proffessional taken in a studio as this was voted popular but also gives the magazine a more high quality look. The product will have an equal amount of pictures so it looks jampacked but also have plenty to see and read. The colours I feel will bring the text to the foreground from the images so easier to read. The text will be interesting and have some mystery so the reader will want to find out what it is for example adding a quote and saying 'who said this?!?'.
Free gifts and competitions will be included to be an incentive for reading the magazine but for loyal readers to earn some prizes.
But also I have used the idea of some film reel being stretched across the page to make people aware its a movie magazine and can add some little images inside it of top new films and news to make the page more interesting and full to look at.
The various job roles I will be taking part in is photography creating all the various images I want on the page which will involves different shot types such as close ups, medium shots and long shots. But also this will include having to find various costumes such as suits, hats and an awards outfit. But also creating the hair and make up to make them look like the part from different films. Graphic design is also a major part in the process creating the titles, film reel and overall layout to make it look professional and real compared to the flat plan. There will also be some journalism in the various headlines trying to make the wording interesting catchy and short.

Wednesday, 23 June 2010

Institutional context

The Process
My production will be following the same steps as the diagram below.








Job roles

Producer- The role of producer is involved in the moving image production. As I will be the producer for the trailer, this is the ulitimate promotion method for the film so I will need to keep to deadlines, keep the actors positive and make sure they know what they need to do. I will need to be a highly motivated person since I will need to keep the rest of the team motivated by being positive and not make them work extremely long hours. I will have a large responsibility for the final outcome of the film since whoever is normally the first person involved in the project will be leading the team. So therefore I will need to step up and become a good team leader and not shy away. So I will be developing my skills in terms of confidence and giving instruction by stepping out of my comfort zone and keeping the team in the know of what is happening eachday. A producers main role is to turn ideas into stories then into productions, so I will need to turn my storyboard and script from ideas on paper to real life image on film, this will be a hard task which involves a lot of dedication, I feel I am dedicated to my college work and will do everything to make the production run smoothly and look great. The skills involved are to be a good businessperson to be able to persuade and negotiate to get investors etc. As a producer I will need to be creative, I feel I am quite creative and produced all the ideas by myself so far to make my film different from everyone elses but also other bodyswap films. I need to be able to spot and deal with problems which may arise in the process this is an important skill to have since I am on a limited time scale to get the film finished, so if there is a problem I need to learn to not ignore it and get it sorted straight away. They will also need to be able to set up and control a budget to make sure the production runs smoothly, I feel I have been keeping to a suitable budget as for costumes I have used my actors actual outfits they would normally wear. But also I will need to be a good teamleader and team player to keep everyone in the team happy and keep them up to date with what is expected of them.

Production designer- This person is the head of the art department and is another role I will be taking so I will have the crucial task in achieving the films visual elements for example finding locations, sorting costumes, props. But also the production design is also involved in the print industry to create sets for images. I will be contributing to the creation of the sets by adding props to make it more lifelike and suitable to the character or the nature/ emotion of the scene this will result in me going on a recce to find the locations. The making of involves great amount of imagination and dedication because making things to a great quality takes times, I learnt this when doing graphics work at AS but also when designing my magazine last year. They will break down the script and work from there to create visual representations, this will take organisational skills because I will need to decide whens the best day to do each part of the script and write down what is needed to create the visual effect. They also calculate budgets to make sure the money is well spent.

Director of photography- They are the key heads of department in film production so therefore is a key role in the print and moving image industry, they focus of lighting as it is important when representing a particular mood and atmosphere in the film, so therefore I will be working on my decision skills in deciding when is a good time to adjust the lighting depending on the mood in the image of film scene. They also provide the film with its own visual identity making it different from other films, therefore I should provide interesting and different images to other film trailers and posters. They also help prepare the set for the production.

Casting directors- Casting directors organise who the cast of the film will be alongside the help of the director and producer to make sure the requirements are met. However as I am taking on all these roles I will have to use my own judgement when casting the actors, so this involves me finding out who is reliable, availible to be in the film but also who is trustworthy., from my work so far I have had to change actors and models quite a few times as people have been letting me down. But I have managed to resolve the problem and found some actors and models willing to help. I should have specialist knowledge of which actors will be suitable for the film and any new upcoming talent availible, but it may take more than one time to get the casting right for the film to be great. I have been working hard to find the right people for the job otherwise the whole production could have suffered, so hopefully I have found the right cast now.

Film director- Being the director I must have creative force in the whole production by putting the script into real live action, this will take skills such as creativity but need to accept if my ideas will work or not and keep trying until I succeed, they also must take on the role as team leader to bring the script into reality this will be an important role for me since I will have to follow the script and storyboard fully to make sure all scenes are done to good standard and not accept the first shot straight away. Other responsibilities involve script editing, shot composition and even shot selection to make the film as exciting and gripping. I also contribute to the selection of cast members and locations to find the right elements for the film genre and story.

Distributor- The distributor informs the audience about the films released, to give the film makers confidence in their work. They provide release plans to maximise profits and public awareness. They liase with advertising agencies to get the teams film noticed and appeal to the audience and they sell the film to retailers and cinemas when the film is complete to make it more publicly aware. In terms of advertising the poster and magazine will be a promotion tool for the trailer which makes it more publicly aware, so the poster and magazine should provide useful information such as the dates of release to encourage the audience to watch the trailer and film.

Journalist- As a journalist I will need to provide the stories and headlines in the magazine by attending press conferences and public events (if I was a professional magazine journalist) to gather information worthy to be used. But for my production I could do an interview but I will need to use my writing skills to create a storyline to help me I can look at previous similar stories for inspiration but not copy! I could interview people in person or on the phone to get a more realistic outcome with peoples actual opinions. Journalists are constantly working to deadlines and getting into the competition to get the best story, this relates to me because I do have a sharp deadline to meet to get the magazine designed, created and find the right story. They need to be excellent writers and persuasive to find out the latest information from people, I may not be the best writer but I could take writing workshops to build on my skills development. As a journalist I must be interested in current affairs and be creative by looking at different angles to a story.

Art editors- Art editors work in the design of magazines and are responsible to how the magazine looks at the end to keep a consistent look to all pages. So it is my great responsibility to provide creative ideas to make the magazine have an interesting but professional layout using the right typography and colours. Making sure the suitable graphics and photographs are used to give an excellent look to the magazine so I will have to use decision making skills to make a good decision on what should be included. I will produce the main cover designs and discuss with other members of the team (in my case my teachers) about layout ideas and I should be thickskinned when it comes to criticism to my work. They work using specialist software to design the magazines making them professional. I will be using photoshop to create my work.

Copyeditor- This member of the team ensures the text to be well written and appropriat for the target audience this is a great responsibility to me because if I write anything inappropriate this could cause distress to the audience. But also correcting grammar and spelling and the facts are correct if not I would have check with the author to resolve queries if I was in the business. I must concentrate throughout to make sure the magazine is perfect and detailed and I must persue good IT skills.

Institution

I am planning to make a independant movie as my idea may be part of a generic cycle but it has a twist of the play romeo and juliet which makes it different from other bodyswap films. I will have a constraints on a budget because it is only me providing money for it unlike in an industry when they can get loans, money from other members of the team but also money from the local economy film provider. If my film was a real blockbuster film, the trailer would be distributed to cinemas to promote it and the trailer will also be shown on television to grab the attention of all people in the target group. The poster and magazine aims to help promote the film in a different media to gain more attraction from audiences. My product will relate to the audience as they liked the idea in the questionnaire but in the focus group they chose to have the warring families element to make it more unique to the norm like the traditional argument. This shows I'm working creatively like the producer and director and writer creating new ideas to fit the target audience. If I was in the industry my products would be used for promotional techniques for the film, for example the trailer will include scenes from the film normally being the most entertaining but without giving away the ending. The trailer also tends to start telling the story so the audience get a feel of what the film is about. However the poster is another promotional method which lets the audience know what day etc the is on and the institutional information and the magazine promotes the film by either giving an interview or a review.

Wednesday, 12 May 2010

Secondary research

For my secondary research I looked at a film profile on pearl and dean. I looked at the films freaky friday and 17 again. If you simply click on the images to enlarge the text.





For my genre I chose Rom-Com. I decided to make use of the term hybrid genre by doing romcom so it will appeal to more people. The clue is in the montage with the use of the word comedy being spelt out with hand gesture which could suggest that it took time, effort and passion to make links with romance! In terms of genre 55% females and 45% males. I decided this because of the theme as males may not like a romantic film but also the film is comedy which they still may enjoy. But also more females took part in the survey which could suggest they more interest in the story line. For my socio-economic I chosen the C group as its affordable for families, young people getting jobs and in education. From my survey the age group resulted in 13-18 year olds so this will be my target audience for the film because they may find the film idea more appealing but they can watch it with there family too and enjoy it. So the certificate choice will either be PG or 12.
Implications? - Implications to this is the choice of music because the music should not have any offensive language otherwise the audience could be upset by this or even repeat it. The scenes will have to avoid content such as extreme violence scenes or sexual nature. But the occassional swear word may not cause to much offence and the characters kissing etc. In terms of dialogue the use of it will probably make it easier for some of the audience to understand what the film is about and keep along with the story without being confused. When looking at my representations of the character I should try to make then look as real as possible but also dont offend particular groups for example chavs.
After researching the different audience profiles this will help me conduct my primary research, so I can ask the right target age and gender so they will be willing and interested to do my questionnaire and focus group. But also by doing the focus group online will make it easier for the voters to access and less likely to lose paperwork. But its also more convinient for the people involved.

Primary Research



http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=102051359847383&ref=ts

The results were presented on a prezi.



Monday, 10 May 2010

Textual analysis

Film magazine


The main target audience for this magazine is both male and female of all ages who are interested in knowing the latest gossip and news. But I think its more of a teenage magazine because of the bright colours and catchy taglines.
This is apparent as the colours used are green, black, white and red, this magazine is being unique by using four colours when usually magazines will stick to a three colours. The colours are bright, giving a striking and electrifying look. The red connotes energy and power which is essential for a film magazine as the audience will expect the magazine to be upbeat and dominating over other magazines but also highlights by bringing key information to the foreground amongst the image and text.
The use of white on the magazine contrasts well with red and represents positivity which suggests the magazine will give positive connotations and the audience will enjoy reading it but without the magazine they will feel negative and trapped away from the film news.
Contrasting well with the black this insinuates mystery and gives the magazine a proffesional and formal look. The use of black font such as 'see....first and for free' highlights part of the text but it doesnt reveal exactly what is inside which persuades the audience to buy it. Another major colour used is green which is restfull for the eye and is known to improve vision and stands out. But also green represents ambition, jealousy and growth which could display that the magazine aims to increase the growth of films by raising there popularity. But also it can be linked to jealousy because rival magazine companies if they see the name of the film featured in green striking out they could be jealous of the magazines success.
In terms of layout the title of the magazine has been used within the image which could suggest the magazine and film have now a connection and relationship, but also the magazine have made there mark on the extra success for the film with good recommendations and reviews. There is a lack of sell lines which does make the magazine look a little unproffesional but could also imply that the magazine is targetted at anyone rather than specific topics which would interest say just males. But also gives the magazine a competitive unique edge. Although there is a banner at the bottom of the page with some information 'Avatar 2: Cameron spills on the sequal' which grabs the eye of the reader and want them to see if the rumour is true . They made the writing 'Avatar 2' in yellow to make it stand out, but because the first movie was a bestseller the highlighting of the name could encourage the reader to buy it to find out if what is said is true.
There is also another banner at the top of the page which mentions 'awesome foldout collecters cover' which gives the audience a free gift and incentive to buy the magazine. The text is placed on an arrow pointing towards the end pages of the magazine which makes the magazine look fun and varied.
There is also use of taglines incorporated with the main headline. For example It's Bloody, It's Brilliant and boy, does it KICK ASS. The worlds first look at your new favourite movie. Which makes it look like the magazine is telling to reader a story and giving reviews before you even get to look inside the magazine. But this also gives some humour and wit to the magazine.
The image displayed in the magazine is of the new hit comedy movie kickass, which gives a fun and exciting twist to the magazine. The image is a medium shot of the character from the knees up, which lets us see his facial expressions clearer, but fills up the page more to give the audience the impression the magazine is jam packed full of information and pictures. His eyeline is placed in the top third of the frame which implies that he is dominant of the magazine and the main story but can also add to his facial expressions. His facial expressions are quite intimidating which could persuade people to buy the magazine or they will be missing out.
He has been placed in the centre of the frame to suggest he is the centre of attention and the main article is about him but could be the audience should be inspired by his success in starring in a hit movie. The actors body language gives a protective look also security which links to the films plot of superheros but could also suggest that the magazine will give you comfort and safety.
So overall I think the image dominates the magazine page to show what the main focus is and the taglines also gives the reader information on the main article. But also the magazine does lack in sell lines which doesnt reveal what else is in the magazine which could effect the appeal of the magazine. But the magazine does include some more headlines which can not be recognised as rumours or truth but there is only one way for the reader to find out! I should include some of these techniques such as the use of colour, unique images and maybe have a simplistic layout





The main target audience for this magazine would be both males and females for older teens and adults. This is apparent in the use of colours purple, yellow and white. Purple represents royalty, ambition and extravagance, but purple is also known to be a popular pre-adolescent colour which will hopefully attract people to buy it as the colour stands out and appeals. Contrasting perfectly with the purple is the use of yellow. The colour yellow is associated with intellect and freshness which could sugges the magazine is up to date and always provides sufficient amount of information. However the colour white gives positive impressions and is the colour of perfection but it also contrasts well with the other two colours.
But the chosen colours in my opinion make the image stand out more as the image has quite orange, brown and salmon colours which is a greatly different contrast which could sugges the magazine aims to make the movies the main unique factor and subject of the magazine.
The actor Johnny Depp in the image has a smug and mischeiveious look on his face but also his eyes are set to look like he is staring at the audience crazily to fit in with his role but also possibly to encourage people to buy the magazine and they can feel comfortable letting go and showing there crazy side. The image being took at eyelevel as a medium close up, lets the audience only see the top half of his body. Johnny Depp plays took on the role of the madhatter this is reflected in his clothing, with the use of the variety of colours such as pink, brown and orange. His character is very flamboyant for example the crazy hair because of the way it sticks out and is very long suggesting he is a free spirit and doesnt care how he looks. He also has a very large top hat with could suggest he likes being noticed and on the hat is knitting needles which could suggest he made his clothing by himself but has pointless items with him at all times. The odd clothing and buttons gives him the mad look because he has lost his mind and cant tell what is correct and not. The use of hare as a prop is to signify the reason Alice ends up in wonderland as she follows the rabbit down the rabbit hole to enter wonderland, so this prop will give the audience clues to what the film is.
The background has been put in purple maybe to add to the magical theme and also adds to the mad hatter being childlike as purple appeals to children. But also in the background is an image of some gates, the impression I recieve is that the mad hatter is at the gates to meet the audience and take them through to the wonderful world of wonderland like Alice.
In terms of layout the use of the banner at the top of the magazine 'free Iron man 2 poster' gives the audience an incentive to buy the magazine to recieve a free gift, the text is in capitals and yellow font to alarm the audience that they shouldnt go without the magazine, and it helps promote there magazine with capitals to make it more noticed on a shelf. Also on the bottom of the page there is displaying the word 'plus' which makes the audience think they are getting more extras for there money but also gives them a sneak peak of whats to come.
The title 'film' is spread accross the page but doesnt cover the image this is good because the title can still be read due to it being white and standing out but also the image isnt ruined by being covered by text. The title is also in capital letters possibly to make it more memorable in someones mind.
The magazine has made use of the sell lines, but with only one storyline this is good as it will keep the rest of the stories a mystery and gives them more chance to promote the main story, in this case the 2010 movie previews is the main story featuring Johnny Depp and alice wonderland aswell as top films such as iron man 2, kick ass and Harry Potter. The 2010 previews was made in larger font to highlight it from the rest of the text and alert to the reader that they can find out the newest films around.


































Choosing the Genre

I couldnt decide which genre I should do, so therefore I asked a general audience on facebook which they would like to see and what would be achievable but also still engage interest when I make it and for the audience to watch.
So therefore I posted a status on facebook explaining what I'm doing in media and then the question. I thanked them for their help and recieved some feedback.
Two people thought I should do a Rom-com and suggested doing a trailer like freaky friday with a twist which would be a good idea to look into but also challenging. But if I work hard this idea could be achievable.
Another three people decided they wanted a comedy so this could suggest a lot of people between 13 and 17 are into the romcom/ comedy genre.
However two people would like to see a drama/mystery trailer with the use of wood scenes and fast paced clips to create excitement. This is also a good idea but will it be realistic?


Action Plan

I created a google spreadsheet for my action plan, I then pasted the link below

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AqF6EoqyWWOjdFlzejZ3WjVxLThhdVVwbG14LXVFQVE&hl=en_GB