Homework: my storyboard for my trailer

Selected scenes for my film's trailer

Scene 1:
In the car discussing the myth - introduces characters and reveals some of plot to the audience.


Scene 2:
Characters getting equpiment for caving and meeting guide - establishes setting (caves, mountains), and establishes relationships.

Scene 3:
Exploring the cave - establishes characters and setting. 


Scene 4:
Close-ups of characters' reactions to the monster. 


Scene 5:
Them running away from the monster, creates fear and enigma.

Scene 6:
Romantic scene between Lizzie and Lukas of them alone - builds on their relationship which has been hinted at throughout trailer.


Scene 7:
One of the characters (Moroccan girl) are dragged under the water.

Homework: analysing how POTC appeals to the audience

The Pirates of The Caribbean has a wide audience appeal, due to the many different factors, such as comedy, romance and being a swashbuckler. The core audience is both males and females between the ages of 18-30. The trailer includes funny one-liners, to widen the appeal and establish the film as funny. There is an obvious appeal to men, with action and swordfighting, and an appeal to women with the comedy and the use of famous actors and actresses. 

The film can also fulfill the 'four needs':

Entertainment and diversion: the comedy and action scenes provide the audience with entertainment, and the exciting, fast scenes allow them to be absorbed in the trailer, as escape from their own life.

Surveillance and information: the audience can watch scenes from a setting and era in which they aren't in and may be curious.

Personal identity: the audience may identify with some of the characters, for example the humour from Jack Sparrow, or the independence of Penelope Cruz's character.

Personal relationships: the audience can create relationships with the characters, as many of the characters are unique and have strong attributes to which the audience can relate to. The film is also part of a huge franchise, so the audience may already have a relationship with some of the characters.

Homework: storyboard for my opening sequence

Shot List

1. Lionsgate title

2. Pathe title

3. Celador title

4. crane shot over mountains

5. ES of side of mountains, zoom in to characters climbing

6. CU of hand attaching caribeener

7. CU of foot stepping on a ledge

8. POV shot looking down. Look up and film title is on rock

9. MS of Darren climbing

10. LS of Darren and Lukas climbing

11. MCU of three characters - Darren closest, other characters in background

12. MCU of Lizzie leaning on rock

13. MS of Lizzie leaning on rock - Lukas puts his hand on hers

14. MUc and POV of Lukas

15. LS up the path to reveal the characters

16. MLs of Darren throwing backpack into car

17. MLs of Lizzie leaning against tree, Lukas comes over

18. MCU of Lukas talking to Lizzie

19. OTS of Lizzie

20. LS of Lizzie and Lukas talking, Darren runs over

21. MLS of Lizzie and Darren walking back to the car, she turns around and smiles

22. MCU of Lukas smiling slightly

23. MLS of Lizzie turnign back around

24. CU of Lukas looking sad and walking out of shot.

Homework: Film marketing research: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
This is an incredibly well-known film, all around the world, and is part of a huge franchise. The budget for the film was $250 million. It made $125 million in the opening weekend, and grossed $946 million worldwide. 


The Deathly Hallows marketing was quite amazing, with many different media platforms used to attract audiences of all different ages.  The campaign consisted of teaser posters, main posters, trailers, TV spots, websites and many interactive games. Most of the platforms of the campaign emphasise the darker, more sophisticated elements to the film, with a lot of dark colours and shadows used. The famous battle is also played up, intensifying the concept of good vs evil. These darker representations attracted an older age group, especially as the characters are now older too, with 25% of the audience in the 18-34 year old demographic (in North America). This is compared to the much lower 10% of people in the same age group for the first film. 


Posters
The first teaser poster for The Deathly Hallows sets the tone for the film: it gives the first insight into the dark, evil side of the books.

The famous Hogwarts is on fire, and the setting is dark, murky and set high up on a cliff, surroudned by water. The taglien is imply the sinister "it all ends here". In the posters, the logo of Harry Potter has been shortened simply to HP7, as the film is so well-known and the settings and cahracters are instantly recognisable, so this just adds to the more sophisticated advertising. All of the posters show the characters to be determined and alert, with the first one saying "nowhere is safe", the second and third saying "the hunt begins". 




Trailers 
The first teaser trailer was aired during the 2010 MTV Awards. The story is still ambiguous, there are shots of conflict and danger, but nto much is given away, so this continues the expectations set up by the mysterious, obscure posters. The main trailer continues this spooky theme, and the vastness of the franchise is exaggerated, with captions such as "The finale of the worldwide phenomenon" and "The motion picture event of a generation".

Website

When you open the website, the trailer for the film plays immediately, creating synergy within the campaign and allowing the audience to watch the trailer if they haven't already. When this finishes, the site is simply a picture of the 3 main characters running eagerly and alertly, with similar representations as the poster and trailer - dark blues and blacks, worried expressions, connotations of danger and fear. Under the 'menu' tab, the site offers many interactive pages, such as "downloads", "soundtrack", "shop" and "Harry Potter: The Quest", as well as informative pages like "about the movie" and "gallery". There is also an "iPhone app", continuing the marketing towards an age group of 18-35 years-old. It is also linked to both Facebook and Twitter, appealing to this young adult demographic, and encouraging viral marketing. 

Other products
There are, of course, the previous books and films (on DVD) and the soundtrack available to download and buy. There is also merchandise such as figurines, posters, toy wands and costumes. There are also collectable items available, such as exclusive models and sculptures. There is even Harry Potter homeware available, like mugs and book ends.
J.K. Rowling released a spin-off book in 2007, named "The Tales of Beedle the Bard", which has been handwritten and illustrated by her herself. Only 7 copies were made, and only one put up for sale, making this extremely sought-after.  


My opinion
I think this marketing campaign was amazing - the number of people it managed to reach and appeal to - it is the highest grossing Harry Potter film of them all. The synergy within the campaign is well thought-out and creates an urgent, mysterious atmosphere, and encourages the audience to see this must-see film. 
 

Homework: Moodboard to represent men and women in A-A films

 

In action-adventure films, men are stereotypically represented as brave, confident, attractive, intelligent; the attributes of a stereotypical hero, as typically, men are the heroes. Women are stereptypically portrayed as incredibly feminine; helpless and in distress, for the hero to save them; typically the princess in an A-A film. In the top half of my moodboard, I have shown the typical representations of men and women; men on a blue background, women on a pink background - the stereotypical colours for men and women. I have also incorporated pictures of well-known characters with these typical characteristics, and symbolic pictures.

However, an increasing number of A-A films are representing characters oppositely; they are breaking the expectations. Men are sometimes represented as geeky, weak and shy; attributes you wouldn't associate with a hero. Women are also sometimes represented oppositely to the norm; confident, strong, clever. Again, I have used colours which represent these characteristics, so for both men and women I used more gender nuetral colours, green and yellow. I was also inspired by Kick-ass for the green foe men (hero wears green) and by Kill Bill for the yellow - the well known yellow outfit that The Bride wears. Women, usually when the heroine, but often when the princess, is sexualised, often wearing revealing, tight clothing.

Feedback to film proposal

Positive aspects to my pitch:

Use of terminology
Presentation style
Preparation
Use of visuals
Actors
Influences

Aspects I need to adapt:
How to shorten my pitch so it would be suitable for an exam
A marketing idea

 A shorter pitch...
Narrative: 
Equilibrium: 3 friends, Lukas, Lizzie and Darren, are on a holiday in Columiba. Lizzie and Darren are in a relationship, but Lukas also has feelings for Lizzie. (This love triangle makes the narrative multi-strand). There would be a montage near the beginning of the film, to show the three friends having fun and exploring columbia. They decide to go on a guided tour of some local caves, where a local mythical monster is said to have lived.


There is an ellipsis between the three deciding to go to the caves, and them arriving. There will be continuity to make sure the audience doesn't get confused, such as wearing the same clothes and visiting the place they were just talking about.


Disruption: A boulder brakes from the cave and blocks the entrance so the 3 friends, along with the guide and other tourists are trapped inside. They discover the monster, and have to find their way back to the top of the caves, whilst not being killed by the monster. The caves start to fill with water, adding to the urgency and creating suspense. Darren (the boyfriend) is killed, along with the guide and some other tourists, so it is ledt to Lukas to get the group out safely. This means there are closed narratives for some of the characters, e.g. Darren, as they have been killed.


Resolution: When the group finally make it to the top, they call for help through a walkie-talkie, whilst trying to move the boulder themselves. Help from outside manages to blast through the boulder.


Restoration: The group are saved, and stumble back out into society, traumatised. It is mostly a closed narrative, as the monster had been defeated. However, there is an open narrative concerning Lukas and Lizzie's relationship; it is left unknown as to whether they will become a couple.

A marketing idea...
As well as the generic, poster-trailer-website marketing campaign, my film will have something else. There will be a blog, on which the princess of the story, Lizzie, writes updates and little stories. This gives the audience an insight into the characters and some of their backstory. There would also be photos and videos uploaded (of the 3 friends exploring Columbia and the rest of their holiday - before the caving), and the audience would be encouraged to upload their own holiday photographs and videos. There would be competitions, e.g. for the funniest photograph, which the winner would win a prize, perhaps a trip to the resort where the 3 fictional friends stay, or a chance to go caving. This blog would be active for a couple of weeks before the release of the film, to create hype and get the audience involved and excited. There would be a post by Lizzie explaining how they are a bout to go caving. There might be one afterwards, once they are stuck e.g. "Help, we're stuck! Get us out!". Obviously, they wouldn't have a computer with them, but this would spark interest on the blog and with the audience and encourage them to see the film to find out how it works out. 

Homework: target audience and USP

USP
There are already quite a few movies similar to this. My USP is that the group has to face both a mythical monster and pressure for time because of the cave filling with water, while one of the characters is deaf. This creates urgency and danger, as it is much more difficult to communicate the problems to her.

Target audience
My target audience is males and females 20-35. It appeals to men because of the action and fighting, the typical conventions of an action-adventure film. However, it also appeals to women, because of the intricate concept of a love triangle and the inclusion of a hearing impairment. This is partially why I think the target audience is aimed at young adults rather than teenagers, as it faces some tough issues in society and is not just action, adventure and romance.  

Homework: my film pitch

Title: The Fear (working title)

Narrative:

Equilibrium:

3 friends are on their gap year, exploring the world. They are currently in Columbia, staying in a fancy hotel. There are 2 boys, Lukas and Darren, and one girl, Lizzie. Darren and Lizzie are in a relationship, but Luks is also in love with Lizzie: it is a love triangle. They are staying in the mountains. Columbia is full of drug dealers; the rural areas, with few tourists, are dangerous. The trio have been exploring the area throughout their holiday and find out about a local myth, 'el miedo', of a monster living in some of the local caves high up in the mountains and sign up for a guided tour, seeking adventure and excitement.

Disrpution:

When in the cave, a rumbling (as water starts to fill it) causes a large boulder to break from the cave and block the entrance to it. The trio, along with a guide and other tourists, are deep within the cave. The guide (Fabio), another tourist and Darren go to explore, and find out if there are any other ways of escape and discover the monster of the myth living deep within. The guide is attacked and dies (but leaves the hero with his walkie-talkie (which only gets signal rarely) and a pistol), so it is left to the group of strangers to find their way out. The monster is now aware of their presence, and at the same time, the cave is starting to fill with water, so the group has to find their way to the top before the monster discovers their hiding place and before the cave fills with water. They must fight against the monster, some characters are sucked into the swirling water, and some of them turn against each other. Lukas has to lead the group back to the top, whilst protecting them from the oncoming monster and water, and keep them from fighting each other.

When they finally reach the top (after having lost some of the characters to the flooding and the grasp of the monster), they must now move the boulder. They manage to get through to help outside of the cave, only long enough to tell them they are stuck. While help is coming the group try to move the boulder as the water is rapidly rising and the sounds of the beast can be heard getting closer. They manage to create a very small gap, through which they try to escape but no-one can fit.

Restoration:
Help from outside finally blast through and the remaining characters (Lukas, Lizzie, Craig, Alan, Jimmy and Tala) stumble out of the cave, bruised, scratched and traumatised, landing back into society, while everyone else is going on with their lives. Lizzie and Lukas comfort eachother and it is left unknown as to whether they get together.

Characters:

Hero: the best friend, Lukas West. He is in love with Lizzie. He is strong, smart and compassionate: he cares about people and always wants to help. In the film it is up to him, a natural leader, to lead the group back to the top of the cave, to safety. His compassion forces him to help and protect those who may themselves not help others. His courage and strength allows him to fight the monster, protecting himself and the group, while at the same time his resourceful, intelligent mind thinks of a way to get to the top before the cave fills with water.

Played by Andrew Garfield

Princess: the girlfriend, Lizzie Carter. She is beautiful, loving and compassionate. She is an archetype character, in that she gets frightened and needs protecting, but her boyfriend’s death gives light to her inner courage and strength as she has been angered and upset. The most interesting thing about Lizzie is that she was born partially deaf, which creates an urgent atmopshere and adds to the challenge which the group faces.

Played by Emma Watson

Villain: the monster living in the water. He is not human, but is unknown. However, he is not an animal either – he is near human intelligence and understanding. He is still clever and violent, and is looking to kill the people in the group, as they have, in his mind, invaded his territory. It is his existence that is the local myth and that causes so many locals and tourists to come to the area every year, searching for him. He is known locally as ‘el miedo’, which translates to ‘the fear’.

False hero: Craig Douglas, an American. He is confident and seems to be caring, with a lot of experience. He shows good leadership and at the beginning of the film, once they have been trapped in the cave, the audience does not yet know if he or Lukas will be the hero. However, as the film progresses, he shows signs of weakness and soon the audience can see he is not confident, but arrogant and selfish and he sacrifices others in the group in order to save himself. His carelessness for others and brute force keep him alive until the end.

Played by Ben Affleck

Donor: there are two main donors in the film. Firstly, the guide, Fabio de Souza, who is killed by the monster. He is deeply injured, but manages to crawl back to the group in time to give the hero his walkie-talkie which occasionally has signal to alert outsiders about their problem. He also leaves him with his pistol, which the most advanced in the group.

Played by Manolo Cardona

The boyfriend, Darren Hart, is killed by being sucked into the water and being carried off by the churning currents. He doesn’t donate anything physical, but his death gives his girlfriend, the hero, and other characters strength and ferocity to fight for their lives.

Played by Bradley James

Helper: The main helper is Jimmy Bent, a lone tourist searching for friendship and companionship, happy to help others and risk his own life to save others.

Played by James McAvoy

Other characters: Alan Milner, a joker who tries to lighten the mood with funny one-liners. There is a Japanese couple, Ami and Ren and two Moroccan friends, Nino and Tala. The Japanese couple and one of the Moroccan girls are killed

Influences and inspiration:

The Blair Witch Project and The Beach both inspired me to do something based around an ambiguous myth, as well as going on this adventure with your closest friends.  

Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark inspired the concept of setting the film underground, with unknown tunnels and routes which can be explored.

Thirdly, The Day After Tomorrow inspired the disaster aspect of the film, with the idea of water creating a huge problem for the characters and having to find away to survive.

 Iconography:
There will be lots of natural colours, such as brown and green, representing the natural surroundings. The characters will be wearing clothes suitable for exploring, such as combats and shorts and hiking boots. Most of the characters will have knives, liek pen knives and daggers, for protection in the dangerous area. The guide will also have a gun, connoting action. 
The lighting will be mostly natural and very low-key, as the characters are stuck inside a cave, so it would be very dark except for any torches and candles and any lighting managing to stream in through gaps in the rocks. 
Special effects: there will be cgi for the monster. There will also be sound fx to exaggerate the action and there will be slow-mos, typical of an action-advernture film. 

Settings:
The main setting will be the cave, a typical action-adventure setting.This setting connotes the unknown, as it is very dark and there are many secret tunnels and routes underground. It is extremely opposite what the characters are used to - it is very much out of their comfort zone, adding to the tension and drama. Another typical convention in action adventure films that will be in this film is the use of water, to connote a disaster. The setting will be very exaggerated, with huge sharp rocks and the low-key lighting with candles will create a chilling, eerie atmosphere. 
This will be contrasted to the fancy, expensive hotel in which the film starts, to repesent the binary opposites, emphasising the danger they are going into and how unkown and out of their comfort zone it is. 
The film is set in Columbia, with huge towering mountains in the searing heat, another extreme setting, typical of an action-adventure film.    

Homework: A-A clip genre analysis: Kill Bill

This is the final scene from Kill Bill vol. 1:
I chose Kill Bill because I think it is an amazing film, it is one of my favourites, and is an iconic action film.

Narrative

Kill Bill doesn't follow Todorov's typical theory of equlibrium, disruption and restoration. The first film is part of a two volume set, so the restoration comes at the end of the second film. The opening scene of volume one is between the main character (The Bride) and the villain (Bill), ending with the villain shooting the main character. The main body of the film is about the main character's revenge to kill Bill (hence the title). Her only way to finding and killing Bill is by finding and killing the rest of the group of assassinators, called the Deadly Vipers Assassination Squad (DVAS). All of the situations are fight scenes, between the protagonist and her enemy. Typical sounds include sound effects, like the sound of someone being hit, or being thrown against a wall. These sounds are exaggerated, used to amplify the theme of fighting, conflict and violence. The main theme of this film is revenge. From The Bride's perspective, it could be considered good vs. evil (she is good, Bill is evil), however she has bad aspects, and murdering a lot of people for your own interests full of vengeance would probably not be considered 'good' and she is not doing these things for the greater good, or for protecting society. 

Iconography

Weaponary is a huge aspect of this film, and many of the characters use swords as their choice of weapon. Instead of big guns and snipers, most of the characters opt for swords, allowing there to be extravagant and violent fights between the characters. 

Block colouring, mostly black, is used for costumes, such as the Crazy 88 (one of the enemy's groups) wearing dark, black suits and black masks to hide their faces. A lot of the other characters also wear smart clothing, for example Elle Driver (another of The Bride's enemy's) is wearing a dark suit during her fight scene with The Bride. 

The Bride's iconic outfit is a yellow, leather jumpsuit. Hers is the only outfit which is a bright colour, and the bright colour and tight-fit represent her feminity. 

The lighting varies, from natural to artificial, depending on the setting. In household settings, the lighting is clearly artificial, but in more natural settings, such as the desert the lighting is mroe natural. Most of the lighting is artificial, as the The Bride is interupting her enemies on their day-to-day life, many of the scenes are sets in their homes or in hotels, illustrating her intrusion.

Special effects are a major aspect of the Kill Bill volumes. Taratino uses sound effects during the fights to emphasise the violence in the fights. Fake blood is also used during the fights, however this is used in almost a comic way, as the blood spurts from the harmed body, is a way that is clearly staged. This gives the film a comic side, but it could be argued this makes the film even more creepy and sadastic. Slow-mo is used often through-out the film, again during fight-scenes, a typical convention of action films.

Characters

Heroine: The Bride. She is called this, as she was attacked during her wedding, adn her revenge is based upon this. Throughout the film, the audience is not given her real name, it is covered artificially so you cannot find out.  
The Bride is not a typical hero but has aspects that make her recognisable. For starters, she is a female protagonist. However, she shows strength, courage and intelligence, important aspects of an action hero. 

Villain: Bill. Bill and The Bride were once in a relationship, and Bill and the DVAS attempt to murder The Bride because she was pregnant with Bill's child and left him. There are other villains, none as major as Bill, but many that The Bride must face while searching for Bill, for example the DVAS. 
 Bill, also, is not typical. He does not necessarily want to take over the world, in fact it is not really known what any of the enemies are doing with their lives. He tried to kill The Bride in an act of revenge, but he too shows aspects of a conventional villain. He is clever, cunning and wants to bring harm and danger to others. 

Princess: There is not really a princess in the film; it is about a woman's revenge, she is not tryign to save anyone.

Helper/donor: donors are an important part of the Kill Bill volumes. It is because of the donors that The Bride knows all the knowledge and wisdom that allows her to find and kill Bill and the DVAS. Hattori Hanzō is the main donor in vol. 1. He is a renowned swordsmith who trained Bill, but is now retired. He makes "his finest sword" for The Bride, as he is ashamed of what Bill has become and feels like he owes it to her. In vol. 2 there is also a major donor, Pai Mei, who trains The Bride in kung fu and teaches her the lethal "Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Tehnique", which The Bride eventually uses to kill Bill.

Setting

The story follows The Bride as she travels around, looking for different characters. This means there are a variety of settings in Kill Bill.Many take place in the character's home, for example Vernita Green. The Bride stops by during the day, disrupting Vernita's life, illustrating surprise and intrusion. Using settings like homes create a sense of security and comfort, and so this makes the violent intrusion even worse. This is relfected when Vernita's daughter arrives home from school, emphasising the shock and surprise of The Bride's visit and the brutal intrusion into their home. Most of the settings include lots of glass, and other smashable materials, as well as objects which can be used as weapons, such as kitchen knives. This allows for very physical fighting, with lots of characters being thrown against walls which smash around them, adding to the atmosphere and emphasising the raw violence in the fights.

Homework 1: Legally Blonde - character, narrative and genre analysis

Legally Blonde - court room scene.

In this scene, Elle successfully wins her first case in the court room.

Characters

Heroine: Elle Woods - bubbly outgoing soroity girl.

Princess: Emmette Richmond - the young, male attorney that Elle falls in love with at Harvard.

Villain: Vivian Kensington - the posh, snobby girl who is the fiancee of Elle's ex-boyfriend. Later in the film, she and Elle become friends when Vivian is inspired by Elle and starts to be nice.

Anti-hero: Professor Callahan - originally suggested to help Elle and want only the best for her, they seem to be allies. However, he starts to flirt with Elle and make her feel upset. When the audience see his bad side, this is the same time Vivian shows her good side.

Main helper: Paulette Coolidge - is Elle's best friend while at Harvard and is her confidante. The two help each other overcome obstacles in their lives.

Donor: Professor Stromwell - donates wisdom and encouragement to make Elle feel worthy and confident, full of courage. 

 Narrative

Equilibrium:

Elle is living in a soroity house and is in a happy relationship with her boyfriend Warner. She is content with her materialistic life and is in love with Warner. She believes that soon he will ask her to marry him and this is the most important thing in her life.

Disruption:

Elle goes to dinner with Warner, believing this to be the time when he will propose. She is ready for his proposal and all the girls in her soroity believe it also. However, his life plans don't coincide with Elle's, when instead of proposing, he breaks up with her. He tells her how he is goign to Harvard Law school, and how he is expected to be extremely successful and find a sensible girl more appropriate for marraige. This break up is what causes Elle to enter Harvard Law, so that she can show Warner she is the kind of girl he needs and to win him back.

Restoration:

When Elle wins her first case, while still a student, not yet a fully qualified laywer, she shows her true intelligence and courage. She is made head-speaker at the graduation ceremony, and is in a happy relationship with Emmette. Her situtation is completely different to the beginning, she is no longer naive and ignorant, living in a soroity house, or in a relationship with Warner. She is now much more educated and experience, living in Massachusetts and in a serious relationship with Emmette.

Genre

 Legally Blonde is a romantic comedys. 

The romantic aspect is portrayed through Warner and Emmette. The whole reason for the film, the core motive for the film, for Elle applying to Harvard is for love: to win back Warner. The blossoming relationship between Elle and Emmette also portrays the romantic feature.  
The comedy aspect is prtrayed continuously throughout the films, mainly through the characters' representations. The stereotypical, soroity girl Elle at the beginning is comical and the stereotypes are exaggerated for comic reasons. The character Paulette also portrays humour throughout the film, with many of the most well-known, funny scenes including her, such as the 'bend and snap':