Radio Advert
Magazine cover
Website
Friday, 23 April 2010
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Classification
Our projected film would be most likely to receive a ‘15’ certification from the BBFC.
Drug Use
It would feature examples of recreational drug use, but the context and consequences of these events will not encourage or promote such actions within the audience of the production.
Horror
Mild elements of peril would also be present, though these would be a reflection of the effects of excessive intoxication and would not be intense or prolonged.
Imitable Behaviour
With the exception of the heavy partying the protagonist and his best friend is seen engaging in, Driftwood would contain no dangerous behaviour which could be imitated and no glamorisation of easily accessible weapons.
Language
Moderate language would be present throughout the film, while strong language would also feature infrequently throughout the course of the film, especially during the scenes in which Charlie believes he has hit rock bottom.
Nudity
This would not feature in Driftwood and as such would not be an issue during the classification of the piece.
Sex
Any sexual activity present in Driftwood will rely instead upon heavy implication rather than explicit detail. As such, this should not be an issue during the classification.
Theme
The themes of the film, namely the conflict between wanting a fresh start and being attached to the old, should not prove to be a controversial issue during the classification. If the film was to be rated a 15, no theme would be prohibited as long as it was covered in a manner appropriate for 15 year olds.
Violence
There would be a very limited amount of violence in Driftwood and the violence that was present should be covered by its context as surreal comedy, meaning it would be acceptable even at lower classifications.
As our trailer’s purpose is to entice the prospective audience for our film into coming to see it, we would hope not to alienate our targeted audience by having a trailer rating that differed vastly from the classification of our final film. The content of our trailer would probably make it fall somewhere between either a ‘PG’ classification or a ‘12A’ classification. Hopefully, we would be able to secure the ‘12A’, as this would make our film more appealing to our intended audience.
It is worth considering that trailers posted online can hypothetically be accessed by anyone with access to the internet, including those who are younger than the trailer classification. Some sites, such as YouTube, have made attempts at combatting this by making registration to the site, complete with a date of birth, compulsory in order to access higher age-rated trailers, such as the Red Band trailer for the Saw franchise.
Drug Use
It would feature examples of recreational drug use, but the context and consequences of these events will not encourage or promote such actions within the audience of the production.
Horror
Mild elements of peril would also be present, though these would be a reflection of the effects of excessive intoxication and would not be intense or prolonged.
Imitable Behaviour
With the exception of the heavy partying the protagonist and his best friend is seen engaging in, Driftwood would contain no dangerous behaviour which could be imitated and no glamorisation of easily accessible weapons.
Language
Moderate language would be present throughout the film, while strong language would also feature infrequently throughout the course of the film, especially during the scenes in which Charlie believes he has hit rock bottom.
Nudity
This would not feature in Driftwood and as such would not be an issue during the classification of the piece.
Sex
Any sexual activity present in Driftwood will rely instead upon heavy implication rather than explicit detail. As such, this should not be an issue during the classification.
Theme
The themes of the film, namely the conflict between wanting a fresh start and being attached to the old, should not prove to be a controversial issue during the classification. If the film was to be rated a 15, no theme would be prohibited as long as it was covered in a manner appropriate for 15 year olds.
Violence
There would be a very limited amount of violence in Driftwood and the violence that was present should be covered by its context as surreal comedy, meaning it would be acceptable even at lower classifications.
As our trailer’s purpose is to entice the prospective audience for our film into coming to see it, we would hope not to alienate our targeted audience by having a trailer rating that differed vastly from the classification of our final film. The content of our trailer would probably make it fall somewhere between either a ‘PG’ classification or a ‘12A’ classification. Hopefully, we would be able to secure the ‘12A’, as this would make our film more appealing to our intended audience.
It is worth considering that trailers posted online can hypothetically be accessed by anyone with access to the internet, including those who are younger than the trailer classification. Some sites, such as YouTube, have made attempts at combatting this by making registration to the site, complete with a date of birth, compulsory in order to access higher age-rated trailers, such as the Red Band trailer for the Saw franchise.
Campaign choices
When making choices about the creative direction of all aspects of our advertising campaign for the proposed film, ‘Driftwood’, all members of the group tried to bear in mind the specifications laid down in the OCR Print Brief throughout the development.
In order to reflect the viral nature of the campaign, we have followed the example of J.J. Abrams’ ‘Cloverfield’, with its ‘less is more’ mentality. For example, the first wave of Cloverfield teaser trailers were roughly forty seconds in length and revealed the bare minimum of the film’s plot, instead depending on the ‘Blair Witch Project’ style use of handicam and the destruction of an iconic landmark to draw in audiences, while the absence of a film name lured in audiences to investigate the film themselves. As such, this is a prime example of a viral campaign.
While in an ideal world we would have access to the funding, techniques and inspiration available, by necessity our group has vastly limited resources in comparison to Hollywood film-makers.
Our production’s projected genre of dramedy (comedy/drama) is reflected within the trailer, despite the scarcity of dramatic dialogue. This is achieved through the use of dramatic silences and the heavy implications of the loneliness and social isolation felt by the protagonist.
As the colour blue is very ‘in’ at the moment, as seen in films such as Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and (500) Days of Summer, we will be using vivid blue backgrounds in conjunction with a font that reflects the handdrawn block capital letters common in many indie films at the moment. By doing this, we will be drawing on the codes and conventions that are curently common in our projected genre.
For our narrative, we will juxtapose text frames making positive claims about Charlie in the style of spy films in the 80s and more modern kitsch films such as Planet Terror, with scenes reflecting the reality of Charlie’s life.
Despite the lack of a conventional narrative in our trailer, representation is still achieved through the use of shot framing, screen time, lighting and visual signifiers, while the use of The Fratellis’ ‘Chelsea Dagger’ lightens the overall tone of the trailer. As well as representations of the protagonist, it is also important to consider aspects of the representation of minor characters, who seem to generally be conveyed as sympathetic for putting up with Charlie’s pessimism. By framing the protagonist in the upper third of the frame for the closing shots, he dominates the frame. This generally offers connotations of menace or power, giving Charlie a darker ‘edge’.
In order to reflect the viral nature of the campaign, we have followed the example of J.J. Abrams’ ‘Cloverfield’, with its ‘less is more’ mentality. For example, the first wave of Cloverfield teaser trailers were roughly forty seconds in length and revealed the bare minimum of the film’s plot, instead depending on the ‘Blair Witch Project’ style use of handicam and the destruction of an iconic landmark to draw in audiences, while the absence of a film name lured in audiences to investigate the film themselves. As such, this is a prime example of a viral campaign.
While in an ideal world we would have access to the funding, techniques and inspiration available, by necessity our group has vastly limited resources in comparison to Hollywood film-makers.
Our production’s projected genre of dramedy (comedy/drama) is reflected within the trailer, despite the scarcity of dramatic dialogue. This is achieved through the use of dramatic silences and the heavy implications of the loneliness and social isolation felt by the protagonist.
As the colour blue is very ‘in’ at the moment, as seen in films such as Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and (500) Days of Summer, we will be using vivid blue backgrounds in conjunction with a font that reflects the handdrawn block capital letters common in many indie films at the moment. By doing this, we will be drawing on the codes and conventions that are curently common in our projected genre.
For our narrative, we will juxtapose text frames making positive claims about Charlie in the style of spy films in the 80s and more modern kitsch films such as Planet Terror, with scenes reflecting the reality of Charlie’s life.
Despite the lack of a conventional narrative in our trailer, representation is still achieved through the use of shot framing, screen time, lighting and visual signifiers, while the use of The Fratellis’ ‘Chelsea Dagger’ lightens the overall tone of the trailer. As well as representations of the protagonist, it is also important to consider aspects of the representation of minor characters, who seem to generally be conveyed as sympathetic for putting up with Charlie’s pessimism. By framing the protagonist in the upper third of the frame for the closing shots, he dominates the frame. This generally offers connotations of menace or power, giving Charlie a darker ‘edge’.
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Website research
The Men Who Stare At Goats
Harry Brown
The Boat That Rocked
About A Boy
Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Monday, 19 April 2010
Evaluative commentary
Personally, I feel that over the course of this project, my skills and understanding have developed greatly through both experience gained in the field and through a number of workshops which have introduced me to new programs, as well as developed my understanding of programs which I already had some personal experience with.
Trailer
Our group took a more natural, flexible approach to production roles, with the whole group generally being involved in the majority of the stages. For example, while Lloyd was responsible for capturing the shots we needed on set, the rest of the group contributed towards how the shots would be captured, even outside of the storyboarding phase of the pre-production. For example, we initially planned on using a contra-zoom shot as the closing shot of our trailer, in order to convey the changes in the protagonist’s outlook on life. However, this particular shot proved to be especially problematic, as it was difficult to keep the actor on screen framed properly while moving simultaneously backwards and zooming slowly in using the camera. We attempted to overcome this by placing the camera and tripod on a skateboard and wheeling it backwards. Unfortunately, this method proved to be flawed, as the slightly uneven terrain on which we were shooting meant that the shot came out shaky.
We shot our production using a DV camera, which offers a reasonably high image quality and is quite easily accessible to use. For the editing, we used Adobe Premiere, with the title slides being created as images in Adobe Photoshop CS3 and then being imported in as JPEG files to the editing session. Adobe Premiere proved to be a fa more flexible editing suite than the software we used last year, Windows Movie Maker, with its wider variety of editing options making it more possible to make the final product we were aiming for.
Magazine cover
I created my magazine cover using the computer program, Adobe Photoshop CS3. This offered a number of advantages over less advanced programs, such as MS Paint, as it allowed the editing of individual layers and greater control over factors such as the brightness and colour saturation of elements.
Website
The website proved to be particularly difficult to manufacture, as it is often problematic conveying meaning through the use of layout. While Adobe Photoshop CS3 meant that the creation was easy from a technological perspective, it was difficult to approach the site from an ideological perspective, as it can often be problematic coming up with a convincingly sound idea which embodies all of the values I was trying to reflect.
In the end, I decided to make the site predominantly black and minimalistic, with the vibrant hues of the trailerlocated in the centre of the page making it really stand out and really focusing the audience's attention where it needs to be, rather than featuring lots of unnecessary visual 'filler' which could distract the audience. As such, this allows the trailer to take the greatest role in drawing in the audience. Minimalistic filmpages with a trailer in the centre are common within the media industry, with examples including the sites for 'The Boat That Rocked' and 'Harry Brown'.
In the end, however, I ended up imitating the classic style of film website, as seen in the 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (Bayer, 2010) website, with the production credits located at the bottom of the page. As such, it was vital that I made the font I used reminiscent of this very established convention. This was achieved by editing the character height, width and space on Photoshop.
The inclusion of links to Facebook, Twitter and other sites such as Digg is common on many modern film promotional sites, showing a clear link with new media technologies and the proliferation of Web 2.0, as such synergy would have been more difficult to accomplish using older web technologies years ago.
Trailer
Our group took a more natural, flexible approach to production roles, with the whole group generally being involved in the majority of the stages. For example, while Lloyd was responsible for capturing the shots we needed on set, the rest of the group contributed towards how the shots would be captured, even outside of the storyboarding phase of the pre-production. For example, we initially planned on using a contra-zoom shot as the closing shot of our trailer, in order to convey the changes in the protagonist’s outlook on life. However, this particular shot proved to be especially problematic, as it was difficult to keep the actor on screen framed properly while moving simultaneously backwards and zooming slowly in using the camera. We attempted to overcome this by placing the camera and tripod on a skateboard and wheeling it backwards. Unfortunately, this method proved to be flawed, as the slightly uneven terrain on which we were shooting meant that the shot came out shaky.
We shot our production using a DV camera, which offers a reasonably high image quality and is quite easily accessible to use. For the editing, we used Adobe Premiere, with the title slides being created as images in Adobe Photoshop CS3 and then being imported in as JPEG files to the editing session. Adobe Premiere proved to be a fa more flexible editing suite than the software we used last year, Windows Movie Maker, with its wider variety of editing options making it more possible to make the final product we were aiming for.
Our trailer underwent a lot of changes over the course of the production, as the group felt that it wasn’t reflective of how we originally envisioned it. For example, we originally intended to use a single uninterrupted shot of the protagonist walking alone through an empty high street late at night, reflecting how isolated he feels and also the insomnia he suffers from. However, we then decided to abandon this idea (unfortunately after we had already shot the scene), as we felt that while a minimalistic trailer works for films such as ‘Inception’ (Nolan, 2010) and ‘Cloverfield’ (Abrams, 2008), these films have the presence of big names such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Christopher Nolan and J.J. Abrams to aid in their appeal to audiences, an element distinctly lacking from our grass-roots production. As such, we decided that a trailer which was too heavily minimalistic and focused on the establishment of too small an enigma was inappropriate and would be unlikely to garner a great deal of audience interest. We instead decided to return to our original treatment for the campaign and reinvented the trailer as a ‘dramedy’, using elements of both the drama genre and the comedy genre.
After the changes were made to our production, I feel that it ended up striking a similar emotional chord to Ricky Gervais’ ‘Extras’, wherein few attempts are made to make the protagonist a typically likeable character. However, while in ‘Extras’, the humanity that is vital to create empathy in the audience comes instead from supporting characters, in our piece, I feel that none of the characters come across as particularly likeable. 
If time management had been better within the group, I would have liked to have utilised overhauls to the script in order to give the trailer some elements which could be empathised with. While in the original treatment, the supporting characters were envisioned as being long-suffering and generally affable, this was lost between the paper and the screen. This was an unfortunate by-product of poor planning and an occasional lack of focus within the group.
If time management had been better within the group, I would have liked to have utilised overhauls to the script in order to give the trailer some elements which could be empathised with. While in the original treatment, the supporting characters were envisioned as being long-suffering and generally affable, this was lost between the paper and the screen. This was an unfortunate by-product of poor planning and an occasional lack of focus within the group.Our use of shots was in some cases particularly effective at embodying messages. For example, the shot of Charlie stood in a shady smoking shelter while the grass and hedges behind him are bright and vibrant. This is representative of the exclusion that Charlie feels. The lack of a large friend group is furthered by showing him as celebrating his birthday by going to a small pub with his only best friend as company for his birthday. However, I feel the pivotal moment for showing his loneliness, as well as implying the insomnia he suffers, are the shots of him walking alone through an empty street in the middle of the street, looking despondent which flash up throughout the scene in the car where he is having a pivotal conversation with his best friend. I feel these flashes also imply a self-centeredness, as well as hinting at some degree of mental instability.
We utilised matte blue title screens for our film, as this is currently a hot trend on the indie comedy scene. For example, this use of blue can be seen in certain trailers for 'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist' (Sollett, 2008) and '(500) Days of Summer' (Webb, 2009). Another current trend which we have drawn on is the use of 'hand-drawn' block capital letters, which has become so common on the indie comedy film circuit that it has become something of a cliche. The actual text used on these title cards makes claims about the protagonist, such as 'He's got a way with the ladies'. This is often seen in trailers for B-movies, as well as deliberately kitsch texts, such as the trailer for 'Machete' (Rodriguez, 2010).
We used 'Sympathy for the Devil', a generally well-known Rolling Stones song which offered a catchy rhythm typical of an indie comedy film trailer, while still maintaining dark elements within the lyrics which complemented the more melancholy aspects of the trailer well.
By offering the audience the text 'Charlie Oak lives an average life', we challenged the usual codes and conventions of film trailers, which usually build pace towards a climactic moment. However, our piece ends on somewhat of an anti-climax. I hope that this will actually entice the audience in in order to find out the underlying reasons for Charlie's dissatisfaction with life. however, I am aware that this could potentially backfire and cost us audience interest, as a significant amount of film audience's use film as a means of escapism from the ordinariness of their own lives. A prime example of this can be seen in the huge success of science fiction and fantasy films such as 'Star Wars' (Lucas, 1977) and the more recent 'Avatar' (Cameron, 2009).
We used 'Sympathy for the Devil', a generally well-known Rolling Stones song which offered a catchy rhythm typical of an indie comedy film trailer, while still maintaining dark elements within the lyrics which complemented the more melancholy aspects of the trailer well.
By offering the audience the text 'Charlie Oak lives an average life', we challenged the usual codes and conventions of film trailers, which usually build pace towards a climactic moment. However, our piece ends on somewhat of an anti-climax. I hope that this will actually entice the audience in in order to find out the underlying reasons for Charlie's dissatisfaction with life. however, I am aware that this could potentially backfire and cost us audience interest, as a significant amount of film audience's use film as a means of escapism from the ordinariness of their own lives. A prime example of this can be seen in the huge success of science fiction and fantasy films such as 'Star Wars' (Lucas, 1977) and the more recent 'Avatar' (Cameron, 2009).
Throughout all areas of the campaign, I tried to ensure a uniformity where appropriate. For example, I matched up the film's release date throughout the campaign, as it would be highly unprofessional if the dates did not match up.
Upon showing our trailer to a small sample of our target audience, there were a number of criticisms aimed at the trailer in particular. Two key criticisms were that the protagonist came across as being simple-minded rather than disenchanted and misanthropic in some scenes within the trailer. However, the general consensus was that the use of the coloured titles was done well, with the trailer actually looking like it should. The aim for this module of coursework was to produce a viral campaign, however I feel that our aims to create an enigma and draw in the audience while giving away very little about the film, leading the audience to delve deeper (as was seen in the run-up to the release of the Cloverfield trailer), may have led to a negligence on our part to offer the audience sufficient information as to the film’s style, narrative or even, to some degree, genre.
Upon showing our trailer to a small sample of our target audience, there were a number of criticisms aimed at the trailer in particular. Two key criticisms were that the protagonist came across as being simple-minded rather than disenchanted and misanthropic in some scenes within the trailer. However, the general consensus was that the use of the coloured titles was done well, with the trailer actually looking like it should. The aim for this module of coursework was to produce a viral campaign, however I feel that our aims to create an enigma and draw in the audience while giving away very little about the film, leading the audience to delve deeper (as was seen in the run-up to the release of the Cloverfield trailer), may have led to a negligence on our part to offer the audience sufficient information as to the film’s style, narrative or even, to some degree, genre.
Magazine cover
I created my magazine cover using the computer program, Adobe Photoshop CS3. This offered a number of advantages over less advanced programs, such as MS Paint, as it allowed the editing of individual layers and greater control over factors such as the brightness and colour saturation of elements.
The magazine cover is the text which I feel turned out to most successfully reflect the codes and conventions we sought to achieve through semiotics. I thoroughly scoured over many Sight and Sound covers in order to get a ‘feel’ for what audiences expect to see on the cover and tried to reflect this through the use of language and fonts, as well as through the bias towards British films and talent generated by the BFI’s involvement with the magazine. I feel that the phrase ‘misanthrope for the MTV generation’ perfectly summed up the portrayal we were aiming for in the campaign. The picture I used, a promotional photograph of the actor who played the film’s protagonist, is very typical of Sight and Sound, from the relatively restrained facial expression and posture to the use of a plain, solid background.
As an example of below-the-line advertising, magazines are subject to less bias than texts such as the trailer and official website for the film. However, they are still often affected by agency politics, as few stars would be likely to return to a magazine if the article featured turned out to be a hatchet-job. The hypothetical article seen on my cover is one of the kind of articles often seen that offer coverage of up-and-coming talent. As such, my tag-line for the cover is ‘the misanthrope for the MTV generation’, drawing on hype and arbitrary titles to draw in audience interest, rather than using past film credentials.
Website
The website proved to be particularly difficult to manufacture, as it is often problematic conveying meaning through the use of layout. While Adobe Photoshop CS3 meant that the creation was easy from a technological perspective, it was difficult to approach the site from an ideological perspective, as it can often be problematic coming up with a convincingly sound idea which embodies all of the values I was trying to reflect.
In the end, I decided to make the site predominantly black and minimalistic, with the vibrant hues of the trailerlocated in the centre of the page making it really stand out and really focusing the audience's attention where it needs to be, rather than featuring lots of unnecessary visual 'filler' which could distract the audience. As such, this allows the trailer to take the greatest role in drawing in the audience. Minimalistic filmpages with a trailer in the centre are common within the media industry, with examples including the sites for 'The Boat That Rocked' and 'Harry Brown'.
This layout is vastly different in tone to the numerous website designs which preceded the final design, in which I used a number of different colour schemes varying from a dark hue of orange to gradient which went a sunny yellow to white.
An example of one of the many discarded ideas can be seen below, wherein I originally had the protagonist stood looking solemnly forward against the background of a beach at night-time. I added hints of surrealness to this by making the superimposition of the protagonist clear and by editing the colour curves to change the hues of the background.
In the end, however, I ended up imitating the classic style of film website, as seen in the 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (Bayer, 2010) website, with the production credits located at the bottom of the page. As such, it was vital that I made the font I used reminiscent of this very established convention. This was achieved by editing the character height, width and space on Photoshop. The inclusion of links to Facebook, Twitter and other sites such as Digg is common on many modern film promotional sites, showing a clear link with new media technologies and the proliferation of Web 2.0, as such synergy would have been more difficult to accomplish using older web technologies years ago.
I decided to feature the trailer on the homepage, which is common practice in the media industry, as the trailer is often the main device for gaining audience interest. However, I believed that it looked somewhat out of place and at odds with the rest of the page, which seemed to suffer from its layout being comprised of boxes in boxes. Due to the final trailer being unavailable in YouTube format when I made the website, the video seen is a screengrab from a video from the AS module in which our main actor, Rowan, also starred.
In the end, I decided to overcome the problem of the 'boxes in boxes' appearance by copying over key elements from the old layout onto a new Photoshop document. As by this stage, our trailer was more accurately reflecting the codes and conventions of an indie comedy, I felt more comfortable abandoning the light-hearted, but ultimately tacky-looking, title font of the old layout, replacing it instead with a gritty, grungy font which instead drew the audience's attention to the more edgy side of the film, offering a juxtaposition with the vibrant colours and catchy music of the trailer. This new website layout abandoned the use of an image of the protagonist entirely, with the minimalistic homepage leaving the trailer to do it's job without being intrusive or drawing attention away.
I featured link tabs which would allow the audience to access extra content, such as the synopsis and behind-the-scenes videos, but without making the homepage overly crowded and unfocused.
Radio Advert
For our radio advert, we used Adobe Audition, an easy-to-use, yet comprehensive, audio editing suite. The group decided to present a typical utopian establishment of the setting, describing the character's life as full of positives, with everything seeming perfect at face value. However, near the end of the advert, it is revealed that Charlie hates his life, presenting a somewhat unconventional equilibrium within the film's diegesis.
To conclude the radio spot, we reflected the codes seen in radio adverts such as those for 'Stoned' (Woolley, 2005) and 'Igby Goes Down' (Steers, 2002), with the second half of the trailer being used to present critics' responses to the film. We also included the film's title, release date and a web address, as the radio spot gives away very little about the film but would hopefully attract enough of the audience's interest to make them want to investigate further online, where they would have access to a synopsis and film trailer, amongst other features. For the accompanying music for the advert, we utilised The Fratellis' 'Chelsea Dagger', as it's infectious feel-good vibe provided an effective counter-balance to some of the more melancholy moments in the trailer. It is also typical of the soundtrack codes and conventions of indie comedy films, as it featured in the television advert spot for 'Youth in Revolt' (Arteta, 2010), as well as in the trailer for Judd Apatow's 'Knocked Up' (2007). It's upbeat infectiousness combined with the narrator's voice, which comes across as cheerful and positive, as is often the style for advert voiceovers for indie dramedies, such as 'Igby Goes Down', provides an effective contrast with the revelation that Charlie hates his seemingly perfect life.
The role of Blogger and Google Documents
I have benefitted greatly from the current state of media technologies, as certain aspects of Web 2.0, such as the medium through which I am publishing these blogs and Google Documents. Google Documents has proven to be a great aid, allowing the easy exchange of production documents between members of the group. This proved to more appropriate than simply sending the files in e-mail attachments, as it kept all of the files in one place where they could also be edited. Blogger has also proven to be a great aid, storing all of the evaluation and pre-production work in one place and allowing edits to be made at a later date. One of the most useful aspects of it was the way it allowed other users to post comments on the blogs which then aided the creative process. One flaw of Blogger, however, was that it did not allow the creation of spreadsheets or tables. Thankfully, this was not too large an issue, as Google Documents did allow these to be uploaded. For me, Blogger was a much more appealing medium than simply sending off reams of printed paperwork to be marked, while conventional paper-based work would not have offered the same levels of connectivity that Blogger offered, such as the ability to embed pictures and videos within documents.
Thursday, 15 April 2010
Magazine cover research
This Sight and Sound cover, from September 2003, is very reflective of how I want my final magazine cover to look. I feel that Sight and Sound is the most appropriate for our film, as magazines such as Empire and Total Film tend to be more Hollywood-centric, whereas the BFI's involvement in Sight and Sound mean that they are more likely to cover up-and-coming British talent. I particularly like the way that Ewan McGregor's picture slightly obscures the magazine title, while the minimalistic use of colour in the photo is particularly striking.
The use of black and white on the photo of Tarantino makes for an interesting contrast with the vivid colours of the fonts, as well as providing a contrast with Tarantino's outspoken and often brash nature.
The use of a still from a film rather than a promotional photograph is commonplace on the cover of Sight and Sound. However, I feel that a promotional shot will be more suitable for my magazine cover, as the video quality of the DV camera we used is relatively low in comparison to the high-tech cameras used by professional film-makers.
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Sources of influence for the trailer
Contrazoom shots
Using a number of videos such as this one, we were able to draw upon the contrazoom (or trombone shot) technique in our piece. This shot has a number of purposes, with its use often implying that the character seen has remained the same while the world around them has changed.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
This film is a classic example of a contemporary indie comedy with elements of drama, acheiving both critical and commercial success. This trailer features many of the codes and conventions typical of it's genre, such as the use of a font which imitates handdrawn block capital leters as well as it's heavy focus on music and the power it can have. This will be reflected in our trailer by caregfully choosing a song which we feel will reflect the tone ofour projected film.
(Days of Summer)
Another classic example of an indie dramedy, described as 'not a love story, but a story about love'. It deals with a number of themes which many teens can relate to, such as lost love and emotional dissatisfaction. This trailer also draws on the use of block capitals against a solid colour background, which is a technique which we will use in our production. Again, the use of music here is impeccable at reflecting the emotional tone of the film.
Halo 3 trailer (2007)
Despite being a trailer for a video game, the trailer for the Xbox 360 videogame, Halo 3, effectively demonstrates the kind of shot we are hoping to portray as flashes on screen towards the end of the trailer, showing its protagonist walking towards the 'camera'.However, the biggest influence was the use of flashing sections of a character, with this trailer using the fracttured nature of Cortana's appearances to reflect her mental instability.
Using a number of videos such as this one, we were able to draw upon the contrazoom (or trombone shot) technique in our piece. This shot has a number of purposes, with its use often implying that the character seen has remained the same while the world around them has changed.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
This film is a classic example of a contemporary indie comedy with elements of drama, acheiving both critical and commercial success. This trailer features many of the codes and conventions typical of it's genre, such as the use of a font which imitates handdrawn block capital leters as well as it's heavy focus on music and the power it can have. This will be reflected in our trailer by caregfully choosing a song which we feel will reflect the tone ofour projected film.
(Days of Summer)
Another classic example of an indie dramedy, described as 'not a love story, but a story about love'. It deals with a number of themes which many teens can relate to, such as lost love and emotional dissatisfaction. This trailer also draws on the use of block capitals against a solid colour background, which is a technique which we will use in our production. Again, the use of music here is impeccable at reflecting the emotional tone of the film.
Halo 3 trailer (2007)
Despite being a trailer for a video game, the trailer for the Xbox 360 videogame, Halo 3, effectively demonstrates the kind of shot we are hoping to portray as flashes on screen towards the end of the trailer, showing its protagonist walking towards the 'camera'.However, the biggest influence was the use of flashing sections of a character, with this trailer using the fracttured nature of Cortana's appearances to reflect her mental instability.
Lost Season 3 Finale
This scene is from the finale of the third season of the hit US sci-fi drama, Lost. Within these few minutes, we see one of the series' key characters, Jack Shephard, at his most despondant as he desperately aims to get Kate to return to the island with him. This is similar to the emotional tone we hope to subtly imply in our production.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
This film influenced our subtle use of the conventions of the neo-noir genre, such as the use of understated dialogue and the breaking of the fourth wall by having the protagonist directly address the audience. It is also a trailer which focuses on the traits of a character, which our film will also do, though in our trailer, the listing of these traits will be done ina n ironic manner, being followed by jarring contrasts which reveal the reality of his life.
AS G321 Production
'Roadkill' is my production piece from the AS Media coursework. By including it, I hope to be able to offer a comparison with the A2 coursework once it is completed and show a progression in the development of my skills.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Websites that allow readers/users/contributors to create or participate in a collective identity
Facebook
http://www.en-gb.facebook.com/
Facebook is a social networking site and, as such, virtually its entire purpose is to construct or express an identity. On an individual level, every aspect of a user’s page is a controlled representation of themselves: from their status updates and listed interests in their information sections through to their profile picture, everything is moderated by the individual to maked themselves more desirable. The interests they list and cultural references they draw upon are reflective of Bordieu's theory of 'cultural capital'. By functioning through Web 2.0, Facebook allows updates and new creations to be applied instantly.
The main way in which group identities are created on Facebook is through the joining of groups and through becoming fans of pages. Group and page creation is incredibly accessible, with any user on the site able to create a page in a matter of minutes. This instant accessibility and individual control over identity is linked to the theories of Foucault, who saw self-identity as an active project, allowing identities to be fluid in nature.
Advertising on Facebook is often specifically tailored to target individuals who have included things on their pages which the companies involved have deemed makes them a suitable target audience for their product. Indeed, many Facebook adverts call out directly to users through interpellation constructed through the interests of users, using phrases such as ‘Fan of (insert interest)? Then you’ll love (insert product)!’.
Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/
Twitter focuses primarily on the creation of individual identities due to a lack of interconnectivity. However, users are able to tag ‘trend topics’, as well as other users. Popular trend topics then appear on the homepage, allowing instant access to a wide collection of updates regarding the trend topic. As Twitter focuses almost entirely on the posts made, it is primarily through these that users create their online identity. Users will often try to make these updates interesting through the inclusion of popular culture references, drawing on cultural capital.
IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/
The Internet Movie Database contains a large variety of messageboards which allow users to exchange messages about film, television, video games, music, technology and the individual craft of users, as well as dozens of other subjects. There is an eclectic tone to the message boards, with much variation and texture contained within. Topics range from the high-brow, such as threads about the Awards season, film noir and international cinema, through to more accessible threads more rooted in popular culture, such as threads on soaps and serials, Harry Potter and celebrity news. The topics on the message board homepage are created by the IMDB institution, meaning they have control over the greater picture.
However, within each of these topics, it is the users of the site who primarily control the contents of the sub-threads, though IMDB do maintain some control due to the presence of ‘admins’, who have the power to remove threads and discipline users when they believe the rules of the forum have been breached or if content is deemed inappropriate. The user control over the creation of content means that seemingly random, tangential topics (such as ‘Is Dumbledore gay, or is it that he just could never get a ladyfriend?’) are as acceptable and valid as high-brow topics which discuss the art of film from a critical perspective (such as ‘Is THE PRINCESS BRIDE one of the greatest cult movies of all time?‘)
The collective opinion would be perceived as being connoisseurs of film and, as such, the ability for users to submit reviews of their own is notable, as other users can easily access the viewpoints of other people who have seen the film and gather a wide variety of opinions, allowing them to have a rough idea of how the film has been received away from professional reviews which may be subject to bias.
Interestingly, the overall score out of 10 given to a film on IMDB is constituted entirely from the average rating given by multiple users, which goes some way to ensuring that the scores which can be seen are an amalgamation of the reviews from sometimes as many as thousands of independent film-goers.
A film fansite for ‘Twilight’
http://www.thetwilightforums.com/index.php
There are an unfathomably large number of ‘fansites’ dedicated to movies, celebrities and other prominent figures. However, one of the most notable ‘movements’ in recent years is the increasingly vast number of die-hard Twilight fans. As such, a large number of sites dedicated to this film series have been created in a relatively short period of time, with the film series striking a chord with a large audience encompassing people of different age groups and genders. The almost fanatical nature of many of these fans means that messageboards, wherein they are able to communicate with other fans from around the globe about specific topics within the Twilight universe, are commonplace on many of these fansites. The Twilight franchise has arguably attracted a lot more attention and success than it deserves due to a snowballing effect stemming from word of mouth and media attention. This has arguably led to many teenage girls investing themselves in the franchise because they feel it is 'expected' of them due to the age and gender categories they fall into. This is reflective of the theories of Althusser.
Cosmopolitan
http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/community/channel
‘For fun, fearless females’ is the slogan of the magazine and, as such, this sets the tone for the user-generated content on the Cosmopolitan community forums. The post-modern approach to femininity the site takes can be seen even at a glance though the topics of each messageboard, with examples ranging from ‘Style and shopping’ and ‘Relationships’ to ‘Gynae’ and ‘Sex’, with many other aspects of feminine life being explored in some of the numerous other messageboards. These messageboards allow users access to what Bourdieu coined as 'cultural capital', as they are able to access topics relevant to their interests. By offering access to advice, users are also arguably able to gain 'social capital'.
However, as the forum topics have been decided beforehand by Cosmopolitan, it could be argued the collective identity being portrayed by users is to some degree already predetermined by the institution. This is reflective of Althusser’s theories of interpellation, wherein the reader identifies with media texts as a source of authority and ideology and thereby becomes its subject, leading to a cycle of investment once the reader has identified with a particular idea.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is also tied in with this type of media product, as the audience consumes the ideologies portrayed as they seek to self-actualise. However, it is in the interests of the companies for the readers to never fully self-actualise, meaning that in articles and suchlike, a careful equilibrium would be established. This need to maintain balance is potentially absent from messageboards, as the content is user-generated and, as such, there is less focus on maintaining this delicate balance between empowerment and an ongoing need for the product.
http://www.en-gb.facebook.com/
Facebook is a social networking site and, as such, virtually its entire purpose is to construct or express an identity. On an individual level, every aspect of a user’s page is a controlled representation of themselves: from their status updates and listed interests in their information sections through to their profile picture, everything is moderated by the individual to maked themselves more desirable. The interests they list and cultural references they draw upon are reflective of Bordieu's theory of 'cultural capital'. By functioning through Web 2.0, Facebook allows updates and new creations to be applied instantly.
The main way in which group identities are created on Facebook is through the joining of groups and through becoming fans of pages. Group and page creation is incredibly accessible, with any user on the site able to create a page in a matter of minutes. This instant accessibility and individual control over identity is linked to the theories of Foucault, who saw self-identity as an active project, allowing identities to be fluid in nature.
Advertising on Facebook is often specifically tailored to target individuals who have included things on their pages which the companies involved have deemed makes them a suitable target audience for their product. Indeed, many Facebook adverts call out directly to users through interpellation constructed through the interests of users, using phrases such as ‘Fan of (insert interest)? Then you’ll love (insert product)!’.
http://www.twitter.com/
Twitter focuses primarily on the creation of individual identities due to a lack of interconnectivity. However, users are able to tag ‘trend topics’, as well as other users. Popular trend topics then appear on the homepage, allowing instant access to a wide collection of updates regarding the trend topic. As Twitter focuses almost entirely on the posts made, it is primarily through these that users create their online identity. Users will often try to make these updates interesting through the inclusion of popular culture references, drawing on cultural capital.
IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/
The Internet Movie Database contains a large variety of messageboards which allow users to exchange messages about film, television, video games, music, technology and the individual craft of users, as well as dozens of other subjects. There is an eclectic tone to the message boards, with much variation and texture contained within. Topics range from the high-brow, such as threads about the Awards season, film noir and international cinema, through to more accessible threads more rooted in popular culture, such as threads on soaps and serials, Harry Potter and celebrity news. The topics on the message board homepage are created by the IMDB institution, meaning they have control over the greater picture.
However, within each of these topics, it is the users of the site who primarily control the contents of the sub-threads, though IMDB do maintain some control due to the presence of ‘admins’, who have the power to remove threads and discipline users when they believe the rules of the forum have been breached or if content is deemed inappropriate. The user control over the creation of content means that seemingly random, tangential topics (such as ‘Is Dumbledore gay, or is it that he just could never get a ladyfriend?’) are as acceptable and valid as high-brow topics which discuss the art of film from a critical perspective (such as ‘Is THE PRINCESS BRIDE one of the greatest cult movies of all time?‘)
The collective opinion would be perceived as being connoisseurs of film and, as such, the ability for users to submit reviews of their own is notable, as other users can easily access the viewpoints of other people who have seen the film and gather a wide variety of opinions, allowing them to have a rough idea of how the film has been received away from professional reviews which may be subject to bias.
Interestingly, the overall score out of 10 given to a film on IMDB is constituted entirely from the average rating given by multiple users, which goes some way to ensuring that the scores which can be seen are an amalgamation of the reviews from sometimes as many as thousands of independent film-goers.
A film fansite for ‘Twilight’
http://www.thetwilightforums.com/index.php
There are an unfathomably large number of ‘fansites’ dedicated to movies, celebrities and other prominent figures. However, one of the most notable ‘movements’ in recent years is the increasingly vast number of die-hard Twilight fans. As such, a large number of sites dedicated to this film series have been created in a relatively short period of time, with the film series striking a chord with a large audience encompassing people of different age groups and genders. The almost fanatical nature of many of these fans means that messageboards, wherein they are able to communicate with other fans from around the globe about specific topics within the Twilight universe, are commonplace on many of these fansites. The Twilight franchise has arguably attracted a lot more attention and success than it deserves due to a snowballing effect stemming from word of mouth and media attention. This has arguably led to many teenage girls investing themselves in the franchise because they feel it is 'expected' of them due to the age and gender categories they fall into. This is reflective of the theories of Althusser.
Cosmopolitan
http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/community/channel
‘For fun, fearless females’ is the slogan of the magazine and, as such, this sets the tone for the user-generated content on the Cosmopolitan community forums. The post-modern approach to femininity the site takes can be seen even at a glance though the topics of each messageboard, with examples ranging from ‘Style and shopping’ and ‘Relationships’ to ‘Gynae’ and ‘Sex’, with many other aspects of feminine life being explored in some of the numerous other messageboards. These messageboards allow users access to what Bourdieu coined as 'cultural capital', as they are able to access topics relevant to their interests. By offering access to advice, users are also arguably able to gain 'social capital'.
However, as the forum topics have been decided beforehand by Cosmopolitan, it could be argued the collective identity being portrayed by users is to some degree already predetermined by the institution. This is reflective of Althusser’s theories of interpellation, wherein the reader identifies with media texts as a source of authority and ideology and thereby becomes its subject, leading to a cycle of investment once the reader has identified with a particular idea.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is also tied in with this type of media product, as the audience consumes the ideologies portrayed as they seek to self-actualise. However, it is in the interests of the companies for the readers to never fully self-actualise, meaning that in articles and suchlike, a careful equilibrium would be established. This need to maintain balance is potentially absent from messageboards, as the content is user-generated and, as such, there is less focus on maintaining this delicate balance between empowerment and an ongoing need for the product.
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