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’.