RESEARCH: AUDIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE

I created a questionnaire on Google Forms (which can be found here) so that I can identify the target audience and what they like in films. I wanted to ask about their age and gender, as well as their relationship status due to the nature of my concept. I also linked similar film trailers so that the respondents could get a clear view of what my piece might be like.

Due to the easy use of Google Forms, I was able to collect important data, which I can then present in both graphical forms and words, as both quantitative and qualitative data was received.

I intend to ask:

Please complete this survey about the rom-com genre, and a target audience to ensure the best possible viewing experience for you.

What is your gender?
How old are you?
What is your relationship status?
What genres of film do you like?
Where do you most often view films?
Have you watched an independent film before?
List 3 rom-coms you may have enjoyed.
Why do you watch rom-coms?
What does this trailer make you feel?
Would you see this film after watching the trailer?
How does this poster make you feel?
Would this poster make you want to watch the film?

So far, I have had 12 responses to my survey. These show that the most likely candidates for my target audience would be interested in films like Love Actually, are over 35 and are female. This has helped me decide how to market my film and the actual content of my film.

PRACTICE FILM OPENING

We learnt about how to handle the cameras detailed in my post On The Set. In addition to this, we watched the title sequence to Delicatessen to see an example of a table top style title sequence before we shot our own. This helped immensely as we could see how credits could be added to the sequence and how to collate a collection of objects to tell a story.

The brief was to create a story on a tabletop as a live action shoot by the objects used and placed. Including the objects, I also had to use a soundtrack, 5 Dollars by Christine and the Queens. It also had to feel like a title sequence, with a live action shot as well. I picked some makeup, a book, a blue dress and some of my baby photos as I used the line baby blue to mean a mother was reflecting on her child who went missing. I also kept in theme with all the items having some sort of blue shade within them.

I had a few issues as I was ill the lesson we shot this. Therefore, I had to complete it at home, on my own. However, I didn't have a particularly big desk to work off. I didn't have anyone to take pictures of the setting up, and wasn't able to shoot my live action as I didn't have anyone to be the theme of the shot. Once I got back to school, I was able to use one of my props, a photo album, to shoot the sequence.

Once I started editing, I found that most of the piece fit to the music already but the part where I looked through the photos didn't as it was too fast. Although I didn't have access to a brilliant editing software, I was still able to split the video and slow down the speed of that certain part in order to make it fit. After the minor adjustments, it really worked, and even fit perfectly to the lyrics at points by coincidence.

I used my mum, Liz Taylor, for my live action shot. I had a sudden thought of using her driving the car as a reference to how the girl goes missing. This short clip I decided to title Baby Blue, after the lyrics that I took inspiration from.

PLANNING: INITIAL DEVELOPMENT

My idea stemmed from a concept with Ronnaé Decker. We wanted to explore the Greek/Roman myths combined with the modern world. We settled on the idea that Cupid had come down to help a normal girl, Katie, to find love, but eventually they both fall in love with each other, but don't realise until the end. We thought we could either animate Cupid or use a friend, Cameron Hardcastle to play Cupid. Katie could be played by one of my friends from the Rose Youth Theatre. We decided that we can use Elm Road Playground as it has a good open field with benches for a first meeting, but we have also considered Ham Common Woods which might be a better, free location. I have various notebooks and so that led to us deciding to make Katie a writer, and have the joke that every time we see her on screen, she has a different notebook with her. We also thought of a friend who composes music to be able to have an original piece based on our story.

RESEARCH: ART OF THE TITLE CORALINE

Coraline is an animated film based on Neil Gaiman's book of the same name. It was marketed for children, however, many people disagreed with this as they felt it was too disturbing for a young audience.

We first see many credits, in a bound book. The first we see after the production company credits is Coraline with a button for the letter '0'. As fans of the film will know, the other, fantastical, world contains a mother who wishes nothing more but to seal Coraline's place in the other world, by stitching buttons onto her eyes. The other lettering takes the form of thread.

The music is a chant, spooky undertones coming through the staccato notes. This sets the tone for the whole piece as, by association to horror author Neil Gaiman, we already know that this will be a creepy story. The dreamlike mood of the music lends itself to a shot of a rag doll with buttons for eyes floating down through a window, before being snatched up by metal spoked fingers. Almost right away, we are introduced to an array of menacing tools, to begin the deconstruction of the doll. This includes cutting the doll apart, removing her hair stitch by stitch, and removing her eyes. When these buttons are removed, the stitches are cut all at once by these metal fingers. Then, the stitches for the mouth are torn open, as if to emulate the Joker's scars, which presents the image that this will also be very creepy in a similar way. Lastly, the stuffing is removed and the doll turned inside out.

However, we are soon shown that she is simply giving the doll a makeover, as it is filled with sand, and restitched. Through this makeover, the buttons for eyes are chosen from a complete draw of buttons. Then, when the mother stitches the iconic blue hair on, we realise that the doll is actually a version of the main character, Coraline, from the posters. It seems like the mother also cares about accuracy as she completely constructs a replica of Coraline's yellow coat with buttons. The mother then gently lets the doll float away.

The use of a rag doll is clever, as dolls are already considered a trope of the horror genre. By also providing imagery of sharp objects and a twisted surgery, it plays on the audience's knowledge of horror enigma codes, to make them feel unsettled. As we know Coraline is the protagonist, and this doll is the first version of her we see, we are told this doll is a big factor in the story. Also, by knowing this, we are left to wonder about the fate of the girl who inspired the original look to the rag doll. Questions like these are never answered, making the audience feel even more unsettled.

RESEARCH: ART OF THE TITLE SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

A Series of Unfortunate Events is a Netflix original show based on the highly popular book series of the same name by Lemony Snicket, real name Daniel Handler. The very unusual format of the show means that every two episodes are based on one book in the series. This led the production team to design new title sequences and lyrics to the theme song for every two episodes. This title sequence is the first, based on the book Bad Beginnings.

It starts with the show’s title on a greenish gold background, using an ornate font. Next it announces the production team. We then get our first glimpse at an overall story board in the sequence. As this show can be considered a mystery/crime show, the theme of this sequence utilises a murder board, using different coloured strings to connect suspects, places and events. This is used to present the actors in the show, their names appearing on the screen as a hand puts a pin tied to string in the character’s photo. The first we see is Neil Patrick Harris, followed by Patrick Warburton, Malina Weissman, Louis Hynes, K. Todd Freeman, and Presley Smith. This is interspersed with different images linked to the episode such as images of a birdcage, several eyes, anatomy sketches and several newspapers. These symbols act as an enigma code as most viewers will have read the books, and recognise where each picture comes from. Therefore, these act as a hook to draw viewers in.

The theme tune also changes lyrics every two episodes, meaning the song can summarise what happened before and what will happen in that episode. This episode’s lyrics read:

Look away, look away

Look away, look away

This show will wreck your evening, your whole life and your day,

Every single episode is nothing but dismay,

So look away, look away, look away.

Three children lose their home, and go to live with someone awful,

He tries to steal their fortune with a plot that’s not quite lawful.

It’s hard to fathom how the orphans manage to live through it,

But how a decent person like yourself would even want to view it.

Just look away, look away,

There’s nothing but horror and inconvenience on the way,

Ask any stable person should I watch and they will say,

Look away, look away, look away,

Look away, look away, look away,

Look away, look away, look away.

During the bold text a sense of what is happening within the story is shown, but the title sequence also shows a preview of the episode itself. A snapshot of the Baudelaire children foraging in the charred ruins of their house is used, then a shot of the three being belittled by a gigantic door- carved with an eye. Count Olaf’s dingy sitting room is seen, and then Olaf himself threatening Mr Poe, the banker, with a map. Then seen is Olaf’s program for the play ‘The Marvelous Marriage’ hinting that he will marry Violet Baudelaire to gain the Baudelaire fortune. The Baudelaires despairingly stare at the ceiling, and then Sunny Baudelaire hanging in a birdcage feet in the air. Our first glimpses at Justice Strauss and Mr Poe are shown, vital characters for this episode. The title card is used but as if on a malfunctioning screen. A typewriter is shown being used, presenting a ‘Form of Will’, and a police file with Olaf’s photo. It is then shown that a tiny feather is used as a quill to underline key facts in a newspaper. The string is shown being looped around various pins. The next section is perhaps the most puzzling for newcomers to the show, as a very rapid set of pictures are used. They all depict eyes apart from the last two, which show a very important symbol to the story, the VFD symbol. This is genius as fans of the books will know that anyone within the VFD who defected was branded with an eye. The last shots show a decoder, which also excites fans as the decoder also denotes anyone part of the VFD. Flashes of different images on the murder board are seen, before the last pin is put next to Count Olaf. The amount of pins next to Olaf connote that all ties lead back to him, making it absolutely clear that he is the villain of this story from the start.

The lyrics also intrigue a viewer as they very explicitly say that you should in fact not watch the show. It is ironic as the production company wants you to watch it but by saying they don’t want you to watch it, they hook in the viewer. It is almost as if there is a deadly secret they know, and only by watching the show will you learn what this secret is.

Throughout this title sequence, glimpses of someone’s hands are seen, hands that book fans will recognise as Lemony Snicket’s hands. The books are unique in the sense that they have a 3rd person omniscient, narrator within Lemony Snicket, who frequently breaks the fourth wall. This is an effective book adaptation, even in the title sequence, as the murder board makes it clear that Snicket knows every detail about this story, something he couldn’t do unless he was retelling this story after it happened. It also makes it clear that Snicket, like us is detached from the story, leaving the viewer interested in what Snicket’s own backstory is. The last intriguing fact about this narrator is that Lemony Snicket is the pseudonym Daniel Handler used for the books. In the credits, the books are still written by ‘Lemony Snicket’ which would be picked up by astute fans, tying him into the story even more.

Lastly the whole title sequence appears to be under a filter,
that gives a ivy green hue to it. This tricks the mind into
thinking it is an old story, something reflected from the books’
tone. It also follows the tragedy genre as it tells the mind that
this is a gloomy tale not worth watching. It has a funereal tone,
with the photos almost being presented as a commemorative
slideshow to mourn them. All in all, this title sequence is highly
effective, as it has a unique selling point for new audiences but
also stayed absolutely true to the books, keeping the loyalty of
original book fans.

I can use techniques like looking at parts of a story, without showing
the whole of the story within my own title sequence.

ON THE SET

This account is about what I learnt and what equipment we were shown when we were shown how to use the Canon cameras and Manfrotto tripods.

When we handled the cameras we learnt that in order to ensure the camera's safety when being passed, the provider must say 'yours' when ready to pass it, whilst the recipient must say 'mine' once the camera is secure. We also learnt how to properly insert the battery and memory card so that the pieces of equipment do not get damaged.

We looked at White Balance in order to be able to get rid of unwanted colour imbalances. We can do this by selecting the WB button on the camera. This will then prompt several pictures to come up, for different colour correction options.

The 180 degree rule was also explained. The 180 degree rule states that two actors in a scene should stay the left/right relationship from each other. When the camera crosses over the imaginary line between the two actors, this then becomes a reverse angle.

We discussed the on set terminology such as when the director will call 'stand by' to see if everyone is ready to shoot the scene. Once ready, the other crew members will call 'standing by' to notify that they are ready to shoot. The Director will call 'rolling' after this to show that the camera is ready, and shooting, to keep everyone quiet, then will call 'action' to start the actors. When the director calls 'cut' everyone must wait until 'strike the kit' to start packing up the kit. The crew must also put the batteries on charge, and upload all footage recorded.

Lastly, we talked about the software, Final Cut Pro and iMovie, located on the imacs in the media studio. When uploading footage, it must always be placed in a folder. These folders are known as bins and the unedited footage is called rushes.