Institution Research

For my institution research, I was originally inspired to look further into the companies that the film 'Blue Valentine' used as they were a low-budget film and thus intrigued my interest into analysing the film. However, after researching into the companies that they used, many of them did not have further films or a website and the others weren't suitable for the genre of my film. Therefore, I began to specifically realise British Romance films and I have decided to focus on a few films before I finalise the institution company I want to use. 

While searching for films associated with my genre, I stumbled upon a film called 'Not Another Happy Ending', which immediately interested me by the title. I will do an analysis on the film soon afterwards but for now, I want to focus on one of the institution companies they used 'Synchronicity Films'. 

  The company seem to be well-known despite only having three productions. The three productions are Weekend, Crying With Laughter and Not Another Happy Ending. All the films vary from each other with their genres which is what I like about the company. They are in association with different and unique films such as Not Another Happy Ending as it has the conventions of a typical romance film but with a twist in the plot. 

The main reason for the success of the company is because of the creative director of the company, Claire Mundell. She has co-produced all three films and has been apart of BBC productions. Therefore, she has had a great platform to start the company and her achievements through BBC have aided her to further her success. On the website, below the information on Mundell, it states that 'Synchronicity Films is currently in the advanced stages of development with writer and producer, Jacquelin Perske, working in partnership on a six-part, domestic-set, emotional thriller, The Cry for on BBC1.' This shows that the genre and themes of the films they choose differ and the company like to vary them out to bring an element of originality. 

Locations

The plot of my trailer is based around self-discovery therefore my locations are going to be varied from a multiple of surroundings. One of the main places that I am planning to film is in and around London, especially as there is easy access and towards the time of year there are many events happening that I can feature. 

Here are some examples of the places that I will be planning to film at:

 It is similar to my mood board, however the locations are more specific to what I plan on filming in comparison to the vague ideas shown on the mood board. I have used local places and events that I hope to attend in order to film. The experience will be really enjoyable as it means I am able to travel to various different parts of London and discover them for myself. I look forward to starting the filming process and I plan on arranging dates now to schedule when I should begin filming. 

Audience Feedback - Romance Drama

As mentioned in my previous post, I created two survey's and this is my second one related to the genre which is romance drama of my trailer in depth so I was able to unpick more information from the target audience of what they were used to and how I can divert away from those stereotypes.

The first question allowed me to get a sense of how often the audience watch the genre of my trailer so I could be able to briefly know how many people would be likely to watch the film. Luckily the amount of people that did respond were mostly female therefore the information given to me is more relatable to my research and to the creation of the trailer.

This is similar to one of the questions I asked previously on the last survey and I enjoy these type of questions as it allows me to see the opinions of my target audience. For example, with this question by being able to know the various different films that are favoured by the audience, I can acknowledge the plot and shots of the film to see what to include in my own. 
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Leading on from the last question, by asking this I was able to receive the responses on particular reasoning's on why the audience watch the romance drama films. For this question, the majority chose the plot of the film which then informs me that for my trailer I need to create an engaging plot and show that clearly for the audience to understand. 

This question was included specifically for my trailer and for my own knowledge as I do not want to follow with stereotypes, unless I really have to. Therefore, this question was important for me to see where the audience thought the most cliches were at and for this, it was said that the story line was the most cliche area in the genre. Furthermore, taking this on board along with the previous question, I need to ensure that the audience is intrigued and that the plot is unique.

From the last question, especially as it was something I am trying to avoid, I decided to be more specific. Before even knowing that the story line would be considered the most cliche in the genre, I decided to be more specific into the kinds of story lines which has now helped me later on as it connects with question four. The most common cliche is girl meets boy story line which is shown in all romance drama films, I have still yet to decide the relationship status and story in my own trailer but I am certain it will not include a girl meets boy scenario. 

Audience Feedback - Target Audience

 As a part of my audience feedback, I decided to create two different types of survey's both relating to my trailer and the kinds of main features that the audience would want to see based from their answers. I chose two different survey's, one based on target audience to get a general understanding of the type of people who would be interested in my trailer. My second survey was based on my genre which is romance drama which is more specific and allows me to see the likes and dislikes of the target audience so I am aware of what I should include. 

The first few questions were set just to see the gender of my target audience which I knew beforehand would most likely be the female population. Furthermore, I can now carry on with my planning for my trailer with the full expectation that the audience will consist entirely of women, with the chance of perhaps a few men. 

The second question is again relating back to the target audience and allows me to get a feel of who they are and what their interests may be. Now, I know what my target audience find engaging I am able to use this especially into my characters to make them more relatable to the audience. Especially since, my main female character will be shown to have been in full-time education in the trailer so it allows the audience to know she is relative to their age group and both the audience and character would have struggled the same kind of issues. 

Still following on the questions relating to the audience, I continued asking personal questions to carry on building up a profile of the target audience so I am aware whether or not they would be more likely to watch the film. Therefore, those who picked 'go out with my friends' would be suggested the most likely to go to the cinema providing me with the information of how many people that would be out of a group of 40 in this case. 

This question links in from the last one as it gives me a specific indication on whether or not the audience would be more likely to watch the film or not, especially by seeing how often they go normally. As mentioned before, it provides me with more specific information especially from a group of 40 so I can know how many people would come from the group and if there were more.
 

Question four is particularly important as it informs me on what the audience watch, I was  glad to see that a few people picked romance as the feedback is beneficial to the making of my trailer. Along with the amount of people who would pick it out of the people who took this film, it makes it easier to narrow down how many people would potentially see it if it were released.

                                         

This was one of my favourite questions to not only ask but also to get the feedback from, this is because I was able to get a varied amount of opinions from the group of people who had taken the survey. Especially as each of them are different to one another and it allows me to have a wide range of likes and dislikes in multiple films. Many of the films mentioned were in fact a part of my genre which provided more information to me, I also enjoyed looking through the answers and reading them myself as I was able to relate to the target audience. 

Inter-titles

When looking at inter-titles, I decided to start by looking at the main inspiration for my trailer which is 'Eat, Pray, Love'. So I looked at the inter-titles in the trailer for the film as it is the film that I am relating my trailer to. 

 There are only a few inter-titles within the whole trailer as the main focus is based on the scenes that occur. Therefore, the inter-titles that they have included are very simple and bare. They have used a plain white background and sans serif text, similar to the font of Arial. They haven't over-exaggerated the look of the titles as they still want the audience to pay attention to the scenes in the film. But with the use of the inter-titles that relate to the film, they ask the audience themselves a question as shown through the screenshots. They are trying to connect and allow the audience to connect to the main female character as she goes on her journey. 

The same details are used for the second set of inter-titles that are shown, once again relating back to the plot of the film. The rhetorical question used and the statements make the audience question the life choices they  have made themselves. This has purposely been done to enable the audience to relate to the film so they are more likely to watch the film as they have sparked up an interest and engaged them through the messages. Throughout, the entire trailer the inter-titles are kept the same to make it familiar to the audience and as mentioned before just to keep the main attention on the events happening in the trailer itself.

With the final titles themselves, they have continued on with the same font and colours to carry on the simplicity. I like the inter-titles for this film as they have used colours such as white and black that have connotations of both light and purity, as well as power and elegance. 



Overall, as mentioned I really like the simple detail on these inter-titles so for my own titles I wish to create a similar look and allow the audience to pay more attention to the scenes being shown. The only change I would make is the font as I think it is quite plain and I would want my titles to look a little more sophisticated and not as basic. However, other than that especially for the final title of the film, it fits the genre of the film very well as they are all straightforward and effortless.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) - shot list analysis

 0:01-0:02 
Production company titles 

 0:03 - The main titles for the film 

0:04 - 0:10 
Two shot of the two girls as they walk around high school, therefore the audience are immediately aware of the setting of the film. As well as being introduced to two of the main characters in the film and through the use of dialogue, the audience can develop an understanding of the type of girls they are.

 0:10-0:12
The inter-titles appear again as they show the audience themes of the film that could appear. The list counts down from ten and goes onto the first problem which all relate to growing up and being teenagers. The list is shown to be quite stereotypical and allows the audience to label the kind of students that are going to be shown in the film.

0:12
From the previous inter-titles, the titles then zoom into the screen which then carry the trailer onto the next scene.

 0:13 
There is a wide shot of Bianca as she walks down the school halls, the camera is tracking her actions and is shown from her perspective so the audience get the sense like they are a part of her life. 

0:14
Following on from that, an example would be as she walks along the halls, she catches Cameron's attention who is then introduced to the audience. 

 0:15 - 0:16
The camera through the use of the wide shot continues to follow Bianca as she passes Cameron and the audience can sense that there is perhaps a relationship between the pair.

 0:17 
Through the close up, the audience can familiarise themselves with the two of the main characters, Bianca and Cameron.The use of the close up allows the audience to see their facial expressions clearly and using these examples shown the contrasts in their emotions. This is shown through the dialogue as Bianca says to Cameron 'You're asking me out?' and Camera nodes his head. It also allows the audience to see the progression of their relationship and how it is shown as the trailer carries on. 

0:19
The trailer has a variety of different shots and alternates between them in a fast pace. Therefore, it moves quickly and without any hesitation as shown as the shot has changed from a close up to an over the shoulder shot. It shows the conversation between father and daughter, it is also representing the authority figure in Bianca's life. As well as the fact that she is the youngest between the two sisters so with the use of an over the shoulder shot, it is like she is asking a question she is afraid to ask. This can be supported through the dialogue as her dad replies without the audience having heard her question by saying 'You are not going out and getting jiggy with some boy, I don't care how dope his ride is.' 

 0:20-0:21
These wide shots here and the one below are shown as the father speaks to Bianca in reference to her going out with a boy. 

 0:23-0:24 
Another key character is shown, Kat who is the eldest sister of Bianca. The camera now follows her as she is seen to have authority, not only over Bianca but over the students in the school. This is shown through her actions as she rips off the poster on the building but also through the voice-over as it says 'Her sister Kat is something else entirely.' It shows the obvious difference between the sisters, it is represented through their clothing very obviously but now also the attitudes they both have. 

 0:27 
Once again, this is apart of the introduction into Kat Stratford as you see she is the complete opposite to her sister through the continuous use of wide shots. Through her costume and the dark shades in contrast to the lighter, more feminine shades of pink that Bianca is shown to wear. 

0:28 
The change in shot is shown again through the close up of the teacher which shows her authority. The dialogue also helps build an understanding of the character of Kat as the teacher says 'People perceive you as somewhat ...', Kat replies with 'Tempestuous?' and the teacher replies back with 'Heinous witch is the term used most often.' 

0:29
The use of the close up on Kat also undermines the authority on the teacher as she is not shown to seem insignificant in comparison to the teacher. This does allow the audience to assume if the teacher does have any power in comparison to Kat, as the teacher similarly to Bianca is showing more feminine colours such as pink. Pink has connotations of sweetness and being nice, the characteristics are more nurturing in comparison to the dark colours such as black that Kat is wearing that has connotations such as power, evil and mystery.

 0:29 - 0:30
The close up shows the character of Kat as her facial expressions are clearly shown to the audience who are of annoyance and anger. Thus, following her actions shows she does not follow stereotypes as her behaviour is rude and abrupt. 

0:30
This medium shots shows exactly what Kat has done as she purposely crashes into another car behind her. This supports the idea of her anger and lashing out which is typically unheard of females to be as they are traditionally stereotyped to be caring. The introduction of Kat is not as positive in difference to her sister Bianca who is shown to be more caring towards materialistic items shown through her clothing and dialogue, whereas Kat does not seem to care at all.  

Overall, although I have only analysed 30 seconds of this trailer I was able to understand clearly that I need to include a variety of shots in my trailer. The shortness of this trailer also influenced this factor as the pace was fast, so they had to include a variety of shots to engage the audience and keep them intrigued into the plot of the film which is what I hope to create in my own trailer. Although, I do not plan on having such a fast paced trailer, I do want to incorporate the shot variation and the way that they have included so much of the story line into such a small amount of time. This ensures that the audience are kept interested throughout the entity of the trailer and do not stop watching as the trailer is easyto watch and understand. 

Mood board

This is the mood board I have created for my trailer so that my target audience can develop an idea of what I was trying to achieve when working on my trailer. Through my mood board, I was trying to express the plot of the trailer itself and the type of person I want my main character to be. Therefore, I have included film inspirations that have been shown throughout my planning and some new ideas from films that I have recently been inspired by. An example of an idea I have shown and want to express in my trailer is of the main female character, in comparison to the top left image of Julia Roberts in the character of Liz Gilbert, I want a more un-stereotypical female character. Therefore, I included images of female characters who are less feminine and more opinionated which is how I want to show my main character as. I want her to be outspoken, independent and not follow through the typical stereotypes which is why I included characters such as Juno and Beca from Pitch Perfect. 

Theatrical trailer analysis - Not Another Happy Ending (2013)

Theatrical trailer analysis - The Vow (2012)

Genre: Drama, Romance
Narrative: 'A car accident puts Paige in a coma, and when she wakes up with severe memory loss, her husband Leo works to win her heart again.' - IMDb
Unique Selling Point: Both the actors/actresses and the plot, the two main actor and actress is Rachael McAdams and Channing Tatum. They are in very well known films prior to this film, McAdams is in films such as Mean Girls and The Notebook, Tatum has been in Step Up and Dear John. As well as the plot that has been taken by the novel itself, it is a very sad storyline but also could be relatable as many people suffer from memory issues through illnesses so it isn't as uncommon as expected.

Target audience: The audience would mainly consist of 15+ females, ranging from teenagers, young adults and adults as the film can be aimed at any ages throughout the gender due to the plot of the film. Many of the audience could also be readers of the novel who would want to then see how the film is portrayed, as well as fans of the actresses and actors included especially due to the success of both McAdams and Tatum. 

Music, Dialogue and Voice over :  The trailer begins with diegetic sound of both the main characters, Leo and Paige as they are in the car together listening to the radio 'Meatloaf' 'You do not like this song.' Then Leo begins to sing along to the song on the radio 'I'd Do Anything for Love. Then as the scenes progress and instantly fall into the main story line, a voice over is paired with non-diegetic sound as Leo is the voice being heard as he says 'Life's all about moments of impact and how they change our lives forever but what if one day, you could no longer remember any of them.' This dialogue is paired with a continuous beeping sound, almost intimating the sound of a monitor in a hospital. Both uses of sound are ended as soon as the scene is revealed where Paige wakes up at the hospital and then shows the reference of the beeping sound. The music shifts again at 0:51 where another non-diegetic track is played which gentle and gives suggestion to the mood of the film, once again at 1:10 it changes to 'Enchanted' by Taylor Swift which is then played until then end of the trailer. 'Enchanted' is also paused briefly when at the scene where Leo is taking Paige out of a date and she says 'I just have to be back by ten in the morning to which Leo replies with 'Oh my god, first date and you're already inviting yourself to stay the night.' This shows a slight comedy aspect in the film, despite the tragedy which is why the track has intentionally been paused to focus on the events taking place.

Camera angles/shots:

This is a mid shot which is mostly what the trailer consists of. It could have been considered a two shot however in both shots, they ensure the other character is shown but blurred so the main focus is on the character speaking. This is also the beginning shots of the trailer so the audience are immediately introduced to them, in comparison to a lot of other trailers that begin with an establishing shot. Very quickly in, before the events unfold the audience can develop an understanding of the relationship between the two and then how the future events affect them. 

 The use of close up's particularly for this scene after the previous one is to focus on the events then unfold very quickly into the trailer. It shows the main factor that impacts both characters therefore with the close up's, the audience can have a clear understanding for what has happened. The close up's differ in the various scenes to add emphasis on different aspects in the trailer for the characters.

Over the shoulder shots have been used to show in this case, the relationship between the two characters and the love they share. The shot allows the audience to see how expressions from the couple so they can clearly show how in love they both are. This is in contrast to a another over the shoulder shot that was in the trailer of Leo and the nurse in the hospital. By including both of these different scenarios but using the same shots, the audience can see the change in the relationship and in the characters.

 As mentioned before, this over the shoulder shot shows more of the change in plot and characters. But in comparison to the previous shots where an equal amount of the back of the characters are shown, in this scene Leo is shown to have more control in terms of his physique as he is taller than the nurse. Therefore, more of his back is shown to give the illusion that he has more power when in actual fact, he does not. Furthermore, more screen time of him in this scene shows the significance of him and with the close up of the shots, it allows the audience to see Leo's emotions clearly and therefore empathise towards him.

This is a POV shot of Paige which is one of my favourite shots they have included as we are put in her perspective as she wakes up. Therefore they have purposely blurred the scene to present the idea of her slowly waking up. This is when the audience are introduced to Paige after the accident and so the build up to seeing her creates more tension to the audience. 

Once again, they have included another close up shot to show the difference to the Paige prior to the accident and afterwards. The audience then begin to understand the events and how it now affects the couple. This is also an over the shoulder shot from Leo's point of view as the audience experience the heartbreak he is also going through.

After not having an establishing shot for the beginning of the trailer, they include it half way to show the city that the couple are in through the drastic change in their lives. Throughout the trailer, the audience can develop an idea of where the couple live but it isn't shown until now. The use of this shot just adds more onto the plot and into the story of Leo and Paige. 

Furthermore, after many different shots that are similar to a two shot, they finally include one. This two shot shows the separation of the couple now as Paige is dressed in the hospital attire and Leo is dressed casually. It shows the difference between the two now after the accident, a clear indication that things haves shifted between the two. Especially through the body language between the two, Leo has his arm out whereas Paige has her hands nearer to herself and gives the indication that she may not be comfortable around Leo which isn't a surprise due to her memory loss. 

 Similar to the trailer of 'Eat, Pray, Love', before the title of the film itself, they have included inter-titles such as rhetorical questions and statements into the trailer. This has been done to engage the audience and intrigue them, for example with the question asked, it not only shows the plot of the film and the events that happen but also how the audience would feel if it happened to them. In many cases, through illnesses, memory loss can be an aspect that others may be able to relate to, which again shows how they are connecting with their target audience. As well as the fact that the film is in fact real which then immediately interests the audience as this is an example of an accident that could happen to anyone. 

The inter-titles for 'The Vow' are very simple as they are in the sans serif font and the only detail added are that they are in bold. The colours included are black, white and a light green/turquoise. The colours all show sophisticated together, as well as the fact that the colour white has connotations of  light, goodness and purity. These could also be in relation to aspects in the vows spoken at wedding themselves. White is used when associated with weddings which is seen in the trailer as it is shown evidently that the couple are indeed married.                                                    
The final use of inter-title in the trailer is when they display the media links for the film, they specifically used Facebook for the film so they included the link into the film and encouraged the audience to share the film. This shows another way that they have interacted with the audience to keep them engaged with the film.  

For my own trailer, I want to include aspects of the trailer for 'The Vow' such as the variety of shots and the way they have edited together. I especially liked the different effects such as the blurring and the cuts between the shots as the voice over is introduced to the audience. They have included a lot of shots, dialogue and music all together to show the key events of the film which is what I wish to recreate myself. They have very easily sold the film to me and their specific target audience in the matter of two minutes which want I wish to also try to complete in my own.