1) Brooklyn, not so posh parts of new york - establishing shot
2)Jenna's accident - showing the plot and story line, creating interest
3) Sam explaining her powers - informing the audience of the powers she has; introducing dispatcher
4) Jenna's mum telling her to get out of the house more- dilemma because she's hiding away
5) New york city skyrscrapers/tall buildings - establishing shot, binary opposite
6) Jenna looking down at her hands in amazement - creating interest, something new and huge in her life is about to change
7) Villains walking in a dark tunnel with power - introducing villain and portraying dangerous action genre
8) Montage of clips of Jenna fighting off at the base - showing action genre
9) Jenna hurt and getting up from the floor- showing challenge and making the audience want to watch more...
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
How effective are film trailers? (AVATAR)
Avatar targets people of all ages, from '8-80' according to Cameron, with a core audience of teenagers and young men and women. I think that people between the ages of 15-29 would be the core audience as it is modern, more exciting and thrilling, it would keep you on the edge of your seat for the duration of the film. Moreover it has a 'videogame' feel to it because the main character is playing a person. The younger generation are playing a lot more console games than the older generation would play as the technology wasn't as developed as it is today. The cool CGI effects and 3D animation will bring in a secondary audience through the aspect of entertainment and uniqueness. This is one of the main reasons Avatar did so well in the box office and became the second highest grossing film worldwide.
Friday, 25 March 2011
Shotlist for my film's opening sequence
Shot 1- Universal Studio ident
Shot 2- Long shot of New York City Sky scrapers
Shot 3- Long shot of busy New York roads
Shot 4- Medium Long Shot of Jenna about to cross a road
Shot 5- Long Shot of a car coming straight at her
Shot 6- Medium Close Up of Jenna terrified when she sees it coming.
Shot 7- Long shot/Low angle shot of hospital
Shot 8- Medium Long Shot of Jenna's parents asking about her daughter at the desk
Shot 9- Medium Long Shot/High angle shot of Jenna as she wakes from sleep in her hospital bed
Shot 10-Extreme Close Up of Sam the dispatcher. Expands outwards as he explains to her about her powers
Shot 11-Medium Long shot of Jenna and Sam
Shot 12- Extreme Close Up of Jenna confused and startled at what shes just been told
Shot 13- Long shot of Jenna's parents asking if she's okay
Shot 14- Medium Long Shot of doctor saying she can go home in no time
Shot 15- Long Shot/Low Angle Shot of Jennas home
Shot 16- Medium Long Shot/High angle shot of Jenna looking bored killing time
Shot 17- MEdium Long shot of a coffee table with a couple of magazines on it and a drink
Shot 18- Jenna reaches out to get it and the glass moves to her automatically
Shot 19- Extreme Close up of Jenna freaked out
Shot 20- Close up of Jenna on the phone to her best friend, telling her what happened.
Shot 21- Medium Long shot of Sam in the background cackling
Shot 2- Long shot of New York City Sky scrapers
Shot 3- Long shot of busy New York roads
Shot 4- Medium Long Shot of Jenna about to cross a road
Shot 5- Long Shot of a car coming straight at her
Shot 6- Medium Close Up of Jenna terrified when she sees it coming.
Shot 7- Long shot/Low angle shot of hospital
Shot 8- Medium Long Shot of Jenna's parents asking about her daughter at the desk
Shot 9- Medium Long Shot/High angle shot of Jenna as she wakes from sleep in her hospital bed
Shot 10-Extreme Close Up of Sam the dispatcher. Expands outwards as he explains to her about her powers
Shot 11-Medium Long shot of Jenna and Sam
Shot 12- Extreme Close Up of Jenna confused and startled at what shes just been told
Shot 13- Long shot of Jenna's parents asking if she's okay
Shot 14- Medium Long Shot of doctor saying she can go home in no time
Shot 15- Long Shot/Low Angle Shot of Jennas home
Shot 16- Medium Long Shot/High angle shot of Jenna looking bored killing time
Shot 17- MEdium Long shot of a coffee table with a couple of magazines on it and a drink
Shot 18- Jenna reaches out to get it and the glass moves to her automatically
Shot 19- Extreme Close up of Jenna freaked out
Shot 20- Close up of Jenna on the phone to her best friend, telling her what happened.
Shot 21- Medium Long shot of Sam in the background cackling
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Homework: Film Marketing Research
Different Strategies:
Posters- to generate awareness and create interest as its the first thing the audience see about the film. The poster is dark to connote the evilness and darkness that lurks within the storyline giving the audience a sense of genre. Logo's are used to show the film off, and makes the franchise easily noticeable.
Trailers- Very little of the plot is given away to entice the audience and create excitment. The trailer creates a promise to the audience that its a film to watch because of the interesting plot. Text like, “The motion picture event of a generation” are thrown on screen to make sure everyone knows just what a big deal these movies are. The trailer promotes the film sucessfully and effectively to the audience.
TV Spots
Tv Spots were used to create a sense of danger and make the film attention grabbing and a 'must watch.'
Website
The website opens by playing the trailer immediately, letting the audience know straight away and create interest. Dark colours are used creating synergy with the rest of the marketting campaign as the HP brand. The website is conventional by incuding videos, galleries, synopsis, soundtracks, facebook links and lots more! This helps promote the film and market the film to a larger audience.
Word of mouth
Viral marketing
The marketting of this film was very successful and effective in promoting the film to the audience. Synergy was used in the marketting to create a sinister dark theme running through all the strategies to convey the genre. I think the different techniques used to attract the audience worked well together and the overall marketting capaign was great!
Posters- to generate awareness and create interest as its the first thing the audience see about the film. The poster is dark to connote the evilness and darkness that lurks within the storyline giving the audience a sense of genre. Logo's are used to show the film off, and makes the franchise easily noticeable.
Trailers- Very little of the plot is given away to entice the audience and create excitment. The trailer creates a promise to the audience that its a film to watch because of the interesting plot. Text like, “The motion picture event of a generation” are thrown on screen to make sure everyone knows just what a big deal these movies are. The trailer promotes the film sucessfully and effectively to the audience.
TV Spots
Tv Spots were used to create a sense of danger and make the film attention grabbing and a 'must watch.'
Website
The website opens by playing the trailer immediately, letting the audience know straight away and create interest. Dark colours are used creating synergy with the rest of the marketting campaign as the HP brand. The website is conventional by incuding videos, galleries, synopsis, soundtracks, facebook links and lots more! This helps promote the film and market the film to a larger audience.
Word of mouth
Viral marketing
The marketting of this film was very successful and effective in promoting the film to the audience. Synergy was used in the marketting to create a sinister dark theme running through all the strategies to convey the genre. I think the different techniques used to attract the audience worked well together and the overall marketting capaign was great!
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Friday, 18 February 2011
Narrative Techniques:
Closed Narrative: By the end of the film, the issue will be solved and finished and everyone will live happily ever after.
Montage: A variety of clips will be editted together to show how Jenna develops how to use her power with skill and the way in which she increases her speed and sharpness of her supernatural powers overtime.
Binary Opposites: The poor vs rich, showing how Jenna was poor and then develops her power and saves the city and gains money making her rich in the end.
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Homework: My Film pitch
Film Name: Black Pawn
Plot: Equilibrium - Jenna is an ordinary teenager who lives in the poorer parts of New York City with her parents. She is very intelligent but can not afford to go to college.
Disruption - However, one day she is involved in a car accident which resulted in her developing superhero powers – she has telekinesis, can fly and can see the future. When Jenna wakes up in hospital she is greeted by Sam, her dispatcher who tells her about her superpowers. Overtime people learn about her powers and the head of the largest gang in NYC finds out about this. He sends all of his people out to kill her because she is a threat in their eyes.
Resolution
Eventually she gets tired of hiding and running so she decides to fight back. She goes to each of the bases and tries to find the leader of the gang and kills him.
Restoration
Police thank her and reward her for her services to the community. With the cash reward she has a higher lifestyle and can now afford to go to college.
The film will not follow Todorov’s theory as the film will begin with the disruption (car crash accident) and flash forwards will be used as well through out using her supernatural power. This structure is common in action and adventure films for example – Jumper and the James Bond franchise.
The first scene opens by Jenna who is leaving her house and saying good-bye to her parents as she leaves to go to clubbing. On the way home, it's night time; pitchblack and raining heavily with strong winds. Jenna is walking down the street when she sees headlights ahead of her. The headlights are from a blacked out car with a mysterious hit and run male driver who will later become the villain. Non-digitic music is played to build tension and suggest danger and digetic sounds are used to emphasise the weather and the car accident.
Characters:
- Jenna Austen is an 18-year-old female who is the main protagonist in the film. She is strong, confident and fiercely independent who later develops superpowers and becomes the Hero of the film. She leads a double life as Jenna Austen the superhero and Jenna the ordinary teenage student.
- Sam is the dispatcher who sends Jenna and Esther on their missions. He is around 40 years old and is extremely intelligent. He also supplies Jenna and Esther with their gadgets and costumes. Sam has a mysterious background that the audience are un aware of.
- Esther is also an 18-year-old female who is Jenna's sidekick. She is humorous, strong and confident and acts as the Helper in the film. She also has superpowers as she can fly and teleport.
- Actors:
- Will Smith will play the role of ‘Sam’ because he is well known for playing roles in the action adventure genre such as ‘I am Legend’ and ‘Hancock’ and Will Smith is aged 42 so he fit’s in with the characters age. He would also represent different ethnic groups as they are under-represented in action and adventure films.
- Kiera Knightly would play the role of Jenna because she has previously played strong and independent female roles in action adventure films before such as Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean. She would also appeal to the primary and secondary audience.
- Dakota Fanning could play the role of Esther as she is known for playing a powerful and independent role in the Twilight franchise and would appeal to both the primary and secondary audience.
Settings: The main location would be New York City as it would be easily recognisable by all ages and other action adventure films such as The Day After Tomorrow have been set in New York. Some of the adventure scenes would be set on the top of Sky Scrapers or in the back streets of the city, as this would connote danger, mystery and vulnerability which would build tension and would be suitable for the characters to use their superpowers. Binary opposites in areas of affluence will be used to show the difference for example Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Target Audience: The primary audience or the film would be males as the action adventure genre stereotypically appeals to them as the conventions include fights, car chases and explosions. The main protagonist is female and this would appeal to men however, it would also appeal to females as they could aspire to be like her.
Iconography:
· Katie would wear a superhero costume when in that role.
· Hit and run driver is driving a black car
· Weapons such as guns are used
· High tech gadgets
· Car chases
USP: My unique selling point is that the main protagonist and the helper are both female – which isn’t what the audience would expect from an action and adventure film.
Marketing Plan: The film will be released in multiplex cinemas in June 2011. Like all marketting campaigns there will be a teaser poster, film poster, film website and a trailer before the actual release to build awareness and excitment.
Influences: Batman and Spiderman have been one one of the many inspirations of this film. I liked the idea of using a superhero who combats an issue to save the world. I adapted this idea and used a female character to make it different hence my unique selling point that would attract a wider audience and have a greater appeal
Plot: Equilibrium - Jenna is an ordinary teenager who lives in the poorer parts of New York City with her parents. She is very intelligent but can not afford to go to college.
Disruption - However, one day she is involved in a car accident which resulted in her developing superhero powers – she has telekinesis, can fly and can see the future. When Jenna wakes up in hospital she is greeted by Sam, her dispatcher who tells her about her superpowers. Overtime people learn about her powers and the head of the largest gang in NYC finds out about this. He sends all of his people out to kill her because she is a threat in their eyes.
Resolution
Eventually she gets tired of hiding and running so she decides to fight back. She goes to each of the bases and tries to find the leader of the gang and kills him.
Restoration
Police thank her and reward her for her services to the community. With the cash reward she has a higher lifestyle and can now afford to go to college.
The film will not follow Todorov’s theory as the film will begin with the disruption (car crash accident) and flash forwards will be used as well through out using her supernatural power. This structure is common in action and adventure films for example – Jumper and the James Bond franchise.
The first scene opens by Jenna who is leaving her house and saying good-bye to her parents as she leaves to go to clubbing. On the way home, it's night time; pitchblack and raining heavily with strong winds. Jenna is walking down the street when she sees headlights ahead of her. The headlights are from a blacked out car with a mysterious hit and run male driver who will later become the villain. Non-digitic music is played to build tension and suggest danger and digetic sounds are used to emphasise the weather and the car accident.
Characters:
- Jenna Austen is an 18-year-old female who is the main protagonist in the film. She is strong, confident and fiercely independent who later develops superpowers and becomes the Hero of the film. She leads a double life as Jenna Austen the superhero and Jenna the ordinary teenage student.
- Sam is the dispatcher who sends Jenna and Esther on their missions. He is around 40 years old and is extremely intelligent. He also supplies Jenna and Esther with their gadgets and costumes. Sam has a mysterious background that the audience are un aware of.
- Esther is also an 18-year-old female who is Jenna's sidekick. She is humorous, strong and confident and acts as the Helper in the film. She also has superpowers as she can fly and teleport.
- Actors:
- Will Smith will play the role of ‘Sam’ because he is well known for playing roles in the action adventure genre such as ‘I am Legend’ and ‘Hancock’ and Will Smith is aged 42 so he fit’s in with the characters age. He would also represent different ethnic groups as they are under-represented in action and adventure films.
- Kiera Knightly would play the role of Jenna because she has previously played strong and independent female roles in action adventure films before such as Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean. She would also appeal to the primary and secondary audience.
- Dakota Fanning could play the role of Esther as she is known for playing a powerful and independent role in the Twilight franchise and would appeal to both the primary and secondary audience.
Settings: The main location would be New York City as it would be easily recognisable by all ages and other action adventure films such as The Day After Tomorrow have been set in New York. Some of the adventure scenes would be set on the top of Sky Scrapers or in the back streets of the city, as this would connote danger, mystery and vulnerability which would build tension and would be suitable for the characters to use their superpowers. Binary opposites in areas of affluence will be used to show the difference for example Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Target Audience: The primary audience or the film would be males as the action adventure genre stereotypically appeals to them as the conventions include fights, car chases and explosions. The main protagonist is female and this would appeal to men however, it would also appeal to females as they could aspire to be like her.
Iconography:
· Katie would wear a superhero costume when in that role.
· Hit and run driver is driving a black car
· Weapons such as guns are used
· High tech gadgets
· Car chases
USP: My unique selling point is that the main protagonist and the helper are both female – which isn’t what the audience would expect from an action and adventure film.
Marketing Plan: The film will be released in multiplex cinemas in June 2011. Like all marketting campaigns there will be a teaser poster, film poster, film website and a trailer before the actual release to build awareness and excitment.
Influences: Batman and Spiderman have been one one of the many inspirations of this film. I liked the idea of using a superhero who combats an issue to save the world. I adapted this idea and used a female character to make it different hence my unique selling point that would attract a wider audience and have a greater appeal
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Homework: A-A clip genre analysis
Narrative
Matrix follows a conventional three part structure including an equilibrium, disruption and restoration.
Equilibrium - Neo is approached by Morpheus - a person Neo has been desperately trying to find in the "real world" - how to control the Matrix. Morpheus feels Neo is the chosen one, the one who will set everyone free from the Matrix.
Disruption - A rebel against the machines, Neo must return to the Matrix and confront the agents, super powerful computer programs. He is constantly being pursued by Agents, sentient programs whose job it is to isolate those who hack into the Matrix and REMOVE them.
Restoration - In the end there is a fight off and Neo destroys the main villain Agent Smith - and Neo returns back to the real world.
Iconography
- Downward-flowing green characters ----> the code that comprises the Matrix itself is frequently represented.
- Distinctive green color themes
- Bullet time ----> visual affect that allows the viewer to explore a moment progressing in slow-motion as the camera orbits around the scene at normal speed.
- Time-Slice ----> an effect with completely frozen characters and objects.
- Black clothing/shades ----> makes them seem powerful and dangerous
Characters
Hero - played by Neo who is coventionally strong, fit and brave.
Donor - played by Morpeous who first introduces The Matrix to Neo and helps him through his journey.
Villain - played by Agent Smith portraying a sinister dangerous character.
Settings
The settings in Matrix are in confined and enclosed places with limited people. Recognizable landmarks were not included in order to maintain the setting of a generic American city. The rooftop set that Trinity uses to escape from Agent Jones is used to emphasise the exciting thrilling action clips.
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Homework: Genre & Narrative Analysis
Genre
Mean Girls is an American teen comedy film.
A teen genre is a film that is broadly appealing to a teenage audience. The sub genre for this film was the School picture. By this I mean that it is set and revolved about teenagers at an American High school. The representation of these kind of films are stereotypes of the characters and mean girls was no different - they put different labels on the characters for example there were the jocks, cheerleaders, Asian nerds, plastics, geeks and so on.
Mean Girls is comical for both teenagers and adults. Both will appreciate the message that the movie conveys; that cliques and gossip lead to nothing but trouble. Both groups will find it hilarious because of the successful use of humor and over the top situations to make a valid point about high school girls. No matter how old you are you’ll find yourself quoting something from this movie. The lively humor fits well with what is going in all of the character’s lives which some teens may be able to relate to.
Characters
Princess: Cady Heron- The 16 year old home schooled girl from Africa who moves to Illinois and joins a public school for the first time.
Hero: Aaron Samuels- Cady falls in love with him but he is also Regina's ex so there is conflict and jealousy.
Villain/False Hero: Rejina, Gretchen and Karen- AKA plastics are one of the cliques in their highschool. They are the most popular, the most feared, and the most envied and the most vicious.
Main helpers: Janis and Damien- Cady's friends that help her settle in to the new school, introducing her to the various cliques.
Narrative
Equilibrium: Cady finally goes to a public school after being home schooled her whole life. The Plastics take a shine to Cady and soon she is accepted as one of them. Cady's love is stolen and in a fit of jealousy hatches a plan to sabotage and destroy.
Disruption: In her efforts to get revenge Cady gradually loses her individual personality and all her friends. She is blamed for writing a book slandering rumors, secrets, and gossip about all the other girls originally made my Regina. A tradgic accident happens and rumors circulate that Cady intentionally pushed Regina in front of the bus.
Restoration: Now without friends and distrusted by everyone at school; Cady ammends and takes blame for everything - her guilt dissolves and she returns to her old personality. She makes up with all her friends and reaches a truce with the plastics. Now reasonably well-liked, Cady reflects that the "Girl World" she lives in is at peace.
Sunday, 23 January 2011
First post :)
Hiiii ! this is my first post on my action adventure blog :) Its so empty! :O Take care people ! :) ...SP<3
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