Producers, Directors and Screenwriters That I Would Consider Being Involved In Our Media Product

A prezi on the producers, directors and screenwriters that I would consider being involved in our media product

Exploring Different Production Companies

Exploring Different Production Companies

Institution Logos

Warner Bros Pictures 

When looking at the Warner Bros Pictures logo, I found that the design and colours would change in terms of the nature of the film's plot. For example with the children's show 'Looney Tunes' the logo would use blue and gold or red and gold colours, which are un-threatening and are bright, cheerful colours for younger audiences. The use of bright colours suggests that the nature of the programme's narrative is light hearted and entertaining. The bright red, blue and gold also represent hero colours, which could be used to represent famous Looney Tunes considered 'heroes' such as 'Daffy Duck', 'Bugs Bunny' and 'Porky Pig'. The design of the logo appears in the shape of a shield which also creates this heroic image. 

The Harry Potter franchise is the perfect example of how the institution logo has been manipulated to fit the feel of the film's narrative. The first example of the Warner Bros Pictures logo being used for the first Harry Potter Movie 'Harry Potter And The Philosophers Stone' is seen showing the heroic blue and gold colours creating a positive feel for the audience. As the films progress we can see that the logo design and background are changing as the mood of each film's narrative changes and esculates dramatically. From the Harry Potter film, 'Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban' the logo and design are presented in lots of dark, sinister colours, taking the audience away from this safe, happy place. The soft, fluffy clouds from the logo of the 'Harry Potter And The Philosophers Stone' have turned into a raging cluster of dark clouds in the 'Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince' logo.

 I also found that the Warner Bros Pictures logo would appear before an episode of Looney Tunes would start, whereas with the Harry Potter films I found that the appearance of the logo varied. For example with 'Harry Potter And The Philosophers Stone', the logo would appear before the film was introduced to the audience, whereas with the other Harry Potter films, the logo would either fade in or fade out within the first couple of seconds of the film's opening title sequence. This has made me consider how me and April are going to present our institution logo.

The link below shows how the different presentations of the Warner Bros Pictures logo. 

The Different Presentations Of The Warner Bros Pictures Logo

Pathè 

There is a lot of low key lighting used in this institution design which creates a kind of eerie, mysterious effect for the audience. The use of having the institution name in a speech bubble and having a shadow effect applied is used for creative purposes. The use of bright yellow font is used to stand out against the low lit background, and to catch the audience's eye. When creating our own institution logo, we can refer back to this logo as an influence for our creative decisions. 

New Line Cinema

Unlike the two previous institution logos that I have analysed, the logo's design includes a black background to appear more dramatic and more 'adult'. The use of the images of film tapes in the centre of the institution logo is done for creative effect, and links in with the word 'cinema'. The bold font and luminous, blue light are used to stand out against the harsh background. 

Teen Drama Marketing Strategies

Teen Drama Marketing Strategies


Ellie Goulding's 'I Know You Care' that was used to market Teen Drama film 'Now Is Good'

Film Poster Analysis

Ginger And Rosa 

The film poster for the film 'Ginger and Rosa' has enlarged the images of the two girls (Ginger and Rosa) so that they take the majority of poster. This is to emphasise that the plot of the film revolves around the two girls to the audience. Other images of certain characters feature near the bottom of the poster, suggesting that they are not as important characters as Ginger and Rosa but do play smaller, significant roles in both girls' lives. The position of the other five characters shows them as small icons that you would see on a film tape. This has been done for creative effect. The images of Ginger and Rosa show them both looking in opposite directions to each other which could represent the different direction both girls' lives are heading in, and growing distance in their relationship. The use of having a cloud/sky -like background could also be used to represent the girls 'breaking out' in to the big wide world as they go their separate ways. The poster uses warm colours which suggests that the film is reasonably light hearted and not too distressing. The use of the warm orange and rose colours are used to link to the girl's names (a pale orange is used for the name Ginger and a rose colour for the name Rosa). The text is spaced out so that is not clustered together, and will be more noticed by the audience. The text 'Love tore them apart' hints at a disequilibrium caused by romantic drama taking place in the film. The positive comments that the film has received are placed near the top half of the film poster, and the names of the actors starring in the film have been placed in the middle of the poster. This is done so that it will encourage the audience to go and see the film by seeing positive responses and well known actors that they are fans of starring in the production. The film's billing'/credits are found near the bottom of the film poster. Icons for social media such as 'Facebook' and 'Twitter' are found near the bottom of the poster, suggesting that this film is targeting at younger/teenage audiences. 

The Runaways 

This film poster for the film 'The Runaways' chooses to have a combination of red and black which appears seductive, as the colour red connotates feelings of lust and passion whereas black connotates mystery and power. The use of the dripping cherry is also used to seduce the audience. The colour red could also be used to represent that danger that is involved in the film, and could also be used to represent blood/violence. The colour black also represents the colour of death, hinting that a death may occur in terms of the plot narrative. Black could also be used to represent the dark nature of the character's personalities. The poster uses sans serif fonts to appear more modern and to attract more youthful audiences. The name of the film 'The Runaways' is presented in red, bold capitals so that it stands out against the film poster background. The image of the cherry anchors that text above the image 'It's 1975 and they're about to explode', with the cherry stalk lit to appear as though it was dynamite. Underneath the cherry is the names of the two lead actresses that are starring in the film, Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. Both of the these actresses have starred in popular teen films (Kristen has starred in the Twilight Saga along with Dakota Fanning, and Fanning has also starred in 'Very Good Girls' and 'Now Is Good'), which will also help to attract teenage audiences by seeing popular teen icons starring in this production. At the bottom of the poster are the names of the institutions involved with the film, along with the film's website.

Now Is Good

This film poster uses a mix of warm colours (blue, yellow and white) which could represent the light hearted-ness of the film's narrative, and could be used to represent the kind nature of the two characters that feature on the film poster. The image of the two characters almost take up the full length of the poster, this emphasises and tells the audience that the plot is based around these two characters. The female character is seen wearing minimal make-up, creating this image of 'the english rose' look. The lack of make-up that the female character is wearing represents the characters' innocence and purity, and makes her appear more vulnerable. Both the male and female character have pale, pink lips which could be used to indicate feelings of love and hint the concept of romance. The font used for the film title 'Now is Good' is a traditional serif font, so that the text appears as more of a statement rather than a film title. The word 'Now' is presented using a blue coloured font, whereas the words 'is' and 'good' use a white coloured font. This is done with the word 'Now' to show the significance in terms of the narrative, that there is no other time but now, as time is slowly running out. The male character is seen wearing a dark, blue t-shirt which could represent the character's feelings of depression, as he knows that there is a time limit on his romance with the female character. The text above the film title also ties in with the film's narrative, 'Live every moment. Love every minute', echoing the importance of life. The names of the actors starring in the film are presented on the middle of the film poster, using a yellow font so that they stand out against the male character's t-shirt. The slight inclusion of sunshine features behind the two characters as though the light is trying to sneak into the lives of the two characters. The sun also appears to be aiming directly behind the two characters, as if it were shining down happiness and light into their lives as they spend their final moments together. The film's billing/credits and the film's website appear at the bottom of the film poster.

Fish Tank

Like the previous film poster that I have analysed, the 'Fish Tank' film poster also uses lots of warm colours that appear non threatening to the audience. The use of light, pale colours could be used to suggest that the film's plot narrative is reasonably light hearted. The connotations drawn from them female character's black top however represent death, hinting a dark natured disequilibrium to occur in the film. The use of the pale pinks link to the female character's youth, and the connotations drawn from the pinks help to portray the character as innocent and naive. This also reminds the audience that despite her more mature appearance, she is still only a child. The symbol/drawing of a heart hints at a possible romance that will involve the female character. The film title 'Fish Tank' links to the setting that the female character is shown in on the film poster. She is seen looking out of the window suggesting that she is stuck in her own, private 'fish tank', which is her life and is looking out of the window for means to escape. Although the female character is captured in a loose frame, it demonstrates her abandonment and isolation from the outside world. The font used for the text is a sans serif font, which is considered more modern and is a market strategy that will help appeal to teenage/younger audiences. The majority of the font is bold and capitalised so that it stands out against the pale background. The positive reviews of the film are placed at the top of the film poster so that it will be seen by the audience, and encourage people to go and see the film. The names of the actors starring in the film are placed in the middle of the film poster, along with the film's billing credits and more ratings of the film. 

Film Magazine Cover Analysis

EMPIRE MAGAZINE 

This issue of Empire Magazine appears to be a James Bond edition, with only the Bond actor, Daniel Craig, the magazine name and a minimal amount of text featuring on the front cover of the magazine. The name of the magazine 'EMPIRE' is capitalised and uses a bold font and is overly enlarged so that it stands out against the background. The blend of the black and white colours that are used for this magazine cover and the gold font used for the magazine name create a sophisticated, classy look. The black and white colours could also be used to represent the good and bad in terms of the film plot narrative.The character is seen wearing a suit which represents wealth and power. Connotations drawn from the colour black suggest that the character is being portrayed a superior, dominant figure, as his body language seems firm and he is holding a gun. The gun could suggest that Daniel Craig's character is dangerous and could also be included on the front cover to foreshadow future events of the film. The leading of the text 'Skyfall' is spaced out and is capitalised for emphasis and dramatic effect. The image of Daniel Craig is enlarged to take up the whole of the front cover to distract the reader from the minimal amount of text, and is also used as an object of desire for female readers.

Cinema Retro Magazine 

This magazine cover uses various styles and colours of font. The word 'Cinema' is presented in a bold, capitalised font although the 'i' is uncaptialised, which was done for an experimental and creative effect.The word 'Retro' appears in capitalised italics to appear more sophisticated. The text used for this magazine cover use sans serif fonts so that the magazine appears more modern, suggesting that this magazine is aiming at younger audiences. The letter 'K' for the word 'Karate' appears to look like it has been almost snapped in half, which is done for creative effect. The use of bright colours for the various fonts allows the text to stand out against the harsh, low lit background. Unlike the previous magazine cover that I analysed the image doesn't take up the whole front cover, so that other feature articles can appear on the cover, to try and attract the magazine's target audience. The image of the woman on the motorbike suggest that she is not a girly character (as motorbikes are stereo typically associated with male characters), and suggests that the magazine is aimed at both male and female readers. The absence of male characters could represent the women's independence and strong personality. There seems to be more focus on the motorbike than the woman as the motorbike seems more enlarger than the woman, and the female character isn't sexualised by wearing any revealing or provocative outfits to try and grab the audiences attention.

TOTAL FILM Magazine 

Like the 'EMPIRE' magazine, TOTAL FILM magazine have chosen to enlarge the magazine name so that it dominates the magazine masthead. With this magazine, they offered the audience a series of the magazine that featured a different character with each issue. This issue focuses on the actor Tom Felton who played the role of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise. The magazine also uses the same 'black and white' effect, although unlike Daniel Craig, Tom looks more rugged and slightly shabby,  and doesn't appear to have the same sophisticated look that Daniel Craig has. The ruggedness represents the characters edgy, villainous side, and could also be a reflection of the bad choices that the character has made (in terms of the plot narrative). He is also wearing a suit which suggests that he is a powerful figure and represents the characters wealth. Tom is also standing quite broadly, presenting himself as quite a confident character with his hands in his pockets and looking straight at the audience, almost intimidating them. Tom also appears to have blood on his face which suggests that he is a dangerous character and helps to emphasise his role as the villian. The use of the blood ties in with the text featuring on the magazine front cover 'Potter's bad boy gets nasty'. The font used for the magazine name and the following text 'No school. No rules Potter's bad boy get's nasty' is bold so that it goes unnoticed by the reader. The use of the various font colours (blue,grey and black) also stand out against the white background. The decision to use a white background could be used to foreshadow character's change in character personality by 'going into the light' and representing the hope that the character will turn good. The use of minor sentences and minimal text indicate that most of the focus should be on Tom Felton. By using selected sections of minimal amount of text  will attract the audience to buy the magazine, as they want to read more about the feature articles on the front cover.

Entertainment Magazine 

The background of the magazine cover is black which co notates feelings of mystery and a sense of darkness. The combination of the black background and the red font appears seductive, along with the image below of the two male characters seemingly 'lusting' over the female character. The text 'Love Sucks' is a play on words, linking to the title of the programme 'The Vampire Diaries'. The use of using a red coloured font for the text 'Love Sucks' represents danger and the colour of blood which is a connection to vampires. The red font could also be used to hint at the romance going on between the three characters on the magazine front cover. The image of the three characters shows the two male characters leaning very intimately at the female character, making the female character appear as their object of desire. The programme 'The Vampire Diaries' is a popular teen drama programme which tells us that the magazine is trying to target a teenage audience.The fonts used for this magazine cover are sans serif fonts which also suggests that this magazine is aimed at a more modern audience. The text is more broken up and less clustered together compared to the other magazine front covers that  I have analysed, and this is done for creative effect. The magazine also uses bright coloured fonts that stand out against the black background so it catches the audiences' attention. 

Analysis Of Four Teen Drama Film Trailers

To help us develop our knowledge of the Teen Drama sub-genre even further and give us some ideas for our own media product, I went and looked into British Teen Drama television programs such as ‘Glue’ and ‘Skins’. I also decided to analyse Drama films such as ‘Kidulthood’ and ‘Adulthood’ that were based on teenage characters, and contained a lot of themes and issues that would have been raised in a Teen Drama.  

Kidulthood 

Kidulthood Trailer

In terms of looking at different character types, the characters shown in the Kidulthood trailer appear less stereo typically ‘Americanised’ and the majority of the characters all seem to belong to one specific social group. The male characters shown from various social groups all seem to be wearing flat caps/ ‘snap backs’, tracksuits/hoodies and gold chains. They also appear to have a shaven head look which could be a part of their regional identity. The female character’s seem to dress in a similar fashion by wearing hoodies or hooded jackets, jeans or denim miniskirts and vest tops. The character Sam is seen taking on the role of the antagonist where he is seen causing conflict with one particular group and causing violence and disruption throughout the trailer. Both the male and female characters are represented as quite superior, with the exception of one female character who doesn't seem to belong to any form of social group (‘the loner’) being brutally beaten by her classmates. Another male character is also seen tied down to a table making him appear inferior. In terms of themes, the trailer covers most of the stereotypical issues that you would expect to see in a Teen Drama film. The trailer shows the characters drinking alcohol, taking a number of illegal substances, violence is demonstrated and insinuated with the camera focusing on guns, baseball bats and knives. Vandalism and sex are also feature , and the topic of teenage pregnancy is also raised in the trailer. Stereotypical settings include house parties, social gatherings and school classrooms, along with not so stereotypical settings such as the train station, the estate and street alley ways.

After analysing this trailer I found that wide shots, close up shots and low angle shots were the most occurring. Similar to the film Cherrybomb, the different shots are all strung together and are captured at quite a fast and intense pace. The film begins with five quick close ups of each individual character’s face before cutting to a long shot landscape overview of the city of London. There is also one long shot of two female characters sitting at Ladbroke Grove train station, from personal identity the audience may be able to identify the geographical location. All of the low angle shots that were used in the trailer were used to make the male characters appear the stereotypically dominant and powerful gender opposed to women. The first low angle shot is of a male character walking through a back street alley way. The character’s body language and being shot from a low angle makes the character appear threatening and intimidating. The second low angle shot is of another male character tied to a table, looking up at another male character. From how the low angle is being shot, the audience almost feel as if they are the male character tied to the table and appear inferior opposed to the other male character in the scene. The final low angle shot is of another male character being beaten by one of male gangs appearing defenceless and vulnerable. Most of the close ups are character driven, but there are a couple of close ups that focus on the different illegal substances being displayed on a coffee table. The close ups of various characters allows us to look at the different relationships each of the characters have with each other. For example, in one scene there was a close up of two characters causing conflict and squaring up to each other, whereas another close up shot shows two characters talking in a relaxed and calm environment. Some close ups were also used to create tension for the audience, one close up focused on a male character being threatened with a gun, and another close up shot focused on a male character pressing a gun underneath another male character’s chin. One head- on shot close up of the male character swinging the baseball bat at the screen features both near the beginning and ending of the trailer, threatening the audience. The camera also tilts to follow the female characters movements as she slowly lowers herself to the ground. Wide shots were used throughout the course of the trailer, focusing on the different settings and locations and different character’s actions. For example, what started out as a close up of a male character in a corner shop turned into a wide shot of the male character throwing bottles at another male character, who appeared to be threatening him with a baseball bat. 

Visual effects have been used on the title of the film, by having an all black background, and using white font for the text (the film title) is used to make the text stand out. The text also first appears blurry before fading into focus. Other visual effects include the font that appears in block capitals except for the letter ‘I'. The beginning of the trailer uses several quick jumps cuts of certain character’s faces before cutting to a long shot. There is also a great deal of short takes included in the trailer. Panning is used around one of the male characters to give the audience more view of the setting and is used when following the movements of a male character holding a knife. A fast forward effect is used in certain parts of the trailer, particularly when the two female characters are taking illegal substances and drinking alcohol (could be used to represent the intense effects that it has had on the two characters). The camera zooms in on one of the male characters after he is presented with a gun and a black out effect is shown half way through the trailer, after one of the male characters is seen being beaten in his bedroom. One continuous piece of non diagetic sound plays throughout, excluding the diagetic sound featuring in the house party scenes. The rhythm of the music is quite fast paced to highlight the intensity of the plot. Certain sections of dialogue are included in some of the shots. 

The film was set in inner West London (Latimer Road and Ladbroke Grove area), with a budget of £600,000. The film made £453, 876 on box office. Institutions that were involved with Kidulthood were award winner distribtion company 'Revolver Entertainment' which has also helped to produce other similar projects via the companies 'inside house' production company 'Gunslinger Films'. Other distribution companies that were involved with the film were 'Capelight Pictures', 'Focus Films', 'Image Entertainment' and 'Future Film'. Distribution companies such as ' Focus Films' seems a more appropriate distribution company to be involved with Kidulthood, as Focus Films is a Brazilian distribution company and there is a lot of gang culture there. Other institutions that were involved were production companies 'Stealth Films', 'Cipher Films' and 'TMC Films', all of which have produced low budget films. The target audience for the this film would be an older teenage/young adult audience as there are lots mature themes such as teenage pregnancy, drug taking and violence. The trailer also contains a large amount of abusive language. 

Adulthood

Adulthood Trailer

Following on from the prequel ‘Kidulthood’, the film chooses to focus on male character in particular, Sam who was first portrayed as the antagonist in the film Kidulthood but is now taking on the role of the protagonist. In terms of looking at character types, the trailer includes a few different representations of male characters. Like Kidulthood, the majority of the male characters were seen wearing hoodies or jackets, tracksuits and chains, and had shaved heads, either as part of their regional identity or as a trait look to show that they belong to a particular social group. 

Near the beginning of the trailer shows a male character getting out of a ‘flash’ car, wearing a black suit and white shirt. The suit could be used to portray the character as a powerful figure in the community. It is suggested that the character has more money that most of the other characters by showing the character pulling up outside a rather large house (opposed to other characters being seen living on the estate), along with the car are used to represent the character’s wealth. Another male character is also seen in a full black outfit, wearing a black shirt and trousers along with a black leather jacket and gold chain. This suggests that this character is a dominant figure in the film and could be linked to the main social group that are seen wearing tracksuits and hoodies, via the gold chain that the character is wearing. Reverting back to the point made earlier about Sam now taking on the role as the protagonist, as he is seen being beaten in the trailer on a couple of occasions, making his character appear inferior. There is less exposure of female characters with the trailer only focusing on two female characters. Both female characters are quite casually dressed (apart from the scene where one of the female characters is seen in just her underwear) and take on the character role of ‘the loner/ the outcast’ by not appearing to belong to any form of social group/gang. Stereotypical locations include ‘raves’, the estate and an illegal gang den, whereas not so stereotypical locations such as the graveyard and the train station feature. Sam’s character is seen walking down dark roads and alley ways in the dark in a couple of the shots, which makes his character, appear vulnerable and exposed to danger. Themes such as violence and vandalism feature in the trailer, with a gang jumping and attacking Sam, and two of the male characters are seen smashing a car window. Objects such as knives, guns and baseball bats are used to indicate violence. There are no sexual scenes in the trailer but the half-dressed male and female characters in the bedroom insinuate that the theme sex will feature in the film. 

The trailer slowly opens with high angled close up shot of the male and female character in the bedroom, with the slow fade into the scene suggesting the intimacy between the two characters. The trailer included lots of close ups and wide shots particularly of Sam’s character.  A couple of close up shots are included when Sam and another male character are seen arguing near the beginning of the trailer, followed by another close up shot of Sam lying on the floor after being beaten, making the character appear inferior and helpless. There is a close up shot of Sam holding a gun to another male character’s face, making him appear the superior character in that scene. Low angle shots are used to portray some male characters as superior figure and pose them as threatening characters. There is a high angle shot of Sam sitting in the graveyard and a close up of Sam shows the character crying, which again makes the character feel vulnerable, but also shows a more sensitive side to the character. Another high angle shot is shown after Sam is jumped and beaten by a local gang. There is a wide shot that particular focuses on Sam and another male character pointing weapons at each other, building tension for the audience as to who will make the first move. Long shots and some high angle shots are used to establish locations and social settings. As the trailer opens the camera zooms in and focuses on the female character that appears to be addressing the audience, allowing the character to appear vulnerable and for audience to establish some form of relationship with the character. The camera then slowly zooms out to reveal the male character that she is actually addressing.

 A flash effect follows, that reveals an overview shot of London city before a series of quick jump cuts of the rave/party scenes follow. The trailer reverts back to the baseball bat scene taken from Kidulthood in a few shots. Several ‘freeze frame’ effects are applied to certain shots of the trailer that also includes text that is used for audience purposes, and to emphasis the drama and conflict that is yet to happen. For example in one frame, the scene freezes on with Sam’s back towards the camera with the words ‘First Day Out’, with the next freeze frame effect applied to a shot of another male character with the words ‘Time To Settle The Score’, suggesting that conflict is going to occur between these two characters. Another freeze frame effect is applied to a shot of Sam running with the words ‘Nothing To Lose’ which creates tension for the audience. The visual effects that have been used on the text, again like the Kidulthood trailer have chosen to use bold, white font so that the audience focuses on the text and for dramatic effect. The camera zooms in on three male characters at a rather fast pace to make them appear threatening. A quick flickering effect is applied to scene where Sam is walking and gets attacked by the local gang. A ‘black out’ effect features after one male character punches the screen (directly aimed at the audience), again like with the bat used in Kidulthood, the use of the punch is used to intimidate and threaten the audience. Panning occurs during scenes of conflict. The first time panning is used is when Sam comes face to face with a gang, the panning is used to foreshadow future events. The second time panning is used is when Sam and another male character are pointing weapons at each other, the camera pans around them to make the audience feel fear and tension as to who will strike first. The screen blacks out towards the end of the trailer to reveal the name of the film, before reverting back to the last scene, and blacking out again to reveal the text ‘Coming Soon’. 

Sections of dialogue are included, with non diagetic sound playing. The first piece of non diagetic sound has a quick pace which is used to represent the tension and drama of the film. Towards the end of the trailer, the sound cuts out and a second, more slower paced and dramatic piece of non diagetic sound is introduced. The sound is only played for a few of the shots before cutting out to reveal the last scene of the trailer for dramatic effect. The film made £3,347,811 on box office. Production companies that were involved with Adulthood were 'Cipher Films', 'Limelight' and 'Unstoppable Entertainment'. Distribution companies that were involved with Adulthood include 'Pathe Pictures International', 'Capelight Pictures' and 'Indies Home Entertainment. In total the film had 10 distributors involved, suggesting that more institutions wanted to be involved with the film after the success of Kidulthood. Like Kidulthood, Adulthood is aimed at older teenage and young adult audiences as a vast amount of violence and suggested violence is included in the trailer, along with alcohol taking and some scenes of nudity. 

Glue 

Glue Trailer

The trailer focuses on one particular social group that seem to fall in to ‘the rebels’ or ‘social outcasts’ social group. One of the female characters is wearing a police officer uniform that shows that she holds power and authority. The trailer includes both stereotypical and non-stereotypical themes and settings. For example most of the scenes are set on a farm and other countryside areas or at the horses stables. One scene includes one male and female character in a bath tub. Stereotypical settings included character’s homes and bedrooms and parties. Narcotics and alcohol were included along with explosives such as fireworks. The characters were also seen joy riding and nudity was displayed, although no sexual content was shown in the trailer. There was a mixture of both high key and  low key lighting that was used to represent the mixed emotions of the characters after the disequilibrium features almost half way through the trailer. 

The high angled long shot used at the beginning of the trailer is used to establish the scene whereas the second long shot is used to view the police officers retrace the dead victim’s movements. The close up shots are character driven and are mainly focusing on character’s facial expressions when they are alone in a shot. All of the close up shots are quite personal, as the camera explores how each character reacts after discovering that one of their friends is dead. The close up shots of the police officer and one of the male characters creates tension for the audience as they are both staring hard at each other, with a tense expression on both of their faces. The close up shots of the male and female character in the stables creates romantic tension for the audience as they stop what they were doing and begin to  look at each other intimately and lovingly. One low angle shot of the tractor occurs before revealing the dead body found underneath the tractor. An extreme close up of a male character’s eye features, maybe to suggest the fear in his eyes,  and various wide shots are included.

Quick cuts are used briefly for the first couple of shots of the trailer until the shot blacks out and slowly fade into the next scene. Another slow fade in effect is applied to the scene of the male and female character staring at each other, used to create and emphasise sexual tension.  A ‘zooming out’ effect is applied for the bath tub scene. There is a quick jump cut from the male character’s face to him driving off in the tractor, and the development of quick jump cuts is seen towards the end of the trailer. Panning is used to follow the movements of the patrolling police officers, and faster panning occurs when one of the male character is seen running through the woods. The change in pace builds up tension for the audience and forces them to feel anxious for the character’s safety. The last slow fade in effect is used on the final scene of the trailer, following the series of quick jump cuts for dramatic effect. There is one piece of non diagetic sound that flows through out the length of the trailer, with some dialogue included. One of the female characters voices over the beginning and ending of the trailer, breaking the fourth wall by directly addressing the audience.

Filming took place in Berkshire. It was described by The Independent as the 'rotting despair of the Countryside'. The programme was produced by 'Eleven Film', an independent production company that produces factual programmes, feature documentaries and comedy and drama series. Glue was distributed by E4. From analysing the trailer, I would suggest that Glue is aimed at a more teenage audience, despite indicated drug taking and explosives been shown in the trailer, the trailer appears more tame and less threatening for younger audiences to watch. 

Skins 

Skins Series 3 Trailer

Again like Glue, the trailer is only focusing on one particular social group. The male characters are seen in t-shirts, jackets/hoodies jeans, although two out of the four male characters don’t necessarily take on the role of the ‘hunk’, but do represent your typical popular and ‘cool’ male character. Another male character is seen wearing a chequered jacket and fluffy hair, suggesting that he is taking on the character role of ‘The Geek’. One of the female characters is seen dressed in a floaty dress, wearing minimal make up and her hair in bunches, making her character appear almost child-like. In terms of character role, she would be taking on ‘The Kooky’ or ‘The Weird One’. Contrasting with this image the other female characters are seen wearing quite a lot of make-up, dresses/skirts, or fitted jeans. It is hard to place them in a specific character role, but they help to show the contrast between ‘The Kooky’ female character and themselves. Despite the specific character roles that some of the characters play, they all belong to the social group of ‘the outcasts’ or ‘the rebels’ as they are seen starting fights with various people, messing around with explosives, drinking alcohol and drugs are briefly shown in the trailer. The trailer is set in a very stereotypical, beaten down British pub, with the stereotypical Bull Dog being shown a couple of times in the trailer. Police officers feature in the trailer, which represents authority trying to be restored. The scenes of the male and female character kissing have a blue tint applied to them, simply for creative purposes. 

The majority of the trailer is made up of wide and close up shots. The trailer opens with a wide shot of the characters running down an alley way and entering the pub. The wide shots that were used focus on the characters as they each enter the pub, and the reactions of the extras that were already seen in the pub. To emphasise people’s reactions to the gang entering the pub, some shots were shot at a fish eye lens angle. This was done for dramatic effect. There were a few close ups of the character’s faces and a close up on the narcotics that were briefly shown. An extreme close up of a male character and female character kissing was used to appear more sexual than intimate. Some frames were shot at a canted angle which could have been used to represent that disorientated state of the characters, as well as to disorientate the audience. There is one high angle shot included in the trailer on one of the male characters messing around with explosives, suggesting that we as the audience are looking down on his behaviour. Low angled shots and more close up shots are featured during the scenes where characters are seeing punching each other and being beaten. The low angle shots were used to make certain characters seem superior and the close up shots were used to make the audience feel tense and unsettled. Low angle shots were also used when the characters were making their escape from the pub after the police arrive.

The trailer uses continuity editing as the trailer is following real time movement of both the characters and the narrative of the trailer. A lot of the action that is captured in the first half of the trailer is captured in slow motion for dramatic effect and allows tension to build. Half way through the trailer, when the conflict has begun, the speed returns and continues to stay at a normal pace. In the second half of the trailer, smashed alcohol bottles and a man being pushed through a window have been captured in slow motion for emphasis and to over exaggerate the extent of the gang's actions. A 'blurred' effect has been applied to some of the characters, again to disorientate the audience. Panning also features in the first half of the trailer when analysing the reactions of the gang entering the pub, and the actions of the characters themselves. There are a great deal of quick cut away shots in the second half of the trailer. Non diagetic sound features all the way through the trailer, but in the second half of the trailer minimal dialouge is included, along with other diagetic sounds such as glasses smashing and police sirens. 

An Introduction To Teen Drama

After researching into the previously analysed film trailers, we had to decide whether to make a Drama film trailer or a Teen Romantic Comedy film trailer. After weighing up the pros and cons of both genres we decided to go with the Drama genre, as we felt that the audience would find it more engaging and that Drama films would draw more emotions and feelings from the audience. We then had to consider our target audience and figure out how we would aim to meet their expectations. We changed our idea of making a trailer for a Drama film, to making a trailer for a ‘Teen Drama’ film,so that we were aiming at a more specific target audience. We also had to consider if we wanted to 'Americanise' our film trailer and make it appear more cinematic, or to make a real gritty, British film trailer. After much deliberation, we decided to go with the idea of making a true, gritty British film trailer, as we felt that our target audience would be able to relate to it a lot more. 

To help get a better understanding of Teen Drama I did some research into the sub genre, including analysing various character types, the mise-en-scene and what issues and adversities were included. 

An Introduction To The Teen Drama Sub-Genre

The Beginning Stages Of Planning For Our Film Trailer

The Beginning Stages Of Planning For Our Film Trailer

The History of Cinema and Film

The history of film dates as back as far as 1827. Before the invention of the motion picture cameras there were the 'Magic Laterns', an early form of image projector that was developed in the 17th century. The contraption worked by using a concave mirror in the back of a light source where the light source would direct light through a small rectangular sheet of glass, known as the "lantern side". The photographic or painted image was then projected into the lens which was adjusted so that the image would appear enlarged for the audience to view. In 1832, Belgian physicist Joseph Plateau and his sons introduced the 'Phenakistoscope', which proved to be a successful device. The Phenakistoscope was a device that was used to create the illusion of motion pictures by using a spinning disc that contained a series of pictures, and another spinning disc that allowed the picture to be viewed through various slots.This was made to seem like the pictures were moving when spun and viewed in a mirror.

In 1839 British inventor Henry Fox Talbot introduced the form of ‘negatives’ to be produced on paper opposed to glass, and it became possible for photographic images to be printed on glass slides that could be projected using magic lanterns. In 1878 English photographer Eadweard Muybridge achieves his aim to capture movement. Muybridge was approached by the ex-governer of California in 1873 to settle a bet as to whether or not horses hooves actually left the ground when they galloped. Muybridge attempted to settle the bet by setting up a bank of twelve cameras with trip-wires that were connected to their shutters. This allowed each, individual camera to take a picture whenever the horse tripped its wire. He then went on to develop his own projector and adapted Horner’s ‘Zoetrope’ in order for him to produce his ‘Zoopraxinoscope’. Inspired by Muybridge’s work, French scientist Etienne Jules Murey began studying rapid animal movements, such as the flight of birds. The results from his experiments show a photographic gun that displayed 12 images on the edge of the circular plate. The invention of the still camera that produces photographs on sensitised paper was developed in 1888 by George Eastman, who sold the paper under the name ‘Kodak’. He is also the founder of the Kodak company. In the same year Thomas A.Edison and his assistant W.K.L Dickinson began designing machines that were able to produce and show moving pictures. By 1891 Edison and Dickinson have created their ‘Kinteograph’ camera, along with a Kintescope viewing box ready for demonstration and by 1893 the pair had built a studio in order to produce films for their Kintescope. 

Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean, otherwise known as the Lumière Brothers were the first filmmakers in history. The brothers first film ‘Sortie de l'usine Lumière de Lyon’ was considered the first moving motion picture. The Lumière Brothers held their first private screening in 1895, and had their first public screening of films on December 28th 1895 at the Salon Indien du Grand Café in Paris. The public debut of their work included the screening of ten short films that the brothers created, with each short film running 17 meters long and ran for approximately 50 seconds. These films were 'La Sortie de l'Usine Lumière a Lyon', 'Le Jardinier l'Arroseur Arrosè', 'Le Dèbarquement du Congrès de Photographie a Lyon', 'La Voltige', 'La Peche aux poissons rouges', 'Les Forgerons', 'Repas de bèbè, 'Le Saut a la couverture', 'La Places des Cordeliers a Lyon' and 'La Mer (Baignade en mer). The Lumière Brothers then went on tour to promote and introduce their material with the cinematographe, where they visited Brussels, Bombay, London, Montreal, New York and Buenos Aires. In 1896 the Lumière Brothers sent one of their representatives to London and began running successful cinematographe films.

The Lathams also created their own camera and projector in the year of 1895. After showing one of their films to a reporter they opened a small theatre in May 1895. The projectors that the Lathams made were proved successful as they were built with a system to 'loop' the films and reduce th number of breaks and tears. The changes in process cinema was identified by French illusionist and film maker George Melies, who identifies four factors:

1. Current events and achievements
2. The creativity of the film makers who influenced the team of crafts people involved in the films
3. The technical developments that could be exploited
4. The capacity of a sufficient audience to appreciate results

In 1902, Méliés produced 'Voyage To The Moon' that was described as a 'fifteen minute fantasy'. The film used special effects and introduced colour to the screen through hand painting and tinting. In 1903, The American Mutoscope and the Biograph Company began making films in 35mm format instead of making films in 70mm format. This resulted in a large increase in sales, and in 1908 the company then went on to employ one of the most important silent film directors of all time, DW Griffith. The year 1903 was also the year of the release of 'The Great Train Robbery', which used a vast amount of photography technique and editing. Edwin S.Porter who worked for Edison created 'The Life Of An American Fireman', which introduced new storytelling techniques.

 In 1905 John.P Harris and Harry Davis opened a five cents admission movie theatre which was named ‘Nickelodeon’ , and by 1908 the brand had expanded so that there were thousands of Nickelodeon shorefront cinemas across North America. The ‘Picture House’ cinema opened in London 1912 with a charity film performance in order to raise money for those that had been affected by the Titanic disaster, and has been showing films continuously since. In 1915 the success of the film ‘The Birth Of A Nation’ established the supremacy of feature length films, forcing the owners of five cent cinemas to increase the ticket price to ten cents or more. In the next ten years movie theatres were designed to appear more attractive, going through what was known as ‘the movie palace’ with air conditioning, stereophonic sound (1953) and the arrival of ‘the big screen’. These chains of cinemas were provided to give comfort and relaxation to the public.  The ‘Big Five’ theatre chains during the 1920-1930’s period were ‘Paramount’, ‘Warner’, ‘Loews’, ‘Fox’ and ‘RKO’.

Adult Movie Theatres” were also introduced in the 1970’s , but the introduction of low cost VHS video system for home televisions has decommissioned many porno cinemas as well as many 'second-run' theatres. In the 1980’s people were able to pay to watch films at home a few months after they had been released, through cable television, streaming media, pay per view and video on demand (VOD). This lead to the fall of the ‘Dollar Cinema’, and the industry was desperate to win its audience back, by building larger auditoriums and installing more cinema screens, upgrading the sound systems and providing higher quality refreshments.

3D Films were introduced in the late 1920's where the audience were given or borrowed a pair of polarised glasses to wear throughout the length of the film. Originally 3D films were shown in amusement parks before being used particularly for animated films that belonged to either Disney or Pixar. The first IMAX cinema was opened in Ontario Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. An IMAX cinema that is attached to the National Media Museum in Bradford, West Yorkshire (United Kingdom) allows visitors to observe the IMAX projection booth and watch large format films being loaded and projected. 

 Ever since the 1960’s multiplex cinemas have become ‘the norm’, with The Elgin Theatre in Ottawa, the capital of Canada to be the first cinema to offer to film programmes on two separate screens in 1957. This was done when theatre owner Nat Taylor converted the dual screen theatre into one capable of showing two different films simultaneously. Taylor then went on to fund the ‘Cineplex Odeon Corporation’, an 18-screen Toronto Eaton Centre Cineplex, in Toronto, Canada, which was the world’s largest cinema at the time. Drive-in movie theatres that operated seasonally also became popular during the 1950’s-60’s. It was found that drive-in movie theatres were more popular in the United States than anywhere else, with around 400 remaining in the U.S today. Outdoor movie theatres that operated by a film being projected on to a temporary screen have a been found in various lecture rooms of colleges and universities. Films are also known shown on airliners and trains such as ‘Auto Train’. 

Applying the Four Key Aspects

The Four Key Aspects

The Four Main Key Aspects Of Analysing a Film Trailer

An Audio Description Of The Four Main Key Aspects

Beginning A2 Media Studies

My First Thoughts 

After arriving back from the summer term and beginning our A2 Media Studies there were a choice of two briefs that were shown to us, one was to create a music video and once was to create a film trailer. The majority of the class chose to create a film trailer as there are more options in terms of developing the narrative/various themes of the film, and by creating a film trailer it would allow us to show and expand our creative minds when planning and creating the film trailer. This brief also includes creating a film magazine front cover and creating a poster for the film. I decided to work in a pair with April as we have good communication skills and respect each other’s ideas and contributions towards our media product. We also share similar interests and are able to raise any concerns with each other if there is anything that we are unsure of or unhappy with. The first decision that we made together as a team was that our media product was going to be targeted at a teenage/young adult audience. We then drew up a list of popular teenage films that were drawn from different teenage film categories such as Teen Drama, Teen Comedy and Teen Romance, and watched a number of trailers from each of the three categories. After watching the trailers we then narrowed our decision down to either making a trailer for a Teen Comedy film or making a trailer for a Teen Drama film.

Having taken A2 Media Studies before in the previous year, I chose the brief to create a local newspaper, along with creating two hyper linked pages for the local newspaper's website and creating a radio advertisement for the newspaper. However, I have chosen to retake A2 Media Studies as I feel that I didn't reach my full potential when creating my media products last year, and feel that this brief will allow me to be more imaginative and creative when creating my media products.