This is my A2 Media Studies blog which will act as a portfolio for all my coursework. Here I will present theory and practical work as well as all the research, planning and evaluation that went into creating our Romance/Drama/Film Noir teaser trailer and its promotional package - a poster and a front page magazine cover.
cathartic- is a term providing psychological relief for the audience through the expression of strong emotion when they see something on sceen (e.g villain is found)
The word comes from a greek word, Katharsis meaning 'purification' or 'cleansing' and is a sudden emotional breakdown or climax that constitutes overwhelming feelings of great pity, sorrow, laughter, or any extreme change in emotion that results in renewal, restoration, and revitalization.
We used a carthartic experience throughout our teaser trailer as the audience will go through intense scenes which the characters go through. This will be shown when the audience are watching the argument and the fight between the Detective and Raymond and a sudden cut to a scene of quietness.
Our Production Company: Indistinctive Productions has made an account on Twitter and Tumblr to appeal to our target audiences who will most likely be using social networking sites such as Twitter on daily basis. They can follow the production of the film with behind the scenes images of filming and the actors. They can follow this up right until the teaser trailer comes out, then eventually when the film releases in the cinema. This will also bring box office sales up as they will know the exact date when the film will be coming out and have seen the teaser trailer right from the start to excite them to see them film rather than seeing the trailer on Television. They will also be able to see the posters and the magazine release date before anyone else as they will be able to look up the links on the Twitter website.
BBFC: The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), before 1985 known asBritish Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organization, founded by the film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films within the United Kingdom. It has a statutory requirement to classify videos, DVDs and, to a lesser extent, some video games under theVideo Recordings Act 2010.
PURPOSE OF THE BBFC: BBFC age ratings (text and symbols) are identifiable, understandable, trusted and consistent in their application and meaning.
Using them allows viewers to make safe, informed decisions about the content they choose for themselves and their family.
OUR BBFC AGE RATING AND CLASSIFICATION AND WHY:
TARGET AUDIENCE AND THEIR AGE (ALSO SOCIAL NETWORKING)
As you can see from this we have a male, who mostly uses the social networking site Facebook and aged 18. This would be our main target audience age range. Also the networking site that we will be using is Facebook to bring in a larger target audience and for audiences to connect.
Male and female: both using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter (our twitter account: https://twitter.com/indistinctive14) both aged 19. Due to film noir having a typically male audience due to the action and plot, we have subverted the stereotypical role and had female characters as our main characters, which attracts a female audience.
Male, aged 18. Using Twitter as social networking account he uses daily is useful when connecting and knowing our audiences. These social audiences will be able to find out recent news and be updated through our twitter account, they can also interact with other audience members and the cast and crew themselves via online.
Our target audience age range is starting from 15 years old through the BBFC classification. The film can intrigue younger audiences through the action in the plot.
All of these female are aged 18. They would be intrigued by the plot as we have subverted the main role from male to female. The romance in the plot would also attract female audiences into watching. Most of these females are dialy users of Facebook, but also Tumblr- (our Tumblr account: http://indistinctiveproduction.tumblr.com/) we would use this Tumblr account as a production company by using the ideas from audiences, interacting with them through inbox and looking at their film noir style blogs.
As you can see from this image, it is a very complicated love affair. On the bottom right and left there is Raymond and his wife, Bridgette who are married- BUT Bridgette is having an affair with the detective in the top left... but to Detective's deceit he is also seeing another person behind his secret love affair- this is also seen FILM NOIRS as at least one of the characters in two timing other characters. The 'other lady' that the Detective is associating himself with is Vivienne who finds out about Bridgette and decides to get her own revenge by visiting Raymond to tell of his wife's affair. S they begin a love affair. But who's love will fail or succeed? Can love strive in the dull life the character's live in?
In our film, we have subverted the traditional role of the females being the ones in trouble and needing help, instead we have made them the main characters that CAUSE the trouble.
Bridgette one of the femme fatales, is married to Raymond who is a wealthy man.. she is believed to be in love with her husband but it maybe all just for the money. This is suggested by her affair with the Detective that she carries out. However, whilst the Detective is carrying out an affair with Bridgette he is with another woman... Vivienne. Vivienne is the other main character who is a femme fatale, she twists and turns causing evil and distress. She is a young and attractive who seduces both the Detective and Raymond.. this is what the traditional femme fatale roles did.
Our mise en scene was mostly bought by me and Annie from charity shops and second hand shops. We got items such as a cocktail tray that included an ice holder, champagne holders and a cocktail shaker, we also got a dress for the character Bridgette, a Detective hat and coat.
The photo on the left was me (Bridgette), Annie (Vivienne) and Pierce (Detective) filming the first scene of the teaser trailer in our costumes.
For most of our teaser trailer we have used a theatre, we have used to scenes that involve the Cocktail Bar and the bath scene that involves Vivienne and the Detective.
Highfields Park, this location was mainly used for establishing shots.
Also the Social Club, UNSSC
The two photos to the left were captured filming whilst in Attenborough, where we shot the scene where both Vivienne and Bridget meet up with the detective at different times. The far right picture was taken whilst Annie was in Switzerland, we thought this shot would be a great establishing shot for Raymond and Bridget's house.
These shots were taken in University of Nottingham's Senior Social Club, there is a bar scene we filmed where Raymond and Detective get into an argument over Bridget and it eventually turns into a fight. The photo on the bottom left was taken in the theatre where there were many extras to make a cocktail bar scene.
These photos were taken in Annie's garden where we used her shed to make an office-type room for Raymond. This is used in the scene where Vivienne tells Raymond if his wife's infidelity and seduces him.
From watching this video, it has given us an insight on how film noir and how it originated. From such contributing elements as
- Low budgeting, B line films were used to get more people to this cinema until 1948
- Low key lighting- characterised by German expressionism. This was influenced by the documenters from World War II, that would film anywhere. That's why there is no distinct location for Film Noir.
- Feelings of Nihilism caused by the lead up and aftermath of WWII - the population of America was in fear and paranoid- which defines the emotion felt in Film Noir.
GENRE - is a critical tool that helps us study texts and audience responses to texts by dividing them into categories based on common elements.
ALL GENRES have SUB-GENRES
for example we will have main genres of - Crime and Detective and Drama
and our sub-genres will be film noir and romance
WHAT THE AUDIENCE EXPECT FROM A GENRE FILM:
Typical Mise-en-scene/Visual style (iconography, props, set-design, lighting, temporal and georgraphic location, costume, shot types, camera angles, special effects)
Typical types of narrative (plots, historical setting, set pieces)
Generic Types, i.e. typical characters (FEMME FATALE, DETECTIVE)
RICK ALTMAN- argues that genre offers audiences' a set of pleasures.
Our film noir will offer INTELLECTUAL PUZZLES as our teaser trailer will entice the audience through enigma and actions codes that they'll have to unravel the mystery for themselves.
A teaser trailer is an advertising campaign for an upcoming film, it consists of a series of small shots with puzzles and cryptic references. It is usually released long in advance of the film, to "tease" the audience.
The audience are made aware and 'teased' for the upcoming film. There are a series of montage shots from the first ideas of what they want to be produced by the real film, it is not necessarily what they will produce when it comes to the stage. As they are often made while the film is still in production or being edited as a result they may feature scenes or alternate versions of scenes that are not finished in the film. Other production companies, such as Pixar Films, have scenes made for use in the trailer only. It is a 'tease' for the audience as the trailer only lasts 30 to 60 seconds long.
Teasers are usually made for big-budget and popularly themed movies, the purpose is less to tell the audience about the content than simply let them know that the movie is comping up in the near future- to add a hype among the target audience.
The scene starts off with an establishing shot of the city it is set in San Francisco in America, this set sets the scene off and drags the audience in. Straight away the voice over starts off with a female asking for help, pleading to the male who may be guessed at the detective.
The different shots fade in to one another until the gunshot goes off that then starts the scene off, the atmosphere and what the audience see is dark- which creates tension and excitement. Then the second voiceover of the male shows his authority and masculitinty that he'll be helping the woman and she is the passive character the FEMME FATALE.
Throughout most teaser trailers the pace is quick and shows alot of shots, this trailer cuts the shots quickly and effectively by showing tracking/ dolly shots of the detectives running around also shot/ reverse shots of the male talking to the femlale.
When the end of the trailer is coming to an end the dialogue becomes dramatic as there is a loud orchesta in the background including drums, violens to represent the fear, tension and anxiety both the characters in the trailer are feeling and target audience watching.
THE LAST SEDUCTION 1993
The Teaser Trailer starts off with a woman voice over than cut to the woman on the phone talking to man, this is seen through fast pace cuts to show their conversation and their facial expressions toward the situation.
The clip is then suddenly cut to the "couple" being intimate, showing that there will be romance in the film- this may or may not appeal to the audience. Romance is a commonly used sub-genre in Film Noir films, oftenly with the femme fatale involved.
In most teaser trailers there are cuts between the clips, as it is fast pacing to involve the plot or to just show the main events that are involved in the movie to attract the audience. In this cut, it shows a big pile of money. then the camera tracks to the couple, who look happy. In most Film Noir genres, money is most likely in the plot as it can be involved with the wealthy or crime. This shows that this Neo Noir film have taken the traditional elements and plot of a classic Film Noir and used it.
There is a voiceover of the woman, which subverts the class dominant role of the male, who is uncluded in all authroitive roles and has the last say. The trailer adds tension by creating quick pacing shots of the woman running as the camera tracks her. Shot / Reverse shots of the male characters talking on the phone who sound anxious. The authoritive role is subverted as the woman is the main character, as she is surrounded by the men in the trailer.
There is a voiceover while there are intimate shots showing the couple connoting the romance that is involved in the film. The voiceover sounds serious (female voice) this shows the different sides of the woman as she can be in serious situations but also can use her seductive side, this shows what she is capable of.
Voiceover of a scared man saying "she's here" subverting the role- the male is scared of the fmelae dominance- this is ironic as in the "Maltese Falcon" the woman is scared of a male.
