Creating Media: Research and Planning

Creating Media: Research and Planning

Waterloo road

Waterloo Road relates to our intro as it has a similar style of genre. It also relates to our intro as the characters in Waterloo Road are similar to ours. The start of the program starts with a student selling drugs in the school play ground. It also looked like he was the dominant character as everyone looked scared of him. This relates to our film as our main character is a drug dealer. This also relates to our idea as throughout the opening 2 minutes there was non diegetic sound playing. This relates to our intro as we plan to have non diegetic sound during our opening sequence. Also at the end of the opening scene the title Waterloo round appears in bold. This also relates to our intro as we plan to put our name The Bench at the end of our opening scene. We also plan to have it in bold. Also the opening scene uses established shots to show the viewers where it will be set which is a school. However in our intro we decide to show where our opening scene will be set at the end of our intro. The difference is in our intro we plan not to have any sound of characters talking during the intro. Also we do not give away much in our opening sequence about our storyline. Another difference is that we introduce and provide our characters name during the intro.

Misfits

Misfits relates to our opening sequence as it also has a similar genre to our intro. It’s similar to our opening sequence as we attend to introduce our characters in the opening scene and also provide their names. Also there is sound playing in the background which we also plan to do, in order to relate it to the mood of the intro. Another similarity our intro has with misfits is they provide their name at the end of the opening sequence which we also plan to do. Also a difference is between our intro and misfits is that they used the opening sequence to introduce all their characters, however with our opening sequence we show characters in action, whereas misfits just show their characters face with their names. Also the difference between the two intros is that we have sound from our characters speaking, whereas in misfits the characters do not talk. Also another difference between our intro and misfit’s intro is that, misfits do not provide any shots of the setting for their TV series. Also misfits also do not give any idea away off what their storyline would be, whereas our intro will provide some idea of what our storyline will be, but not giving too much away.

Kidulthood

Kidulthood is a film whereas our opening sequence is part of TV show. The similarities between the two are that the genre is very similar and we are going for this type of genre. We are planning to do a opening sequence which would relate to Kidulthood, however Kidulthood contains a lot of swearing which some could say will appeal to the target audience more. A difference between kidulthoods opening sequence and ours is that Kidulthood do not give away their setting, they just show that the main characters are school kids which would attract the younger viewers as it could relate to most of them. Another difference is that the name of the film is not provided after the intro, whereas we will provide that. Kidulthood provides non diegetic sound in their opening sequence to set suspicion and tension. It mostly creates tension when the character is drilling into something which the audience want to know what it is which we later realise is a gun, which would interest viewers to carry on watching. This is one reason why we have gone for a Kidulthood genre it attracts viewers of the younger audience as it was a highly rated movie. Also the movie hooks the viewers with its tension throughout the whole film leaving the viewers wanted to know what is going to happen next. However during the opening sequence of Kidulthood they do not provide the characters names or their original names. Whereas we plan to do that in order to introduce our characters efficiently.

Ill Manors

Ill manors relates to our opening sequence as the storyline is what we are looking to go for, also the characters is what we would like to have in our intro. However the Ill Manors characters swear a lot during the film. The opening to Ill Manors sets shows the viewers part of the setting of the scenes in the film, by using establishing shots. They also show shots of the main characters, however they do not give anything away to the viewers on which characters is the most dominant during the film. This then attracts the attention of viewers as they want to know what will be happen and keep them interested.  A difference between our open sequence and Ill Manors is that Ill Manors did not personally introduce all their main characters, however this was because they had too many to introduce. Whereas our intro we will be personally introducing every character. Ill Manors also did not provide their title after the opening sequence this could be because most films do not do that, however in our intro we plan to have our title The Bench in big bold writing. This is because it will enable us to provide mystery to the audience. Also the clothing that the characters use during the entire film is the clothing we will be looking to have our characters wearing. The clothes would be dark clothing, also stereotype clothing of what a teenager would wear if he’s hanging out on the street. This is because it will set the tone and mood for the rest of our TV show.

Ill Manors Research

1. Research all the Institutions involved in the production of Ill Manors. List them with a   summary of what their contribution to the film was.

Directed - Ben Drew known as Plan B. He is a English rapper, singer-songwriter, actor and film director from Forest Gate, London. 

Distributed - Revolver Entertainment – is film Distribution Company. Founded in 1997, the company has operations in both London and Los Angeles.

Studio -

Film London- is the capital's film and media agency - promoting and developing London as a major international film-making and film cultural capital.

BBC Films - is the film-making arm of the BBC. It has produced or co-produced some of the most successful British films of recent years.

2. How much Ill Manors cost to produce (its budget)

The budget for Ill Manors was £100,000.

3. How was Ill Manors funded?

Ill Manors is the 5^th film to be release through Film London Microwave. Established in 2006, Microwave who partnered with BBC Films and supported by Creative Skillset, was the first of its kind and has gone from strength to strength in the past few years. Microwave challenges filmmakers to shoot a film for no more than £120,000 including cash and in-kind support. Creative Skillset’s contribution to the scheme’s crucial training, mentoring and talent development is key to ensuring that the filmmakers have the right support and guidance to achieve.

4. Who is the main distributor for Ill Manors?

Ill Manors main distributor were Revolver Entertainment.

5. What is the target audience for Ill Manors?

I think the target audience would be young adults, I think this because this is plan Bs fan bases average age. I also think the use of language in film is to relate to the younger audience rather than the older. I also think this is targeted at the younger audience as what they are showing in the film is some peoples actual reality life, therefore the younger audience can relate to this more. I also think the target audience for this group would be groups D/E.

6.       How does the trailer for Ill Manors hook audiences into the narrative and pose questions that the film will answer? Identify 3 ways/techniques.

I believe the trailer for ill manors hooks the audience in many ways. The trailer starts by hooking the audience as the whole way through trailer you do not get a true understanding of who the actual main character is. The trailer shows near enough every character however they don’t give away who will be the top man in the film. This then attracts the attention of the viewers as they want to know what happens to who. I think the trailer also does not give the storyline away. As there are so many things happening at once during the film, the trailer then does not give away anything. However the trailer did use the opening and final shot in the trailer. This then interests the viewers. The music used in the trailer is fast throughout the whole trailer. This then creates connotes to the audience that the pace of the film is going to be fast as something will always be happening. The music also creates tension. I also think the camera shots hook the audience into watching the film. I think the trailer used close ups to show the characters emotions. The trailer also used established shots to show the setting of the film. The director Ben Drew (Plan B) used his own song in the trailer in order to hook the audience in.

7.  How was Ill manors promoted?

Ben Drew (Plan B) promoted the film Ill manors by himself. The way he promoted his film was by promoting his single and performing it live for the public notice. On 11 May 2012, Ben Drew (Plan B) premiered the album tracks "Lost My Way" and "Deepest Shame" during a performance on Later with Jools Holland. The official studio version of "Lost My Way" received its first play on BBC Radio 1 on 23 May 2012. It was made available in the form of a lyric video on Youtube later that same evening. On 13 June 2012, Drew performed a live session in the BBC Radio 1Live Lounge.

8. Compare this with a big budget blockbuster. What are the similarities and differences?

Friends with Benefits

The difference between Ill Manors and friends with benefits is that the budget for Ill manors was £100,000 and friends with benefits were given $34 million. Therefore that enables friends with benefits to be able to hire out better scenes than Ill Manors. Also it enabled them to get better actors who are better known and will attract more attention in the media. Also by friends with benefits been given more money to spend they are also enable to hire better directors. Whereas ill manors was put together and everything was done by one person Ben Drew (Plan B). Another difference between the two was, that friends with benefits were able to promote more as they were given enough money to promote. Whereas Ill Manors had the same person director and promoting himself which was Plan B. Therefore Plan B had to rely on his own fans to promote his film. This would be mostly done through social networking. I believe with the money Ill manors were given to make their film and promote with I think they done a very good job. However if they were given more funding I believe Plan B could of made the film better, or he could of gone over the top as he would have had too much funding. Therefore the small funding could also have benefited him, as he may off also changed the storyline if he had more funding which could of backfired. 

9. How does the trailer for Ill Manors balance plot and spectacle?

Ill Manors trailer balanced plot and spectacle with certain parts in the trailer sticking in the minds of the viewers and wanting them to know what happens next. The trailer catches the eye of the audience with the camera shots used to show the emotion of the characters. The trailer suggests to us that there are many characters in the film, however we do not know who is the most dominant character and who survives the whole way. The trailer also gives us an idea of the storyline. The trailer also gives us an idea of the setting of the film.

10.Think about the certificate of Ill Manors (18 certificate). Research film certification and outline what is deemed acceptable for this certificate and 18 certificate, what is the difference to a 15 certificate and 18 certificate?

Until recently, 18 certificate films could not contain an actual sex acts. The R18 certificate was created to allow the sale of these films in sex shops.  Although the BBFC allowed pretend sex scenes in 18 certificate films, actual sexual acts were still not allowed to be depicted in 18 certificate films until recently.

The acceptable for a 15 certificate films would be the following.

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. Promotions of drugs which are easy to obtain are unlikely to be allowed.

Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) can be allowed provided the detail of such is low so that it can not create too much of an impression of the viewer. Abuse of weapons which are easily obtained will not be tolerated.

Frequent use of strong language can be permitted, although very strong language needs to be restricted and would have to be seen as reasonable in the context. Frequent usage of very strong language would be seldom allowed.

Nudity in a sexual content must be restricted however nudity in a non-sexual content does not

Sexual activity without strong detail would most likely to be allowed. Some strong sexual references may be allowed to, but very strong ones may not, unless used within reason. Sexual acts or references with the intention of causing arousal are not likely to be permitted.

As long as the film is appropriate for 15 year olds, no certain themes are prohibited.

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. The same applies to references. Any sexual violence should be discreet and be strongly justified.



Preliminary Exercise Evaluation

Preliminary Exercise Evaluation

The storyboard helped us in creating our final product in many ways. One of the ways it helped us was we was able to have a group discussing and write down all the scenes we were going to shoot, also the timing of the shots and the shots we were planning to use. This helped us as we were able to pre plan what we was going to do which saved us a lot of time, then having to plan what we were going to be doing on the stop. However we did make slight changes to what we wrote on our storyboard, however they were minor changes which we thought would fit better for our preliminary exercise or to fit the time we were given. What I would do differently next time would be take more time on planning before we start filming. My group including me were too excited to film so we just used the first idea that came to our head and put it on paper and then when filming, we later on realised this and hoped our storyline was effective, which in the end it was. Therefore I think we rushed our planning stage. I would also take more time and film a shot more than once. This is because I believe the slightest error could ruin the whole project. Also by filming a shot more then once it gives you more of a variety to film with. I would also film shots in more than one angle, I would try and film a shot in 3 or 4 different angles this is because when it comes to editing it will also give us a more of a variety of shots to work with, also if we think a certain shot would look better from a different angle we would have already covered it. 

Our weaknesses for the preliminary exercise were, we did not take enough time in planning our project. I think we rushed our storyboard as we wanted to start filming. However we did take some time in thinking and planning what we were going to do, but just not enough time. I also think we did not spend enough time on filming. I believe this as we did not film shots as many times as we should of which we later regretted. I also think we should of filmed a shot from more then one angle, this is because we would have had more of a variety of shots when editing, however as we did not do that we were stuck with the shots we had. Our overall downfall when it came to filming and pre production was we rushed the process. I also think another one of our weaknesses was our prop selection, which would relate to mise en scene I think we used inappropriate props that took the attention away from the audience and were not effect or needed in the shot. So for next time id select the right props and also not have that many props in a shot, as it takes the audience attention away. 

I think one of our strength is that we used good camera movement and used the correct shots to make it effective. I also think we used good camera shots to show the dramatic tension and the emotions in the film. I also think we stayed in character; Stefan created a good shot of him looking at the window which creating tension. I also think we used sound well as it added to the tension of the clip. I also think we created attention on detail with the close up shots. Finally I think the editing pace and putting all the shots together was done well. Overall I think we conducted our preliminary exercise well. However our main objective for next time would be to work on our pre planning more and take more time with it. Also take more than one shot and from more than one angle.

Mr Halsey



Initial Task

I am working with Harvey and Stephan, we are creating a teen drama. it will be based around Misfits, Waterloo Road and Fresh Meat. We came up with the name The Bench.

Psychographics

Succeeder

Blackberry 9900 advert

This advert would relate to the succeeders as this group would normally be high class and management material. Therefore I think this advert would relate to them as blackberry is used by all business men as it gives them esurience knowing they have the latest smart phone. This would also suite them as succeeders choose brands that are well known, therefore they would choose blackberry as they are one of the leading phone companies. 

Mainstream

Marks & Spencer

This group would want to seek domestic, conformist, conventional and sentimental. This group would normally be the largest group as there are many people who do not want to take risks. This group would normal be filled with rich people who do not shop at your everyday popular supermarkets. This group could also contain people who want to be seen as high class, and want to be seen as better than others. These people would also avoid confrontation with others and stay away from trouble.

Resigned

Nokia

This group would contain people who would be Rigid, strict, authoritarian and have chauvinist values. This group would be inspired by the past and would follow tradition. This group of people would normally contain the older generation. They would normally stick to a brand they can trust and have relied on in the past many of times. They would suit this advert as Nokia is one of the oldest phone brands. Therefore them not trying new brands as they want to be safe and stay with the one they can trust.

Reformer

D&G

The reformers group would contain people who seek Freedom from restriction, personal growth and social awareness. These people would have attended higher education, therefore searching for products of a high quality. I believe this advert would fit this group as this group of people would want high quality products as they also do not look at finding a cheaper priced product. Also D&G is seen to be a high class brand which many people adore therefore being right for this group. This group would also search for products that are in trend at that time.

Explorer

Kim Kardashian Perfume

 

The explorer group would contain people who would want to be this first to discovery a product. This group would be usually contain the younger generation, this is because they want to be the first to set a trend. This advert would also relate to this group as the younger generation to seek discovery of a new product as there is also a competition between this group.

Aspirer

Hollister

The group would want to seek materialistic, acquisitive, affiliative and oriented to extrinsics. The group would also buy products demanding on the brands image and appearance to others. This group would also go for products on how popular they are. This group is normally associated with the younger generation. I believe this advert would fit this group as Hollister is seen to be a popular brand, also many of the younger generation would shop at Hollister.

Strugglers

KFC

 

This group would contain people who are Heavy consumers of alcohol, eat junk food regularly and buy lottery tickets weekly. I think this advert would relate to this group; however the advert shows a family barging price for junk food, KFC also sells junk food at a cheap price.



Adverts

Rolls-Royce

  I think this advert is targeted at both males and females. I believe this as in the advert it shows both male and females getting into the car as they own it. Also the gender of attraction of a car would be decided on who would be driving the it, however in this case whoever owns this type of car would have initially have a driver. Furthermore I do believe this advert is targeted at the wealthier society.

Rolex

 I think this advert for Rolex is more targeted at men than women. This is because men are generally more interested in wearing watches than women. This is also targeted at the wealthier people as Rolex watches are very expensive. Rolex have also targeted tennis fans as they believe there are many people who are going to watch Wimbledon therefore attracting them more customers. They also may believe that the wealthier society will be attending the event.    

Carlton Draught

I think this beer advert is more targeted at men than women, this is because beer is seen to be more of a mans drink. You will also see this being represented in TV programmes when characters going into pubs you do not see women drinking beer. The moving image also connotes to the audience how important beer is to men as they are determined not to drop it.

 Andrex

I think this advert could be targeted at both men and women. I think this because as they both uses toilet role and want to find the right one for them. However I think this advert is targeted more at women than men as women normally do the shopping. They also try and find the best products. Whereas men are seen to just buy the first product they notice.

Lynx

I think this advert is targeted more at men than women. I think this because Lynx makes products more for men. I also think the moving image is targeted at men as it is connoting to the audience that if you use Lynx you will be attractive.

Cigarettes

                                                                              

I think this advert is targeted more at men than women. I think this because it shows two men smoking while their wife’s are doing the chores. I also think this advert is targeted at men as they represent smoking to be a mans activity. Also this advert is targeted at males rather than females as it is known fact that more men smoke than women.

Hi-fi System

I think that this advert targeted more at men than women. I think this advert is targeted more at men than women as men are more interested in their surround sound systems. I also think this is targeted at men as the colouring of the advert is black and blue which is seen to be more male colours.

Dyson

This advert is targeted at women as it is a household cleaning device which is generally associated with women. I believe this advert is targeted at women, as women are shown to be the ones in relationships who clean and cook while men go to work. I also believe it is targeted at women as in the moving image the main character is female.

Write The Future (Nike)

I think this advert is targeted more at men than women. I believe this because football is more associated with males rather than females. I also think that this advert is targeted at males as there were mostly male characters in the advert. I also believe this advert is targeted at football fans as Nike want them to purchase their products.

Playstation Move

I think that advert is targeted at both men and women. Whereas the Playstation 3 overall is targeted more at males, the Playstation move is targeted at both male and females as it a way to exercise. It also connotes in the moving image that it is targeted at both males and females as the two main characters are male and female. Furthermore I believe that it is targeted more at the younger audience as they are more likely to use it as they have more time and energy.

British Airways

I think this advert is targeted at both men and women. However I also believe this advert is targeted more at families. I believe this as families would be the ideal target market for British Airways as they would be the ones who mostly go on holiday. I also think the use of the female airhosts is used to attract more male customers; who would mainly be business men. I also believe that the music sends a calm vibe out which could be targeted at the female audience as they are worried more about being relaxed during a flight.