Proposal of Ideas

This is a scan of a spider diagram that I made to help me come up with some ideas for a storyline for my products. I wanted to think of something that would hopefully be quite unique and challenging to do, that would be different from the majority of things that are available for 15-24 year old's in the C1 socio-economic group. To think of something that would do this, I tried to think of something that people would be able to relate to, but still find new. I thought about a few products that appeal to trendies and I thought of books like "The Catcher in the Rye" and "Absolute Beginners". The things that these products have in common is that they are about thoughts and feelings of young people and begin to reveal their insecurities. I then thought about "Nowhere Boy" and "Control" which appeal to my target audience with a strong musical thread and a strong thread of nostalgia. So, I thought it might be a good idea to think of something to incorporate all of these factors. I thought a reality-based, gritty drama about trying to be different and interested in past era's, and trying to make something new whilst pulling away from the norm may be good. Then I thought about the insecurities of growing up and the feeling of loneliness, which I think everyone can relate to. Since starting college I have noticed a general unspoken peer pressure on people to get drunk and go "out on the town". I've also noticed the pressure to be "one of the gang" and not dull. Personally, I think this pressure is a bit childish, so I thought that it would be good if my products had a deeper meaning, and I could try to break down this boundary. There's a stereotype that someone who is a loner is "uncool" and not desirable (or that is the impression I get). But I think there are a lot of young people with ideas and attitudes that they haven't got in common with anyone, or haven't found anyone to connect with. So, I've decided to make my film about someone who maybe is lonely or a loner, but who is very interesting, with inspiring ideas, attitudes and thoughts. In a way, this is kind of the "anti-thesis" of Hollywood blockbusters; there may be no happy endings and I'm trying to make it look entirely reasonable and plausible.

Whilst incorporating these ideas, I really like the look of older, iconic films. Books like "The Catcher in The Rye" and "Absolute Beginners" are like cult icons, which I would love my film to be like. I would like some of my film trailer to be filmed in grey scale like "Control". I think this gives the film a more edgy and gritty look, enhancing the storyline. However, I'm not entirely sure yet as to whether all of the film will be in grey scale, or just bits. I really like the film "If..." which is a kind of mix of colour and black and white cinematography, so maybe that could work or be a possibility. This made me think about the subject of nostalgia again. I plan to research which era appeals most to my target audience and to try and recreate this look within the character. It would be too hard to recreate the past in locations, so I thought that I could use music and costume and grey scale cinematography to create this feeling as the past is something that you think about as a young person and seems strangely appealing. However, using modern locations and old clothes will make the character be in contrast to his surroundings, which is what I want the film to be about, and his individual thoughts being different to most peoples. This element could also link in with the "individual" character as quite a few of music legends have been sad or on their own, and most music legends have been individuals; Nick Drake, Ian Curtis, Syd Barrett, John Lydon, Bob Dylan etc - (Music has a massive draw/appeal to my target audience). I could also bring in the "coming of age" element with the character having to come to terms with growing up, getting a job and daily mundanity. Because of all of the ideas I want the film to include, I have decided to call it "Rise" as it has lots of connotations and suggests a posotive movement for the main character. (It has been taken from the Public Image song, and I would like my character to be abit of a modern day John Lydon type, so it fits in.)

However, I have to consider what I have available to me in terms of resources. For example, I don't know of many friends who would be willing to star in my trailer. Because of this, I researched films without a large cast;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twuScTcDP_Q

"Moon" has a narrative thread running through it about loneliness and the stark landscapes and lack of other characters really hit home this idea, which I really liked. This made me think that perhaps having this lack of resources may not be a disadvantage. I thought it would be very hard to make something like this not look boring, but it may be fun to try. Obviously, there won't just be one person in every scene of the trailer, but I would really like to do this in atleast a couple of scenes.

I decided to make the main character male, because most of the main characters in the films I looked at during my secondary research are and this is obviously a structure that works. It will also probably have more of an effect as there are still media stereotypes which put pressure on men to not cry and be "hard", whereas women are always in touch with their emotions. I think it will be interesting to try and subvert this view within what would be a whole film if I were to really make it.

In the trailer, this narrative will be structured by an initial voiceover monologue by the main character, which will "set the scene", and then the sound will change into a music soundtrack. It will be non-linear and flit back and forth throught the storyline, with faster edits to reflect happier times and slower edits to reflect sadness. I think it will be fast at first, after the scene is set, and then it will gradually become slower and more heartfelt. I could even film some teenagers drinking or at a party, doing what "stereotypical" teenagers do in like a "Skins" fashion, and then slow the footage down when it comes to my character and what it is actually like to be young. I want to use different songs to reflect this. I think it would be good for some shots in the trailer to be of writing to help reveal the narrative, and the bulk to the credits will be at the end, with a few institutional logos at the beginning. (I still want to make my products be produced by independent institutions). I am really interested in art videos where everything is unconventional and distorted, so I think this could be interesting to experiment with when producing the film. It may be safer to stick to conventions for the majority of the film as an art film might not be very successful in the cinema, but it would give me the opportunity to make something new and invigorating, which I would love.

I will make the film poster and film magazine cover only contain my main character; continuing the solitude, and I think I will make them in both greyscale and colour (if this is what I eventually do in the trailer). I would like them to look quite rough and edgy. I think I would like to make my film poster be mainly a photograph of my character looking isolated on location at somewhere which they will be filmed in. I would like the title to span beneath where the character is pictured and be in a rough font. The logos and credits that I will use will be along the very bottom in a small font. (Despite these ideas, I find it quite hard to propose the ideas for the film poster without making flat plans which I will do soon.) However, I still want to change the typical conventions, so the photo could be an extreme close up of the main characters face to make it look imposing and really personal. If the film poster was to be made really, it would probably be A1 sized, but I wouldn't want it to be glossy, I would want it to have a matt finish, to make it look more raw and gritty, this would probably fit my small budget as well as being what I want.

I want my magazine cover to be quite arty, and so I might refer back to old magazine covers (inkeeping with the retro theme) and make on that looks like it has been "cut and pasted". So, I would like it to have a matt finish, rather than a glossy one, like the poster, making it look a bit retro and gritty. I also like the effect of old magazines where everything appears to be printed on a paper that looks as though it's yellowing, which I would like to incorporate. The title of my film magazine will be "Studio 28", which is a cinema in Paris. I think it sounds quite "cool" and very different from magazine titles like "TotalFilm", which will appeal to my target audience who like things that aren't mainstream. It's also a kind of spin on "Studio 54" (Andy Warhol's studio), as I want it to look really arty and appealing. I doubt it will be covered in sell lines and typical conventions because I want it to be minimal and reflect the isolation of the film as effectively as "Little White Lies" does. I don't want the size of the magazine to be A4, as I want it to be different, so I would like it to be smaller in both width and height by about 2 or 3 centimetres.

Institutional Context

FILM PRODUCTION

I've taken the following pictures from http://www.skillset.org/film/business/ which show the process of film production and the different roles within them.

The first section of making a film production is to have an idea, which is sourced from any kind of inspiration. In my case, or the case of most dramas, the inspiration would be real life events and feelings. Then a producer, director and writer are found. In my production, I will be acting in all of these roles. This means that I'll have to make a script, direct the scenes in the trailer and source funds. However, in my case, I won't really need large funding as it will be small scale, and would probably be produced by an independent company rather than a Hollywood organisation if it were to be really produced. This would effect the look of my film, as independent institutions such as "Film4" or "3 Dogs and a Pony" seem to focus more on the uniqueness of shots and gritty feel of the dramas they produce. The treatment comes next in the process, which is a plan or proposal of what the plot and basics of the film will be.

If the trailer were to really be produced, the proposal would be pitched to different production companies to try and get them "on board" to invest time, money and services into the production of the film. In the real world, this pitching to different companies could take a vast amount of time, with people waiting years for their script to be accepted. In my own production, I obviously won't have this problem because I won't have companies or backing. The last stage in the diagram is "tying down a writer". This will obviously be me, so I won't really have this problem.

The development/production of a script is something which begins with a general idea or brief synopsis of the plot. Once this synopsis is "achieved" there needs to be an outline of the plot or storyline, breaking it down into different sections or phases. This contributes to the act of beginning to draft out a script. In my case, I won't need to draft out whole scripts for the whole film, as I am only making a trailer. So, instead I need to map out the important parts of the storyline or the parts that I consider to be most attractive to entice audiences to view the actual film. This may be snippets of dialogue or a monologue. I will probably need to come up with more sections of script than I will actually need, so that I can have a good proportion of material to edit down when it comes to editing my film trailer.

This section of the production process is labelled "packaging". This refers to putting the film into a ready commercial package which can be properly presented, with a rough budget. A part of this phase can include casting or appealing to big stars to make the proposition of your film more appealing to commercial companies, as big stars encourage wider and larger audiences, meaning a larger turnover. Packaging also includes the production of more detailed budgets and pricing, as well as a schedule to inform possible participants of the durations of production. All of these components create the package of the film. However, I won't need to present my film trailer as a package to commercial companies. I would like it to look commercial or professional, but I won't need to present it to anyone, it will be for my own information. I can still make budgets and schedules, but it seems a little surplus to requirements to create a proper budget when I will have limited funds anyway.

This section of the process is about financing. For the film to be produced it needs funds from investors. If my film were to be actually made, I think it would be probably funded by public investment (organisations like the UK Film Council) or it could possibly be co-funded by organisations. However, the latter may not be so likely as it probably wouldn't have a large budget, so wouldn't require funding from multiple organisations. There are also various other sources for money, such as banks, selling the rights before production, selling shares and having wealthy contacts. Once the appropriate funding has been negotiated the film production can properly begin.

Pre-production involves casting for actors to play the roles in the film. It's important when casting to consider actors who are not only right in appearance, but also in ability. In a proper film production, possible actors may be recruited nationwide, whereas in my production I will be limited in choice. It may also be difficult to gain a range of ages in my casting and so I may have to work in reverse, shaping the storyline around available actors, or at least take this into consideration when making a script. The casting section will probably be the only real involvement of other people in the production of the trailer, otherwise I take on most roles. After casting, a storyboard will be created with directions and technical codes deeply annotated in it. There will also be a professional artist drawing the pictures. I will be making a storyboard and animatic for my own trailer, again taking on all of the roles involved. In the pre-production stage, I will also have to source costumes and make-up that I will need for the production. As I don't have a large budget, these elements will probably be purchased from charity or second-hand shops. I will also make any alterations to costumes that are necessary in this section. In addition to this, I will need to prepare any locations, which I should have already visited and checked that I am able to film there.

The production phase is where the actual filming will take place. During this section, I will be taking on the roles of setting up and providing props, shooting the actual footage, director, cameraman, sound man, lighting technician, producer etc. The only roles I will not be performing are that of the cast and I will try to ask someone to take stills shots of the production and action as it is ongoing. During this section, it seems important to stick to a schedule and to the storyboard. If it were a proper production, roles would be applied to many different people and other people such as insurers and "gaffers" would be there, but as I am producing it myself, on a small scale, with no funding, I will have to perform most roles.

After the footage has been filmed, it would be time for the post-production section. This is when the footage is edited together to form the narrative. Sound would also be incorporated, which can include dialogue, music, voiceovers and a diegetic soundtrack. Titles, logos and credits will also need to be incorporated accordingly. I will probably do this on the facilities and software available at college or home, whereas really people can hire out editing suites/studios and have state of the art technology. However, this may be less likely in an independent film, which mine would be, but obviously mine will not be of such high standard or quality. When all of this is completed, there eventually be a final cut.

This is the stage which seems most relevant to my project. This is when a trailer would be created for a film, and used for advertising. This is also when the product would be sold and screened at different venues. Deals will also be negotiated with distributers, who could possibly distribute the film nationwide or internationally, depending on the target market.

This stage introduces the possibility for synergy or synchronisation of products. This is when a film poster would be created, which I also have to create. This is also when other merchandise is created, and this can range from anything to hats, mugs, t-shirts and toys, depending on the audience. (For example, toys would be pointless for a film with a target market of adults ages 45-70). Also, surveys and tests are done at screenings now to see who the actual audience is, and who the film is most attractive to. This information enables people to market the product effectively in effective locations at effective times. (For example, a TV advert on in the advert break of Big Brother for a film aimed at 14-22 year olds). The only section of this I will be really focusing on is a film poster and magazine cover, as it will be advertised in film magazines as well.

This is when the film is actually exhibited. Independent films are more likely to be shown at smaller venues as they attract a niche market, whereas Hollywood blockbusters can be shown at nationwide, larger cinemas like "Odeon".

This is when merchandising can add to the vast profits made; DVDs and Blue Ray discs are produced and sold, the film can be sold to hospitality organisations, games can be made, other gimmicky products can be made and it can be screened on television. There is always the possibility of making more capital from the film as remakes may be made in the future as the love for a film can be passed down through generations.

PRINT.

As well as making a film trailer, I will also be making a film magazine cover and a film poster, both of which would be produced by the print industry. The type of organisation that would probably create a film magazine like I want to create (similar to "Little White Lies") is an independent company. An independent company like this is smaller than institutions that create magazines like "Total Film". Because of this, the production funds that the magazine has to go on may be smaller and the actual content of the magazine may differ. For example, "Total Film" may cover/report on international film festivals and interview huge stars, whereas a smaller magazine like "Little White Lies" may be based on more independent films (like my own would be) and still cover big film festivals, but in a different manner, focusing on different aspects. Being an independent institution may also mean that funds are smaller, in which case the production value may be lowered, or the distribution not as wide, or not as many editions published. If my magazine were to be actually created, I think I would like the lack of funds to effect the look of the magazine. I quite like the "rough and ready" look that a lot of early punk magazines had, where there was no technology and the magazine was compiled by cutting and pasting pieces of paper and pictures. I won't be assembling my magazine like this, but the "rough and ready" look is something that is commonplace to a lot of independent magazines, whether they belong to the film genre or not. I think magazines like "Little White Lies" are so appealing because they do look so different and therefore attract an audience similar to the one I intend to be aiming at. However, if my magazine didn't have a glossy finish, but was still quite "rough yet arty" in look, I think it would still appeal to and attract the same audience, whilst lowering theoretical costs. I would like to apply this look to the film poster, as I think an independent print company would also be creating this.

In the print industry, the process begins with an idea, like the film industry. The idea is then planned and drafted until it is produced or created on a computer. This is then printed by a printing company, and distributed accordingly. In the case of my own productions, posters and magazines would probably be produced on a low budget. I will be taking on all of the roles in these productions, such as editor, artist, printer, researcher, writer, proofreader and illustrator, with the help of modern technology. The only roles that I will not be taking on will be being the subject matter (models in photos). The technology I will be using will be operated by me, such as digital cameras, film cameras, Adobe Photoshop etc. This will not be at any real cost because I can use these things free with college. So, I will need to have various skills such as editing skills, photography skills and filming skills.

In the actual industry, my film poster wouldn't be very widely distributed, and I could probably only afford to place them where I knew my target audience would be, such as in areas of cities where vintage shops and record shops are. I would probably have to conduct surveys of where would be the optimum place to put posters. In most cases, film posters are manufactured by the film distribution company, just as the trailer is, possibly using shots/fonts used within the trailer, which they will have most knowledge and control over - they will also know what they want the look of the package as a whole to be, and so will best execute this idea. My film poster, if it were to be made properly, would be distributed and made by the institutions involved in making the film/trailer. With reference to the film magazine cover I will be making, I think if the magazine were really produced it would be distributed to smaller more independent shops in cities, such as vintage shops and record shops where my audience would be known to visit. Although, "Little White Lies" is exhibited in a large retailer like "WH Smiths" and there are never many copies held there, so I think it might be distributed shops as well. An outlet like "Borders" would have probably been ideal to get a large number of sales, as it stocked a wide variety of independent magazines, but due to the credit crunch it has sold down.

Secondary Audience Research

(Taken from http://www.pearlanddean.com/)
I looked at drama films that were based around the theme of coming of age to see what the target audience was. Films like "Stoned", "Nowhere Boy" and "An Education" are films that are set in the past and "Stoned" and "Nowhere Boy" are based around the lives of famous musicians. Because of these elements, they appear to attract an older audience, especially in the case of "Nowhere Boy" and "An Education" as the bulk of their audience lies in the 45+ category. However, "Stoned", "Somers Town" and "This Is England" appealed most to the 15-24 age category. Because I am of this category I think it would be good to try and make a "coming of age" drama to appeal to this audience, as it has obviously done successfully before with these films that I would love to take inspiration from. All of the films as a whole seem to appeal to genders fairly evenly with the steepest drop being 62%/38%. This surprised me, as I thought a film such as "Stoned" would appeal to mainly men, but it in fact appealed to more women. I think I would like my film to appeal to both a male and female audience, perhaps with a slight leniency towards a female audience. From this research, I have dismissed the stereotypical view that a male audience is mainly attracted to Hollywood action thrillers, as I now can see that they are largely attracted to drama films as well. In addition to this, despite the decision to target mainly a 15-24 year old audience, I will keep in mind that an older audience is interested as well, especially when it comes to influences from the past, which is something I would like my film to contain as it's a large part of my own life. So when producing and planning my own film trailer, I will try to use elements that will appeal to this audience as well as the younger one I have specifically chosen.
I will also be targeting people of the C1 socio-economic group. Although the above research shows that the AB socio-economic group has sometimes been the main audience, I think this would be referring to the adults. The C1 socio-economic group is lower middle class. However, students, which fit in my age range, could be in any socio-economic group, because they are classed by the status/income of their parents.

I quite like the idea of making a trailer with a storyline that is based around nostalgia and the past, whilst being a coming of age drama, as I think the past is a thing that all people growing up can become fascinated with. So, I've tried to pick a 15-24 year old target audience to target. To add a label to these so that they can be more easily identifiable, I went onto http://www.uktribes.com/. I found a tribe called "Trendies" who I have picked as my target audience because they are interested in cult, not mainstream things and vintage things. This means that an independent film trailer and magazine might appeal to them, especially if it's linked to the past and nostalgia. I also picked this group because their consumption of cinema products is moderate, and I think there haven't been any films specifically targeted at this audience to capture it completely. I think this would therefore be an interesting and challenging group of people to try and appeal to. (This is demonstrated below). The tribe is also closely interlinked and has a majority crossover with indie scenesters - liking the same things and wanting the same difference to the mainstream in what they consume.

(Taken from www.uktribes.com )
This youtube video attempts to sum up the tribe and their characteristics/interests. In addition to this, http://www.uktribes.com/ describes them like this:

"The aesthetic awareness and thirst for new trends is blossoming across youth culture and drawing in new members. Accordingly, having the newest look or knowing about the newest trend is easier but means less than it did ten years ago. It's still important for the older section of Britain's youth though – Trendies tend to be in their early/mid 20s and are generally middle class. The Trendies Tribe is growing so significantly that fashionistas, a term once used solely to describe east London would-be stylists and fashion darlings, is growing in currency across the UK and is now used in more general terms to describe a more-trendy-than-average trendy."

The tribe's interests in aesthetics seem key to the tribe, so I hope this will give me an opportunity to try and do some nicely filmed and well framed footage. I would like my products to be quite cool, so that they could pass as something "trendies" would be interested in. They also seem to be of the correct age that I would like to target as the tribe is vastly appealing and opening up to a younger audience, now beginning at school-leavers.

This secondary research has inspired me to try and make my product as real to life as possible, so that people of this age and tribe can relate to it. It's also made me think about aesthetics, as this is what appeals to my audience. I would like my film to have proffessional looking/high quality cinematography, with effective make up and "trendy" costumes, as I think this is what will entice my audience. In addition to this, I will try to pick young actors to be in my film, so that my audience feels directly and immediately involved and integrated in the footage, which I think will appeal to them well. I will also try to keep a musical thread running through my narrative if possible, as films that contain this seem to appeal more to my audience as well. After this secondary research, I will follow it up with some primary research. This should be made simpler by the fact that I have now identified a specific audience that I wish to target with my products.

Primary Audience Research

Primary Audience Research on Prezi

Textual Analysis

Choosing a Genre on Prezi

Textual Analysis on Prezi

Action Plan

This is a copy of the action plan I made and used throughout the project, helping me to manage my time more effectively and complete things to deadlines.