PROMO PACK BRIEF:

  Millie Wyatt 1874

I worked with Ellie Smart 1859, Charlotte Coppellotti 1812 and Jess Foster 1820.

Brief Option 2:  A promotion package for a new film, to include two trailers (major task), together with an official social media page for the film and a poster for the film (minor tasks). We made the promo pack for a crime/comedy film. The name of our film is DODGING A BULLET. DODGING A BULLET is a film about four female criminals 

Editing: I took the main responsibility for the editing of our film. I used Final Cut Pro and iMovie to do this. I took our film footage from the Canon 650D camera and uploaded it to our Mac computer at school. I imported voice memos and recordings to accompany our footage with music and dialogue. I was able to use the blade tool to cut and fit our footage as well as the volume and colour wash tools to edit the appearence of images and videos. I used iMovie to edit footage for our CCTV scene where I imposed a camera point of view filter over the four criminals surrounding the body. I used an app called 'Voice Changer' to distort a voice memo to sound static and like it was coming from a police radio. A challenge that we faced with editing was making sure we weren't continuity editing as that is an oppositie convention of a trailer. However, we used quick cut editing and intertiles to break it up. 

Camerawork: We used a Canon 650D camera and my iPhone 12 to do our filming. I often set up and used a tripod for our filming as we started out without it and found that our footage was shakey which we did not want. Specifically, in the board room scene, we struggled with lighting so that we didn't drown out our faces with light. Ellie was the main videographer and we all assisted her. There were many scenes where my character was not present so I took over the filming. We all did this at some point which gave everyone an opportunity. I specifically filmed the beginning montages where I used the tripod to pan over the mansion. I found that the tripod allowed me to get a much steady shot.

Directing: I contributed to the directing when I was behind the camera by making prop placement suggestions as well as acting encouragement. We all did this but Jess took the main directing role as she has worked in many school productions and so has more acting knowledge and experience. I used my enthusiasm for editing to fuel my directing as I had many suggestions that I could then edit together. A strength of our group was that we all had directing contributions to make.

My Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077653425534

I made the Facebook page for our film. I used the platform to post intruguing images and text regarding our trailer release. This included posts about the actors, production and teasers from our trailer. I also used the platform to promote our posters. This was a very good way of engaging our audience who are a young-adult audience that mainly consume their information on social media.

My Creative Critical Reflection can be found in the 'Creative Critical Reflection' page above.

Trailer:

POSTER:

TEASER TRAILER:

I was responsible for the Facebook page for our production Dodging a Bullet: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077653425534

CONSTRUCTION: EDITS

Research QUIZ: citation formats by Millie Wyatt

CONSTRUCTION: REFINEMENTS

REFINEMENTS: by Millie Wyatt

CONSTRUCTION: REFLECTIONS

Reflection by Millie Wyatt

CONSTRUCTION: MERCHANDISE

 We thought that it was important to have a well-rounded advertising for our production. Merchandising with T-shirts and mugs allows us to entice different demographics as all ages appreciate a mug or a t-shirt. Our most significant elements of our production, that are visually appealing were the mansion (scenery) and the painting (colourful) as well as the four criminals. We later decided to use bags as merchandise too as we felt that they were useful and durable items that promote environmental friendliness as well as being commonly used by young-adults (our main target audience). Next we created paint with our key images on, as well as note pads and pens. This is very relevant to our film as it surrounds a painting being stolen. These were the final products. We have posted about them on our social media (mine is Facebook) to advertise them for the audience. Merchandising is important which is another form of brand cohesiveness. Global conglomerates such as Marvel use toy merchandising on their website to entice their younger audiences. We did this, similarly, as mugs and t-shirts are relatively universally used items which would attract a wide range of people.

Mugs:

T-shirts:

Bags:

Paint Set:

CONSTRUCTION: CHANGES

Millie Wyatt by Millie Wyatt

PLANNING: BBFC CERTIFICATE

Dodging a Bullet's BBFC certificate:

Films have to be classified through the process of classification which gives it an age rating and context or advice to the film viewers. This process is to protect children and vulnerable audiences from content that might distress them. The BBFC publish guidelines which show the conventions for each rating. 

We researched the guidlines from the BBFC's website. We decided that out film would fit into the age bracket 15 best as it includes some harsh language. Jess used Powerpoint to 'photoshop' a template of a BBFC poster to alter it to fit our film. 

 

PLANNING: RISK ASSESMENT

During the construction phase, it was important to take into account the various risks we might have come across. Risks could be caused by factors such as transport, weather, hazards on set, general public as well as any major public incidents that would effect our filming. In order to anticipate this and put in place control measures to reduce any risks, we laid out all the potential risks we might have faced. 

• Hazard to Health and Safety
• Risk posed and to whom
• Risk Level (H/M/L)
• Control measure to reduce risk
• Further action needed to reduce risk

Transport: All our footage was taken at school and so there was no need to transport anywhere

Weather: On the 26th, it rained, the outside floor became slippery, there was a danger of getting clothing wet and becoming too cold. Wet camera when filming outside, we were unable to use the tripod, as it was raining. Students bring appropriate clothing suitable for all weather and be cautious when walking on slippery surfaces.

First Aid Issues: Trips/Falls – could trip over in darkened rooms. Possibility of tripping when running. Accidents when performing mild stunts e.g. falling down stairs, jumping out windows. Carry a first aid kit at all times, aim to have a first-aider on stand-by, close car doors carefully, identify areas of danger.

General Public (e.g. theft or assault): Low risk of potential assault or kind of incident as we are filming on school premises. Students causing incident with member of public. Students stay in groups when in public spaces (with mobile phones), do not approach members of public or respond to provoking comments, students to remain in supervised conditions, do not film late at night, follow guidance of emergency personnel.

Accommodation (e.g. risk assessment from centre): No overnight accommodation so n/a

Major Public Incident (e.g. terrorism): Not applicable as there is minor chance of a terrorist attack in a school. In the case of one: Ensure venue has assembly point and pupils know where it is, as well as giving pupils assembly points whilst on public transport. Ensure pupils know the national advice to run if possible and hide if not. Ensure pupils know to always follow police instruction. Issue pupils with printed emergency contact card detailing school landline and school mobile – instruct them to call if they become lost (as well as alerting security official). Ensure trip leader has a school mobile and also contact details for both the school and all pupils + families

PLANNING: SOCIAL GROUPS

 

Social Groups: by Millie Wyatt

PLANNING: CASTING

CASTING by Millie Wyatt

PLANNING: LOGO and PRODUCTION IDENT

For our production, I made our company's logo which I also transposed into a moving sequence (OUR IDENT). I used PowerPoint as I knew it had the transition of curtains opening which we wanted to use to open our production logo sequence. 

Firstly, I went onto PowerPoint and selected the 'transitions' where I was able to find the 'curtain reveal' option. I was working on an iMac which allowed me to screenrecord the transition when I 'presented' the two slides. On the first slide, I had a blank white screen which you can see at the beginning of the moving image. On the next side I imposed an image of a cinema and added 'cool text' lettering over the cinema screen which reads 'SILVER SCREEN PRODUCTIONS'. I then went onto my Mac and selected 'screen record' where I was able to capture the transition of the curtains revealing our production logo. I uploaded this at the start of both of our productions.

PLANNING: TARGET AUDIENCE (AUDIENCE PROFILE)

 We did some research on different audience profiles on different websites. We looked at websites such as Mojo to look at how to format our audience profile. I began researching brands and how they define audiences. There are several components to defining a target audience. We looked at age, gender, ethnicity and interests. We know that our film is targergeted at all genders, but may appeal to women more because of its female empowerment. The age rating is 15 and above as there is mild violence and swearing but not excessive amounts. 

We looked at brands such as Bauer Media, NME and Sky define their audiences. This helped me to profile my audience as it was clear which factors they took into consideration. By doing this research, I was able to make my own audience profile. 

1. Who is my primary target audience?

Our film is rated 15 years old plus, mainly females who are interested in comedy and criminals. 

2. What kind of films and television are they likely to prefer?

They are more likely to prefer comedies, like our film as well as television shows about crime.

3. What platforms do they choose to watch films and where are they likely to see information about films?

They would chose to watch films on streaming sites such as Netflix where films such as money heist and hustle can be found. They would also enjoy cinemas as our film has loud sound effects and suspence which would be heightened by a big-screen experience.

4. What brands do they prefer?

They would like brands for young adults such as Nike, Starbucks and Nandos possibly. Our demographic wouldn;t all like the same products. 

5. What makes my film stand out from the competition?

The stereotype for a criminal is usually a middle aged man because it is seen to be more dangerous. Our film has 4 female criminals which challenges the male stereotype and is a USP.

6 . Why should my audience watch my film? 

 Our target audience would enjoy our film because it has comedic elements as well as suspence scenes which makes it a good mixture of serious and enjoyable content. Similarly, it is empowering for women as the criminals and the powerful boss are all women. 

PLANNING: STORYBOARD AND MINDMAP

Mind Map:

 

While deciding on ideas for our storyboard, we made a mindmap to decide on certain elements of our trailer. We had already worked out the genre of comedy and looked at the conventions we wanted to convey it such as stupidity. We looked at the special effects we would be using which included a voice over by using a microphone which jess provided. We recorded a song for our establishing montage on voice memo which gave the music a good quality. We decided on our characters being 4 females and from there decided that was out USP. We mapped out the stereotype of criminals and challenged it by having a female boss. We debated over costumes the props came into this. Each scene needed different props which we included in our prop list. Our film name took some time to decide over but we eventually decided on 'The Framing' as it matched with the painting being stolen as well as their need to escape being charged. 

PLANNING: TREATMENT

 The title of our film is 'The Framing'. It is a comedy film with thriller characteristics. It is a story based around female criminals and the disasters they encounter while on a heist to steal a renound painting. It is not as easy as they expected as they stumble across a murder... Our film has 4 main characters who are women which is part of our unique selling point. It is aimed at young adults which may appeal more to women due to the female empowering element of our film. The big question is 'How will they escape the charges?' The criminals are all different in style and personality which gives the film some diversity. 

PLANNING: TARGET AUDIENCE AND SIMILAR FILMS

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PLANNING: LOCATION RECCE

                                                                                                                           

We did a location recce today to look at the mansion for potential places where we could film our first scene which is the scene where we establish where we rob, what we rob, who we rob and why we rob them. We also looked at the mansion as the place where we could actually rob and how it was glamorous and big which implies a very wealthy owner which is what we wanted. We looked at the staircase to see if it looked wide enough and grand enough to take the painting down during the robbery which it did.

PLANNING: TASKS

1. The name of our film: The framing
2. The name of our Production Company and our co-production companies: Silver Screen Productions, MCJE Films
3. The name of the director that will appear in our trailers: Ellie Smart
4. The name of the 2-3 main actors that will appear in our trailers: All of us (Charlotte, Jess, Ellie and Millie)
5. (Optional)  "From the director of..." Camera Shy- new work- emerging artist
6. The names of the film festivals where our film will be screened (more festival names here): London comedy film festival, BFI London Film Festival
7. Pull quotes from reviews etc; wording: 
8. Our location recce - take photos and collate in an attractive way + written explanation- The mansion
9. Our target audience- Young to mid age adults- humour and swear words+ blood but funny so any age could enjoy- to strong women- battling as the main characters- 18-25
10. Social groups and issues in our film... Women being the thieves- social group of criminals
11. Our props list - photos + stereotypes + clothing- Computer, painting, gun, costumes, projector
12. Our social media - write down decisions about who is taking responsibility for which platforms- Facebook- Millie, Instagram- Jess, Twitter- Ellie
13. Our music - we researched (this type of music) as the background track... and narrowed down our choice to include... Voice over with music under- gun shot sound
14. Our call sheets are being written by ... All of us
15. Make your storyboard - include....

• how you plan to frame shots - identify establishing shot, wide shots, two- shots, three-shots, CUs, ECUs,
• words of any other inter titles- Actor names/ character profile
• release date - decide on wording- Coming September 2022 to cinemas near you

Research: WHEN ARE TRAILERS SHOWN

http://thefilmspace.org/teachingtrailers/2019/secondary/theory/when/

Trailers are produced, usually, during the time that the editing is going on. The release point of the trailer is important because if it is released too early, people may forget about it by the time it comes out. Similarly if it is released too late then there will be no opportunity for audience excitement to build. 

I watched three trailers from the FDA website:

Toy Story 4:

• It is a sequel which would be the main talking point- nostalgic- people know the characters
• Even older children/ adults would watch it because they know the previous films and would be curious to see the next story. The amazing animation quality would also entice an older audience who are able to appreciate the characters from their childhood knowledge of the prequals as well as the amazing animation quality.
  

         
• I think the producers would choose summer or spring for the film's release because that is when children have their biggest holidays so parents would be looking for activities to preoccupy them. 
• Similarly, it appears to be based in summer which would be good to emulate with the release date for that upbeat summer feel. 
• The soundtrack would appeal to parents as the songs are from their teenage years/ childhood which would be very uplifting. The songs behind the trailer is 'God only knows what I'd be without you' by the Beach Boys which is very popular with older generations but also knows as a joyful song with the younger generations. 
• Disney is selling the idea of family memories through the toys which parents will also want to create with their children- going to watch the film in the cinema. 
• Parents may also align Woody's desire to protest children and make them happy with their own goals as a parent. As well as wanting family activities and memories.
• The reintrocution of Bo Peep is also appealing as she is a strong femals character for young girls to look up to as well as comedic elements to attract parents.

Yesterday:

• The main talking point of this film would be its basis around the internationally famous band the Beatles with their music being so popular and definitely a huge attraction of the film.
• It would be nostalgic for an older generation but the Beatles' music is not limited to one generation so it can be appreciated by all ages as it is that well known.
• The title of the film 'Yesterday' will be associated with the song and would immediately make older people start humming along. The songs from the trailers could get stuck in the viewer's head and remind them of the film whenever they find themselves humming it. 
• It leverages the most famous singer songwriters in the world with the USP being the different take on tha band and their remake of it being inovative.
• The comedic element to the film would attract younger audiences who are not gripped by the Beatles but by the jokey style of the film. 
• Blind it by the light leverages the same type of buzz as it bases it off Bruce Springsteen's music.                                                                                                                                       
• Another main attraction is the star talent as actress Lily James is the love interest and she is very well known. Similarly Ed Sheeran has a guest appearence in it which adds a comedic element to the film and would engage his musical fans. James Cordon also makes a guest appearence. The intertiles also let the audience know that the producers have made Love Actually which 
• The pure obscurity of the world forgetting the Beatles is also an intriguing part of the film which implies magic has been used for it to occur. 
• I think the film would be released in summer because of the uplifting theme of the film (being comedic) and the Beatles Soundtrack. Similarly, the film has a festival theme to it and they happen in summer. By the film being released in summer it makes people feel involved and as if they are partaking. 

The Brink:

• A main talking point is its genre of political film. A USP of the film is the elements of documentary to the film with real footage being included which makes the story more reliable. Audiences might feel that they have an insight into the truth of events and would watch it to gain more knowledge. 
• This would be aimed at adults because the topic matter is more heavy and existing knowledge of politics would be needed in order to understand it.
• The release of the film would be important as ithe audience interest would depend on the proximity of the release to the events being filmed.
• I turned to Peter Bradshaw's article on the film for more information between my second and third viewing of the trailer. His opinion would be shared with regular readers of the guardian which is that the film made him realise that he was still unable to trust Bannon. He left a 4 star review but explained that it gave evidence on the events but did not neccessarily ask the harder questions. This may attract simpler audiences who are less informed on the events and would view it with the purpose of being informed. However people who are more engaged and knowledgable on these events would want material more stimulating and would therefore not see it as a good film, like Bradshaw.
• This trailer is very different from the Frost Nixon trailer which approaches the film as an expose style which is more engaging and mysterious. 

Research: WHERE ARE TRAILERS SHOWN

RESEARCH: WHERE ARE TRAILERS SHOWN?

http://thefilmspace.org/teachingtrailers/2019/secondary/theory/where/

Trailers are shown on various platforms. They are shown in the cinema, on TV and online such as social media and film websites. They are accompanied by posters which complement the film genre which is also engaging for their target audience. The trailers are often shown in cinemas before a film of a similar genre as they have similar target audience. Film websites publish the trailers which are official but also some which have been trimmed to suit a more general audience of a wide age range. 

There are disadvantages of playing adverts during live television as many people take the ad breaks as an opportunity to get food, chat or just simply don't pay attention. Although people watch television a considerable amount more than going to the cinema, adverts during a programme irritate people so audiences tend to switch off. Similarly, with the cinema, adverts are known to be shown just before the film starts so people might actively avoid them. 

Some people still use DVD players over streaming platforms. Although my family still use them, after a class discussion, the majority of people think that they are outdated. Despite it being less modern, you still have the fast forward function which many people use when trailers are shown at the beginning of a film. This means that the trailers will not always be viewed when they can so easily be skipped. Especially when DVDs are watched continuously the trailers don't change and will also become outdated.

Social media is a very popular way for younger audiences to find trailers on platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. They are so easily accessible which younger audiences prefer. The way that I find trailers the easiest to find is on a film website. Similarly, if I get to the cinema early this is a way that I will find film trailers with a similar genre to what I like. 

http://thefilmspace.org/teachingtrailers/2019/secondary/narrative-image/style/

Dan Skinner:

Teaser trailer:

• Shorter and more concise
• To inform of a brief storyline

Main trailer:

• Three acked structure
• Beginning middle and end
• More information- detail of the storyline
• Problems, antagonists, protagonists
• Montage towards the end- build excitement
• Work horse piece of marketing
• Online, theatres, cinemas and on social media

Trailers in the digital age:

• More diligent about pictures on the screen + sound operating on different devices
• E.g. If a spaceship goes over your head in the trailer, the surround sound makes it go forward to mimic this
• Think about how the trailer will sound on a smaller device

Tv Spots:

• Much shorter
• Work with previous knowledge of the main trailer
• More about creating an impression
• Three standard times: 30 seconds, 20 seconds and 10 seconds
• 30- Most impactful lines, very condensed, an art to choosing the most important lines
• Reviews are often included

Using Graphics:

• Two types of graphics-
• Copywriting (copy): Help guide you through the story- complicated
• Pedigre- From the studio
• Speak about the director and what other films they have made

RETURN TO HIS VIDEOS FOR ADIVCE WHEN WE START OUR TRAILER

 

Research: How trailers help fill cinemas

The Teacher Trailers website, published by the FDA, says that a film should be able to clearly signal the genre so that audiences are able to decide if the film would appeal to them. There should also be a unique selling point in the trailer and film too so that it has something new to offer the audience. USP- Unique Selling Point.

• the innovative use of special effects
• an unusual mix of genres
• a popular star

http://thefilmspace.org/teachingtrailers/2019/secondary/theory/how/

Given three trailers, I identified what was the USP in each:

LION KING:

USP- A film which has only animal characters. They speak and the animation quality is extremely realistic. Studio Ghibli creates this hyper-realistic animation too which draws in an adult audience too due to its amazing quality.

LATE NIGHT:

Unique selling point- Star talent EMMA THOMPSON and MINDY KALING

- Focus on strong women and feminism within the work space

SPIES IN DISGUISE:

USP- Star talent- WILL SMITH and TOM HOLLAND

- High quality action- animation + special effects

- Spies are turned into piegons- unique plot