My teen angst film

10/12/13

My group has done a lot of planning so far in preparation for our teen angst film. I have constructed a draft storyboard for what my group is going to do during the title sequence. This storyboard includes what shot types we are going to use for each shot, the sound we are including (digetic and non-digetic), the speech used and a description of the movements of the characters. I have also found two tracks that our group is going to use, called 'Cut And Dry' and 'Step To The Grind' which were both taken from freeplaymusic.com. Both songs are typically found in teen angst films, they are very cheerful and upbeat songs that we were going to use during the title sequence as non-digetic sound when the main character Grace is getting ready to go to school. We were then going to use digetic sound of the school bell as the first shot of the first scene, to represent the start of the first scene. The school bell represents teen life as it is found in schools. I have also created a production company logo with Tom called 'Victory Productions'. The logo is a gold colour symbolizing the quality of the films produced by the company. The logo has a plain background and a small image next to the text, which shows it is a low-budget production company. The word 'Victory' in capital letters and is a larger text size compared to 'productions'. The word, and the size of the word, connote high standards and achievement. Below is an image of our production company logo:

Teen angst research

The first film i researched for teen angst films was Easy A.

Here is the evidence i discovered that shows Easy A is a teen angst film from it's title sequence and opening scene:

• High key lighting
• Cheerful / upbeat music
• Setting: school, teen bedroom setting
• A flashback from the main characters past showing an awkward situation - shows how uncomfortable she is and thee teen target audience can relate. 
• Props: Shoes tied to the tree - assosiating teens / bullying as well as the books that are dropped on the floor when a girl is pushed over.
• Teen girl is the main character - often the case in teen angst films
• Theme: related to growing up / coming of age
• Use of a voiceover to introduce characters and explain plot
• Different front sizes and colours - used to make text more appealing - also used a lot in teen angst films.
• Use of comedy - to appeal to the audience

Here is the evidence that shows Footloose is a teen angst film:

• Misé-en-scene - a party; dancing, singing, alcohol and relationships are all stereotypically associated with teenagers
• Teen love
• Teens showing a hedonistic feeling
• Social groups - male and female, all part of a performing arts group, no old or disabled people
• The Footloose title is handwritten and lit up like stage lights. The fact that it is handwritten represents hedonistic feeling
• Music is loud, upbeat, cheerful - use of digetic sound when the characters sing along
• Friends and relationships are what is valued - also typical of teen angst films

Teen angst movie collage

In this collage i have picked stereotypical teenagers from teen angst films. Top right is an image from Juno, where the main character is pregnant, and this is typical for teenagers because teenagers are stereotypically obsessed with sex. Other stereotypical representations of teenagers also occur in this collage, like the 'bitchy' popular girls in the bottom right image, from Mean Girls, and the image of the main character from Perks Of Being A Wallflower partying in the image in the centre. In the same image, the fact that the characters are at a party and dancing will also suggest there is going to be enjoyable music in the film, which again is something that the teenage audience would appeal to. There are also good looking male and female characters and often teen love, as shown in the bottom left image, also from Juno. The image in the middle-left taken from Mean Girls, portrays teen girls as people who care about their appearance which is another stereotypical representation of teenagers. In the same image, the girls are represented as being best friends due to them wearing the same clothing and taking part in typical girl activities together, which is relateable to the target audience as teenagers generally have 'friendship groups'. All the movie titles in the collage e.g Juno, Dear Lemon Lima, Easy A and The Perks Of Being A Wallflower all use bright and colourful text to connote happiness and this is another feature of teen angst films. As you can see in the images above, there is also a frequent use of high key lighting. This is often used in teen angst films as it suggests an upbeat and happy mood, making the film more enjoyable to watch for the audience. Teen angst films are often from a person's perspective and they usually highlight the different social groups. For example, Mean Girls is focused on life from a popular girl's point of view, whereas Perks Of Being A Wallflower is a film from the 'minority' or 'outcasts' point of view, this is so a wider range of audience can enjoy the film. All the images represent the general narrative in each of the films they are taken from, and the majority of the images represent things teenagers commonly see / take part in / problems they may face. For example; the dancing, the stylish clothing, the 'bitchy' girls, pregnancy and romance. Cinematography is apparent in all the images. One example is in the bottom right image from Mean Girls. The photo is taken from a relatively low angle, meaning the camera is looking slightly up at the girls. This represents their importance and dominance, which suggests they are the main characters in the film as well as being the 'popular' girls in school. Similarly in the top right image from Juno's front cover, it is taken from the side which means the audience can see that she is pregnant. This is a common issue either witnessed or experienced by teenagers and it will influence them to see the film. In some of the films they use very popular actors that are commonly found in films that appeal to the target audience.  For example; Emma Stone in Easy A, Michael Cera in Juno and Emma Watson in Perks Of Being A Wallflower.

Spider-man title sequence

Spider-man film cover

00:00-02:29

T1: 00:05 - Columbia Pictures presents
T2: 00:10 - A Marvel Enterprises / Laura Ziskin production
T3: 00:19 - MAIN TITLE: Spider-man
T4: 00:24 - Starring Toby Maquire
T5: 00:30 - Willen Dafde
T6: 00:34 - Kristen Dunce
T7: 00:39 - James Franco
T8: 00:43 - Cliff Robertson
T9: 00:48 - Rosemary Harris
T10: 00:53 - J.K. Simmons
T11: 00:58 - Gerry Becker - Bill Nunn
T12: 01:03 - Jack Betts - Stanley Anderson - Ron Perkins
T13: 01:09 - Casting by Francine Maisler and Lynn Krisswell
T14: 01:14 - Co-producer Grant Curtis
T15: 01:21 - Music by Danny Elfman
T16: 01:31 - Costumes designed by James Acheson
T17: 01:36 - Visual effects desined by John Dykstra, ASC
T18: 01:40 - Edited by Bob Murowski - Arthur Cobern, A.C.E.
T19: 01:45 - Production designer Neil Spisak
T20: 01:51 - Director photographs Don Burgess, ASC
T21: 01:57 - Executive producers Avi Arad - Stan Lee
T22: 02:05 - Produced by Laura Ziskin - Ian Bryce
T23: 02:09 - Based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
T24: 02:16 - Screenplay by David Koepp
T25: 02:24 - Directed by Sam Reidi

Film production logos

(20th Century Fox) The text is surrounded by spotlights that are pointing up at the sky, this shows it's relation with films and the bold, capital letters suggests its importance and relevance. The fact that the text looks like a tall monumental building, also represents how popular and well-known 20th Century Fox is. In the image, you (the audience) are looking up at the logo, which also connotes its importance and represents how dominant it is in the film industry, which is also represented by the gold text.

(Paramount) The Paramount text is at the tip of the mountain which connotes its importance and and how well known it is. The stars around the Paramount text  represents something as being good and that they are 'up in the stars' - which connotes they are a very accomplished in the film industry. The Paramount text is also above clouds, which again shows how 'high up' it is in the film industry. Even the word 'paramount' means supreme power, or to be more important that anything else which connotes how much of a large company it is.

(Take Two) The denotation of this logo are the two T's that stand for 'Take Two' , these T's are formed together to make a film reel, which connotes it's relevance to the production of films. The name 'Take Two' also represents it's relevance with the production of films, as 'take two' is a phrase used in the making of films, if a shot wasn't done correctly the first time - so the name suggests that something didn't necessarily go right the first time so they are trying again. The use of just white and black for colours, may suggest that the production company is relatively low budget. 

(Film4)  The text is sans serif font and i also in capital letters which expresses their confidence and how proud they are of the films that they produce. The colours red and white connote pride in their work and premium quality. The large white straight lines (that make the number 4) connote boldness and confidence in their production as well as emphasizing the company they are a part of.

(Dreamworks) The whole logo is based upon dreams and connotes imagination. The image of the boy sat on the moon fishing connotes that the boy is dreaming and in a special place to him, which allows him to use his imagination. The night sky and the clouds connote "reaching for the stars" and dreams. The soft, light colours also represent that the film company mainly produce children's films. 

Preliminary task

In our preliminary task we were given a storyboard to follow and were split into small groups. The storyboard involved someone entering a room and sitting down at a table with a different character, then they had to have a short conversation that we had to construct.  I was in a group of 4 and three of us had to allocate ourselves with characters while the spare person would do the filming. There were certain rules that we had to follow while filming like the 180 degree rule. This is when we make sure the camera stays on the same side of what is being filmed, this avoids confusion for the audience. If we kept moving the camera around the room the audience would get confused with what is happening and will not understand. We also used shot reverse shot during dialogue to make the scene run more smoothly and the help the audience understand who is speaking and what is happening during the scene. We used close ups of the characters as another way of letting the audience know who is talking and so they understand what is happening. We also used a close-up on the main character's hand when he opened the door, and this lets the audience feel involved in a way and let the audience see from the characters perspective.

Film Research

The two films i was given to research were Gravity and The Selfish Giant.
Gravity:

Here are the key points that i discovered:

• Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón 
• Produced by: Alfonso Cuarón and David Hayeman
• Written by: Alfonso Cuarón and Jonás Cuarón
• Starring: Sandra Bullock and George Clooney
• Music by: Steven Price
• Distributed by: Warner bros. Pictures
• Released October 4th, 2013 (US)
• Released November 8th, 2013 (UK)
• Budget: $100 million
• Genre: Sci-fi thriller
• Running time: 90 minutes
• Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki 

The Selfish Giant:

• Directed by: Clio Barnard
• Written by: Clio Barnard
• Starring: Conner Chapman
• Distributed by: Cinéart 
• Released: May 16th, 2013 (Cannes)
• Released: October 25th, 2013 (UK)
• Budget: N/A ('low budget')
• Genre: Drama
• Running time: 91 minutes
• Cinematography: Mike Eley

Here are links to interviews for some of the people involved in both Gravity and The Selfish Giant:
George Clooney (Gravity): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh3HOVcF1_A
Sandra Bullock (Gravity): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV03Yaoaixg 

Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8vDsW0D8hQ

The Cast (The Selfish Giant): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilMMJZDgDh8

Clio Barnard (The Selfish Giant): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdAHyWHbH4E

And finally, here are links for the film trailers for both Gravity and The Selfish Giant:
The Selfish Giant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrHcLLWCVI0
Gravity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiTiKOy59o4

I also came across posters for both movies. One poster that appealed to me for Gravity was one which was a poster of Sandra Bullock when she is floating away from the spacecraft. The extreme long shot of her floating away from the spacecraft creates a worried/scared feeling for the audience as it makes them wonder what is going to happen to her, and this will make them want to watch the film to find out what happens. The film slogan "Don't let go" is also at the top of the poster, this creates the same feeling for the audience and it makes them wonder what sort of situation Sandra Bullock is in, in the film. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney's names are also at the center of the poster in a bold font, this is to grab the attention of the target audience who are interested in their other films.

The Selfish Giant film poster that  saw has the film title in bold, block style pink text that takes up almost the entire poster to immediately grab the attention of the audience, as well as a picture of the main character Conner Chapman, and a horse, which gives an idea of what the film contains. At the top of the poster there is a quote "Britain has found a new director to be proud of" and this quote will influence the audience to see the film, because it suggests that the film is very good because Clio Barnard is an accomplished director. The poster also contains 9 ratings, 4 of them being 5-star ratings. These are ratings given to the film by certain audiences that may appeal to the target audience, and these ratings spread across the poster are to try and enhance the number of people interested in watching the film, as many people judge whether or not they want to see a film based on it's ratings.

Our swede

Here is the link for the swede that my group did.
Edited by myself, Matt and Lee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-xGZAKoyLw

Advertising campaign - AS homework

If our swede was to be released as a film, the main target audience would be teenagers (13-18 years old). This is because that age category would be most likely to want to see it and they would understand the storyline. Also as we are the same age as the target audience, we know how to appeal to that age group. The best way to advertise our film would be through television adverts or posters in magazines (particularly magazines that focus on new films). TV adverts are the most common and most effective way to advertise a film, as a lot of people would see it. Posters in magazines that are for film enthusiasts would be a good way to advertise our film too. Teenagers are the most likely age group to be buying magazines that focus of films. Another effective way of advertising our film would be through trailers on a website for our film, or at cinemas. Some people prefer judging films through trailers, and they can look at these either on a film or cinema website. Reviews are also a good way to advertise a film, as many people would look at reviews of a film (in a magazine or newspaper) before deciding to go and watch the film.

Editing our swede - AS homework

To start off with we just watched all of the clips that we had recorded and decided which ones we wanted to use for our swede and which ones weren't relevant or had gone wrong. After deciding which clips we wanted to use, we cut out the unnecessary bits in each one, i.e. taking out any parts of the clip that had unwanted background noise, and we then moved on to adding our title screen. After that, we had to arrange the clips in order so the story made sense as according to the actual Star Wars movies. Then we played with the clips a bit and go used to the tools available on the programme we were using. We added transactions in-between scenes and we reduced the motion speed in some of the fighting scenes to make them more appealing. However, we had faced a few problems in the editing of our swede. One of these is that we didn't film as much as we would've liked. This may have been down to the short time we were given. But this restricted us to a limited number of clips, and when we knew we had messed up on one of the scenes we didn't have enough time to re-do it because we had a time limit, so we had to move on to the next clip. When we were editing and realised we didn't get enough clips, we used clips that we thought we wouldn't of needed before, and this actually worked to our advantage as we were able to get certain scenes from different camera angles. Another problem we encountered during the editing of our swede is that it took us a while to figure out how to use the programme properly, as it was one we weren't used to. This wasted time we had to edit the swede and therefore it took longer to edit. We had to overcome this problem by staying behind after school to make up for the time lost.

Film Production

In one of my media studies lessons, we got into groups of four or five and we had to make our own swede for a chosen film. My group decided to do a swede for Star Wars! I discovered all the different range of shot types that film producers use during making our film. We had to use a surprising amount of these different shots during the making of our film and it was tricky because we had to make sure we used as many as possible, so the film isn't all filmed with the same shot. I also found out about a lot of the demands that need to be met during film production. For example, a film producer needs to have very good organisation, needs to always be on time and meet deadlines, and needs to make sure that each shot is perfect. I.E there can't be any unwanted background in shots. So depending on where the scene is recorded, there can't be posters or advertisements in the background because it ruins the shot. A film producer needs to have good communication skills too. I found that in our group we would often be getting in arguments about where shots are taken / what happens in the shots etc. This is because we all had a different idea about what we wanted from the film, and when the ideas clashed we couldn't think of an alternative, therefore often getting in arguments and wasting the short time we had to make our swede. Planning is also key for film production. My group didn't have a solid plan to follow, thus leading to arguments about what we were doing etc. Where each shot is filmed, who plays which character, the script, which shot types are used and a good time schedule all come under planning. A storyboard is useful as you can plan all those things above for each shot, making the whole thing a lot easier and structured.

What is a swede?

A swede is basically a short summary of a film made by a group of people with practically no money and little resources to make the film. Here is the link for a Harry Potter swede to give you an example of what a swede is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-5KTKMULzI

Hello!