Exclusive...'A girl next door' trailer

I have completed the trailer!! I am very happy with the overall feel of the trailer and I feel it is conventional. I made sure I did enough research before making the trailer so that it does fit into the romantic comedy genre.
The only risk I took with making the trailer is the fact that I have, in the end, used a female voice over. This was mainly down to time and illness of my male voice over. However, I feel it works. The voice is strong and persuasive like any male voice over would be. It also opens a 'new' market for females to start doing film voice overs, because they do work with the correct voice. I wanted my trailer to stand out so I needed to challenge one convention to make it innovative and memorable.

Magazine front cover

I have been working on a conventional film magazine front cover. I am happy with the outcome however, I need to add a barcode to the product to make it completely conventional.

I have used the word 'Action' as my masthead. I feel it is catchy and like 'Empire' has two syllables. The white writing stands out without making it over power the image. I have included a price and date.

The persuasive lexis such as 'massive' 'special' 'exclusive' also make the consumer want to buy the magazine as they want to know all of the inside information first about the new film.

As i previously stated this isn't the final version, I need to add the barcode and I may change the pink writing to a colour which stands out more and is more conventional to the male audience. However, the 'Empire' front cover with Keira Knightley on has feminine font colours. I shall see which looks best and then upload the better looking one.

New photos for subsidiary tasks

Magazine front cover: Below is my magazine front cover image. I gave it the feel of 'Empire' magazine.I particularly liked the image of Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom because it appealed to both genders. It still needs editing and the extra content added but I am happy with the picture now.

Poster: I took a new picture for the poster as well. I wanted to keep things simple and I think this image captures the romantic comedy genre. I'm not going to have the men on the poster because their images didn't look right. The use of the female lead on the poster will draw men in and women in. I shall blend and crop the background to make it white to fit with the conventions of other film posters.

The font on this poster is just like the font in my trailer which is what I was aiming for. I shall use the font from my trailer on the poster so an audience can associate the poster and trailer to be from the same marketing brand.

Other things to consider on the magazine front cover

Not only is there the main image to consider on the front of my magazine. I shall have to consider font types, names and other film related stories; like the way 'Empire' magazine does. This is called a house style. The best thing to do is keep it simple as sometimes 'Empire' can look busy on the front cover. However, if I stick to the key conventions of all magazines and create a new image for a film magazine I shouldn't have a problem. Here are some things to consider:

(You may need to click on the image)

The first thing to consider is the Masthead, in this instance it is 'Empire' that immediatly is eye catching. The use of the red draws in the consumer and sets a tone of 'danger.' As this film magazine has been made for the male audience I shall keep to conventions and use a strong colour that gives off 'danger' when considering my masthead. The masthead is for display purposes.

Cover lines are information given on the front page of a magazine highlighing some of the main issues and features in the magazine. I will have to consider other films when making my own front cover. Or I could have a 'premiere special' like the one on the left. So all the content is about my trailer/film!

Puffs are words or phrases on the front cover of a magazine to boost status. This could be the status of the magazine or the film content. Key phrases and reviews will help.

Barcode: All magazine have a barcode, from lifestyle magazines to cultural magazines. This is so that the magazine company can track sales. It would be particularly important if the magazine content had become different or more appealing to a wider audience. This would be good to track on a magazine like the one I shall create, as it is different to its usual convension.

I have also noticed that all important information such as the selling line, main cover line and cover lines are placed on the left. This is known as the 'left side third'. It is designed like this to attract potential consumers. To keep things simple and conventional I shall keep to the 'left side third' to attract new and potential buyers. I also like how the price is situated on the right so that the consumer doesn't necessarily focus on this.

I will still have the more plain font when thinking about the typography of the front cover just so that the magazine is conventional. The white stands out due to the dark image. Depending on the main image I will have to decide on the colour of my font and what sits well with the themes of the film and what looks right with the image.

Problems

I am having a problem with my magazine front cover main image. I'm trying to get the two images to merge into one but due to the programmes I have access to I can't do this. I have tried to crop the back grounds and just use the images but then images become blurred and look unprofessional.

I think I am going to have to re take the photos and use both actors in the shot at the same time so the picture can have a high quality like 'Empire' magazine. I shall do this tomorrow when both actors are present and I will probably change the expression on Imogen's face. Maybe make it a bit 'sexier' to get the male audience in. As they say: 'Sex does sell.'

Subsidiary photos

These are some of the pictures I took when thinking about my subsidiary task. As you can see for the poster picture I used a similar format to other conventional romantic comedy posters. I used as white background as all the other poster pictures have been taken on a white background. These pictures need editing which is what I plan on doing later on today. They will be cropped and made to look glossy. The light blue denim jacket highlights the pastel colour I wanted to use and the boys who aren't the main characters are in the back in slightly duller costume. I think this poster will appeal to both men and women from my target audience of late teens as it features Gracie and the male characters as well. This will draw all audiences in.

Poster Pictures:

I chose these two pictures as the ones to work on and edit as I particularly like all the characters facial expressions. In the first one I like the way the actress of Gracie is looking classic and confident and the two boys have carried on their character roles. The picture also looks natural which fits with the title of the film 'A girl next door.' The costume is everyday and not particularly fancy which may make the audience associate with the characters more and it also adds to the realism of the film.

In the second photo I like the confused look on Gracie's face. It almost feels like a Bridget Jones- esque type of shot. However, I shall see which one is editted best and then use that one in the poster.

For my magazine front cover I took a picture of the lead girl and one of the boys. Like the poster image I am unsure of which picture to use. I chose to take both as each picture targets a different audience. Gracie's picture will draw in the male audience from the 'Empire' magazine . Justin's picture will be iconic for men and make them think 'Yeah men can be in a romantic comedy and still be cool'?? Having thought all this through I will use both of these images like the Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom 'Empire' shoot for the audience purposes.

I really like this picture. Imogen the actress of Gracie looks really pretty and down to earth and she is attractive to the male eye. I decided to put her in the same costume as what she wore in the poster so the audience can see the link between the film poster, trailer and the magazine, creating a marketing brand for the complete film. The editing side will take time as I want it to look conventional to the 'Empire' style. The shadow will be cropped as well as the black curtain and railing so once again the image is just on a simple white background.

I think I may re-take the shot with Greg and Imogen in so it will take less time to edit the two photos together.

Nearly there...

I have almost completed my trailer and the subs are coming along nicely too :)

This morning I recorded my voice over with the actress who plays Gracie as I think her voice is strong and she did it with much conviction. However, I tried to carry this on but it really didn't sound right...so....! Instead of having the voice over completely male or female I will have the opening with the female voice and the basic 'plot' recorded with a male voice. This is returning to conventions as the first Bridget Jones trailer is female then male. I think this will work! I just have to find some male talent.

I am happy with the music as it fits well with the images on screen and I am happy with the font. I feel it has come together well and is a conventional trailer.

How did you use new media technologies in the research, planning, construction and evaluation stages?

Throughout this process I have used many different resources to help with research, planning, construction and evaluation.

Research:

The internet site youtube was one of my main research resources. This was because I was able to watch and then analyze the typical conventions of a romantic comedy trailer. You can see throughout my blog I have not only used this site to note the immediate conventions, I have also used this throughout the process when deciding music, voice overs and costume. It was also easily accessible on the computers and there was a direct link to upload videos from youtube to blogger.

The search engine 'google' also helped when researching my subsidiary tasks and finding out about producing, distributing and marketing my trailer. Just type in anything to do with magazine covers and film posters and I learnt so much.
I also was able to copy and use some pictures I found on google to analyze, the film posters and magazine cover, for example. This was helpful because I could then see how to construct and produce my subsidiary tasks. The mood board was also created through google images. I simply copied images from google to a word document and then I could instantly see the types of shots, costume colours and general feel for a romantic comedy trailer.

My own knowledge also helped when researching into the type of trailer I wanted to create. Romantic comedies have always been my favourite genre of film. Therefore I was lucky enough to have some knowledge of what makes a romantic comedy film and trailer. Having not looked at trailers in depth I noted some immediate conventions when watching the romantic comedy trailer. However, using the sites such as google and youtube I could construct a completely conventional trailer. General knowledge of how a trailer, film poster and magazine front covers are made also helped when constructing conventional products in a certain genre and age group. Having taken As media studies I also knew quite a lot about which company would produce this trailer or who would distribute it worldwide.

Planning:

The 'blogger' site helped me with keeping up to date with what I had done and what I had to do. For instance, we were given dead lines for particular things to be done and uploaded onto blogger. I could upload everything, rough cuts, analysis and ideas for subs. Having this blog made it easy to access at school and home so that all set work could be completed. Writing the heading of the blog title then saving it also reminded me of what needed to be done so that nothing is missed out. I found that keeping the blog organised and up to date helped me plan what needed to be done and on which days. Almost like a diary.

I didn't make a complete call sheet as it took a lot of time that I didn't necessarily have. However, I did make sure I had everybody in the trailers phone number when it came to planning which scene I would shoot next. I could easily contact them and ask if they are able to film the next day and if they could, would they bring particular clothes in for that scene. If they couldn't do that day then I would either ask someone else to film with me, carry on with my subsidiary tasks or edit together what I had filmed. This way I could use my time productively even if I'm not filming.

Having good tutors also helped when planning what I would do next. They gave out and set homework that I have already mentioned and were always there to help when it was needed. Constructive feedback was always given so that I could note down what had to be done as well as what was good about it.

Construction:

All the shots for the trailer were recorded on a Panasonic camcorder which were provided at school and we were able to use them in school time and sign one out to take home. They are simple and quick to use so I didn't have any problem when filming and uploading the scenes constructed. It was light and I was therefore able to use many different camera angle shots in the trailer. With a heavier camera, experimenting with different shots may not have been so easy. Along with the camcorder I also used a tripod to make sure the majority of the shots were stable. These were also provided by the school. The only negative point about using the tripod was the fact you couldn't do motion shots...this had to all be done on the camera but hand held. It would have been better if the tripods had some form of wheels on them to allow steady shots when walking along side the actor. However, this means more money.

The programme 'Imovie' on the apple macs has helped me a great deal when editing my film together. Uploading all the shots onto the programme is easy and then selecting which parts of the shots you want is straight forward. There are different icons alongside this programme where you can add a voice over, edit the clip and audio, add text and music. In As media it was the first time I had used a programme like this but now I'm doing A2 I have experimented with the programme more and I am more happier with the final product. I didn't have any problems when using this programme.

When constructing my subsidiary tasks I used the programme 'Publisher' on a normal windows computer. However, I edited the images using Iphoto on the macs then uploaded them to Publisher. Having used I-photo in other lessons I was able to do this efficiently and publisher, once again was pretty straightforward. There were many fonts and layouts to choose from but having used the programs I used when researching all the information I constructed the subsidiary tasks without any problems.

All the pictures where taken on a professional digital camera to get the high market feel that all romantic comedy film posters and magazine advertisements have.

The final programme I have used to construct my trailer was GarageBand which is also a programme featured on the apple macs. It is a very complex programme to use, which is why I have done my voice overs and feedback using the icon in Imovie. I used this particular programme when editing and splitting tracks for Itunes. This was the only programme which split the track. I think if I had had more time I would have liked to have recorded voice overs and music on this programme so that the quality was better and more professional.

Evaluation:

As I have gone through the construction stage of the trailer I have also received a lot of feedback from a general audience and target audience. I have used many methods when doing this. For instance, in my market research I used the iphoto application to create a 30second video about what they wanted to see in my trailer.

I also used a voice over on top of the actual trailer when asking my target audience what was good and what needed to be improved. I didn't just want to use questionnaires or written answers as I feel doing the above is more credible on the blog and for me personally as it is easily saved and takes less time.

As I have not finished the trailer yet my final evaluation has not been done. However, I am planning to record myself discussing how effective the main task and subsidiary tasks are. I will use a mood board of photos taken during filming to show how I have kept to conventions and challenged them in a particular way. For the final evaluation task I shall record peoples reactions to the trailer and then ask them a few questions so that you can see they have been honest and constructive when evaluating my trailer.

Producing,Distributing and Marketing a film...

..A film distributer is a company or an individual responsible for releasing films to the public either in cinemas (theatrically) or for home viewing.

Theatrically distributing: A distributer needs to ensure that enough film prints are struck to service all contracted exhibitors on the contract based opening day. They also need to be there on time and make sure the film is shown in a particular theatre with the minimum amount of seats and show times. The distributer is also responsible for ensuring a full line of film advertising material. Such as posters, magazines, newspapers, advertisements, trailers and tv commercials. As I am the only person working on my trailer I am the one who is responsible for the distribution as well as the advertisement. My main task and subsidiary tasks are an example of the advertising side to distributing a film across the world. If I were making the entire film I would have to employ a global, well known company such as Universal (for the U.K only) and Mirimax (U.S.A). These companies also distributed the credible British romantic comedies: 'Love Actually' and 'Bridget Jones' Diary.' I would distribute globally so that many audiences can see the film and I would be able to make as much profit as possible.

Not only have I had to take on the matter of who would distribute my film I have also had to produce the film. I have had to oversee and deliver a film project whilst controlling other issues. However, as I'm not actually making the entire film I do not have to worry about joining a global production company such as Working Titles Films. I would use a global production and distribution company because conventionally you do not get many independent/art house romantic comedy films. In this trailer I shall make up the production team but it would be a global company who would produce and distribute to all MAJOR cinemas.

There are many aspects to consider when marketing a film. The purpose of marketing is to maximise the audience for a film and to therefore maximise its earnings.

Selling a movie: It has been stated that people do not buy a cinema ticket in the same way as they go out and buy a particular brand of drink, knowing you would go back and buy the same brand. You buy the ticket based on the advertisement of the film you have previously seen. A person is usual loyal to the brand but only as it lasts. This is why sequels are made due to the fact they can be marketed around the same brand.

Stars: Well known actors and actresses also help promote the film to potential viewers. Audiences feel comfortable with well known individuals in the actors particular genre of film. However, careers have flopped due to the fact audiences get bored of seeing the same actress as the lead; look at Jenifer Anniston, she is featured in most trashy American rom coms! Actors need to be diverse and a brand needs to be quickly identified with that actor. Luckily I do not have to worry about this issue in my trailer as unfortunately I cannot afford to have the likes of Jude Law and Johnny Depp feature in my film :(! However, if I were actually making a 'Real' movie I would use a range of actors from different genre of film to make the 'brand' new and exciting! No Jenifer Annistons thank you... zzz!

Promotion: This can come in with marketing and distributing...This can take many forms; here are some examples of previous marketing tactics film makers have used...

(Film Premiere, Television Interviews and Posters on Billboards across the U.K and abroad!)

Obviously I won't be doing any of the above. My main task and subsidiaries promote the film I am creating but if I were doing this on a bigger budget these are some of the options I would consider when distributing and marketing 'A Girl Next Door.'

Male AND female voice over!?

This is the trailer which features Bridget's voice over and a male voice over...see if you think Bridget's voice does not have authority?

Challenging a typical convention?

This is brave of me to think about challenging a typical convention as this is what I did in my original As coursework and it didn't pay off. However, I want to make my trailer stand out and I feel that changing the voice over from a males voice to a females voice will make it memorable.
There has been many previous in depth discussions about why male voices are used instead of women's and most of the reasons have been because it is the 'safer option' for the focus groups. Focus groups can have a lot of sway as to how the film is presented to the public. A male voice is perceived as being more authoritative and dominant.
A few other questions have been asked when discussing the issue of women not being present in the voice over industry; 'Is it the the movie world isn't ready to hear women perform in a movie trailer voice over, or are there politics at work behind the scenes?'
Me being a modern woman of the 21st century thinks that the politics side of this issue is nonsense and that men and women should be given equal opportunites in every job. Women can show authority just as well as men. So therefore my trailer will convey an authorative lead character in Gracie and she will do the voice over as it is her story! I can't wait to see how this will work out. Now that the editing has been complete and I'm just deciding the final song the last thing to be added to the trailer is the voice over.
I have been roaming youtube once more and I found the first Bridget Jones' trailer. Bridget does part of the voice over and I don't think she sounds weak due to her character. Just as the female character in my film isn't weak she is independent and makes her own decisions throughout the film...have a listen in the post above, as I couldn't fit it in this post!
If it does sound weak I shall mix both male and female voice over. You have to love a bit of controversy!

Audience Feedback from the target audience

I asked a member of my target audience to look at the trailer so far. I told her that there will be a voice over added so there is no need to comment on this. I needed to know what I needed to add so the audience would be able to understand the storyline and she was very helpful. I will film her suggestion on Wednesday when the actors are available (lets just hope it doesn't snow.) I will need to re-film Gracie running away from Michael as well so that the continuity stays the same. At least my target audience likes the trailer!

I have also had an idea to challenge the voice over conventions. In most trailers there is a mail voice over so I may record myself doing the voice over and see how this fits.

Audience Feedback Analysis

I made an informed decision to carry out some audience feedback during the editing stages of my film. I did this because I wanted to know what was conventional and good about the trailer and what I needed to improve or change. I asked my tutor to sit and watch the trailer on I-movie and note down some good things and improvements that are needed. She did this honestly and it has helped me through the editing process. This research method is a primary research method as I carried it out myself and did not use other resources such as the internet or books.
Advantages

• This method is easily accessible because my tutor was there in the room ready to give me some feedback and the trailer was easily viewed.
• It is also a reliable primary method as my friends did not carry out the feedback so the feedback is unbias.
• I could instantly make changes to my product after the research was carried out and now I feel that my trailer is 'tighter' and more conventional.
• My tutor is obvioulsy very knowledgeable about the subject of media and she could make relevant critical comments.

Disadvantages

• The one disadvantage I can think of when I asked my tutor to carry out the audience feedback was the issue that she is not the target audience to the movie. The movie may not necessarily appeal to people older that teenagers and that subsequently could have affected the feedback. For example people of a younger audience may have liked the opening music to the music and would not necessarily have picked up that it felt like a finale rather than an opening. Having thought about the target audience issue I also thought that I only asked one gender. As I am trying to get both genders to watch my film and make it appeal to all I should have asked both sexes and more than one person. However, I was stuck for time and I feel that my tutor is the best person to ask when in this situation because she was concise and relevant.

Below in the post 'Main filming is complete!' you will find my newly uploaded version of 'A girl next door.' I have used my tutors ideas and re-edited parts of the trailer. I used the majority of her ideas to improve the trailer but kept some things the same as it is my own work.

Keep things simple...

Over the weekend I have studied different trailers so that I can understand how to use music in my own trailer. I have noted down key aspects of music in a romantic comedy trailer:
*The first point I noticed was that in every single romantic comedy trailer the music begins right at the very beginning. This would be so that the target audience is engaged immediately.
*It's best to keep the music simple. For example in the trailer above there is only 4 pieces of music which make up the entire trailer. In my trailer I have chosen the tracks; 'She's so lovely' by Scouting for Girls. 'Just say yes' by Snow Patrol and 'I'm too sexy' by Right Said Fred. I still need to chose another piece for after the comedic dancing.
*The music always stops and then changes after comedic points in the trailer which is what I aim to do. This is so that the comedic parts stick in people's minds and become punchy.
*Finally, the thing that brings everything together is the voice over. I plan to record my voice over this week after editing my trailer. I think as soon as I do this my trailer will be conventional.
So after this research I have decided to make the trailer simple so that it sticks to conventions and really works.

Main filming is complete!

I have completed the main bulk of the filming which will make the trailer. I feel that I need to think of a few more ideas to make the trailer more funny. Over the weekend I shall plan a couple of more scenes to help it fit in with the genre and make the trailer more conventional. After I have done this I can then film on Monday and then begin editing the final piece. I shall also upload a few more trailers to help me specifically with the music of a romantic comedy trailer. This is so I can fully understand the conventions of the music in a rom com trailer.

I am happy with the amount of different camera angles I have used. For example in the scene when Gracie walks in on Justin and Kate Iused a high angle, mid shot to show the control Gracie has in the film as if she is the 'superior' character. I also used a reverse shot when Gracie runs into the toilet to look in the mirror as well as when she leaves the toilet and has loo roll on her shoe. There is use of a panning shot up when Michael is dancing and over the shoulder shots when Justin and Gracie are talking for the first time.

Here is the un-edited version of my trailer:

Audience Feedback

My tutor watched the beginning of my trailer to establish the positive parts to it and the bits I need to improve on. From watching it back she agrees that it is looking like a conventional romantic comedy trailer.
She also commented on the bits I need to tweak to make it even more like a conventional trailer.

• The opening music reminded my tutor of a finale' to a film. I need to chose something more introductory.
• She liked the track 'She's so Lovely' by Scouting For Girls but I should keep it all instrumental and cut the singing out.
• At the beginning it needs to pick up pace instantly so the audience is drawn in immediately and want to see the film.
• I need to make sure I don't cut the actors speech too quickly.
• The final thing is to crop in closer when the actor of Michael is dancing so he is the main focus in the shot.

I now have two weeks to complete the main task and subs and I feel that this will be achievable. I have worked hard on this project and I am happy with the progress I have made from AS to A2.

It's been a week

I have been focusing on editing my film together for the past week and haven't uploaded anything to my blog. When I have finished the montage shots of each character I shall upload them to the blog. Until I get the actor back who plays the nerd this cannot be completed.

Today I am taking photos for my magazine front cover and poster for the film. I plan to use publisher as I know how to use it and I can edit the photos in Iphoto. The pictures should look glossy and professional so I will take them on a white background to highlight the definition.

Font types for the trailer

Whilst editing the trailer together using Imovie I found that the font styles that featured with the programme would not necessarily fit with the Romantic Comedy genre. Therefore I have chosen to download a couple of font styles from the ironically named website fonts.com
I looked at the font styles in different trailers from the genre, here is the one I chose to base my style on:

The image on the right is of the iconic Bridget Jones' Diary poster which has been used before on this blog, but this time I'm focusing on the font. I couldn't get the font straight from the trailer but the colours and style are the same. I like the use of the pink and purple colours which symbolise the femininity of the film and the protagonist. As my film is based around a woman's' story I will use the feminine colours that the director has chosen to use. I like the use of capital letters, it stands out and will be easily read on screen.
Unfortunatly I am unable to upload the font I wish to use in my trailer...so you will just have to wait and see the final outcome.

Decisions, decisions

I filmed some more scenes for my trailer today and I have decided to not add in the extra bit when Gracie and Justin bend down to pick up the folder as I feel it still works without this. Therefore, today I focused heavily on the character of Michael and filmed the scene where he dreams he can win Gracie over by grabbing her attention. I am really happy with this scene and I feel it hits the comedic side of the rom com genre. The music fits well and so does the girls screaming. I still need to edit the dream like state into scene of the dancing.

However I am not happy with the scene of the two girls walking down the corridor and Michael running after them. I think I need to cut this as it takes up too much time and a trailer needs to start getting snappy so the audience are drawn in by the plot and action. I'm going to film a two shot of Justin and Gracie together and Justin asks Gracie on a date. Then a shot of Michael looking disheartened and then it will cut to the scene of him saying 'I just want Gracie back.' This scene will be quicker and will help the audience understand that there are two men after Gracie's affections.

Here is the filming so far, its not completely edited as I need to do more filming first:

Focus on the sub tasks

Whilst I am filming I have also been working on ideas for my poster and magazine cover. Today I will be taking pictures of the 3 main leads. I need to take the pictures on a white background as that seems to be the convention for all romantic comedies as you can see below. I like the 'Definitely Maybe' image as it appears to have the same story line as mine. I am going to get a shot of the protagonist thinking about who she wants. Then have smaller pictures of the main males in the trailer. This poster idea will help with the fact that people have lessons at different times so I can edit all the pictures in together.

The other subsidiary task is to create a film magazine front cover to promote the film I have created a trailer and poster for. There are many different magazines who just simply use there magazine to promote new and upcoming films. These companies include: Flipside, Sight and Sound and Empire Magazine.

Empire Magazine is the most credible out of all 3 and so therefore I shall use some of the key conventions from this front cover style. As you can see this magazine appeals to a more male audience. Especially with the image of Megan Fox topless on the front cover and the thrilling joker image which can be related to a 'boys' film.

From my market research interviews it was stated that I needed to make the romantic comedy genre more appealing to a male audience. I feel I can do this by using the 'Empire' conventions and create a male film magazine advertising the new romantic comedy. Obviously I won't be doing this 'Megan Fox Style' but I can do it in a sophisticated and professional way like when the photographer and editor placed Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom on the front

of 'Empire' magazine to help promote the 'love' sequence in 'Pirates Of the Caribbean.' I do want to make the film appealing for all so will use a one of the males from my trailer and the lead female (for the men).

Filming schedule is up to date

I did some for filming today for the trailer. I filmed the meeting of the two lead characters. Some shots I'm really happy with and others will need to be re-done. The ones I have used in the trailer I am happy with. I need to re film them both bending down to pick up the folder as the continuity didn't flow. In one shot the folder was open in the shot of them bending down the folder was closed. Also I'm not happy with the music. I want the music to fade into the action and play quietly in the background. This can be done on garage band in the next few weeks when I edit it all together. The most important thing is getting the filming done. I aim to have all of this done in the next two weeks. Editing through the filming process has helped me spot continuity errors and I can still re-film with out the shots looking rushed.

More filming...

The next scene in the trailer is the character of Gracie running into the 'hot' guy and paper flying everywhere. After this she goes into the toilets and looks in the mirror and realizes she still has last nights make up on. I plan to shoot this on Friday as both actors who are featuring in this are free and have time to film. We have plenty of time on Friday to make the shots good and I can upload them and see what needs to be made better or re-done.

First Filming

This is the opening sequence of my trailer. It still needs shots editing in such as a close up of the alarm clock and Gracie getting out of bed. I did shoot Gracie getting out of bed during the half term but the shot didn't flow with the rest of the images on screen. I have also left the titles blank due to the fact I haven't thought about which company would distribute the film. I'm not sure whether I should use an independent British film company or a global film company to distribute the trailer. To keep it conventional with other romantic comedies such as 'Bridget Jones Diary' I should use Universal and Studio Canal, however due to the quality of equipment the trailer does look low budget and independent.

I still have a lot more filming left to do and don't have that much time left. However, I am editing the trailer as I go along so that I can see what needs to be re-done, which bits work etc...

I plan to get a close up of the alarm clock tonight whilst it is still bright so that the continuity doesn't break. Other scenes such as the mirror scene and the love triangle developing will be shot later on this week.

I feel that the trailer is finally coming together and that my ideas are innovative and can be done with good effect.

Cast Changes

Due to unforeseen circumstances Mark who was playing the 'nerd' cannot attend on Monday when we are set to film. Therefore I have had to use Dave to stand in and play the 'nerd.'

Analyse what I have created so far using the 3 codes

I started filming during half term but only managed to get a few shots of the lead character. But its a start I guess.
I made sure I stuck to the technical conventions of a romantic comedy trailer; ie some movements are exaggerated. I experimented with different movements to get the lead girl out of bed. The first was just a simple mid shot of Gracie looking at the time, a close up on the time, back to a mid shot of her sitting up and then running out of bed. I used a low angle shot to show her feet running out the room. Later on we experimented with not breaking the 180 degree rule whilst she was getting out of bed. I don't think I will use the shot of her rolling out of bed as it looks messy and I don't think it fits with the convention of a romantic comedy, its almost like we tried to be too funny.
The next shot we did was of Gracie walking down the street. I used a hand held camera shot as I didn't want the actor walking towards the camera. I used a simple mid shot to create this scene as it will only feature quickly in the trailer.
Shots like two shots, reverse shots and high angle shots will be used when i encorporate more actors into the trailer.
A typical symbolic code for a romantic comedy conveys everyday props, clothes, styling and location. In the shots I have done so far Gracie wears everyday, simple clothing. The colours are pastel which is a convention of a romantic comedy, which highlights her innocence and kind ways. The location is in two parts, one is at my house and the other in the school. These locations are simple and conventional to a romantic comedy. I have only filmed in my house so far and may need to continue filming there. When I was filming, luckily the weather held out and it fit with the up beat feel of the movie. In the shots I filmed all the props fit well with the location and I feel the movie is becoming conventional to the genre.
The audio code does not yet feature in the filming I have done. This is due to the fact it is just Gracie in the opening shots so the audience can establish the main character. Music, dialogue and the voice over will be added during the filming and editing stages.
However, I will have to start considering music which will fit with the shot on the screen and how the music will fit all together.
As you can see I still have a lot more work to do but its starting to all come together.

Filming Schedule

Its nearing the end of October and I really need to start filming my final product. I have decided that I am going to begin to film in school this week. Instead of the characters being adults I want them to remain the ages they are. This does not affect the trailer in anyway and makes it easier to film in school because the characters of Gracie and Justin will be studying in school. It was very difficult to make the school look like an office environment due to other students moving around and displays on the walls.

The 'home' scenes will have to be filmed in the October half term. This may be an issue for one of the cast members as he has other commitments. However, I shall have to speak with him to decide whether or not he will be able to commit to the film. If not I have a stand in who can play the geeky character. Monday 25th October seems like the best day for most of the cast and we still have time in the week to carry on filming if its not complete or needs to be re-done.

The only big issue I have is filming in school due to the clash of peoples lessons however, most of the filming will have to be done in Wednesday 20th October in our final media lesson of the term. If these scenes are incomplete I shall have to film in November whilst I am editing the other scenes in the trailer.

Analysis of how males and females are represented in my chosen text...

In a romantic comedy there tends to be many different stereotypes for men and women and this is dependunt on the plot of the film. I have done some previous research into this so that I could portray conventional stereotypes within my trailer however there are more types of characters which can be shown in the film.

The leading lady

I have noticed that there are two types of leading lady. The first is the American leading lady, who has a tendency to be in control of the entire plot of the story and constantly looks perfect. The other is the typically British leading lady. The British leading ladies do have imperfections and don't necessarily have power or control through the storyline (look at Bridget Jones). Many women admire the lifestyle that the American leading lady has; a well paid job, lots of men after them, designer clothes, going out for lunch every day with their friends (i.e Sex and the City) etc...but not many women lead this sort of life style. Unlike, the lifestyle of the British leading ladies. These can be classed more as role models due to the fact they portray a real life version of a real woman. They do not necessarily have well paid jobs and live in the most upbeat part of town, but women can relate to them (e.g Emma Thompson in Love Actually) This character has a family but a husband who is cheating on her, this lifestyle does appear more realistic (but not the best obviously) compared to everyday women having such a glamorous lifestyle. I believe there has to be a balance between the two leading ladies which is why both American and British romantic comedies still remain popular.

The Leading Man

Once again men are portrayed in different ways in romantic comedies. You can get an arrogant and mean stereotype or you can get the caring and lovable lead man. In P.S I Love You, Gerard Butler is the caring stereotype who loves his woman and the complication is not him cheating or seeing someone else like most of the leading men are caught out doing. Conversely, the character of Hugh Grant in Bridget Jones Diary is seen like the arrogant steretype that treats the leading lady badly. A lot of the men in romantic comedies are portrayed this way which is one of the reasons, I think, is why men don't want to watch this genre of film. Men in American romantic comedies don't tend to hold the power in the relationship e.g 500 days of Summer, but in British romantic comedies it tends to be the men that cause the complication and have the power E.g Alan Rickman in Love Actually who cheats on his wife.

As you can see it is very difficult to show how men and women are represented in romantic comedies because there can be so many different interpretations and storylines to this genre.
I have chosen characters for my trailer that fit the British representations of men and women and hope that the audience can relate to each character.

Test Shots

I have recently done some test shots of the more difficult ideas I have had that will feature in my trailer. The first shot is of the character Gracie walking, I want to take a low angle shot of her walking but due to the lack of resources I cannot do this easily and get a good shot. Therefore I shall have to use a hand held, high angle shot and zoom in on the feet so that her arm and leg cannot be seen. I would also like to re-shoot the image of her walking in ugg boots so that I can fade it into high heels and then allow the trailer to flow into the next incident. The other shot is of the paper flying in the air when Gracie and Justin bump into each other in the corridor. This didn't go to plan as it was hard to get a good shot of the paper in the air and on the floor. Yet, I have thought about how I can overcome this and I thought I could experiment with different shots and techniques to create the paper in the air effect. Also the editing will help with creating the final image of the paper in the air. I can use images of the paper in the air and gradually falling down and put the two separate shots together during the editing process. The paper also fell very quickly so using Imovie I can slow the shot down making the paper fall slowly to the ground.

'A Girl Next Door' Script

I have created a script for the trailer of 'A Girl Next Door.' It contains all the characters lines and the voice overs script along side this. Along with shot sizes and movements of the characters.
The protagonist is called Gracie Jones and the two male leads are named Justin and Michael. I chose these names by picking a book at random and opening up pages within it until I saw a name which would fit the character. A few of the scenes have been changed since the original flow chart ideas due to the flow of the voice over. For example in the script scene 8 has become a montage of the different themes in the film ...love, truth and change. Each of these themes will be highlighted through different actions. It sounds complicated but hopefully once I start filming I can upload it and make it look simple. The script fits with the five step structure, it provides the audiene with an exposition, development and complication but does not show the climax and resolution due to the fact it is a trailer and not a complete film.

I have decided on a film title 'A Girl Next Door.' This came about as I kept reffering to the protagonist as a 'girl next door' type of character. However, there is a horror film and another romantic comedy which has used a very similar title previously. Yet doing research on both of the films neither of the titles have been used because the lead women are a 'girl next door' type of character, they happen to live next door to the lead male. Therefore, I have used the film title for a different reason which will make the storyline original.

*Another Trailer to highlight the English Voice Over

'Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging' is an independant British film, with well known British actors. As my film will be an independant film I thought this was a good representation of how a voice over can be used and still remain British. The film is shot all on location, which is how my trailer will be shot, showing that it is a conventional method of filming. Shots of the action are edited into a montage, with some shots establishing the story line and others providing comedic value. I am planning to do this when I edit my trailer together and each shot will dissolve into the next shot, which is another convention I have noticed when watching romantic comedy trailers.

Scriptwriting

Having looked at information about scriptwriting it has been noted that a simple story line consists of five simple steps. The first one is exposition which is the opening premise, the setting and the scene. This step will feature in the trailer to set the start of the film when not a lot of the action is taking place. The next step is the development stage where the situation is built on and moves forward. Once again this step will feature in the trailer to keep the audience interested but still not giving too much away, following the enigma code. 'What is going to happen?' The complication step will be in the trailer to keep it conventional yet the climax and the resolution won't be. This is because as a director I still want people to come and see the film without knowing what is going to happen.

Following these conventional steps I am currently developing the final script for the characters and voice over, which will feature on

my blog when it's complete.

This is an image of a previous film script and this is how I shall produce my script to keep the tone of my trailer professional.

Location Part 1

These pictures are of my first location which will feature in my trailer. In every romantic comedy trailer part of it is shot in a house due to the story line and types of characters. Also the rooms appear bright and from the mood board most of the colours used are pastel colours on the walls. In a big budgeted film production a set would be made for particular scenes and some scenes would be shot on location. As I don't have a high budget all my shots will be done on location.

I have carried out a 'recce' in all the rooms and have established the accessible power points in each room so that the camera battery can't die in the middle of filming as we are on a very tight schedule. Also I have noted some possible problems which could occur whilst filming and these are; nosie from other sources whilst I am filming and the weather because this will affect the lighting and overall feel to the movie. I will have to do most of the filming in one day as there is a deadline and i need to film in other locations. The shots at home will be done first during the half term holidays and then the 'office' scenes will be shot in school later on.

The Character which causes the complication - Love Actually

This is the scene which creates the tension between a newly married couple. The male character is my female character which complicates everything. Even though my version of this character will be more mean about what she does, I feel this clip still represents the complication that my lead roles will face.

Choice of actors and actresses

These are the actors I have chosen to play the lead roles in the trailer I am making.

The first picture is the lead girl in the film and I chose her because I think she fits the 'girl next door' type of character. She is pretty and quirky looking which is the type of character I need. Picture 2 is of the 'attractive man' and I personally think this actor fits the role well. He is kind yet looks arrogant in the picture which is the stereotypical character of the attractive man. Even though his clothes aren't the type you would see on this kind of character, this can be easily addressed when considering costume and make up.

Picture 3 is of the 'geeky' character. The use of the glasses were just to help put across who the character is. I will not be using these glasses as I feel they are too stereotypical for the 'geeky' character.

Picture 4 is the best friend character. She appears kind and is always there when the lead girl is in a crisis. Even though she does not appear much in the trailer she is an influential character in the film when the lead girl has to decide between the two lead males.

Picture 5 is a new addition to the cast which I would like to bring into the trailer. I would like to incorporate a problem character which causes the 'complication' in the film. This character is always seen in a romantic comedy and causes the lead roles to reconsider their relationship. These characters can be men or women and in my film its a woman. However, in the film 'Love Actually' it is a male character which comes between two people, you can see this clip in the post above.

I feel that the choices in actors and actresses that I have picked will really help me start to create mise-en-scene for the film and they symbolize the key characters in a romantic comedy.

Sterotypical Characters of a Romantic Comedy

After watching many trailers for the romantic comedy genre I have noticed a particular sterotype for each character.
The female lead is always attractive to a male audience and this is so that it does appear realistic that men would be fighting for her attention. If you look at the images below you will see how I have developed previous ideas into my creation of the stereotypical female lead.
In a british romantic comedy, like 'Love Actually', 'Bridget Jones Diary' and 'Notting Hill' the casting director has chosen to use an actress with a 'girl next door' look about her. As my new romantic comedy trailer will be a british film I would like to stick with the convention of having an everyday kind of looking woman. More young girls will be able to relate to this kind of character as well, rather than a glamouros sort of character.

There is also the stereotypical 'good looking' male in a romantic comedy. This is to generate an audience and make sure the director supplies what the audience wants. However, within the story it also develops the plot and makes the audience want to continue watching to see if the female lead ends up with the 'good looking' guy or the 'underdog.' The typical 'attractive' male tends to be arrogant and mostly all of the time gets the girl. In the trailer that I create I dont want my 'attractive' male to be percieved as arrogant as I would like to make it so the female has a hard time when choosing between the two male leads. Also in everyday life not all attractive men are arrogant and if I stick to this then it may make more men want to watch it as they tend to feel that men are getting a hard time in the romantic comedy films, as they are always percived as the 'bad' characters.




In most romantic comedy films there is almost always whats known as 'the underdog.' This sort of character is percieved as being geeky and 'will never get the girl.' In british romantic comedies for instance you have the character of Mr Darcy in 'Bridget Jones Diary.' He appears to be geeky and uncool when the audience first see him yet as the plot develops the protagonist starts building feelings for him. I would like to re-create this in my trailer but still leave it to the imagination of the audience as to who she chooses in the end.

A flow chart of ideas

I have drafted out my trailer through a flow chart so people can see the direction in which my trailer is going. The photo isn't clear enough to see what my ideas are so I shall explain each box in the flow chart.

1) Opening shot of a woman lying face down, she is hung over and oblivious to the world around her. Suddenly her alarm goes off and she reaches out slowly to turn it off. Close up on the time, its 9.30am and a close up on her face...panicked/ comedic expression on her face.

2) Low angle shot of woman running in heels to work. There is a cut to her running round a corner. She runs into the good looking man he looks confused and there is paper work everywhere.

3) Close up on woman's face, she has very bad make up on. Cut, reverse shot, woman walks into the toilets and sees her face in the mirror... "Holy..."

4) Woman meets up with the good looking man its a new day. Man: "Fancy a drink after work?"

Woman, who looks shocked, says "yeah." The man walks off...woman is still left there smiling.

5) Woman walks down the street and the geeky character taps her on the shoulder, the woman looks confused then realises who he is.

6) The geek sits at home with two of his mates and tells them how he is going to win her back. One of the mates asks how and there will be a cut to a dream like state where he imagines dancing to the song 'I'm too sexy' Then it cuts back to his normal confused face.

7)Male voice over..."This year..." shot of geeky guy and woman together. The audience can instantly see the chemistry.

8) Male voice over..."Or a typical..." Shot of good looking guy and girl on original date, once again the audience will see their chemisty.

9) Male voice over..." A story..." Geek is dancing with the girl, another quick cut, geek shouting to the girl; "Please, I love you."

10) Cuts to the girl lying in bed, crying and it is raining outside. Cut to the attractive man and girl laughing.

11) Voice overs of actors names and a close up of each actor. Male voice over; "In (film name)"

12) Shot of the girl and her best friend in a kitchen...Friend; "Which one is better in bed?" From this the lead girl tilts her head and looks concerned

13) Coming in 2011 and then the screen will fade to black.

I have used the majority of the conventions which feature in a romantic comedy trailer for example the use of a voice over. Also I feel the trailer doesnt necessarily give away too much of the plot making the audience want to watch the whole film. Yet, it still informs the audience of who the main characters are, the story line and the genre it comes under.

I still need to develop a few of the comedic punch lines but this will be done when I develop a script for the actors involved. I have also considered some of the music tracks I will use in the trailer and there needs to be several, as one of the typical conventions is that the music changes and stops depending on whats happening at that time in the trailer. I also need to come up with an original title for the film but once again I'm sure this will develop as I write the script and begin to film.

Market Research Results

Results from the market research suggest that most people enjoy a good American romantic comedy. However, there were also a few British romantic comedies which were suggested and I would personally prefer to create a new independent romantic comedy as there is a space in the market for one.

Everyone suggested that a romantic comedy should be no more than a 15. This is due to the fact that a director can still incorporate the innuendo and taboo language without it being over the top. Also romantic comedies appeal more to a teenage girl so making it a 12 or 15 will still generate and bring in a big audience.

The choice of a lead character was split half and half with half the people wanting a male lead and others wanting a female lead. In a British comedy you tend to see a quirky female lead e.g Bridget Jones, I would like to re-create this type of character so that it fits with the conventions of a British rom com.

Using a female lead will also bring in a wider audience, for example males and this was suggested in my market research. I would like to use a stereotypical character of a 'girl next door' look with the female lead. Even though the girl wouldn't have the stereotypical look of a protagonist, it would bring in a male audience and maybe have older generations of men watch because she isn't some 'sex symbol.' More girls will be able to relate to her which will still generate the audience you need for a profitable film.

Another suggestion to make my film appeal more to wider audience was to focus on the comedy more rather than the romantic side. Men prefer comedy to romance so it would create a twist on the conventional plot of a rom com.

The final suggestion was to create stereotypes for characters. I have taken this on board and want to create two comedic male characters. One being an over the top, attractive, business man and the other a geek that the girl knows from her school days. Both men will fight for the girls affection throughout the film. The girl will have a best friend character and the geek will have a lot of other 'nerdy' friends and his dad will be another version of his geeky son. These types of character will add to the comedy of the film therefore appealing to the male audience which is what I wish to achieve.

Mood Board

Whilst the questions for my market research are being carried out I found it necessary to create a mood board for the genre of my film. This has given me plenty of ideas when creating a poster and the general story like which happens in a romantic comedy film. The mood board also gives a general idea to the genre of the film and shows some typical conventions of posters. This mood board shows the romantic side to films as well as the classic comedy moments in a good Rom -com. I have identified the key conventions and can now start to plan the story behind my trailer.

At a first glance the colours appear pastel and all the actors are young and fresh faced. I would like to stick with conventions of a typical rom com film so will consider these colours when thinking of costume and look for young actors.

Market Research

The definition of market research is: the systematic collection and evaluation of data regarding customers' preferences for actual and potential products and services.

I believe this will be benefitial to my product before I start storyboarding and creating final ideas as I would like to see if I can bring something new to the genre of romantic comedy and finding out what the consumer wants. I shall do this by filming select few people to answer the questions truthfully so that I can begin to storyboard a new romantic comedy trailer.

The market research shall have the following questions:

• What is your favourite romantic comedy film
• What's the best age restriction to be on a romantic comedy film.
• Would you like to see a male or female lead...
• How could the romantic comedy genre appeal to a wider audience, for instance males...

These questions will help me decide on cast and the content of the trailer.