In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

To construct the trailer I firstly needed to understand the typical conventions of a romantic comedy trailer. Therefore I used the popular web page youtube to do this. I firstly looked at any romantic comedy trailer British/American, modern or classic. I then discovered that to make the product work I had to think 'simplicity' and therefore I used the modern British romantic comedy trailer as my muse.

The trailer I used was 'Bridget Jone's Diary- The Edge of Reason' which is posted onto my blog when I originally noted the key conventions. I listed a few conventions down that I really wanted to use and develop in my trailer.

*There was easy, feel good music at the beginning of the trailer

*The characters voice over appeared before the main voice over

*After the production company and distribution team e.g. Universal, there is a change of music

*There is a montage in the middle of the trailer with short 'teaser' shots of what the film might contain and be about. There is a voice over on top to explain what the main plot of the actual film is about

*The music changes continuously in a romantic comedy trailer. This would be to keep the interest of the audience. The new music also applies to what is happening on the screen.

*The main cast list can be heard by the voice over whilst there is action on screen

*There are no fades within a romantic comedy trailer they dissolve into the next shot.

The conventions I have listed are all the ones I used in my own trailer. Below I have briefly explained other conventions I noted and why I did things the way I did. I have done a voice over onto the work I have produced. Unfortunately I was unable to keep the voice over as it sounded too complicated to listen to. However, I have uploaded a final version in another blog which you can listen to.

As my teaser trailer is short I shall now explain, further, why I chose particular conventions and forms to develop into my own new trailer.

Pastel colours:

Earlier in the process I created a mood board of images from previous romantic comedies. In this I noticed that to create a conventional trailer I needed to use very pastely shades when constructing costumes, especially for the protagonist. On the left you can see screen shots I have taken and placed in my own mood board to show how the colours set the feel for the film. The pictures are not dark, like a horror trailer mood board would be. Instantly an audience can see it is of a lighter hearted genre- a comedy or romantic comedy. Sometimes I had to go against the conventions due to weather conditions in December time and allowed my cast to wear coats. However, the clear day and sun light cancelled the darkness of the costume out. I also noticed that in a romantic comedy trailer it only ever rains when someone is upset. Luckily in my trailer the weather held out so I was able to keep the upbeat feel to the trailer when we shot scenes outside.

Music:

Music is a very important part of a romantic comedy trailer, or any trailer in fact. Therefore I wanted to get it completely right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcISkzhrU84

If you click the link above you will be able to watch one of the trailers I clearly chose conventions from, one being the music. I realised that a form for the music was that all the music was related to either the action on screen or the story itself. I was careful when developing this convention as with any trailer you want people to have ideas about the film but not know the entire plot. I think I have developed this well and picked good songs to appeal to my target market and fit with the action on screen.

Cuts:

After looking at many romantic comedy trailers I noticed that they used mainly cross dissolves and no fades like other trailers did. Therefore, in the editing process I used cross dissolves into the next shot. If you click the link below you will see that the director has chosen to dissolve each shot into the next...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNBXHp2qbRo

I used this editing technique in my own work to keep the romantic comedy trailer conventional.

This convention is particularly important during the montage towards the end of the trailer. The short clips of what the film is about is compulsory to add to the drama and keep the audience interested without giving away the story. The cuts in this particular section needed to be slick and conventional. Therefore I continued to use the cross dissolve in the next shot so the scenes flowed even though they wouldn't necessarily appear linear in the film.

180 degree rule:

In every media product this rule is a basic guideline and most products do not break this. To keep to a conventional form of a romantic comedy trailer I did not break the 180 degree rule in each shot I filmed. This rule states that two characters or other elements in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other.

In my trailer this form is evident when the characters of Gracie and Justin are picking up the folder that Gracie had previously dropped. Even though it is a close up shot Gracie is always seen on the right and Justin is always on the left. The camera never crosses the imaginary axis to create a reverse angle.

Important camera angles: I wanted to use a variety of conventional camera angles that worked within the trailer. Below is a short video of my different camera angles explained and reasons as to why I changed some shots and didn't use them.

From the convention of using pastel tones and the lighting needing to be bright I wanted this to be the case. Therefore, some of the shots I had to get rid of because you couldn't see what the character was doing and it was unclear. But, also to stick to the convention of everything being bright and sunny in a romantic comedy trailer. As previously stated, it only ever rains in a romantic comedy when someone is crying!

Production and Distribution:

Even though my trailer has been made on a low budget with low definition cameras, I chose to produce and distribute my trailer with big film companies such as Universal and Mirimax.

The British film- Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging is a low budget romantic comedy however they used big companies such as Paramount to help produce the film and Universal to help distribute the film globally to generate a profit. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0963743/companycredits

I have chosen to stick to this particular convention that even though my trailer is of a low budget it would still be distributed globally by a major company; Universal.

Voice-over:

The voice over is something that I probably would change if I had the time to. It was the one convention I challenged but I feel it still works well.

The form I challenged in the voice over was having a female recording it. I did some research into why women are not given the chance to do voice overs on films. I found that it was because their voices can sometimes not be as persuasive or dominating as a male voice over.

However, in this day and age I think it is time women were given the chance to record a film voice over so in that case, if this trailer were to be made into a real film it would open up many opportunities for women in the voice over industry. I still think the voice over works because I used other conventions of a trailer voice over. I didn't use it all the way through, it tells of the themes, basic plot, cast and the name of the film. Moreover, there are many British films which use a British voice over. (Click the link below)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvmciQ2GG1g

Therefore, even though I have challenged the convention of using a female voice over instead of a male voice over, I have still used other typical conventions of a voice over in a romantic comedy trailer.

As you can see I have used and developed nearly all of the possible forms and conventions I could use to make my trailer look and feel like a romantic comedy trailer. The convention I slightly challenged still works and doesn't affect the overall conventional romantic comedy trailer. It makes it a little innovative yet conventional.

Who are your target audience?

Romantic comedies have always been targeted at a specific market- teenage girls. This is apparent in box office sales, DVD sales etc... When we stereotype a person who watches a romantic comedy you do, as previously stated, picture a female who is from the socio economic grouping of B, C1, C2 or D. These people would be the every day sort of teen.However I wanted to change the audience for a romantic comedy by broadening the target market to both genders.

I focused on the comedic side (screen shots on left) of the rom-com and had a lead female. As most menenjoy a comedy film I felt that to get them to enjoy the rom-com I needed to focus on the comedy in the three products I made. In a recent survey it has been understood there are 10 romantic comedy films that men would watch!! Some of them include; 'About a boy', 'When Harry Met Sally', 'Love Actually' and of course 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.' I noticed that the majority of the selected films were British films and therefore I automatically stood a chance that men would actually watch my rom-com from the trailer I had produced. My market research suggested that I make the genre appealing to men. I feel that I have attempted to do this and done it well. Also with the slogan 'Open your heart to change' I believe this has many different meanings. Obviously, it fits with the trailer. However, it can also apply to the change in men openly watching a romantic comedy film.

I would probably certify my film at a 15 because of the referencing to 'sex' and maybe some of the innuendo that is featured in the trailer. I also feel that this certification fits well with the genre as other romantic comedies are rated at this age. Both the British romantic comedies on the left are aged 15 and above.

So from my three products you can see that my target audience would be both genders above the age of 15 and who fit into a socio-economic grouping of B, C1, C2 and D.

What have I learnt from audience feedback?

Above is a Wordle review of my three products that I have produced. I asked my target market so sum up the products in one or two words. If you double click the image you will see that all of my target market really did like the brand. This has put me in a positive frame of mind about the products. Obviously I will critic my own work but hearing it from other people's points of view has made me proud of the work I have done.

Throughout the process I constantly asked members of my target audience whether or not they are enjoying the trailer, what needs to be changed and/or added. This really helped with the moving images I put on the screen and music choices. It was suggested that I use current music so that it would appeal to my niche market. From the reviews you can see that the overall products were successful.

I was constantly learning from audience feedback whether it be from tutors or audience members. The tutors have taught me new editing skills and given their honest opinions throughout (you can see this on the comments they have posted below some blog entries) Some of the ideas I used and others I rejected as they don't necessarily fit my target audience and what they wanted.

I didn't ask opinions on the magazine and poster as I felt that I knew what I wanted from them and as a member of the target audience they would appeal to the rest of the market. The main product was the one I focused on heavily as that is the product people are most likely to see. Whether it be in the cinema, internet or television. I am happy with the audience feedback and I did ask people to be honest. As its all positive I know feel I have done a good job!

How effective is the combination of your main product and subsidiary tasks?

The combination of my main product and subsidiary tasks are very effective as I have created a marketing brand for the film. Each product contains similar lexis, the poster and trailer have the same slogan and every product has the title featured clearly on it in the same font style and colours. The protagonist also features in all three products so an audience can establish who is in the film. I made sure I controlled each product when it came to making them effective because I wanted to concentrate on what my target audience wanted to gain from the products.
My market research helped in creating each product and this has made them even more effective. When I interviewed members from my target audience they suggested they wanted a romantic comedy to appeal to both genders. I believe I have done this effectively.
The special edition which features in a predominantly male magazine will make the film appeal to men. If it's in the magazine they may give the film a chance. Also the influential actors are on the front cover. The girl for the 'eye candy' and the man for men to look up to and maybe become a role model. The magazine title 'Action' is catchy and applies to both men and women because both genders enjoy a good film. On the front cover you can see that it's not just 'A girl next door' that features in the magazine. There is a list of recommended films that people must see. Men might buy it for that reason but then at least they know about the film and may give it a chance. The poster is simple but effective and relates to the advertising brand. Using the girl on the front would draw in both genders. I think the slogan is also good for bringing in a male audience to the film; 'Open your heart to change.' This works with the trailer and what takes place within the film but its almost a revolutionary suggestion that men begin to watch romantic comedies.

The trailer is also effective when drawing in a new audience. It is a female voice over so men might be interested by the female voice luring them into see the film. As well as this I tried to make the trailer conventional for a romantic comedy but really focus on the comedy side. This is because most men watch comedies. If they can get the humour from the trailer they may want to watch the film. I believe expanding the conventional 'female niche market' has been effective and I feel it would work if the film was released.

All my products are effective because they stick to conventions of a romantic comedy genre. Target markets didn't want a specific new twist on the genre they just wanted it to appeal to a wider audience. People don't necessarily enjoy twists to such an iconic genre of film so I thought it would be best to do some in-depth research and textual analysis into all three products to make them conventional and appealing. The only un-conventional change I made was making the voice over of the trailer female. However this was to draw in the male audience. I have made changes to each product and developed ideas so that they worked better as a brand. The rejected ideas for each product have always been because they may not have necessarily worked or been effective towards the product. I haven't necessarily had any major catastrophes within this process or anything I couldn't get around.

These are some of the pictures I rejected for my subsidiary tasks due to the fact they weren't of high quality and didn't necessarily fit with drawing in a male audience. With the equipment I used I wasn't able to edit the pictures effectively.

I am happy with the final three products and I feel they are effective because they have created a brand for the film, appeal to a wider audience and stick to typical conventions.

Ancillary tasks- final versions

Magazine front cover:

This is the final version of my magazine front cover. I am really happy with it and I feel that it fits the typical conventions of a magazine front page. I managed to add to the conventions by putting all the persuasive lexis on the left hand side along with a bar code. The protagonist is featured on the left hand side because she will sell the magazine to both a male and female audience. As most film magazines are predominantly bought by men I feel this is a good technique I have used to get a new

male audience to read and buy a magazine which features a romantic comedy film exclusive. The magazine cover is simple but affected and all the information is clear on the cover.

Poster:
This is my final version of my film poster. I like the simplicity and conventional look to the poster. The target audience immediately see one of the films stars, the name of the film, the caption and who else is in the film. These are the main things that people look for on a poster. The certification of the film would be later confirmed just as other film companies do that is why it does not feature on the poster. It is conventional to the romantic comedy film genre due to the colours and lexis. Words like 'heart' and 'change'. Many romantic comedy films use different posters to appeal to a range of audiences. If I had the time I would have made another poster with one of the male leads on it. This would also appeal to the male and female audience. Men aspire to be that particular character and women want to see it because he is popular. However, this poster also appeals to men and women and this was one of the main issues I faced when creating a romantic comedy trailer. I have created a 'brand' by using similar images from the trailer, the same colours and font that feature in the trailer and one of the lines from the voice over used in the trailer. Each time the target audience see the trailer they can relate it to the rest of the marketing and then think and decide to go and see the film because they know how much it has been advertised.

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: