AUDIENCE QUESTIONAIRE

I am creating an audience questionnaire in order to find out what my target audience likes to see, where they watch it and how they found about film. I intend to use Google forms to retrieve this information.

These are the following questions I intend to ask:

At AS, I am making a film opening, so I may want to discover the answers to questions about:

• What is your gender?
• What is your age?
• where do you watch films: cinema, DVD, BBC iPlayer, Amazon, Netflix, another streaming platform?
• What type of genre do you enjoy?
• What three recent films have you enjoyed recently?
• have you seen any of these trailers? 

• what is the most likely reason they would see a film? director, actor, sequel or story?
• What platform would you use to watch a film? Cinema, Television, Website, DVD, Social media
• Are you influenced by reviews, recommendations, social media, talk shows and critics such as Mark Kemode?

Ending Message:

Thank you for taking the time to complete my questionnaire.

Results

PLANNING: MY TARGET AUDIENCE

I needed to plan on how to reach my target audience. I also needed to know who they were. I had to research age, gender, ethnicity, and social class. I also needed to research what their media needs were so that I could produce a product that they will want. Finally, in order to market our movie, I had to know how to reach them. I will show how my research has influenced my planning by answering the question below along with pictures to help support my answers.

1. Who is my primary target audience?

My target audience is within the age bracket of 15-35. It will appeal to both genders but predominantly male.

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

Baby Driver

Skyfall

Kingsman 

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

Everyman, ODEON, Netflix, DVD, SKY

Information is generally received through friends or family suggesting which film I would like. Also listening to film critic experts such as Mark Kermode who suggests films that are high on quality and entertainment.

4. What brands do they prefer?

Brand examples: McDonald's, KFC, Apple, Santander, Google, Netflix, Spotify, Youtube, Instagram, Snapchat, Amazon, Xbox, Playstation  Pizza Express, Ray-ban, Northface,  IKEA, Everyman,  Wagammas, Twitter.

Preferred brands seem to be trendy fashion brands such as Adidas, Nike, and others. These certain brands almost act as the default for this age group and will help me when finalising my plan for my film opening.

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

One way in which I will make my film stand out from the copetition will be to make it relate to present issues. This will be shown when one of the characters discovers something he shouldn't have, this will be the source of the present issue.

6. Why should my audience watch my film? 

My audience should watch my film because it will appeal to their interests. I have identified what my audience is interested in and so by compiling these together, this should help my audience engaged. More specifically this film will appeal directly to those who seek action and adventure and will leave all those who watch on the edge of their seat.

RESEARCH: SCOOP IT! FILM OPENINGS

I created my own ScoopIt! account so that I could research and watch different openings to films. II did this to help spark my own creativity therefore making it easier when it comes to making my film opening. By using ScoopIt! I can gather many film openings and review them and store them so they are accessible at all times.

Check out my SCOOP IT! here.

RESEARCH: ART OF THE TITLE - FURY

This powerful title sequence does not fail to grasp your attention. One of the most noticeable things about this title sequence is the red wash that is prominent throughout this sequence. Red is generally a colour associated with the Devil or blood. This reflects the time in which this is set, World War II. World War II was a time where unimaginable amounts of innocent men and women lost their lives reflecting the, blood, devil and evil red which is prominent throughout. This idea is upheld by the visuals of dead corpses, explosions and conflict between one and other. It's as if this sequence was designed for hard cuts as there are constant flashes of disorderly fighting and war related material, this adds the the atmosphere of chaos and confusion that the directors has gone to set out at the beginning of the sequence.

The music seems to build towards this crescendo building from an ear piercing screeching noise, that sounded similar to alarms. All of this combined helps to create this intense atmosphere while also putting the audience on edge. Within the music you are clearly able to hear men shouting in time as if they are marching. This goes hand in hand with the images of soliders marching and tanks crushing forward. The main theme of this film is clearly about the horrors of war and gives and insight into what it what it would have been like to be alive at that fear filled time.

Although I wouldn't be able to create something like that myself I truly find it inspirational and one of the most captive title sequences. It successfully creates an intense, fear filled and chaotic atmosphere, what is also interesting is that these three words would also describe the war alone being 'chaotic' and 'intense' to say the least.

ART OF THE TILE - STRANGER THINGS

The non diegetic sound is described as a synth which is popular back in the 1980s where this type of music was heavily demanded. This goes hand in hand in which the show is actually set in, the 1980s. This is almost the first clue that the produces have given the audience into the the when, where how questions. The viewing of different letters as they move is almost puzzle like sliding into place, possible illustrating that the storyline is one big puzzle that must be deciphered. Once complete and the camera is panned out it almost looks like the front of a classic book cover at the time. This may mean some of its story will be based of classical stories written in classical books. The title sequence does not revile much as a whole, even the characters which are generally noted at the beginning of some title sequences is mute. This leaves the audience with many questions regarding what the show is about, where it is set and who is in it for example, forcing the viewer to watch more for the answers to be revealed.

PRACTICE FILM OPEING

the brief (tabletop shoot; live action shoot; soundtrack of Emily Barker Nostalgia; titles)

Brief: Our task was to choose our props from a selection of items including: old alcohol bottles, blueprints, clothes, brief cases, jewellery storage etc. We chose Nostalgia by Emily Baker as we believed the song tells multiple stories, displaying multiple images all at once allowing for us to replicate a lifestyle sung about to create suspicion and curiosity from the viewer. 

Inspiration: We were initially inspired to create an original title sequence in groups (with props) from the opening title sequence of the 1991 movie - Delicassen. 

The props chosen were bloody aprons and surgeon masks which illustrated death and violence to the viewer within the short time period. We also added to the collection of props, fake money and placed it all over the table in which it was shot, this displayed a character who had an above average accumulation of wealth. Other props such as passports were displayed to represent travel and exploration which best describes this character, supported by the photos, postcards and passports. The necklace displayed on-top of the photo shows what the woman left behind.

The film can be found here

ON THE SET

In our previous lesson, we were taught how to successfully use the equipment to minimise damage and maximise our use out of them. The equipment used are:

- Canon Camera
- Manfrotto Tripods

What was the equipment used? We were told to be extremely careful when handling the cameras. All of the media students were told to insert the battery and memory cards and remove them carefully and safely without damaging the camera. We explored some of the main uses of the camera and other side benefits which may not be obvious to the new photographers and directors.

What is white balance? this is the process of 'removing unrealistic colour casts'. This essentially makes objects that appear white, to be displayed as white rather than the camera removing it. The canon camera is able to use 'colour temperature' to adjust to the 'coolness of the light source'. By pressing on the 'WB' button on the camera,  it is able to give the image a more realistic effect. This helps to create a certain type of atmosphere such as cold one using blue and a warm one using a 'yellowy' colour

What is the 180 degree rule? we used a rule called the 180 Degree rule. This meant that the 180 degree should always be in the same 'left/right relationship'. This means that, both subjects should always be connecting in the same frame, not with them both looking opposite directions.

What did the editing include? My partner and I got to grips with editing by starting on iMovie. We rapidly found out the best effects for our footage. We created a folder on a laptop and a media mac, both containing all the shots created. This means they can be easily accessible and cut between shots.

RESEARCH: TITLES

Production Company – Columbia, Marvel, Sony

·                     Director(s)- Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Bob Persichetti

·                     Starring – Jake Johnson , Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfield

·                     Title -  Spiderman: Into the Spider Verse 

·                     Starring – Mahershalala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Nicholas Cage

·                     Casting - Muneeb Rehman 

·                     Costume designer - Justin K Thompson

·                     Special make up effects supervisor - Danny Dimian

·                     Sound designer- Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

·                     Music - Daniell Pemberton

·                     Film editor - Robert Fisher JR

·                     Production designer- Justin Thompson

·                     Director of photography- Ronnie Del Carmen

·                     Executive producer - Phil Lord, Chris Miller

·                     Based on novel - Previous stories

·                     Screenplay - Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord

·                     Producer - Christopher Miller 

·                     Director - Peter Ramsey

Production Company – Warner Bros

·                     Director(s)- William Friedkin

·                     Starring – Linda Blair, Max Von Sydown and Ellen Burstyn

·                     Title -  The Exorcist

·                     Casting -  Nessa Hyams, Juliet Taylor and Louis DiGiaimo

·                     Costume designer - Joseph Fretwell

·                     Special make up effects supervisor - Robert Laden

·                     Sound designer- Randle Akerson 

·                     Music - Robert Garett

·                     Film editor - Norman Gay and Evan A Lottman

·                     Production designer- Bill Mailey

·                     Director of photography- Billy Williams

·                     Executive producer - Noel Marshall

·                     Based on novel - N/A

·                     Screenplay - N/A

·                     Producer - William Peter Blatty

·                     Director - Peter Masterson 

RESEARCH: DISTRIBUTION COLLAGE

I watched Kezia Williams deliver a presentation on what theatrical distribution at Pathe does.Williams shared that distributers work to create a successful marketing campaign for each film. I investigated the different aspects of a marketing campaign for a specific recent film like:

• Film website
• Film posters
• Film trailers
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Cross promotion/ product tie-ins (like Heineken and James Bond in SkyFall and Spectre, Toyota and Star Wars)
• News articles, interviews, award ceremonies

Kezia Williams explained that, in a congested marketplace, a distributor's aim was too position a film in a way that it stood out for its target audience. Similarly, Chris Besseling offered me a series of insights into how distributors market a film's USP (Unique Selling Point) such as its star cast, its provenance (such as literary adaptation or biopic credentials), its awards and good reviews.

Matt Smith of the FDA tells us that spend on digital has increased enormously. For instance, trailers are now cut to portrait viewing on smart phones. Digital includes all social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc) that work as a synergistic whole in promoting a product. Matt Smith also refers to paid-for marketing as distinct from the free publicity. Social media can generate viral marketing-free publicity. 

Social media

Social media is a great way for those interested in that film to engage. Some may not even know the film story line but is interested in this upcoming film purely based on i.e, where it is set, the main actors, directors etc. This helps build that momentum before the film is already released, 'hyping' this upcoming movie.

Film Websites:

Film websites allow those who want to see exactly what will happen within the movie. They are able to see all the movies resources such as posters, trailers and the cast. This will please those who want to know background behind how it was made and who made the film before going to go watch it.

Posters:

For Blumler and Katz,  audiences use media to gratify their needs. One need is the pleasure of forming relationships. One way Joker has used this is by using the actors Joaquin Phoenix, this would attract those who watch this specific actor purely because of who he is regardless of the storyline. This acts as an excellent marking strategy 

FRANK ASH

I learned from Frank Ash, creative consultant with the BBC Academy, about what he calls 'digital storytelling': how to connect an audience by creating a relevant story and how to leave them with a sense of anticipation and suspense.



Frank Ash has given me a good understanding for when it comes to me making my film opening. I have used some of my skills to create a comic cover using the programme comic life 

ART OF THE TITLE

Mindhunter/

This title sequence successfully creates a mysterious and earie beginning to the film. It focuses primarily on the setting-up of the old-fashioned microphone. The audience isn’t given any reassurance during this scene. To add to the confusion and fear there are several flashes of gory images that seem to look like corpses, this adds to the feeling of confusion and fear. The hard cuts to and from the gory images makes it so quick that the audience aren't even able to process what they are looking at, but able to make out a gory image. This then leave the viewer to decipher the horrid message itself that this isn't just the setting up of the microphone but something much darker linked to it. To then round up there is slow scary music which is purposely out of time. What this does to the sequence is, emphasise what we are seeing and has a major influence on how the viewer is feeling.

The way this sequence is successful is, by creating this strange and confusing start, this will make the viewer want to watch on to get an explanation. The two main questions I had in my head while watching this was, what is the microphones use, it must be important to be at the beginning for such a length of time. My second thought was, what are these corpses? Something dark is clearly happening and for the answers to be unlocked I must watch on and decipher the messages ahead.

Between the flash shots of the corpse the camera zooms in and out very quickly, even though this isn’t very noticeable, it adds to the subject of confusion.