Monday, 20 April 2009
Summary of Findings
After researching a chosen institution, the next task was to summarise the work done and look at what constraints our film idea would have. We then had to individually present these findings to the class and use them as a basis for our coursework. I basically found that the competition for producing romantic comedies for 20th century fox was working titles and universal. These companies were after our target audience and by making TV shows that were similar to our idea put an even bigger strain upon it.
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Institutions
I explored different film institutions looking at the production and reception of the major 5, focusing especially on 20th Century Fox. However, when researching this institution I discovered that although they produce many romantic comedy films and TV programmes, Universal Pictures are more renowned for doing so.
Summary of Films and Codes and Conventions Presentation
After discovering the generic codes and conventions of a romantic comedy, I then had to summarise my findings in a powerpoint presentation and deliver it to the class. As the audience questionnaire results showed that the intended audience were between the ages of 16 and 25, I decided to explore the possibility of a 'teen romantic comedy.' The aspects of this sub-genre are pretty much the same as any other romantic comedy, apart form the setting and obviously the characters used. This was explained in my presentationn and it helped me gain a clear view as to how my film would pan out.
Analysis of 3 films
After analysing 5 openings, the next stage was to analyse in detail 3 romantic comedy films commenting on aspects of mise en scene, general codes and conventions and theories by Propp and Todorov. The films I decided upon were 'Bridget Jones' Diary,' 'Just Like Heaven' and 'Miss Congeniality.'
This task took me a long time to complete, as I found it difficult to find what parts of the narrative were most important. Commenting on stock characters and generic codes and conventions was easier and helped me realise what the aspects of this genre were. As the generic make-up of these films were similar it was easier to identify what all romantic comedies should be like, which will help me when creating my own film opening.
This task took me a long time to complete, as I found it difficult to find what parts of the narrative were most important. Commenting on stock characters and generic codes and conventions was easier and helped me realise what the aspects of this genre were. As the generic make-up of these films were similar it was easier to identify what all romantic comedies should be like, which will help me when creating my own film opening.
Analysis of 5 film openings
After choosing which genre of film to pursue after the results of the audinece research questionnaire, the next step was to analyse 5 film openings from the chosen genre. The romantic comedies I chose to look at were:
- Hitch
- How to Lose a Guy in 10 days
- Never Been Kissed
- Love Actually
- 13 Going on 30
The analysis of these openings was helpful as it highlighted the general codes and conventions used and techniques needed to create a successful romantic comedy film opening. What was most noticable was the use of non-diegetic sound, especially voice-overs to which we can incorporate in our own opening.
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Presentation
After collecting my results and putting the data into graphs, I then had to produce a presentation summarising my findings and what these meant in relation to the film I will be making. This included the interests and expectations of the audience, how to appeal to them including some of my own ideas and an audience profile.
Summary of Findings…
… by Chelsea Smith
Target Audience
•The results of the questionnaires gave a clear indication as to who the target audience shall be. From looking at the graphs on the right the audiences’ gender is predominantly female and the age group of the viewer’s is between 16 and 25. From the questionnaire results it’s clear that the film has to be fun, young and feminine.
Expectations of a 12 certificate
As we are producing a Romantic Comedy, the certificate of this type of genre rarely exceeds a 12 certificate. This is our intended age certificate and this is what our film can and can’t include:
•The use of strong language must be infrequent
•Mature themes are acceptable but their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers.
•Nudity is allowed but it must be brief and discreet.
•Sexual activity may be implied but should not go beyond what is suitable for the age group in question.
•Violence must not be graphic or dwell on details. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood.
•Any misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or instructional.
Interests of Audience
•To get an idea of what our film may include the questions asked focused on the audiences’ film preferences, hobbies and interests and their favourite actors and characters. The members of my group each came back with having Romantic Comedies as the audiences’ favourite film genre with horror/thriller’s proving popular as well. I found out that the audiences’ least favourite genre was science-fiction so this a definite loser when it comes to popularity.
•The group also found that Blockbuster Films were preferred to independent films, which tells us that the film we produce may have to include a far fetched, fictional storyline, some special effects and have a strong leading cast.
•The lead character will have to include heroic traits and be an all round “nice guy,” as this is what the audience wants in a character. As the intended audience is female the lead will have to be a good looking male who is for the most part “nice yet real” and someone they can relate to and admire as stated in Propp’s character theory. This particular character is typically found in Romantic Comedies, which is what proved most popular with the audience to begin with.
•The results of people’s favourite actor/actress was varied with no clear favourite but Orlando Bloom was popular, especially with the girls. This again tells us that the lead character should be good looking and have a certain charm, probably English. Most romantic English films are set in earlier periods and very much have a damsel in distress starring alongside the lead e.g. Pride and Prejudice.
•When asking what people’s favourite films were there was obviously a lot of different answers but surprisingly ‘Mean Girls’ and ‘The Notebook’ were two of the most popular films. Even when asking males, ‘The Notebook’ and similar types of films were popular amongst them.
Ideas…
•From all the results gathered it’s clear that the audience wants the genre of the film to be a Romantic Comedy and to star a good looking, nice guy who ultimately falls in love with his dream girl. However, the film has to contain amusing elements and before true love it’s truly disastrous. The next step for the group will be analysing films of this genre to obtain a clearer idea of what they include and the overall plot. The film has to appeal to a young audience (16-25) so it has to be fun and the storyline relevant to today’s youth. As well as being romantic the film needs to be funny and we could gain ideas from programmes such as ‘Jackass’, ‘Balls of Steel’ and comedians like Alan Carr. The lead character could find himself in the awkward and painful situations as in some of these programmes.
Audience Profile
•Age: 17
•Gender: Female
•Certificate: 15
•Favourite Film Genre: Romantic Comedy
•Least Favourite Genre: Science-Fiction
•Film Status: Blockbuster!
•Favourite Films: Mean Girls, The Notebook
•Favourite Character: Hero and/or Nice Guy
•Favourite Actor: Orlando Bloom
Personal Profile
•I believe that the person who my film would most appeal to would be a girl of a similar age to me, who goes to college and whose interests compare to mine. She would be 17 years of age and enjoy socialising with friends.
•The girl loves watching romantic films and is interested in boys, shopping and make-up. She love actors such as Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom.
•She would be able to relate to the lead female character in the film, who would be fashionable, fun and outgoing.
•I also believe the film would be an escape from college work and her day to day routine and I hope for her to lose herself in the film and for the male lead to be everything she wishes for in a man.
Audience Expectations
•We know what the audience expects from the results of the questionnaires and we have to abide by these in order to make a successful product. They expect a romantic yet funny film with an opening that reflects that and draws them in. They want a good cast with specific types of characters and a fictional storyline that they can lose themselves in and have fun with. Hopefully our group can provide them with a film that ticks all their boxes.
Summary of Findings…
… by Chelsea Smith
Target Audience
•The results of the questionnaires gave a clear indication as to who the target audience shall be. From looking at the graphs on the right the audiences’ gender is predominantly female and the age group of the viewer’s is between 16 and 25. From the questionnaire results it’s clear that the film has to be fun, young and feminine.
Expectations of a 12 certificate
As we are producing a Romantic Comedy, the certificate of this type of genre rarely exceeds a 12 certificate. This is our intended age certificate and this is what our film can and can’t include:
•The use of strong language must be infrequent
•Mature themes are acceptable but their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers.
•Nudity is allowed but it must be brief and discreet.
•Sexual activity may be implied but should not go beyond what is suitable for the age group in question.
•Violence must not be graphic or dwell on details. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood.
•Any misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or instructional.
Interests of Audience
•To get an idea of what our film may include the questions asked focused on the audiences’ film preferences, hobbies and interests and their favourite actors and characters. The members of my group each came back with having Romantic Comedies as the audiences’ favourite film genre with horror/thriller’s proving popular as well. I found out that the audiences’ least favourite genre was science-fiction so this a definite loser when it comes to popularity.
•The group also found that Blockbuster Films were preferred to independent films, which tells us that the film we produce may have to include a far fetched, fictional storyline, some special effects and have a strong leading cast.
•The lead character will have to include heroic traits and be an all round “nice guy,” as this is what the audience wants in a character. As the intended audience is female the lead will have to be a good looking male who is for the most part “nice yet real” and someone they can relate to and admire as stated in Propp’s character theory. This particular character is typically found in Romantic Comedies, which is what proved most popular with the audience to begin with.
•The results of people’s favourite actor/actress was varied with no clear favourite but Orlando Bloom was popular, especially with the girls. This again tells us that the lead character should be good looking and have a certain charm, probably English. Most romantic English films are set in earlier periods and very much have a damsel in distress starring alongside the lead e.g. Pride and Prejudice.
•When asking what people’s favourite films were there was obviously a lot of different answers but surprisingly ‘Mean Girls’ and ‘The Notebook’ were two of the most popular films. Even when asking males, ‘The Notebook’ and similar types of films were popular amongst them.
Ideas…
•From all the results gathered it’s clear that the audience wants the genre of the film to be a Romantic Comedy and to star a good looking, nice guy who ultimately falls in love with his dream girl. However, the film has to contain amusing elements and before true love it’s truly disastrous. The next step for the group will be analysing films of this genre to obtain a clearer idea of what they include and the overall plot. The film has to appeal to a young audience (16-25) so it has to be fun and the storyline relevant to today’s youth. As well as being romantic the film needs to be funny and we could gain ideas from programmes such as ‘Jackass’, ‘Balls of Steel’ and comedians like Alan Carr. The lead character could find himself in the awkward and painful situations as in some of these programmes.
Audience Profile
•Age: 17
•Gender: Female
•Certificate: 15
•Favourite Film Genre: Romantic Comedy
•Least Favourite Genre: Science-Fiction
•Film Status: Blockbuster!
•Favourite Films: Mean Girls, The Notebook
•Favourite Character: Hero and/or Nice Guy
•Favourite Actor: Orlando Bloom
Personal Profile
•I believe that the person who my film would most appeal to would be a girl of a similar age to me, who goes to college and whose interests compare to mine. She would be 17 years of age and enjoy socialising with friends.
•The girl loves watching romantic films and is interested in boys, shopping and make-up. She love actors such as Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom.
•She would be able to relate to the lead female character in the film, who would be fashionable, fun and outgoing.
•I also believe the film would be an escape from college work and her day to day routine and I hope for her to lose herself in the film and for the male lead to be everything she wishes for in a man.
Audience Expectations
•We know what the audience expects from the results of the questionnaires and we have to abide by these in order to make a successful product. They expect a romantic yet funny film with an opening that reflects that and draws them in. They want a good cast with specific types of characters and a fictional storyline that they can lose themselves in and have fun with. Hopefully our group can provide them with a film that ticks all their boxes.
Thursday, 15 January 2009
After completing the Audience Research Questionnaires, my next task was to put the results into graphs to get a clear idea of what it is the audience wants to see. Out of the 10 questions answered, 5 of them were put into graphs in order to write up an analysis of the whole groups results.
1. Age: Under 16 16-25 25-40 40-60 60+
The bar chart clearly shows that the age category of 16-25 year olds was of the highest number - 12 of the 20 people asked were in this category - therefore that is my intended audience for the film project.
2. Gender: Male Female
These results were put into a pie chart with other half of the total number of people being female. This shows that the film needs to appeal to a female audience in terms of its plot, characters and most importantly the genre.
3. What educational background do you have?
GCSe's A-Levels Degree Job Qualifications None
As the majority of people i questionned were between the ages of 16-25, the results of their educational background showed this,as 15 out of 20 people circled GCSE's as being their educational achievements. This is important as the film we make doesn't have to be highly intellectual or have a complicated plot; it can be fun, comic and upbeat.
4. What is your least favourite film genre?
Comedy Sci-Fi Action/adventure Romantic Comedy Horror/thriller Teen Comedy
These results were interesting as all of the genres except comedy were unpopular with at least 1 person. However, science fiction was the least favourite genre overall with half of the people liking it least. Romantic comedy also had a high percentage, with most of the males liking it the least but as my intended audience is females it is still a possible winning genre.
5. Do you prefer watching Blockbusters or Independent films?
Blockbusters Independent
Blockbuster films had a much higher percentage of popularity than Independent films with over half of the audience preffering to watch them. This tells me that the film I need to make has to be a bit special, a little far fetched, maybe contain some special effects and have a strong and popular cast.
1. Age: Under 16 16-25 25-40 40-60 60+
The bar chart clearly shows that the age category of 16-25 year olds was of the highest number - 12 of the 20 people asked were in this category - therefore that is my intended audience for the film project.
2. Gender: Male Female
These results were put into a pie chart with other half of the total number of people being female. This shows that the film needs to appeal to a female audience in terms of its plot, characters and most importantly the genre.
3. What educational background do you have?
GCSe's A-Levels Degree Job Qualifications None
As the majority of people i questionned were between the ages of 16-25, the results of their educational background showed this,as 15 out of 20 people circled GCSE's as being their educational achievements. This is important as the film we make doesn't have to be highly intellectual or have a complicated plot; it can be fun, comic and upbeat.
4. What is your least favourite film genre?
Comedy Sci-Fi Action/adventure Romantic Comedy Horror/thriller Teen Comedy
These results were interesting as all of the genres except comedy were unpopular with at least 1 person. However, science fiction was the least favourite genre overall with half of the people liking it least. Romantic comedy also had a high percentage, with most of the males liking it the least but as my intended audience is females it is still a possible winning genre.
5. Do you prefer watching Blockbusters or Independent films?
Blockbusters Independent
Blockbuster films had a much higher percentage of popularity than Independent films with over half of the audience preffering to watch them. This tells me that the film I need to make has to be a bit special, a little far fetched, maybe contain some special effects and have a strong and popular cast.
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