Audience Research

For my audience research into the target audience of my chosen genre - Romantic Comedy - I have already created polls on my blog which I will analyse later on. I will also conduct a questionnaire and a survey. This will help me define my target audience.
With these polls I will find out which gender my film trailer will appeal to most and also what they enjoy most about the genre. I will also use a questionnaire with the following questions to better define my audience and their wants from films in the romantic comedy genre. The questionnaire consists of mostly multi choice questions and some that will allow the person to elaborate on the answer so I can analyse the data more efficiently and easily.

1. What is your age? 10-15 / 16-20 / 21-25 / 25+
2. Gender? Male / Female
3. Do you enjoy watching romantic comedies? Yes / No
4. What do you like about romantic comedies? (Space for own answer)
5. What do you dislike about romantic comedies? (Space for own answer)
6. Do you find some romantic comedies emotional? Yes / No
7. What makes you want to see a romantic comedy at the cinema? Trailer / Cast / Storyline / Review

I had 23 results from the questionnaires and from these I found out that my main audience was women although the main age group given the questionnaires were 16-20. I also found out from the polls on my blog that women were the main audience of romantic comedies.

With my research I have discovered that my main audience for the romantic comedy genre are 16-35 years old and both males and females enjoy the genre.

These are basic questions that I first asked people.

Romantic Comedy Trailers

Romantic Comedy

500 Days of Summer (2009)

Director: Marc Webb

Company: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Release Date: 2nd September 2009

The trailer consists of many of the usual conventions used in modern film trailers. The trailers uses clips - some humorous, some emotional - to help set up the story without giving away the whole story. This is used to tease the audience so they will be more likely to want to see the film and see the whole story. The trailer also shows the production company behind the film which is Fox Searchlight Pictures, and is also another usual convention of film trailers.
Non-diegetic music plays setting the tone of the trailer. Usually in romantic comedies light-hearted music is played but with this trailer the music changes into a different tempo with the editing and cuts of scenes being shown to help portray the emotions in the film.
A Narrative Enigma is used to establish the plot of the film and to create curiosity as it gives a warning to the fact the the film is not a love story. The voice is similar to the narrative in older trailers such as 'How To Marry A Millionaire' in 1953 in which the narrative tells the audience of the characters and the typical 'boy meets girl' plot which has a twist in '500 Days of Summer'.
Close-up shots are used as well which can also be a typical trailer convention as they are used to show the actors starring in the film. This trailer also uses a medium-close-up two shot to show the two protagonists together. Close-up shots also show the emotions - love and depression - and the characters emotions to show that the film romance is rocky and has its ups and downs.
Captions are also edited into the trailer with text saying what day the scene took place on which is used in the film and is related to the title of the film.


Bridget Jones' Diary (2001)

Director: Sharon Maguire

Company: Little Bird

Release Date: 13th April 2001

In this trailer, the film production company logos are quickly edited onto the beginning to show the audience who the film is made and produced by. The first shot you see is a medium-close up of the main character and of the actress. This shows the audience the star of the film and is also repeated in the introduction of Hugh Grant and Colin Firth.
The narrative enigma changes from a man's voice introducing the story of the film to the main character speaking from her diary which also sets up the film.
Text is shown over the top of clips. This text shows the names of the actors in the film and positive reviews from magazines and critics. There are also quick elliptical edits to show you the funniest scenes briefly so the audience gets a taste of the film and are intrigued to see the rest.

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Director: Rob Reiner

Company: Castle Rock Entertainment

Release Date: 1st December 1989

The 'When Harry Met Sally' trailer is slower paced than the '500 Days of Summer' trailer. The music and editing is much more slower and gives a laid-back, relaxed and light-hearted tone to the film.
The narrative enigma is presented in text captions about relationship issues presented in the film. The main focus of the clips used from the film in the trailer are of the two protagonists, Harry and Sally. This is similar to that of '500 Days of Summer'. This shows the audience who is starring in the film and also shows some of the funniest and awkward moments in the film to set up the basic plot line to the audience.

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Director: Blake Edwards

Company: Jurow-Shepard

Release Date: 5th October 1961

The narrative enigma in the 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' trailer is presented in voice over form. It sets up the characters more than the storyline and shows off the fact that the film stars Audrey Hepburn who was a big name in the 60's cinema and George Peppard. Text captions are placed over clips of scenes in the film and also informs the audiences of the names of the actors in the film. The clips shown vary throughout the trailer showing humour and emotional reactions of the characters.
The music played is quieter and has no lyrics so the audience can pay more attention to the narrative enigma.
Establishing shots and wide shots are used to show the audience that the location is New York and further characterise Holly Golightly.

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25/11/09 http://www.youtube.com/

29/1/10 http://www.imdb.com/

Romantic Comedy Genre

Romantic Comedies are a sub-genre of comedy and of romance films. Romantic Comedies can be seen as a hybrid genre as they portray romance in a comedic style.

Most romantic comedies have a similar plot line; there are two protagonists (usually a male and a female) who meet, hit an obstacle or hardship that splits them up (usually an argument) and then reunite in a 'happy ending'.

While the two protagonists are separated, there is a similar plot line wherein either one or both of the protagonists realise that they are in love with each other, one will make a grand gesture to declare their love to the other or there is a chance encounter which is completely coincidental or set up by a supporting character.
10 Things I Hate About You is a good example of this plot line. The film is based on Much Ado About Nothing written by William Shakespeare.

The grand gesture in the film is when Kat (the female protagonist) reads out her version of the poem '10 Things I Hate About You' written about Patrick (the male protagonist) to the English class. In the poem she reveals how hurt she was by Patrick's actions earlier and declares her real feelings towards him. "But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all."

At the end of the school day, Kat finds a guitar in her car which Patrick bought her with the money Joey (the agtagonist) paid him. He admits he made a mistake by making the deal but falling for her. The pair kiss and make up.

However, this isn't always the case in romantic comedies. Sometimes the protagonists fall in love with a supporting character. An example of this would be My Best Friend's Wedding. Casablanca is also a good example as in the end, Ingrid Bergman gets on the plane and leaves Humphrey Bogart's character however the two protagonists don't fall in love with other people, they just don't end with each other.

The Purpose of Film Trailers

Film trailers are film advertisements directed at the audience. They usually consist of selected shots from the featured film and are usually taken from the funniest or most exciting parts of the film depending on the genre but which are cut shorter so that the audience isn't seeing all of the best bits of the film in the trailer. Trailers are usually about 2 and a half minutes long and can be shown in cinemas, on the television and now on the Internet.
The purposes of film trailers are;

• To create interest in the film
• Inform the audience of the film i.e. the genre, the date of release and the production studio
• To persuade the audience that the film is worth seeing
• To ‘show off’ some of the main actors and stars in the film
• To ‘tease’ the audience by creating excitement and intrigue with the use of conventions such as narrative enigmas
• To showcase some of the best features in the film

The first real trailer was that of The Great Train Robbery in 1903 directed by Edwin S Porter. The film was a silent movie and the trailer was of a cowboy in a close-up shot pointing and cocking a gun at the camera.
Until the end of the 1950's, the National Screen Service created most of the film trailers released. These trailers comprised of various key scenes from the films, a musical score from the film and text describing the story or a voice over (stentorian voice).
In the 1960's trailers began to change into textless, montages of the film and quick-editing became a popular convention of trailers.
Stanley Kubrick used quick-editing for the trailer of his 1962 film 'Lolita'. The quick montage of various scenes of his film creates an excitement as the narrative enigma is made out of words spoken by different characters at different times throughout the film creating a voice or sound montage. Photography and different motifs are used in the fast-paced trailer making it seem original and unique from the trailers before it.





The trailer for John Huston's 1964 film 'The Night of the Iguana' independently created and distributed by Andrew J Kuehn was a fast-paced, montage of various scenes with the characters telling the story from the scenes mainly by the character played by Richard Burton differed from that of Kubrick's film trailer and began the trailers taking the form of what they are now. The upbeat and quick non-diegetic music sets the story up as a fast-action drama/thriller set in a tropical location.
In 1968, Kuehn opened the office of Kaleidoscope Films which directors like Spielberg, began to use to create trailers for their upcoming films. Kaleidoscope Films became a major player in the trailer industry for the nearly four decades after it's initial creation.

Usual conventions of a modern day film trailer are;

• Reflective of genre
• Graphic captions - director's name, date of release, text related to the film
• Non-diegetic music - this can help reflect the genre
• Production company logo i.e. 20th Century Fox or Paramount
• Narrative enigma - this can help set the film up
• Editing - Quick or slow depending on the genre to create tension, excitement or mood
• Close ups - This will show off the stars in the movie.

Trailers usually contain five things;

1. Plot Summary
2. Voice-over
3. Music
4. Cast, Crew and Studio Information
5. Technical elements; Sound mix and video resolution

1. Plot Summary: Trailers usually have a structure of three acts; a beginning which lays out the characters and premise. A middle which furthers the story and usually ends in a dramatic climax. And the last contains a strong piece of signature music from the film and may also contain a cast run in a visual montage.

2. Voiceover: Narration that reinforces the plot made by the images of the trailer and helps the audience understand the montage of clips that are condensed into the 1.30 - 2.30 minute trailer.

3. Music: Music helps enforce the mood and tone of the trailer. The music can be part of the film score or simply music chosen to suggest a mood or tone.

4. Cast, Crew and Studio Information: Most trailers consist of a cast run and a billing block. The cast run shows the actors of the film that are the main and supporting characters. If the directer or producer is well-known they will usually feature too. A billing block is the list of the cast and crew usually shown at the end of the trailer, on posters and advertisements.

5. Technical Elements: Usually the trailer will contain a sound mix consisting of different sound effects and music that is enhanced stereophonic sound to make it the focus point. Video resolution usually has a high bandwidth when distributed through Internet connections and allow a 1080p resolution at the most.

Trailer Analysis using the five conventions usually found in trailers;

1. Plot Summary

This trailer shows the idea of a beginning, middle and end. The first 1.04 minutes sets up the main charater (Sam) and the car that is part of the cause of the adventure he is thrown into. It also shows the audience meteors that are actual robots falling to the earth and acting as a catalyst to the events once we see the first 'Transformer' robot. From 1.04 to 1.46 minutes we see action and fight sequences intended to excite the audience. The dramatic climax of the middle is the introduction of the love interest and the main Transformer. From 1.46 to the end music significant to the film (a music score) is played over more battle scenes in the form of a visual montage.

2. Voiceover

There is no official voiceover in this, however the characters dialogue is used as well as text captions.

3. Music

In the beginning of the trailer the introduction of the song 'What I've Done' by Linkin Park is playing. This creates tension and shows the audience something big is about to happen.

In the middle, quieter music - probably a score from the film - is played with dialogue from the characters to create a build-up.

A faster and more dramatic score is played at the end of the trailer to create a dramatic climax and create excitement for the audience so they will be enticed to see the film.

4. Cast, Crew and Studio Information

The studio information is displayed at the beginning of the trailer like most other trailers. The Billing Block at the end just after the film's logo/name.

5. Technical Elements

Sound mix: The sound effects are used throughout the trailer; the robots transforming, the explosions and dialogue. This creates more action and dramatic effect as it adds to the visual elements of the effects.

Institutions:

The institution is responsible for the production, distribution, and marketing of the film.
The main companies at the moment are;

• Fox Entertainment Group
• Paramount Motion Pictures Group
• Dreamworks SKG
• Sony Pictures Entertainment
• MGM Holdings Inc.
• NBC Universal
• Time Warner
• Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group
• Lions Gate Entertainment
• The Weinstein Company

These companies also have numerous subsidaries that run under different names but are still part of the parent company.

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Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_film_production_companies

Synopsis For My Film Trailer

The film trailer will be promoting a romantic comedy targeting a younger adult and teenage audience. It will appeal to this audience as it is a different view on the usual romantic comedy convention as in the boy looks for the girl. Similar films of the romantic comedy genre in which I will research are 500 Days of Summer, When Harry Met Sally, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 10 Things I Hate About You, Yes Man and He's Just Not That Into You.

The story is from the view point of a thirty-something year old man called Tony who discovers that the woman he thought he loved isn't actually 'the one' he thought she was. She's in fact the opposite of what he thought and he comes to the dreaded realisation that he chose the wrong girl ten years ago when he had to make a choice between the peppy, wants-a-perfect-home, and slightly neurotic woman he married - Alison, and the girl who smiled at anything - Hannah. The one that got away. After Alison files for divorce and his boss fires him because of another man's mistake, Tony begins to feel he chose the wrong life path which is now slowly dwindling to a halt.

Whilst packing some of his stuff to begin to move out of his nearly ex-wife's house he comes across an old letter at the bottom of a drawer from the one who got away. Granted, it was written ten years ago Andy is curious. As he reads it he feels the old feelings he used to have for the woman who wrote it and even more so when he reads the final line - 'if you're single when you are thirty come and find me. I'll be waiting. Love Hannah'.

Tony feels like the letter will turn his life around so he can correct the mistake he made ten years ago. Meeting his employed friends one lunch he tells them his plan; he's going to find Hannah. Both laugh at his idea and think that this is the beginning of a mid-life crisis. Tony, ignoring his friends - Jeremy and Rob - jibes, sets out on a search for Hannah.

Tony starts by looking through the telephone directory, then the internet, then emails to old friends and when none of that works, Tony picks up his car keys and drives to his old neighbourhood and stays at his parents home while he looks for Hannah. There, he discovers Hannah still lives in the little house at the end of the street although when he knocks he finds something he doesn't expect. Hannah hates him for choosing Alison over her and thinks that he's only on her doorstep to re-inflate his ego after his marriage broke apart and ease his initial guilt. She feels betrayed, used and humiliated. She turns him away and Tony feels that the last year of searching for this girl has been a waste of time and effort . He leaves disheartened and even more depressed than when he started. He goes to a bar where Jeremy and Rob are drinking at while he reunites with his long lost love.

Unknown to him, Hannah slips into the bar looking for him after deciding that if he came looking for her he must still have feelings for her. Jeremy and Rob sit and stare as she sits down on the stool next to a moping Tony and introduces herself as if they just met. Tony catches on and reintroduces himself. They catch up and then start again from where they left off ten years previously.

The idea behind my synopsis is the idea that at the end of a romantic film, when the protagonist has to chose between the two, he actually picks the wrong one. I wanted it to be the story after the first 'happily ever after'.

Task Brief

The task is to create a promotional package for a new film. This will include a teaser trailer and a film poster, and either a film magazine front cover or a homepage of a website for the film, presenting all of my research and planning in this blog.

During the process of this task I will use a silver notebook to keep track of my skill develpments which will be able to help me keep track of what I learn during the process for the end exam.

In my task I shall use the concept of LIIAR. (w/narrative and genre)

L - Language

In this the language and narrative will have to appeal to my audience. The narrative in my trailer will be the narrative enigma which I can present as a stentorian voice (voiceover describing the storyline and characters) or in the form of text i.e. descriptive captions or text over the scene giving information.

I - Institution

The institution will be the production company behind the initial film. This could mean that the institution could be Universal, Warner Brothers, Paramount, 20th Century Fox or Momentum.

I - Ideology

The ideology will be the genre and in my project will be romantic comedies as well as the synopsis. It will be the ideas - stereotypes, modern day problems - in the story line and in the synopsis.

A - Audience

The audience will be researched and be the target audience of the specific genre I have chosen. For example, if I were to chose an action genre it would probably be aimed at young to middle aged men.

R - Representation

The representation is the genre and stereotypes portrayed in the film/trailer. This could refer to the bitchy cheerleader in a teenage romance film or the creepy old man in a horror film.

Narrative is usually shown through a narrative enigma which is where a voiceover is used to tell the main points shown in the trailer and possibly the title and release dates of the film.

The Narrative can also be shown through text.

Narrative usually contains four conventions; Genre, Character, Form and Time.

In a trailer, the narrative usually presents the audience with 'unanswered questions' in order for them to want to see the film to see the resolutions of the story. This persuasive technique is a convention of trailers which can be seen within most trailers.

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Sources:

http://www.mediaknowall.com 29/1/10

http://wikipedia.org/ 5/10/09