Posters

I need posters both for the 'AA' group and for the welcome poster on St Peter's desk. Also I will need Heaven and Hell signs for the elevator.
The 'AA' group poster will be quite simple and hang on the wall during the meeting. I think that a red (for Hell) and a blue (for Heaven) 'A' will look good, accompanied by a phrase to explain the group.
The 'Welcome to Purgatory' poster will look absolutely terrible, this is to accentuate the laziness of St Peter as he has supposedly made it. I think it should have coffee stains, footprints, rips and ink blots to really put this across.
The Heaven and Hell signs will be quite small and go at the top and bottom of the lift. The Heaven sign will have cotton wool surounding a white or blue glitter 'Heaven' to make it look Heavenly. The Hell sign will be red and orange (firey colours) and have the word written in red glitter surrounded by flames to make it look Hellish.

My Purgatory poster:

As you can see it looks pretty bad. You might go so far as to say terrible. Which it is. Saint Peter made it, and as he's lazy in the trailer there's many things wrong with this poster (done on purpose by me):

 

Number 1 - Coffee Stains

I reckon that Saint Peter (If he was as he is in the trailer) used this poster as a coffee coaster for a bit. As you can see there's loads of coffee rings and splats everywhere, cause he probably spilt it or something.

Number 2 - Frayed Edges

I don't know how this one would have happened. But I guess the paper's old or something. Or it was dragged along the floor, or (this is what I did) it got wet and ripped, or he hung it out the window as a bit of a flag for fun (That's probably how it got crinkled). Who knows?

Number 3 - Messy Writing

Saint Peter's got some messy writing. Plus he wanted it to be seen. So he went over and over it, eventually it just looked like a scribbled thing. Also it's been gone over with board marker in most places. But he couldn't be bothered I guess, so he just scribbled it in his worst handwriting.

 

Number 4 - Grammatical Errors

Here we have a series of grammatical errors. First, the word 'you're'. Obviously it's the wrong 'you're' cause the right one is 'your'. Also the word stay has an 'e' at the end of it, which is wrong. There's more mistakes too cause he can't spell (or he's too lazy to spell). But hey ho, Saint Peter most likely didn't go to school 'back in the day'.

Number 5 - Missing out letters

He missed out the letter 'O' when writing 'Welcome'. But he realised his grammatical error here and put in an 'O' with an arrow. So it's ok. However, it doesn't look great on a poster (which is why I did it for this particular one).

Number 6 - Ink Blots

I think his pen must have broken (I cut one open) at this point, so there's ink blots everywhere (Cause I splatted them).

Number 7 - Rips

I reckon the paper must have been used before, or maybe Saint Peter ripped it when he was using it as a coaster, or waving it out the window like a flag. Either way, he never tried to fix it. He didn't even put selotape over the rips.

Number 8 - Footprints

Now, as this poster is a very long (It's basically a banner) it was most likely used as a carpet or something. Maybe they were using it as a welcome mat at some point, or maybe they wanted a carpet runner. Or maybe he used it to stamp out his frustration - cause he hates his job so much.

 

Heaven Sign:

This is the Heaven sign to go at the top of the lift. It is cardboard painted blue (Linking to connotations of Heaven - in the sky - blue) and it has white gliter with white cotton wool surrounding each letter (Clouds).

Hell Sign:

This is the Hell sign to go at the bottom of the lift. It is cardboard painted red (Red flames - Hell), and has gold glitter words (Gold - wealth - deadly sin - greed) and the words are 'graffitied' over with black pen. Making the 'H' have horns, one of the 'l's be a trident, and the other to have a pointed tail (All of which link to the Devil).

 

St. Peter Placard:

This is the placard for St. Peter's desk, to let people know who he is as Purgatory is like a waiting room and St. Peter is the secretary, so people need to know who he is.

 

AA Sign:

 

This is the poster that will go in the background of the 'AA' scene. It's motto 'Been to the other side? Afterlife Anonymous. For those who know.' is on the poster. The Red and Blue 'A's have connotations of Heaven and Hell. The poster is simple but has everything it needs on it to set the scene. 

 

 

 

AA Group

I want to see how AA groups are portrayed in media as I am using one in my trailer (Afterlife Anonymous) so I want it to fit in with the stereotypes of these types of groups.
Here are some examples:

 

This clip introduces the 'Siblings anonymous' group well. I like the poster and refreshments table as I wanted to use something similar in my own trailer. The whole 'My name is Fred' 'Hi Fred' thing I really like. I think it's a really funny stereotype of AA groups and I want to use this in my own trailer. Also the set up of the room is similar to how I wanted mine to be. Finally, the leader with the clip board is something I wanted my God character to have.





 

This is a clip from the film 'Confessions of a shopaholic'. Like the 'Siblings anonymous' group the leader holds a clipboard and the group are sat on chairs in a circle. The 'Shopaholics anonymous' group also holds the stereotypes of 'Hi ...' and a phrase to keep their temptations away. This clip is also really funny but I won't be 'Tempting' them as in this clip.

 

 

In my trailer 'AA' group I will use:

- A clipboard for the leader

- The group sitting on chairs in a circle

- The 'Hi ...' stereotype

- A refreshments table

- A poster







Script

[Camera slowly zooms in to group sat round in a circle on chairs in a 'church hall'. There is a refreshments table behind them. Everyone looks at leader of group.]

Leader: [Enthusiastically] We've got a new member with us here today [Camera moves to medium close up of group leader] Let's welcome her to the group
[Leader and group looks at Eva, camera cuts to medium close up of her]
Eva: Hi, I'm Eva
Group: [Entusiastically] Hi Eva
Eva: [Smiles] And I recently had an out of body experience
[Camera cuts to establishing shot of Eva walking along the street. There are houses behind her. She is talking on her phone as she walks]
Voice over (Eva): I was on the phone, I think it was a buisness call
Eva: [On phone, annoyed] I need it by Monday. No, no excuses. It's my head on the line I... [Voice continues quietly]
Voice over (Eva): I was just on my way to work, a normal day
[Cut back to AA group. Medium close up of Eva]
Eva: And I was run over
[Cut to Eva on phone. Then to car. Car beeps frantically. Cut to Eva walking on to road, she sees car, looks terrified]
[Black screen, squeal of brakes, scream, thud/crash]
[All quiet. Extreme close up of Eva's face with eyes shut. She opens them]
[Establishing shot. White background, bright. Eva stands up - she is dressed in white]
Voice over (Eva): When I woke up I was dead
[Eva is dazed and confused]
[Cut to Purgatory, establishing shot. It is like a doctor's waiting room. On seats sit dead people how they died, e.g. with an arrow through their head etc. There is a desk with a poorly made welcome sign attached and a lift with heaven and hell signs on the top and bottom of the lift. Saint Peter is sat lazily at the desk with his feet up. Girl walks in and up to Saint Peter]
Voice over (Eva): I'm not gonna lie to you. The afterlife is...weird. Especially purgatory
[Cut to medium close up of Eva, she is standing at St Peter's desk]
Eva: Where am I?
[Cut to medium close up of St Peter]
St Peter: [Lazily, bored] Welcome to Purgatory. You have been assigned to Heaven. Please stand in the lift and press up
[Eva walks to lift and presses button]
Voice over (Eva): St Peter, he hate's his job. A lot. He's super bored, super sarcastic and pretty shabby - for a saint
[Lift pings and doors open. Girl steps in. Doors close with her facing out. Camera on outside of lift]
[Cut to close up of St Peter]
St Peter: When you arrive you will meet your angel. He will stay with you
[Cut to doors opening. Camera on inside of lift]
Voice over (St Peter): Forever
[Doors fully open to reveal Heaven - it is very wihte and pure. Angel is standing at lift doors]
Nathaniel: Eva right? I'm your angel
[Cut to Eva]
Eva: Hi
Voice over (Eva): It was supposed to be love at first sight
[Eva and Nathaniel walk through Heaven, Nathaniel points at things and explains what they are]
Voice over (Eva): But I hated him
[Cut to Eva screaming in to pillow on bed in her room]
Eva: [Muffled screaming] I hate him, I hate him, I hate him[Falls forward on bed in frustration]
[Cut to Eva lying on bed. Medium close up]
[Cut to close up of Eva's face]
[Cut to extreme close up of Eva's eye. Tear wells up and falls. Camera follows tear as it falls down her face]
Voice over (Eva): It didn't take long for me to realise I loved him
[Establishing shot. Eva and Nathaniel are running towards each other as they both realise their love]
Voice over (Eva): But by then it was too late
[Blinding white flash and high pitched ringing. White screen fades to Eva on ground surrounded by paramedics. She is dressed how she was before she went to Heaven. background sound of paramedics saying what should happen, she sits up and cries out, slow motion. Sound is all muffled]
Voice over (Eva): When I got out of hospital I found your poster and I came here, and now I'm searching for him
[Cut to medium close up of leader of AA group.]
Leader: Wow. Well, you've been through a lot, hasn't she been through a lot everybody? Come on, let's make her feel better. Everybody up and hug Eva. Share your love!
[Cut to a therapist's room, establishing shot. Therapist is sat on chair making notes. Eva is lying on sofa. Cut to medium close up of therapist]
Therapist: Well, that's a very interesting story. But how do you feel about the whole event. I mean no one can come out...
[Cut to meduim close up of a doctor, talking to Eva]
Doctor: ...Of an event like that and still feel normal. It's absolutely fine to still feel as if you're not part of the world
[Cut to medium close up of Eva, she is scrutinising the doctor's face]
Eva: Funny, I was just told the exact same thing by someone else...
[Cut to doctor, she looks guilty]
Doctor: [Nervous] Haha, how strange...
[Cut to doctor in reception of doctor's. Receptionist is sat in chair behind desk. She looks bored]
Doctor: Phew! That was a close one, I thought she recognised me then!
[Cut to medium close up of receptionist]
Receptionist: [Sarcastic] Really? I would never have guessed that you would be recognised with all of your ingenious disguises
[Cut to doctor. She hasn't got the sarcasm]
Doctor: [Pleased with self] Yes, they are ingenious aren't they? [Walking back into doctor's room. Talking to self quietly] I am a genius. I really am...
[Cut to Eva walking on street, Nate is walking behind her, looking at her longingly]
[Cut to medium close up of therapist]
Therapist: It's perfectly normal to feel other-worldly
[Cut to closer shot of Eva walking with Nate behind her]
[Cut to medium close up of AA group leader hugging Eva with others]
Leader: That's right, let it all out, all the pain, all the sorrow.
[Cut to closer shot of Eva walking with Nate behind her]
[Cut to medium close up of doctor]
Doctor: Well, everything seems to be in order
[Cut to closer shot of Eva walking with Nate behind her. Eva notices something and starts to turn]
[Cut to medium close up of therapist]
Therapist: Well, that's enough from me, you tell me how you're feeling
[Cut to closer shot of Eva, she turns, but there is no one there]
[Cut to shot of Nate, grey filter used here to make him seem more distant. He reaches out and touches the glass in front of him, trying to reach Eva]
[Cut to medium close up of Eva, she can't see anything]
[Cut to Eva in therapist's office]
Eva: I feel as if he's still there, watching for me, waiting
[Cut to medium close up of therapist]
Therapist: [Smiling] Good
[Cut to title shot of 'Heaven and Earth']
[Cut to Doctor hitting Eva's knee]
Doctor: It'll work this time, no this time. Ok, how about now?
[Cut to Date and credits, sound continues]
Voice over (Doctor): Nothing? We'll try something else

Characters

These are the main characters which will be in my trailer and their description:

Eva - Eva is the main protagonist. She is run over at the start and goes to heaven where she meets her love interest, but is then revived and pulled back out of heaven. She goes to an 'AA' group (Afterlife Anonymous), a therapist, doctor and various other things to try and sort her life out. Eva is a pretty, strong-willed girl in her early 20s, who is working for a major buisness corporation.

Nathaniel - Nate is an angel, Eva's love interest. He is handsome and kind, but bossy and pedantic, so him and Eva clash at the begining. However, they both become more mild to fit in with each other.

God -  Also known as Dr. G.Odman, Eva's doctor, Godiva, the leader of Eva's 'AA' group, Dr. B. Iggod, Eva's therapist, and any other various roles God uses whilst following Eva around and trying to help her. God is kinda dumb, and provides the humourous character in my trailer as God's disguises are really bad, yet God continues to help Eva in various roles. The multi-role of God is a metaphor for God being everyone.

God's secretary - Follows God around, helping. Gets bored with the stupidness of God and as such is almost as bad as St Peter in her sarcasm. However, she loves her job most of the time and loves God too, and as such is a likeable character.

St Peter - The guardian of the gates of heaven. Sits at the desk of purgatory, deciding where people go and telling them when they can enter the lift to either go to heaven or hell. Hates his job as he's stuck in a room with a load of 'ill' (Dead) people and they are bad company. Uses a lot of sarcasm and sleeps a lot to pass the time, so he is very shabby.

Names

The names of my 2 main characters require a bit of thought, as the names not only have to suit the character but the face of the actor. I would also like them to be short, or at least names which can be shortened.

The boys name should be something angelic, what with him being an angel. Here are some names I like:

- Nathaniel - Means 'Given of God'
- Eric - Means 'Ruler' or 'Prince'
- James - 'The one who follows'
- Brendan - Means 'Prince'
- Sebastian - Means 'Revered'
- Daniel - Means 'God is my judge'
- Luke - Means 'Light'
- Oliver - Means 'Affectionate'
- Sam - Means 'God has heard'
- Andrew - Means 'Warrior'

Nathaniel is my chosen name; it can be shortened to Nate if needed and it's not a particularly popular name, which, being an angel's name, I don't think the name should be common.

The girls name should be pretty sounding but strong. As she's essentially just a normal person I have quite a bit of freedom with this name. Names I like:

- Amani - Means 'Desires'
- Effie - Means 'Well-spoken'
- Cara - Means 'Dearest'
- Sara - Means 'Princess'
- Eva - Means 'Life'
- Sienna - Means 'Reddish orange-brown'
- Ruby - Means 'Ruby'
- Abby - Means 'Father's joy'
- Olivia - Means 'Olive'
- Emily - Means 'Hard-working'

Eva is my chosen name; it sounds pretty and I like the irony that the name means life but she dies at the beginning (she comes back to life too).

Makeup & Hair

This post is mainly on the make-up and hair of the main protagonist.
I like the idea of having a 'halo' of hair around her head when she is in heaven. She will also have light make-up - gold and white - and defining eyes. Possible hair ideas (Heaven):

And how to do it:

Although I quite like this style idea, I would like some of the hair to be down. So I won't be following this exactly.

 

Possible make-up ideas (heaven):
 

As you can see they are all innocent, light and pure. This will help create the heavenly feel in my trailer.

How to do it:

When on earth she will simply be casual, hair either up in a pony tail or down. Her makeup will be minimal. Possible hair ideas (Earth):

 

And how to do the pony tail: 

Make-up ideas (Earth): 

 

How to do something similar: 

FOR THE ANGEL: 

Of course, the angel is a boy, and as such will not require any make-up, however, his hair will need to be styled, so here are some styles I quite like (the style will remain the same throughout the trailer, as I see no reason to change it, what with him being an angel for the whole thing and not having any drastic costume change like the girl.):

   

Props

These are props I will need when filming.
- A car - for the scene in which the girl gets run over.
- A table - for the refreshments table in the first scene, and the desk in purgatory. There may well be other uses for it too.
- Chairs - for the first scene and other uses throughout.
- Coffee machine, cups & cookies on a plate - for the first scene.
- Angel wings - about 6 pairs, for heaven.
- Posters - one for the first scene and one for purgatory.
- Heaven & hell signs - for purgatory.
- Magazines - for purgatory, preferably really trashy ones.
- Joke toys - e.g. an arrow through the head headband.
- A defibrilator - or something that looks like it.
- A clip board - For the leader to hold in the AA group

 

Age certificate

Here I will look at the age classifications requirements in the UK. Using this I can decide which age certificate to put on my trailer when it is made.

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) has 7 age certificates; R18, 18, 15, 12, 12A, PG, and U. This is what each one is certified by:

 U: The BBFCstates that "The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over." and that "Films or DVDs with this BBFCinsight should raise no significant issues in terms of discrimination, drugs, horror, imitable behaviour, language, nudity, sex, theme or violence."
The sorts of themes that are passed at U:
"A U film can explore most themes, as long as the treatment is appropriate to a young audience. This doesn’t mean that all films rated U are children’s films – many adult films, especially older works, are rated U because they don’t contain any strong issues.
A children’s work at U will generally contain positive messages about loyalty, honesty and friendship, particularly amongst children. The film or DVD will have a happy ending for the child and the overall tone should be one of reassurance.
U films are unlikely to contain discriminatory language or behaviour unless it is clearly disapproved of."

PG: "PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children. A PG film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. Parents should consider whether the content might upset younger or more sensitive children."

12A and 12: 12A: "12A means that anyone aged 12 or over can go and see the film unaccompanied. The A stands for 'accompanied' and 'advisory'. Children younger than 12 may see the film if they are accompanied by an adult (eg someone over the age of 18), who must watch the film with them."
12 and 12A are basically the same, this is the difference according to the BBFC; "The 12 certificate is just for videos, DVDs and Blu-rays. 12A is for films at the cinema only."
The tone of the film can dictate the classification of a film, e.g. "a work which has a very dark or unsettling tone which could disturb the audience would be less likely to be passed 12A even if the individual issues in the film were considered acceptable under the BBFC guidelines. Similarly, if a work is particularly positive or reassuring this may stop it being pushed up a category from 12A to 15."

15: " No-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a ‘15’ rated DVD. 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age."
 "15 works are stronger than 12 or 12A rated works and could include any of the following:

• strong violence
• frequent strong language (eg 'f***').
• portrayals of sexual activity
• strong verbal references to sex
• sexual nudity
• brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
• discriminatory language or behaviour
• drug taking"

18: "Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy/rent an 18 rated DVD. No 18 rated works are suitable for children."
"18 works are for adults and can contain strong issues such as:

• very strong violence
• frequent strong language (eg 'f***') and/or very strong language (eg ‘c***’)
• strong portrayals of sexual activity
• scenes of sexual violence
• strong horror
• strong blood and gore
• real sex (in some circumstances)
• discriminatory language and behaviour"

R18: "The ‘R18’ category is a special and legally restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas, and video works may be supplied to adults only in licensed sex shops. ‘R18’ videos may not be supplied by mail order."

Looking at this I believe that my trailer will come under either a PG or 12 rating as it shouldn't be disturbing to viewers and will have a generally light feel to it. Having a lower classification means that more people are able to see it and as such my film would be more popular and would be able to be advertised more freely.

Location

I have gone around my school and the surrounding areas to find possible places to film parts of my trailer. This is what I have found:

These are places which I could use for the ascent in to heaven:

These are various lifts I could use. With a bit of sprucing up I feel that they will be fine to use. However, I would need a place with an open area in front of it to use for the purgatory waiting room. I will state which ones don't and which do.

 

This lift has vertually no space in front of it and bad lighting. Because of this it will be no good to use.

This lift is not the correct style for the type of lift I want to use. Despite the open area in front of it the lift isn't suitable to use in my trailer.

This lift has ok lighting but hardly any space in front so isn't good for my use. 

 

This one has good lighting but very little space in front,however, the lift itself is very good in style and cleanliness. Therefore, if I am unable to locate a better lift I shall use this one and green screen it in to the background of the shot.

 

I could use a staircase for the ascent. However, I don't like this idea as much as the lift.



 

This is the only staircase with adequate lighting, however, the displays posted all over the walls mean that it wouldn't be suitable to use in my trailer.

 

 

When the girl gets run over I will need a road. These are places which I could use:



 

I like this road as it generally has very few people hanging around it. It is secluded but has a road meaning that I could easily film what I need without much traffic interfering.

This road is also not vey busy, however, due to it being a residential area I would have to ask permission from the people living there to film outside their houses. 

Extra:

I don't know what I could use this area for but if I find a use for it then I will use it. It is here as a back-up location.

 

 

 

 



Costume Design

After finishing my storyboards I feel I can create some costume designs for some of the settings, e.g. Heaven and Earth for both the main girl and boy.
Sticking to the whole 'white and pure' angel ideals I have created a mood board with pictures from Google to help me design my own costumes, focusing on angels, purity and heaven, I will refer back to these pictures when drawing out my own designs.

 



Here I have my costume designs for the main female role whilst in heaven. They will all be white, and the length of the dress will be either past the knee (to the floor) to be decent and wise, or above the knee to be innocent and pure.

From the top left hand corner going across:

-The first dress is far too flamboyant to be realistic for use in my extremely low budget trailer. The use of the feathers for trimming on the boots, end and collar/shoulders of the dress, as well as the cut, including the draping sleeves and knee cut, would mean that the dress would be very difficult to locate or tailor, and would cost a lot of money.  The knee cut and the low neckline mean that the dress is not well suited to its purpose as it is not decent enough to be angelic.
-The second dress is gown-like. This is more appropriate for use in my trailer as it is simple. However, the style of dress woud be difficult to locate. One way I could use this dress design is by buying a long strapless dress, sewing on the straps using folded piecces of white fabric.
-This dress would be good for use in my trailer, a dress similar to this shouldn't be too hard to locate and the style itself is quite cute and innocent, perfect for use as an angel.
-Although this dress is similar in style to the previous dress I feel the long arms would be better for its purpose as it is more modest. It would be made from light fabric so as to keep a flowy, angelic feel about it. This dress is cute, however it also shows wisdom as it looks like something aan older student would wear. The collar is rather angel-like as it is similar to a feather style, I also had an idea to use a white feather belt on this dress to pull together the angel feel of it.

From the bottom left hand corner going across:

-This dress is very simple and as such has a feel of being pure. Despite the fact that I like this design due to its simplicity, I feel that it wouldn't be right for use as an angel's dress as it isn't light and 'pure' enough to be so.
-The summer dress feel for this design is too 'mumsy' to be used for an angel. Because it doesn't look heavenly enough, and in fact has a very down-to-Earth type of feel I don't think that it would be right for its role.
-This dress is long and has a sophisticated look. I feel that it would be good for use in my trailer as it would fit in with the angel look. However, the style of the dress would mean that it would be expensive to procure and as such it isn't realistic for me to be able to afford it.
-As with the previous dress I feel that this dress is well suited to an angel role as it is long and flowy. However, the style of the dress means that I wouldn't be able to afford it.

My favourite design for use in my trailer is the dress in the tope right hand corner of the designs. I feel that the style is perfect for an angelic dress, and with the correct accessories it could be made better. Also the style is not so difficult that I wouldn't be able to find a similar styled dress.

These are my costume designs for the main male role; the angel which the girl falls in love with.
Again they will be white, however, I wish to maintain a casual feel for this character and as such I want his costume to be smart-casual.

 

 

From the top left hand corner across:

 

-This design is far too flamboyant for use in my trailer. The long overcoat would be extrememly expensive and the feathered cuffs and collar of it is too unrealistic for something that I would be able to buy or make.

-The design here reminds me of a surfer, it has a very casual feel to it, with the t-shirt underneath and the shirt lazily thrown on top. I feel that this design would be good for use in my trailer as it portrays a casual, laid-back person. However, perhaps it is too casual, as I still want to maintain an air of proffesionality for him. After all, the role he plays in the film is the angel's job.

-I like this design as it looks smart enough to be used. The business style jumper creates a proffessional air for the man without looking too casual. Also to clothes here would be fairly easy to get, provided they were in white.

-I think that this design is far too smart. The buttoned up blazer makes him seem too involved in his job. This doesn't fit around the character that I want him to be. I will not use this design.

 

From the bottom left hand corner across:

 

-This design fits in very well with the whole smart/casual feel. The blazer and trousers are smart, however, the t-shirt underneath the unbuttoned blazer gives a very casual look to it.

-This design makes me think of a musician. The unbuttoned waistcoat thrown over a messy shirt gives a 'I don't care' look to the whole design. However, I don't feel this is right for the character as I want him to care about his job.

-This design is sweet and simple. It is a simple shirt and tie tucked in to trousers, the thin tie brings the body in, and makes him look slimmer. The rolled up sleeves and unbuttoned collar give a casual feel to the outfit, and make him look proffessional without being too messy.

-The final design uses a pull-over jumper over a shirt. This design makes the character look smart, almost geeky. Because of this I won't be using this design as it is too smart and clever for my character.

 

I have decided to use the 3rd design across on the bottom row. This design will be perfect for the sort of character I want to portray in my trailer; a laid-back guy who still cares about his work. The clothes for this design will also be very easy to procure.

 

RomCom Trailer Length and Conventions

Here I am going to look at the average length of a RomCom trailer and analyse a few RomCom trailers. This will help me to decide how long my trailer will be and what to include in it.

Love and Other Drugs

This trailer is 2:36 minutes long

Starts off with production logos, then male lead and his typical life, 'Meet Jamie' comes on screen. Music is faster, then he meets female lead, she doesn't fall for his tricks. Music changes to be more meaningful. Shows how happy they are together, sadness, then break-up. Shows actors names at end, then title and release date. Ends on a funny bit. 

Lighting is typical sunny daylight, soft. There are lots of reverse shots, two shots, long and medium close-ups. 

There is a mix of voice overs and 'real' sound. 



Friends With Benefits

2:39 Mins
Starts with age certificate, then 'Bad relationships' shows, followed by the male and female roles breaking up with their respective partners. Then 'Good Friends' followed by the leads together, and their agreement to be friends with benefits, which links the title into the trailer. Humorous bits come after, then the music changes to be more meaningful. 'This July' shows when it comes out, 2 more music changes. 'Friendship' precedes shots of the two of them together, 'Is a Four Letter Word' comes next, more shots of the two of them, then them apart, supposedly broken up. 'Friends with benefits' describes the name of the film, a humorous bit, then 'July 2011' shows the release date again, to ensure the audience knows it. Trailer ends on a humorous bit.
Medium close-ups and long shots are most popular, as well as reverse shots.
There is a mix of voice overs and 'real' sound.
Lighting is mostly soft daylight, but there are a few evening scenes.

13 Going on 30

2:34 Mins Long

Knocked Up

2:31 mins
Age certificate & production logo. Happy music, female role in everyday life, it is very professional, 'This is Allison's life' shows. Cut to male lead in everyday life, music change, it is much more boisterous, 'This is Ben's life' shows. They are both very happy, each one goes to the same club, they meet and hook up. 'Their story was supposed to end' shows, then the tow of them, 'After one night'. Morning after confirms what happened. 'But eight weeks later' she calls him, they meet, she tells him she's pregnant, followed by everyone's reactions to it (they are negative). The two of them try to make it work. Shows how everyone is helping. Then humorous scene, followed by title & release date.
Mix of voice over and 'real' sound.
Medium close-ups, long shots and reverse shots are mostly used.
The lighting is soft daylight, and darker night scenes.

Monster-in-Law

2:30 mins



The Wedding Planner

2:30 mins

Yes Man

1:53 Mins



Shallow Hal

2:06 Mins

Production company logo. Happy music starts. Shows male lead in normal life and his problems. Music changes, shows change to see girl's inner beauty. Two of them together, happy. Humorous scene, then title, then cut back to scene. Credits and release date. 

Medium close-ups and long shots.

Soft daylight lighting, mixed with darker indoor night lighting.

Voice over and 'real' sound.



27 Dresses

2:31 Mins

Age certificate. Shows female lead 'The dress is perfect', cut to her in wedding dress. 'The cake is wonderful' cut to her with wedding cake. 'The wedding is all set' cut to people sitting down at wedding. 'There's only one problem' cut to her in dress, a call woman says "it's the bride". 'She's just the bridesmaid' cut to wedding, she is pushed down by another woman trying to catch the bouquet. Music change, introduce male lead as he helps female lead up. Shows them together, they don't get along. Production company logos show. Cut to female lead in her bridesmaid roles, then to her in everyday life. She loves boss, boss meets sister, they hit it off. Shows lead planning sister's wedding to man she loves. Shows male lead giving her inspirational speech, then actors names. Shows the two of them together. Humorous scene, and finally the release date. 

Mix of indoor night light and soft daylight.

Mainly long shots, reverse shots & medium close-ups. 

Voice over and 'real' sound.



Definitely, Maybe

2:13 Mins

From those which I have analysed I have found that:

a mix voice over and 'real' sound is used frequently, 

there are often written interjections, 

the lighting tends to be soft daylight,

medium close-ups, reverse shots and long shots are used most often,

the trailer usually starts by showing the two of them separately, then ends up showing the two of them together,

the trailer often ends on a humorous bit,

the production company logos and age certificate are shown at the beginning,

the release date and title are shown at the end.

I will take these into account when I produce my own trailer. 

The average length of the trailers is 2 minutes 41 seconds long. I will make my trailer approximately this length.





The Target Audience of RomComs

I have researched the target audience of RomComs, here are my findings:

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-opening-our-eyes-2011-07.pdf
This graph is from the BFI (British Film Industry) and shows the results of a survey completed to show all preferred film type/genres of citizens in the UK.

This graph shows how popular each genre of film is in the UK, as you can see RomComs are the preferred film type of just 22% of men, but for a massive 55% of females RomComs are the preferred movie choice. The survey also shows that whilst for 39% of white people RomComs are the preferred choice, 54% of the ethnic minority group preferred RomComs.
This graph presents the fact that RomComs are more popular with women and with ethnic minorities.
It also shows that RomComs are the 8th most popular genre of film in the UK, with comedies being the favourite genre of 69% of UK citizens.

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/vault/Portrayal_Vs_Betrayal_2011.pdf
This table shows age and gender against genre of film.

As you can see according to this table RomComs are the 7th most popular genre of film, with the main audience being women aged under 35 with a total of 61%. The second most popular audience was women over 35 (at 47%), therefore it may be worthwhile have them as a secondary audience for my trailer.
Comedy is first, again with the main audience being women aged under 35 (at 78%). However, comedies are much more popular with men, having a 53% total of males under 35 (compared with a 16% total in RomComs), and a 63% total of males over 35 (compared with a 24% total in RomComs). This makes me think that to appeal more to a male audience I need to direct my trailer more in the direction of a comedy whilst still keeping to the ideals of a RomCom.
Taking this in to account I will direct my trailer to appeal more to women aged under 35, but over the age of 12 as most people who independently choose which film to watch are over the age of 12, having been given the independence to go out by themselves or with friends and having more money to be able to go to the cinema with and buy films.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-opening-our-eyes-2011-07.pdf
This Graph is from the BFI (British Film Industry) and shows the results of a survey completed to show the aspects important in the decision to view a particular film.

This shows what decisions people make to watch a film. 68% of UK citizens found that an interesting storyline was important, this was the most important thing to UK citizens, being the most popular answer. The genre of the film comes next (62% chose this) so my genre of film (RomCom) would be 8th most popular in the UK if people went by this decision only. Recommendations by family/friends was 3rd most important, meaning that if a family member or friend went to see the film and told others to go and see it as it was good, then those people (60%) would most likely go to see it.
Many other things were important to me in the survey results so without going in to detail I shall list the things which I will take in to account when creating my trailer:
An interesting storyline; Genre; Actors (making sure they can act well); Spectacular visual/audio experience; Music in the film.
 These things I feel are important as I can make sure that they are good when making my trailer. Other things, such as recommendations by friends/family I cannot really control, except to make my trailer well so that people would want to see it and thus recommend it.

Top Grossing Movies of 2012

Rank	Movie	Release Date	Distributor	Genre	MPAA	2012 Gross	Tickets Sold
1	Marvel's The Avengers	5/4/2012	Walt Disney	Adventure	PG-13	$623,279,547	78,301,450
2	The Dark Knight Rises	7/20/2012	Warner Bros.	Action	PG-13	$448,139,099	56,298,881
3	The Hunger Games	3/23/2012	Lionsgate	Thriller/Suspense	PG-13	$408,010,692	51,257,624
4	Skyfall	11/8/2012	Sony Pictures	Action	PG-13	$293,729,570	36,900,699
5	The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2	11/16/2012	Lionsgate	Drama	PG-13	$287,756,286	36,150,287
6	The Amazing Spider-Man	7/3/2012	Sony Pictures	Adventure	PG-13	$262,030,663	32,918,425
7	The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey	12/14/2012	Warner Bros.	Adventure	PG-13	$246,289,507	30,940,892
8	Brave	6/22/2012	Walt Disney	Adventure	PG	$237,236,938	29,803,635
9	Ted	6/29/2012	Universal	Comedy	R	$218,665,740	27,470,570
10	Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted	6/8/2012	Paramount Pictures	Adventure	PG	$216,391,482	27,184,859
11	Dr. Seuss' The Lorax	3/2/2012	Universal	Adventure	PG	$214,030,500	26,888,253
12	Men in Black 3	5/25/2012	Sony Pictures	Adventure	PG-13	$179,020,854	22,490,057
13	Wreck-It Ralph	11/2/2012	Walt Disney	Adventure	PG	$177,319,916	22,276,371
14	Ice Age: Continental Drift	7/13/2012	20th Century Fox	Adventure	PG	$161,168,962	20,247,357
15	Snow White and the Huntsman	6/1/2012	Universal	Adventure	PG-13	$155,136,755	19,489,542
16	Hotel Transylvania	9/28/2012	Sony Pictures	Comedy	PG	$145,706,677	18,304,858
17	Taken 2	10/5/2012	20th Century Fox	Thriller/Suspense	PG-13	$139,076,968	17,471,980
18	Lincoln	11/16/2012	Walt Disney	Drama	PG-13	$138,675,219	17,421,509
19	21 Jump Street	3/16/2012	Sony Pictures	Comedy	R	$138,447,667	17,392,922
20	Prometheus	6/8/2012	20th Century Fox	Horror	R	$126,477,084	15,889,080
21	Safe House	2/10/2012	Universal	Thriller/Suspense	R	$126,181,630	15,851,963
22	The Vow	2/10/2012	Sony Pictures	Drama	PG-13	$125,014,030	15,705,280
23	Magic Mike	6/29/2012	Warner Bros.	Comedy	R	$113,721,571	14,286,629
24	The Bourne Legacy	8/10/2012	Universal	Thriller/Suspense	PG-13	$113,203,870	14,221,591
25	Argo	10/12/2012	Warner Bros.	Thriller/Suspense	R	$109,317,698	13,733,379
26	Journey 2: The Mysterious Island	2/10/2012	Warner Bros.	Adventure	PG	$103,860,290	13,047,775
27	Rise of the Guardians	11/21/2012	Paramount Pictures	Adventure	PG	$94,552,084	11,878,402
28	Flight	11/2/2012	Paramount Pictures	Drama	R	$92,234,057	11,587,193
29	Think Like a Man	4/20/2012	Sony Pictures	Romantic Comedy	PG-13	$91,547,205	11,500,905
30	Life of Pi	11/21/2012	20th Century Fox	Drama	PG	$88,226,096	11,083,680

Taken from http://www.the-numbers.com/market/2012/top-grossing-movies

This table shows the top 30 highest grossing movies of 2012, with the romantic comedy film 'Think Like a Man' coming in at 29. This is quite low in the chart, however, the genre of comedy, which RomComs are a sub-genre of (as well as romances), came in at number 9 with 'Ted' hitting the top 10 highest grossing films of 2012.
This could show that if I focus more on making the film funny and a little less on the romantic side then more people might go to see it. Because of this I will endeavour to make my trailer more funny thus appealing to more people.

To conclude I have found that the target audience of RomComs (and thus my target audience) is women between the ages of 12 and 35. However, to appeal more to men as a secondary audience I will increase the comedic side of my trailer as this genre was most popular with men, this will give me higher views as I found that both men and women enjoyed comedies.