Film Poster Design initial ideas

Film Poster Design - My initial ideas


Originally I was going to include all three of the characters that are involved in the film enlarged on the poster. But after analysing real media posters I decided that it was more conventional to focus on the rivalry between the two girls who are the main characters. An image of Robert, who is the coach, would be made slightly smaller in similar way to the presentation on the Bend it like Beckham film poster. 

My film poster should include:

The use of a large prominent film title and a tagline

The names of the actors appearing in the film

Quotes from newspaper critics about the film 

Coming soon or release date should be displayed

An appropriate pose from the actors/actresses in the image that provides an indication of key themes, a suggestion of the genre and has connotations about the plot
The focal picture should also be intriguing

A company logo of the production company

A suitable colour scheme to appeal to the target audience and is eye catching
Age certification should be displayed
Directors and Production company details should be displayed.

The ways in which I intend to do the following are:
 

The title will be at the top of the page and large

The actress’s names will be underneath the actress’s pictures

The quotes will be at the very bottom of the page or next to the actor's/actresses

The company logo will be in the bottom left of the page 

The colour scheme will be white/black/green to convey the film is about tennis

The actresses will be posing back to back with tennis rackets to convey that they are rivals. Robert will be blowing a whistle to convey the stereotypical representation associated with a mean coach, he will be positioned next to Lindsay with the connotation that he is on her side.
The use of the male coach can appear to a wider market as having two females on the front cover may not interest some viewers. 

The release date of the film will be bold and underneath the title 

The overall presentation of the poster should be simple, clear and eyecatching.  It will attract a passing audience and give them enough information to entice them into coming to see the full length feature film.

Magazine cover initial ideas

Magazine Cover - My initial ideas


After the analysis of magazine covers from Total Film and Empire I have come to a few conclusions of what I want from my own production:


General features will include:

- the magazines name will be clearly displayed
- The cover will be noticeable to the audience
- The key image of the female actors will be used as a focal point to attract the teenage audience
- Graphics and colours will be used to create a summery, feminine mood for the magazine
- Font size, shape and colour will be used to create a clear attractive cover
- Several cover lines will be dotted around the page indicating a good content inside
- Promotional offers, such as free posters, and competitions will be promoted
- Price, edition date and bar code will be displayed.

In addition, specific features relevant to my own production I would like to incorporate are as follows:

Firstly, I want only one actress from the film to be on it, this naturally would have to be the main character. After looking at the other film magazine covers I discovered that they don't tend to have more that one actress in them. I also need the actress or actor to be posing in a pose that gives a good indication of what the film is about for advertisement purposes. The actress needs to be in a costume that she wears in the film and give a quote about the film to advertise it also. 

Secondly, I want the release date of the film to be made clear on the front cover of the magazine so that I can promote the opening to the readers. I want the actress to give a full page interview of which the page number should be made clear on the front cover of the magazine. A quote from an recognisable source should also be on the front cover of the magazine, for example a newspaper critic in order to provide an unbiased opinion of the film. 

Thirdly, the colour scheme needs to on the magazine should also provide colour association with the other products are relate to the key theme of tennis. For my own cover I want green/white/black to give the impression of a film that’s about tennis. I would like the film poster to be included inside the magazine with images of the film, the page number of which these are based at should be on the front cover of the magazine. The title needs to be big and the actresses name included in the front cover of the magazine. 

I want my magazine cover to show what the film is about and when it is released without over doing the amount of information given on the front cover. The best way to advertise a film is to keep it simple, to give the audience the page numbers of where they can find the information, to tell them when the film is released as soon as they look at it and to give them an idea of what the film is about without them having to read a page. This can be displayed through large text, colour schemes, and pictures etc. 

Film Poster Analysis: Bend it like Beckham

There are many aspects of this poster which appeal to me:

Colour symbolism is apparent in that the use of green, orange and black used in the text relate back to the Indian flag, which represents the main culture in the film.

A quote from a critic is used in prime position at the top of the poster with the largest font size being used to emphasize the word “hilariously” and draw the audiences attention to the comedy element of the film.

Reference is also made to other well known British films ie Bridget Jones to provide a mass audience with a benchmark in terms of the quality of the production and particular the humour embedded within it.

The images on the poster are cleverly positioned.  In the foreground we have the image of 2 girls from different cultural backgrounds obviously enjoying each others company.  Whilst in the background we have a group of Asian women in colourful traditional dress (which contrasts with and is emphasized through the use of a white background) looking as though they are asking Jazminder to come back to them.  The composition has the connotation that the characters are from different cultural worlds.  Themes of gender and ethnicity are evident in the posters composition.

The emphasis in terms of the size of the font used in the title is on BEND IT rather than like Beckham.  Whilst the words bend it literally refer to process of curling the ball into the net it may also have other connotations related to the fact that both characters have to “bend” deeply entrenched views held by their family members about women’s roles in order to achieve their sporting dreams.

Interestingly, apart from the use of the name of the soccer star Beckham, there is no imagery or reference in the poster to football. The white background does not reveal the setting and the costumes worn by the girls is non descript sports wear rather than football kit.   This could be a devise designed to create intrigue amongst the audience and to avoid too much association with football which may alienate the female target market. Although in America women's soccer is the most popular female sport so it would be interesting to see whether the same approach to marketing was applied in that country.   The emphasis of the poster is the relationships between the two girls and the conflict with their families.  The poster doesn’t give away too much of the narrative but creates enough intrigue to interest a prospective audience.

Conventional features such as the credit block, production company details / logos  and release date are evident on the poster.

Film Poster Analysis: Wimbledon

The promotional poster for this film is simple and clearly presented encompassing conventional features of products of this type.  Key features include:

- The use of a white background which reflects the tennis theme, keeps the content of the poster sharp and clear.  It draws attention to the photograph of the main characters.  Simple aspects of mise en scene such as the props (racket) and costumes make the tennis theme very clear to the audience.
- The photograph is positioned to the left of the poster which is the first thing that the audience will naturally focus on.  The attractive, giggling girl and serious glare from the male typify gender stereotypes.  The romantic genre is apparent in the body language and relaxed clothing eg open shirt, mid riff showing.
- Reviews and quotations from film reviewers from recognised media institutions clearly identify the genre of the film as a romantic comedy and highlight the performances of known actors.
- The poster mentions other highly successful and instantly recognisable films by the same producer hoping to build on the loyalty of the audience and give this film credibility.
- The names of the stars are displayed in a conventional way by being prominently positioned on the poster in an attempt to attract a target audience of existing fans or followers.
- The Title of the film is positioned in the bottom third in order to draw the readers attention. The limited colour scheme does appeal to both male and female audiences, although I do think that the title is lost a little in the colour scheme.
- The Credit Block mentions the name of the producer etc again hoping to rely on previous films to bring in an audience..
- The release date and indication of the scale of the distribution ie in cinemas "everywhere" 
- Logos are also used to denote the production company and film distributors.

Film Magazine Cover Analysis - Creative Decision Making

This edition of the  TOTAL FILM magazine, whilst meeting conventions of magazine covers, influenced my creative decision making by providing me with a clear view of some of the standard features that I wanted to incorporate but also aspects of presentation that I didn't want to use on my cover.  For example:

- The magazine title is clearly displayed in an easily readable large font using upper case lettering.  The size of the font is something which I will replicate on my cover although I will choose a more feminine font to attract my female target audience.  I will also use a single word "Flicks" as my title rather than my original idea of Film in Focus as this restricts the size of the font I can use.  Also I want the magazine to be a product produced by my Sports Flick Film company so the new title aids the branding, the association with my film company and it's female target audience.

- A single image of a well known actor is used as a focal point with text overlaid.  I will select a single image and overlay with text.

- The cover is noticeable to the audience particularly because of the dark, eery nature of the background which creates the mood for the magazine along with a sinister image of the Johnny Depp dressed as the Mad Hatter.  This is typical imagery associated with Tim Burton productions although from a personal point of view   it does not have any association with the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland that I have familiarity with and looks a little scary.  As my magazine is a summer edition I will use light summery colours to make sure my audience know that it is a contemporary edition.  Intertextuality will be achieved through colour association and the use of pink on all my products relating to the film.

- Sensational language such as World Exclusive!Massive...Plus... is used to entice the audience.  I will adhere to this convention on my cover.

- Other articles contained in the magazine are promoted on the cover relating to additional film reviews in order to encourage purchases of the magazine. There is a limited range of font styles and colours used on cover lines.  This aesthetic aspect of the presentation will be used to ensure that the cover doesn't look too fussy and confusing for the reader.  Summery colours will be used.

- Free offers are promoted.  This will be used on my magazine cover.

- Price, barcode and website address are displayed.  These features will be included on my cover.

Film Magazine Cover Analysis

This magazine cover had various features that appealed to me:

- the use of a single image in the centre of the magazine and the white background which draws the readers eye to the blood dripping from her hand.
- the shock created by the contrast in the innocent look created via the cheer leading costume and the dripping blood.
- a quote from the main actress is included in the bottom left of the magazine to create further intrigue.
- the subliminal way that the reader is given a clue as to the horror genre of the film through aspects of the image.
- The limited use of colours for subheadings does not detract from the main image.
- Sensational language makes the content of the magazine appealing to the prospective reader.
- It has a lot of text positioned around the edge of the magazine so that it does not appear cluttered and confusing.
- Page numbers of articles are included on the front cover to assist the reader locate features that interest them easily.
- Masthead is large and in red to complement the red of the blood dripping on the main image.  Part of the masthead is concealed by the photo of the cheerleader but the branding is so strong that the Total Film title is still decipherable.
- Websites, barcode and edition dates are also on display.

Logo

This is my LOGO for Sports Pictures Film production company that will be making my film.  It will be used to brand both the trailer and the film poster.

Risk assessments ; health and safety policy

Risk Assessment

Script of my Trailer

The Trailer is split into 4 parts which all include speech and action;

Part 1;

> Setting; school hall- Sound: Bouncing Tennis Ball - Role of Lindsay (bounce the ball) - Rob Film the bouncing ball

Voice over; 'In a bid to win the only grand slam she hasn't won yet - Rob speaks into a computer

Mid angle shot from the waist up

Set School hall-Action; Niaomi hits a serve

Speech; Niaomi 'you cannot be serious'- Facial expressions should be really angry from niaomi

Sound; Song 'Hello'

Part 2;

Establishing shot of Lindsay

Setting school hall- Action; Lindsay misses the ball many times over and over again- Facials should be upset from Lindsay 

Sound; Song 'Hello' still playing throughout

Song finishes before speech

Shot reverse shot

Setting changing room-Speech and Action; Niaomi and Robert are having a conversation

Niaomi; 'what have you done?'- Facial- Niaomi looking angry

Robert; 'trust me she has potential'- Facial- Robert looks confident

Song begins again

High angle shot

Setting school hall-Action; Lindsay falls down doing a push up- Facial- Lindsay looks like she is giving up 

Niaomi 'it's your call'- Facial- Niaomi looks disgusted 

Part 3;

Voice over; Robert 'when people doubt you'

Panning shot from one person to the other

Setting school hall-Speech and action; Niaomi beating Lindsay in a practice game, Niaomi 'do you have any problems other than that you're useless, a moron and a dork?'- Niaomi looks angry 

Over the shoulder shot from Roberts shoulder

Setting changing room-Action; Robert and Lindsay having a conversation

Lindsay; ' I will never be good enough'- Facial Lindsay looks like she is about to cry 

Robert; ' If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same'- Robert looks upset for Lindsay 

Sound; Song 100% reason to remember the name

Panning shot from one person to another

Setting school hall-Action; Lindsay hitting shots, doing push ups, she eventually gets one past Niaomi

Zoom in on Niaomi’s face

Speech; Niaomi ' you’re getting good squirt'- Niaomi looks happy for Lindsay but angry about her own performance

Cutaway to Lindsay’s face, Zoom in Lindsay smiles

Part 4;

Voice over; 'this summer sports pictures, brings to you ... a nail biting contest  ...staring'

'Robert Cartlidge'

Zoom in on Roberts face

Setting school hall-Action; Robert 'quit slacking the open's tomorrow!'- Robert looks angry

Vertical panning shot

Image; Niaomi drinking water- 

Voice over; 'Niaomi Twiss'

Niaomi ' yes boss!! '- Niaomi looks surprised

Shot reverse shot

Voice over 'and Lindsay Essex'

Image; Lindsay looking nervous

Speech; Robert ' you ready?'- Robert looks confident-Shot reverse shot on conversation 

Lindsay; 'you bet!'- Lindsay still looks nervous

Voice Over 'on the baseline' - Title of the film appears on screen

Low angle shot to start with then side angle

Setting cliff hill- Action; Niaomi and Lindsay running up hill 

Cutaway to Lindsay’s face

Speech; Lindsay ' I’ll catch you soon'- Panting for breath

Cutaway to Niaomi's face 

Niaomi ' Alright squirt'- Joking and laughing- Niaomi's face only on screen

Storyboard

I did the storyboard for my film on a slideshow and uploaded it to slideshare. Please click the following link http://www.slideshare.net/nemo94/my-trailer-script .

I also did the following storyboard as I streamlined what I was going to include in order to meet the tight time restrictions of the trailer.

Role Chart

Role Chart

There will only be 3 people involved in the making of my movie trailer and these people will be Robert Cartlidge, Lindsay Essex and I Niaomi Twiss. We will take it in turns to act, speak and film parts of the trailer.

The Acting/ Role chart is as follows;

Niaomi Twiss- Second main character, the Tennis Champion, the bad guy, the 'diva'. Also may be required to be the Camera woman.

Robert Cartlidge- Niaomi’s coach, who introduces Lindsay to Niaomi. He plays the good guy and gives Lindsay inspiration to achieve. May be required to be the Camera man.

Lindsay Essex- The main character, the underdog. Plays the naive victim of someone more talented than her. May be required to be the camera woman.

The impact of my findings and their impact on my creative decisions

The Impact of My Findings on Creative Decision Making

I have learnt many things from my findings:

1. I am not going to worry too much about the type of accents that my characters have as long as they are understandable, I will not get my actors to change their accents as they may sound strange. It is more important to concentrate on the emphasis of the lines they are saying than the accent that they say them in.

2. Include plenty of humor; family friendly of course, but from my focus groups interviews I have learnt that if there is plenty of humor in a trailer then more people are more likely to want to come back to watch it.

3. Be professional; with costumes, sayings and set up. I want the trailer to include costumes that look like real tennis costumes and the saying's that I am quoting from other people need to be made professional. The Wimbledon saying needs to be used as inspiration and not as humor as it wasn't originally written for humor.

4. Emphasize the underdog; most people said in my questionnaire that they like the underdog to win. Therefore I need to make clear to my audience that there is an underdog in the film and exactly which character that is.

5. Think carefully about the camera shots; I have learnt this from many trailers that I have watched, they use the correct parts of the film to make the audience want to watch the rest of the film. They also use camera angles and shots to manipulate and put emphasis on certain points of the film. I could do this also, for example, when Niaomi first see's Lindsay and doesn't think much to her the camera could vertically pan Lindsay up and down, to give the effect that the audience is looking through Niaomi's eyes and she is looking down on Lindsay.

School Magazine Article

For many kids summertime means either sleeping alot or being bored ! Not for me, summertime only means one thing, the cricket season! This season has been even more crazy than ever.

With a gruelling winter training programme i have stretched myself to play the season at a higher level than ever. 

This winter i was not only training with my club and county but i was also training with the district boys under 17 squad, a challenge for us all but everyone of us improved. 

The season has gone consistently well, i have moved this year to Sheffield united ladies cricket club who play in the premier league north division which is the top club level for women's cricket, i top scored with 63 and have really enjoyed the season with a higher standard challenge and a great bunch of girls.Also this year we won the league for the first time in 14 years. 

For Yorkshire under 17's its been a good season too, i was the second top wicket taker and our team got through to the national girls semi-final. 

For My home team Maltby second men's team, although i haven't played every game due to AS level commitments, i have bowled alot more economical this year even though i haven't taken as many wickets and i have batted well in some pressure situations. We have finished alot higher up the league table than last season. 

The last two weeks of the season have really put the icing on the cake for me. Two weeks ago i got called to play for the Yorkshire Women's First Team, for the first time ever which was like a dream come true for me as there were 6 england players on my team! Last Sunday i got my second call to play. I batted at number 8 and scored 31 not out. This week I have maltby's last game of the season on Saturday against dearne. However on Sunday i travel to London to play for Sheffield in the national clubs final to play the winners of the women's premier southern division, so fingers crossed! 

Not a boring summer for me ! If anyone is interested in playing cricket then please watch this space as details of the Maltby Miners Welfare Cricket Club winter training will be coming shortly. 

Questionnaire Results Analysis

I have presented my findings in the last blog, this blog is about how they have infulenced my creative decisions.

Question 1. A big majority of the people who answered my questionnaire said that they prefered the underdog to win, that was going to be my origional storyline anyway, this therefore will not change.

Question 2. 20/30 people said that they prefer these type of films to be more realistic rather than fantasy, however 5/30 said that they liked fantasy and 5/30 we not bothered. I will therefore try to make my film mostly realistic but I will have some featured moments 'that you would only see in the movies', that way I can cater to everyone's preference.

Question 3. 21/30 people enjoy this genre of film to be comedy based and 9/30 don't. Judging from the answers to my previous question people enjoy having a laugh at these type of films but don't want them to be so silly that they are unbelieveable.  I will try to get the balance between the two.

Question 4. 22/30 people said that they are not bothered about the accents of the characters. This bares no probem to me as one of my characters has a strong yorkshire accent. This may even humour some of the audience.

Question 5. By a small margin people said that they prefer the male character to be the main character, however most were not bothered. I do have two female characters but I will also make sure that the male main character is involved a lot in the trailer so that I can appeal to that market. I will also make sure that the females don't come across too girly. I may get one to come across as girly and the other as more masculine, the contrast could be comical.

Question 6. 19/30 people enjoy family friendly films, although 7/30 do prefer adult humour. The films genre isn't really appropiate to adult humour, so I will take the decision to make it family friendly due to the majority vote.

Question7. 22/30 people enjoy a happing ending in this genre of film. That is probably because most films of this genre end very happily. The original idea was for it to end happy but this won't be reaveled in the trailer.

Question 8. It was a fine margin between whether people like a voice over in the trailer or not, therefore I will include it but not have it dominate the trailer.

Question 9. Most people said that they like music in the trailer therefore I will definetly include it and use it to display the genre and what the film is all about.

Question 10. Most people said that they like the trailers to be over a minute, that is probably so that they can get a feel for what the film is about, I wanted the trailer to last over a minute for this reason , so my opionion was proven correct.

Question 11. Most people want the trailer to reaveal alot of the story, I don't want to reaveal too much but I do want to reaveal enough to make the viewers want to watch the entire film. I need to pick the right parts to put into the trailer in order to keep them hooked.

Question 12. Most people admitted they enjoy the trailer ending on a cliffhanger , this wasn't my original intention but I may have to adjust my plan to cater the needs of my target audience.

Questionnaire Results

I asked 30 people, 10 were teenagers, 10 were adults and 10 were sports fans to answer my questionnaire, I catergorized each answer by labelling them AB or C in the questionnaire, this graph shows the results of my questionnaire;

Content Analysis: Bend it like Beckham

Content Analysis:  Bend it Like Beckham

From watching the bend it like Beckham trailer using the coding schedule I found this.

1. The main characters are women but men have a lot of involvement in the film. The trailer focuses mainly on the    relationship between the female characters and their coach. Some of the male characters who appear in the film also star in the trailer.
2.  There is a voice over in the trailer which continues throughout and provides the narrative explaining the context and plot to the audience.  Information provided through the voice over sets up a lot of the humorous moments in the trailer.
3. Most of the trailer is action based, there are funny moments, stressful moments, dilemma moments, love moments and happy moments. The trailer gives the audience a taste of  the range of emotions they will experience from watching the full feature film.
4. Soundtracks quietly provide the background ambience setting the tone for various moments in the trailer. For example, when the focus is on Jess’s families culture the music playing is Indian and when the focus’ is on the western society and person she adapts to become it is more upbeat.  The music is used to represent cultural differences.
5.  The accents used by the characters are either Indian accents or Cockney/London accents; they contrast well and are distinct.
6. The costumes are either football kit which looks very professional or Indian dress which again looks of good quality adding to the overall verisimilitude of the trailer.
7.  The sports scenes seem to denote an amateur sports club that is quite professionally run.
8.  The key themes embedded in the trailer relate to the challenges that girls from very different backgrounds have to overcome in their quest to pursue their dream of becoming professional footballers. Both girls have to overcome the obstacle of their mothers who don’t want them to play. One because of it not being a women’s place and the other because of her Indian culture. The girls both want to make it and have battles with different prejudices in society to get to where they want to be.
9. The trailer does end leaving the audience with some intrigue in that they don't  find out if the girls do make it or if they are just allowed to play for fun.

What do I want from my trailer?

After watching the other trailers I have picked out what I want the aim of my trailer to be.
I want my trailer to show the two female main characters and their contrast with each other in terms of character and ability at tennis.
I want there to be a voice over, male voice, that appears only as the set up to a humorous moment or significant moment.
I would like there to be music, two different types. One when Lindsay is struggling to meet the standard of tennis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK42LZqO0wA and the other to display a twist in the tail -fast beat when Lindsay starts training hard to be up to the standard of tennis she is playing and when she is approaching the tournament as a much better player (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U_Lpbk3MyQ)
I want my trailer to mention the directors and the fact that we created my film last year to advertise the fact that the film makers are skilled.
I want the trailer to have plenty of funny moments so that the audience can enjoy it.
I want the trailer to show the character of a clear underdog and show moments of bonding.
I want the trailer to end on a big cliff hanger to make it different from others!

Content Analysis: Stick it

I analyzed the trailer stick it using the coding schedule and this is what I found:

1. The main character is female and the second main character is male
2.  The voice over is of the main character herself who tells a story of what the plot of the film is
3.  The action of the trailer is mainly of gymnastics taking place
4. Music plays most of the way through but doesn’t dominate the trailer
5. The accents again are American but understandable not distinct
6.  Costumes are leotards and tracksuits, but the main character looks scruffy and un-professional in contrast to the other characters
7. The sports are very professional with the facilities, competitions coaching etc
8.  The plot points that are revealed show that the girl walked out on gymnastics finals before, that she hates the sport and gets forced to go back to it , that her coach looks after her, that she’s a bit of a rebel and that there is a rebellion in the competition
9.  It doesn’t really end on a cliffhanger again more humorous

Content Analysis: Coach Carter

Content Analysis:  Coach Carter

When I analyzed the trailer this is what I found:

1. Virtually all the main characters are men, the coach is male, and the basketball team is male.
2. The voice over only talks every now and then to introduce certain parts of the film that make the whole plot real.
3.  The action is the trailer is mostly struggle, fighting, arguing, discipline and determination. The idea of trying to make something from nothing is portrayed.
4.  There is gangster type music playing and a lot of sounds effects used to display more emotion and to give more emphasis.
5.  Accent wise it is a distinct American accent (black American) with the gangster type talk, very different to the London accents of the Wimbledon trailer, the accents are associated with that sports that are played.
6. Costumes are just stereotypically gangster, American, and basketball clothes
7. The sports become professional but start very amateur to show what a good Coach Carter is.
8. The plot points are revealed that they are trying to make these boys into athletes and accomplished men in a tough neighborhood.
9.  It doesn’t end on a cliffhanger

Content Analysis : Coding Schedule

Content Analysis:  Coding Schedule

A coding schedule is a basic check list to compare one trailer to another, I am using it so that I can easily collect data on the trailers of films that are similar to my own.

Here is an example of my coding schedule that I shall use when analyzing the following trailers:
Wimbledon, Coach Carter, Stick it, and Bend it like Beckham.

The coding schedule is as follows:

1. How many men in comparison to women are displayed as the main characters in the trailer?
2. Is there a voice over in the trailer.  If so how long does it last?
3. Is there a lot of action in the trailer. If so what type?
4. Does the music play all the way through? Is it loud? Does it contain recognisable soundtracks?
5. What type of accents do the characters have? Is it understandable or distinct?
6. Are the costumes extravagant? What type of costumes are they?
7. Do the sports portrayed seem to be professional?
8. What plot points are revealed?
9. Does it end on a cliffhanger?

Links;

Bend it Like Beckham -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsmbObwStSQ

Wimbledon- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTZFMhpNFfY

Stick it- http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/stick-it/trailer

Coach Carter- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOFhHEepF4s

Focus groups: Sports fans

Focus Groups:  Sports Fans

For my focus groups of sports fans I asked a few boys at my cricket club what they want from a trailer.

1. What features of a really catch your attention?

Sports Fan 1: a famous phrase or saying being used, then I look twice.

Sports fan 2: A good song!

Sports fan 3: Some sort of explanation of the film in the first few words e.g. ‘the Manchester United team has a new manager’, that way I know what it’s about straight away

2. What is it about a trailer that makes you wants to go and see it in the cinema rather than wait for a DVD release?

Sports Fan 1: A good plot, where a character is in real need of help!

Sports fan 2: when you think that the family or you and your mates will like it, not just you!

Sports fan 3: when you can relate to the character from past experiences of your own.

3. What do you want from a trailer about a sports based film?

Sports Fan 1: Real sayings that sports people have said and silly things that happen in everyday sports clubs e.g. nobody likes the new kid in the team

Sports fan 2: I want a good sports theme tune like Match of the Day or an inspirational one like We are the Champions

Sports fan 3: Again an experience that you can relate to your own

4. What do you think of having female main characters in a sports based film?

Sports Fan 1: If it’s a good plot and dramatic, it doesn’t matter

Sports fan 2: Is it funny? Is there drama? Can I see it with my girlfriend? No problem!

Sports fan 3: If there’s more than one, in any film main character, I don’t like too much focus on one person, I will still watch it

Focus Groups: Teenage girls

Focus Group : Teenage Girls

For my target audience of teenage girls I asked a number of people over Facebook about what they want from trailers.

1. What features of a trailer catch your attention?

Teenage girl 1: I like it when it’s a song that I love, I sing along to the theme tune and watch the trailer throughout, and then I’m more likely to want to watch it.

Teenage girl 2: I think its best when it’s funny, even if it’s not a comedy based film, its better when something in the trailer makes you laugh!

Teenage girl 3: For me I like to be able to connect to the character and relate to them, to have a feeling of understanding or sympathy for whatever the main character is going through.

2. What is it about a trailer makes you want to go and see the film in the cinema rather than wait for a DVD release?

Teenage girl 1: Seeing a bit of the action of the film and thinking ‘yeah me and X could go and see that.’

Teenage girl 2: Seeing a little snippet of a ‘best bit’ and wanting to know more.

Teenage girl 3: Thinking that I can really get engrossed with that film and character.

3. Do you prefer a trailer do give a lot of the films plot away or a little?

Teenage girl 1: It’s a tough one, enough to make me want to watch it but not too much to spoil it.

Teenage girl 2: Sometimes it’s more about the bits they do give away rather than how much they give away. Sometimes a single line or snippet can make me really want to see a film.

Teenage girl 3: I think that they should give a lot away about one character and little bits about another that way you get an introduction to the film yet are still left in suspense.

4. Do you think you would see sports based film even though you’re not a sports fan?

Teenage girl 1: If it was dramatic and had a strong story line.

Teenage girl 2: If it was funny yes!

Teenage girl 3: If you felt personally attached to one character yes!

Focus Groups; Adults

My film has 3 focus groups; Sports fans, Teenage Girls and Adults.
For my adults I asked my mum and dad what they would think of my trailer/film and what they would want from it.
1. When a trailer pops up on the television what is it about certain trailers that catch your attention?
Adult 1:  sometimes the music especially if I know the theme tune, or if I know of the actors in the film, or if I’m interested in the plot like a sports film. If it’s funny! Or if it’s by a writer/ director that I know of!
Adult 2: If I’m interested or if it’s funny, I like it when there’s something dramatic on the trailer. If it’s scary!
2. What is it about a trailer that makes you want to go and see the film in cinema rather than wait for a DVD release?
Adult 1: When it has a lot of action and leaves you in suspense and you are desperate to find out more.
Adult 2: If it appeals to your taste, and looks dramatic and exiting.
3.  Do you prefer the trailer do give a lot away or a little of the films plot?
Adult 1: I don’t want it to say too much or it would be pointless seeing the film, little snap shots are the best!
Adult 2: well I want to know what the film is about, I wouldn’t want to go and see a film that I haven’t a clue of the genre of, but it has to be a happy medium!
4.  When seeing a film trailer based on a sports film what would you prefer the films genre to be?
Adult 1: I enjoy a dramatic chick flick type thing, where the underdog comes out on top, with a bit of non-realism in them with a strong story line.
Adult 2: I enjoy it to be slightly comedy based without too much dramatics, but I also enjoy it when they refer to real life gimmicks e.g. when they use things that real people have said in the past.
5. Having two female main characters in sports based film can sometimes be a disadvantage do you agree?
Adult 1: 20 years ago maybe, but times have changed and females are more accepted in sport nowadays, we also have many celebrity female sports stars like Kelly Holmes and the Williams sisters.
Adult 2: I think for some men it would make a film funnier, as they see women’s sports as a big joke!

Questionnaire

Please Circle the appropriate answers

1. In sports based based films do you like the underdog to win?
A: Yes                         B: No                              C: Not bothered
2. Do you like a sports based film to be realistically based or have elements of fantasy?
A: realistic                    B: fantasy                        C: Not bothered
3. Do you like sports based films to have elements of comedy?
A: Yes                B: No                     C: Not bothered
4. Do you like characters to have strong accents?
A: Yes               B: No                 C:   Not bothered
5. Do you like the main character to be male or female?
A: Female               B:  Male          C: Either
6. Do you prefer films to be of adult humor or family friendly?
A: Family friendly              B:  Adult Humor          C:   Either
7. Do you like films to end with a happy ending?
A: Happing ending            B: Sad ending            C: Either
8. Do you like voice over’s in trailers?
A: Yes              B: No          
9. Do you like music to be included in trailers?
A: Yes                  B: No
10. Do you like trailers to last for over a minute or under a minute?
A: Under a minute                           B:  Over a minute                
11. Do you like trailers that reveal a lot of the storyline?
A: Yes           B: No
12. Do you like trailers that end on Cliffhangers?
A: Yes         B: No

My Target Audience

My target audience covers a range of different people. I made sure not to make the film too niche in terms of its marketability. The film is sports based and as well as being serious in the terms of will the underdog come up on top? It is also comical and emotional. The films comical aspect is that Lindsay is simply not good enough and has some pretty tough times in training where she is made to look a complete fool at the side of Niaomi. The film is quite emotional also in terms of the fact that the audience is made to feel sorry for Lindsay and want her to do well. It is a film in which people care of the outcome.
The film can be based at sports fans, tennis fans in particular. Every sports fan loves to see an underdog come up on top. I know this from my own experience of watching sports and researching the media. For example; if Manchester united lost to Fulham the press would think it was fantastic because initially nobody thought Fulham had a chance!http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2778824/Fulham-3-Manchester-United-0.html
The film can also be aimed at teenage girls; it has elements of a ‘chick flick’ in it, with the two girls becoming friends eventually and Lindsay finding inspiration. It could be described as ‘a sporting version of mean girls’ , where we find out that the queen bee does have a soft side and is eventually made to eat her words.

The film can also be aimed at the comedy market; Films such as Dodge Ball are very similar to my own. The film is comical in the terms that this poor girl Lindsay is having a horrible time of it in training, many people who understand sports and comedy would find this amusing.

Coursework Idea : First Draft

After watching a few films in the 'sports' genre I have decided to take that route as part of my coursework. I am going to make a trailer and as my two ancillary tasks I will be making a poster and a film magazine front cover for the film. My trailer is going to be based on a film in which the 'underdog' comes up on top, similar films would be Coach Carter, Dodge Ball, bring it on etc. My film is going to be tennis based. The storyline is where the previous Wimbledon champion (Played by Niaomi Twiss) has decided to take up doubles tennis and is on a mission to win Wimbledon doubles, the problem is she needs a new partner to play with. She leaves the task of finding her a partner to her coach (played by Robert Cartledge). Her coach finds her a less than adequate tennis partner (played by Lindsay Essex)
The idea of the storyline is that Lindsay is simply not good enough to compete at Wimbledon standard, she may be a good tennis player but she isn't good enough. When Lindsay is ready to throw the towel in after getting a lot of abuse from Niaomi she finds inspiration from her coach Rob and steps up to the mark. Lindsay rapidly improves to the adequate standard, but the mystery of the storyline is will she be good enough to win Wimbledon with Niaomi?