RESEARCH: FILM DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION

Today I looked into how our film could be distributed. We looked at the FDA website http://launchingfilms.info/furtherdiscussions/ which explained how you'd go about distribution of your film.

David Willings (CEO, Miracle Media Group) said that when people are bombarded with different advertisements, it is challenging just trying to get their attention for two to three seconds to let them know this motion picture is coming.

For Willings, the trailer is still the most important element in selling the film but it is only one element of selling the film. The in cinema trailer is the public's first glimpse of what they may buy into. It is important as the film is portrayed the way it will end up right down to the graphics and sound. There are three different trailers: the teaser, the TV spot trailer and the official trailer.

Other elements include public relations and print elements, and Willings stresses that without synergy they won't all work together. There has to be a unique look which can be as simple as creating a font which becomes associated with the film, such as the unique look of Batman and Spiderman.

The poster appears on the internet, in newspapers and on billboards. Robin Behling (FEREF) says that the importance of these is to signal the film genre and sell the concept. The first look of the movie is key in conveying what the movie is about. They give a taste of the film and must hit as wide an audience as possible.

Multimedia is an important element of distribution. Internet is key here as it allows distributors to create a buzz about the film by creating something viral. Going viral means creating something such as a video, gallery or game which people send on to their friends. This illustrates the two-step flow model of audience behaviour.

The opening weekend is important as it is a prediction of how successful the film will be for the rest of its time in the cinema. 

I will include several of these elements when I plan how to attract and adress my audience for my Foundation Production film, many of which will be seen on my official website for my film.

RESEARCH: THRILLER CODES & CONVENTIONS

Thriller is a genre in which a sense of suspense and enigma is created. I did some further research into the genre and gathered the sources using a Scoopit!

Link to my Scoopit!

RESEARCH: THRILLER: TARGET AUDIENCE PROFILE

Age group: 18-29

Clothes: Nike, Adidas, Umbro, Reebok, Dunlop and Slazenger

Restaurants: Nandos, McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, Kfc and Pizza Hut

Gender: 80% male 20% female.

Related Tv shows and films: Top Boy, Shifty, Ill Mannors, Harry Brown, Attack The Block, Anuva Hood, Kidult hood and Adulthood 

Media: Bbm and Nokia bricks

Magazines: Fhm, Loaded, Nuts and Zoo

RESEARCH / PLANNING: ENIGMA, SUSPENSE & JEOPARDY

I watched crime drama and identified camera shots and movements, visual and sound codes. I explain why I have picked each still in the caption below it. I intend to use similar visual and sound codes in my own work in order to deliver genre conventions. I plan to present how I have used this research in a YuDo.

This screen shot from Poirot shows a mysterious looking mirror with the reflection of several men  including the main detective Poirot. The mysterious mirror connects with the title "Dead Man's Mirror" and the fact that the main character is there to buy the mirror creates a sense of enigma for the audience.

This screen shot from Sherlock shows a close up of a main character. He is slightly hidden by an out of focus object and his facial expression creates a sense of anxiety therefore leading the viewer to want to watch on to find out why.

This screenshot from CSI shows a high angle shot of the victim. This allows the viewers to immediately identify the characters involved. 

This screenshot from The Wire has the victim in the foreground and two characters out of focus in the background. This tells the viewer that these characters are related in the story. 

This screenshot from The Wire is a close up shot which shows blood on the ground. This creates a sense of enigma as the viewer wants to find out what has happened. 

RESEARCH: SCOOPIT

Here is my ScoopIt! showing the crime drama I'm going to investigate. 

Live ScoopIt!

TREATMENT

..... and Celine are walking together chatting. Celine says bye to ..... as he walks into Waitrose. .... gets ready for his job behind the fish counter by putting on his apron and hat.
Olez is playing with the fish while fantasizing about Celine. He continues to stab the fish. Olez then storms off in anger.
Olez kills Celine. Celine's dead body is found by a police detective.

RESEARCH: GENRE RESEARCH

Last lesson, I planned the outline treatment for a crime drama involving a realistic British scenario with a young college student who works part-time on the fish counter of a high street supermarket and who witnesses a stabbing as he leaves work.
In order to research crime drama genre conventions I watched a variety of clips from crime drama films to familiarise myself with the style used in this genre.

I don't watch crime drama often so I needed to familiarize myself. This genre sells well in boxed sets therefore I did a search on a website which sells boxed sets. 

I have made a list of crime drama that I intend to research in order to identify key codes in film and TV drama openings, starting with mainstream British and European, then American:
Inspector Morse BBC TV

Sherlock
Inspector Morse BBC

Lewis BBC (sequel)
Endeavour BBC (prequel)
Jonathan Creek
Murder She Wrote
Inspector Poirot
Waking The Dead
The Midsomer Murders
Inspector Montalbano
Young Montalbano (prequel)
Zen BBC
The Inspector Linley Mysteries
Taggart
Wallender
Silent Witness
Trial and RetributionLewis (sequel)
Endeavour (prequel)
CSI
The Wire HBO

PLANNING: INITIAL IDEAS

We would like to work with enigma and suspense, therefore we came up with the following idea.

• A university drop out stands behind a counter facing a dead fish. He brings a knife down to cut the fish. A student walks to the fish counter and briefly talks to the University drop out. He leaves. Drop out hangs up apron and puts on his jacket, he slips knife into his pocket. 

• Student see’s a murder and recognises murderer as drop out.

• A wheel falls off the students roller blade. He takes his rollerblades off and runs away. 

• Police are at the scene of the murder. They find the rollerblade. They call for all witnesses and the owner of the rollerblade.