Target audience: certification

At the start of my project I decided to give my film an 18 certificate, http://lewisglennonmediaa2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/target-audience.html. I mainly did this because films such as Legend and Reservoir Dogs, which I am trying to base my film off, are 18 certificates and it lets me include quite a lot of violence. However recently I have decided to look at what I can include in a 15 certificate as I think that I could make my film that as there won't be enough violence in my trailer for an 18 rated film.

In a 15 rated film you can actually include a lot of things. For example you can include strong violence, strong language, drug taking and discriminating language and behavior. Therefore I could include a few gangster traits such as intimidation with violence and props such as guns and cigars in my trailer and then could pull in a larger target audience then I would have before without drastically changing my idea.

In comparison if I keep my film an 18 rated film, I can use very strong language and violence, discriminating language and behavior, real sex and strong blood and gore. Now for the whole film Poezzi would be in the 18 certificate category just because of the violence which is in the story line as that is how Poezzi gets his to the top of the underworld and how he stays there. However I am not sure I will be able to portray this in the trailer. However as shown by the Legend trailer, which is an 18 certificate there is not to much extreme violence in it so therefore I could keep the 18 certificate without including to much violence similar to the Legend trailer.

Having looked at what I can and cannot include in 15 and 18 certificates I have decided that I will be keeping my target audience at 18 year old's and older. This is because while I could get a bigger target audience without changing my idea by dropping it to a 15 certificate, I think on the whole it is an 18 rated film like Legend and while I am not making the whole film it is important that I keep to the story line, so that I can make the trailer suitable to pulling in the right target audience.

Organisation

Due to the poor weather we have had recently I have not been able to get any filming done as planned. Also my footage of the Berlin skyline did not come out very well due to there not being much lighting. Therefore I have rescheduled to film the skyline part on Wednesday 4th of November from Birmingham city library. I will then film the middle part of the trailer on Saturday the 7th of November and Sunday the 15th of November regardless of the weather. Finally on Monday I will find out if I can use certain classrooms to film in and if I can I plan to have most of my footage completed by 17th November.

Drafting and planning: Movie posters

Today I decided just to stop focusing on my movie trailer and just to have a look at some movie posters and that is also something else I need to create as part of the course. While I will not start making these posters until my trailer is complete I just thought it would be good to analyse some so I can get a flavor of what to include in mine.

This is the movie poster for the GodFather film which is one of the films my idea is inspired by. I really like this poster as it is quite a dark poster only showing the main characters face and his hands holding the cat. This is used to add some mystery and intimidation about the character as you cannot clearly see all of his body. Meanwhile his face has a stone cold expression showing how serious he is about his work and that he is not someone to joke around with. Also there is emphasis on his hands and the cat because he his not holding it in a normal way, thus implying to the audience that he could be killing it thus showing his ruthless side.  However what I like about this trailer is just how simple yet effective it is, and it is clear that he is a gangster by the suit he is wearing and his facial expression. I also like the way the 'G' is for the GodFather as it reminds me of a gun which once again implies he is a gangster. The low key lighting and gun effect could come in handy in my trailer as I want to create as much mystery around Poezzi as I can as well as showing how dangerous he is.

This is a movie poster for the film 'Legend' which is another inspiration for my film and I think this is a brilliant poster. Once again it just has the simple yet effective look with a with background, the title of the film and the two main characters. However the effect to have Reggie in Ron' suit is a cool way to fit in both main characters and to show how opposite they are with Ron looking angry holding a gun, and Reggie looking more laid back with a cigarette. This is an effect I could use for Poezzi and Castro as they are both the opposites to each other and the main characters in the trailer. This is an effect I will defiantly attempt to make because I think it will reflect how opposite yet dangerous both characters are very effectively.

Target audience:Help from the class

Film presentation done from LewisGlennon208

This is my film presentation which I presented in class to show where I am with my film right now.  I presented this in front of my class so that I could get some responses on how to improve my trailer. On the whole the class seem vibrant with my idea pointing out that the thought the link between my ideas and the storyboard and they expressed how good it is that I have already planned out locations, songs, props, editing and cast. They also said my film trailer idea was similar to legend and lock stock and smoking barrels which is good as I have tried to base my trailer on those films as shown in these blogs. http://lewisglennonmediaa2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/target-audience-ledgend-trailer.html. However as well as this praise I also had some areas to improve. For example one person pointed out that I probably should not use two tracks, due to my limited time of copyrighted music. However another pointed how I could just record someone singing 'new dawn, new day' as that signifies whats happening to Poezzi which is a real good idea and one I will consider. Also my teacher Mr Stevens pointed out that for the gangster film I have to make sure my cast are not immature when filming. I can see why this is a concern but I believe my choosing of the cast will stop this problem.  This session has helped me a lot as it has shown me what I have done well in terms of ideas and how I can still use them but then on certain one's I can tweak them and expand them to make my trailer as effective as I can.

Research into similar products

I have recently analysed the departed trailer, because it is very similar to my trailer but also because I can use some things in my trailer. For starters instead of waiting to a little bit to introduce Poezzi I could bring him in right from the start with a voice over of him talking about a certain thing. Also instead of waiting and then introducing Poezzi with a close up and low key lighting, I could instead use a mid shot with low key lighting as used in the trailer. By doing this I will still be able to add a bit of mystery to Poezzi thanks to the low key lighting but can also add a bit of fear into the audience as the mid shot will allow them to see Poezzi stature thus implying how dangerous he can be.

From 36 seconds to about 1 minute 2 seconds all the main characters are introduced and the problem arises with the police officer being found out. This could be very useful in my trailer as I planned for around 40 seconds to introduce my characters and the problem at separate times. However this trailer has shown me that in just under 30 seconds I could introduce all of these very effectively and very swiftly so my audience does not get bored.

Another thing used in this trailer which I could implement in my trailer is these cut outs to sayings. By using this in my trailer instead of having just a load of action scenes I could let my audience digest the bits of action they have scene as well as get a real sense of what the story line is. Due to this I will consider using these but will also stick to my main idea of just short action shots before deciding which is the best one.

Finally I really like the use of editing towards the end of the trailer. From 1 minute 34 second to 2 minutes 7 seconds there is slow paced editing of the action scenes. This done for a number of reasons. For starters the slow paced editing lets the song used take over with the lyrics 'smoke on the horizon.' This could well be foreshadowing and will give the audience an insight to the outcome of the film thus pulling them in. However the slow paced editing also helps you focus on the stress the characters are going through showing how dangerous the antagonist is. However from 2 minutes 10 seconds till 2 minutes 17 seconds it cuts to fast paced editing thus showing the audience that the film is packed with action and getting them excited. This is a very effective technique which I could use in my trailer, but due to me being allowed only 15 seconds of copyrighted music it will be hard to pull off.  

Organisation: When to have the shoot

Having already found most my locations needed, gathering most the props needed, and nearly sorting out the rest of the cast I have decided that I should start filming. I have decided to start filming in the October half term (24th October-2nd November). As I still need to purchase some props and get permission for the two classrooms to use, I will be filming mainly the middle bit of the trailer. As shown by my storyboard blog, http://lewisglennonmediaa2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/drafting-and-planning-second-storyboard.html, this includes Poezzi's gang doing crime, before informing Poezzi on the new gang in town and then there battles with them. I believe in the October half term I will have enough time to shoot this footage as I have already highlighted the locations needed for these scenes to be shot, http://lewisglennonmediaa2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/organisation-locations_13.html. I might also be able to shoot the start of the trailer, with the Birmingham skyline, but might change that to the Berlin skyline, as I am visiting there over the holiday and will be able to see it from the Reichstag as shown here.

 I will shoot both skylines before posting them online and asking my target audience which one they think is better before putting it into my trailer.

Similar products

I have recently watched the Gangster Squad trailer and it has a few useful things I could possibly use in my trailer. For starters the use of costume of the police officers could be something I use. into the trailer the detective is seen wearing a suit, so this could be another costume I use for when the officers are in the office or in the car. I could even put the detective in the suits throughout the trailer.

56 secondsThe long brown coats signify that the officers are in fact detectives and I could use long brown coats for my officers as it will be hard and quite pricey to purchase police costumes, although if need I will do. However as shown

There is also an action sequence from 1 minute 46 to 2 minutes, 3 seconds. This scene features just short snippets of action which take place in the film and is what I intend to do in y trailer. This is because it gets the audience excited for the film as the action scenes give them an insight to what is going to happen. This is also the sequence where I will put in my music thus building the anticipation within the audience.

Another thing used in this trailer which I might introduce in my movie trailer is the little 'joke ending.' This is where the short shots of action have passed and the film title has come up but there is always a little joke scene after to make the audience laugh and make them see that the film isn't all so serious. This is something I could use in my trailer as my ending might come a bit out of the blue so will be very useful.

Organisation: Locations

I have already found some locations I can use to film my movie trailer. In a previous blog I already highlighted some areas to film certain parts of my trailer, http://lewisglennonmediaa2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/organisation-locations.html. However I have found some other locations for other parts of my trailers. For example :

 These are two allies I have found local to me. These are the locations I plan to use near the start of the trailer and in the middle when there are just quick snippets of action all coming together. In the first image I plan to have Poezzi's gang running through here after they have robbed a bank near the start of the trailer. This will show the audience that Poezzi's gang no what they are doing as they use the backstreet alleys to make a quick escape.  Also as there will just be quick snippets this is the perfect destination for just a short 4-5 second clip of them running through.
Meanwhile the second clip will be used for one of Castro gang to threaten one of Poezzi's gang members. This is because the gate is perfect to shove the gang member up as it is something usually used to get the audience scared.  Also because it is also in an ally it will show the audience that there is no escape for Poezzi's gang member, thus making the audience curious about what will happen.

This is my third location near my school. It is a pathway which is covered by lots of tree's thus giving it a low key lighting effect. Therefore when Castro and is gang is introduced I will film them walking out from the darkness out onto the street. The darkness will a bit of mystery about Castro thus making the audience slightly scared and by him coming out the ally it will show hes entered Poezzi's turf thus implying to the audience action is about to take place.

I think that these locations are perfect for the parts of the trailer I plan to fit them into to as they are quite mysterious and also in the dark can be quite scary which is what I am aiming for as it will represent my gangster film.

Similar products

In this blog I have decided to look and analyse the trailer for 'Casino' starring Robert De Niro. This is because it is very similar to the ideas I have. For starters the plot is about Di Niro owning a casino and being the 'top dog' of the casino world. However when his friend Nicky tries to take over De Niro must fight to keep the casino. This is shown by them having a brief argument from 1 minute 35 to 1 minute 37 and 1 minute 55 to 1 minute 58. This is similar to Poezzi's gang being the dominant gang before Castro appears and causes him problems.

Another similarity with this film and my trailer is how the costumes are used. For example when he's in his own home or at the casino Di Niro is seen in a suit or smart wear as shown here:

This shows that Di Niro tries to look his best as often as he can to ear the respect of others. Also in the second picture he is shown smoking a cigarette which shows that he enjoys the luxuries of life. This is similar to Poezzi as I plan for him to wear a suit in his office and using my cigar props as shown in my previous  blog,http://lewisglennonmediaa2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/organisation-props.html. This is another similarity as it will show Poezzi likes the nice things in life and he plans to get them through respect.

However as shown by this clip when Di Niro is dealing with something he dresses casually so it is easier for him to deal with his problems. This is what I also planned to do with Poezzi as I plan to place him in a bomber jacket for when he faces of against Castro. Similarly as well Di Niro's rival in the film Nicky does not dress in a suit showing he has a different style of getting his way and intimidating people as shown by him being in the leather jacket. This is the opposite to Di Niro and is similar to how I have made Castro the totally opposite to Poezzi when it comes to traditional gangster values as shown by this blog,  http://lewisglennonmediaa2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/organisation-casting.html. Therefore I can take notice of the close ups and mid shots of the characters so that the audience can clearly see there costumes and distinguish the differences between them.

This trailer has proven very useful for me as the films have similar aspects to my ideas for my trailer. Therefore I can use this trailer when making mine so that I can figure out different camera shots and editing techniques needed to make my trailer come out as best as I can make it.

Organisation: Props and costumes I will use

Props are important within a trailer as they are the things I  need to use to make my trailer look realistic. Therefore I have drawn up a list of props that I will need for my trailer and have started gathering some. The props I will need are:

Fake guns/other weapons

Fake cigars 

Empty alcohol bottles

Cars

Toy cars

A Suit

Black bomber Jacket

Black jeans

Brown detective like coat

Notepads

At the moment there are a lot of things I need to collect but I have already attained a few of these props. They include:

Fake Weapons

These are the first two props I gathered for my movie trailer. I currently have two guns and 1 knife but will soon be getting some more. These in my opinion are the most two important props for the trailer baring the costumes, mainly due to my film being about gangsters and the weapons looking very realistic. This will allow me to add some action into my trailer as well as drawing some fear into my audience due to the weapons used.









Cigars

 Here is another prop I have acquired, the cigars. I have managed to get around 12-13 of these fake cigars made out of paper and will be able to place them around Poezzi's office or maybe in the front pocket of his suit, to give a gangster feel about him as most gangsters in films smoke cigars due to them being expensive, so therefore showing their wealth, but also because in certain countries they are illegal. I also plan to place empty alcohol bottles around Pozzei's office but will get those closer to filming.











Costume   

    This is the first bit of costume I have, which is just a standard black bomber jacket. This will be worn by Castro's to replicate that he is not your typical gang leader but a new up and coming young gangster who does things his way only. However some of Poezzi's gang may also be wearing this as it is a stylish jacket but it still allows them freedom to move quickly which is what they will be doing after being pursued by the police and Castro's gang.        











These are just a few props and costumes I currently have although I do also have Poezzi's suit, a car to film a certain scene in and the notepads for the police. While I still need to gather some more props I currently feel that I am in a strong position for my trailer because of how many key props I currently have.                          

Organisation: Choice of songs

In my movie trailer I am allowed up to 15 seconds of copyrighted music, so it is important that I pick the right songs for the little time I have to use them in my trailer. While I am still listing to some sounds I think I have two ideal songs to use in my trailer. The songs are shipping up to Boston by Dropkick Murphys, and Feeling Good by Michael Buble.

 
This is the first song I will use in my trailer 'Shipping up to Boston.'  I will use just six seconds of this song spanning from 36 seconds into the song to 42 seconds. This is because this song is usually associated with chaos, as shown by the music video. Therefore I will use this short extract near the start of my trailer when Poezzi's gang are committing crimes in just quick segment of each gang member following Poezzi's orders.



The second song I will use in my trailer is Michael Buble's version of 'Feeling Good.' I intent to use the extract from 3 minutes 14 seconds in to 3 minutes 22 seconds. This gives me 8 seconds of the song to use added in with my six seconds of Shipping Up To Boston giving me 14 seconds of copyrighted music thus staying within the guideline. However I have opted for the end of the song because this is  it is the most powerful bit, and I will use this with the quick segments of Poezzi's gang dealing with Castro's gang near the end of the trailer. This should give my trailer a nice powerful ending to reel in my target audience, but also the lyrics 'New dawn, a new day' reflects Poezzi's situation in this film and he is dealing with his biggest challenge.

Organisation: Casting

As my trailer will feature a protagonist (Poezzi) and an antagonist (his rival) it is important that I get the casting right for these two as they are the two who will feature the most in my story. Therefore I have decided to focus purely on getting the right actors for these two parts and feel that I have done that.

 

Poezzi-Jack

I have opted for my friend Jack to play the protagonist Poezzi. This is because he has the right build needed to be a powerful gang leader and he is quite tall and broad. Also he has the characteristics to play someone who will do anything for power as he is is interested in politics etc. Finally I feel that Jack has the right look for Poezzi, who is a gangster who does things by the book with respect being the most important thing, and I feel that Jack, mainly due to his build and simply hairstyle, fits this look.

Donny Castro-Ryan

On the other hand I have chosen Ryan to play my antagonist 'Donny Castro.' This is because Castro is the total opposite to Poezzi, as he does his work with a much more youthful swagger, although he is just as dangerous. Mainly due to Ryan's hair and the jacket he wears I believe he is the perfect fit for this youthful posona. Also he is also quite tall standing at about 6 foot 2 which once again gives him the factor that he can also do some damage much like Poezzi. 

I believe that the time I have taken to choose the actors for my two main roles has paid off, as both Jack and Ryan have the right build to be quite intimidating, but are also different in appearance and style, much like Poezzi and Castro and this is why I picked them.

Drafting and planning: Second storyboard draft

The storyboard is a crucial part to the trailer as it is an indication of what shots, editing techniques and sound I want to use as well as the way I want the clips to plan out. I did a basic first storyboard draft in a previous blog, http://lewisglennonmediaa2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/drafting-and-planning-storyboards.html, but I have decided to draw up a more accurate storyboard with the music I plan to include in the trailer.

This is the first part of my storyboard. The trailer will start with a blank screen and then my main character 'Poezzi' giving a quote through a voice over. This voice over reflects Poezzi's reasons for his criminal ways and is the quote I will use throughout advertising for the movie poster to give my film an identity with my target audience. The trailer will then cut to the standard rating symbol to show what age you need to be to watch the film and then the movie production company. I have used Universal as an example but have yet to decide who will produce my film.

The trailer will then cut to a mid shot of the Birmingham skyline, preferably at night, for around 2 seconds before fading out to a police station in which the police describe the gang. This gives my audience an early indication of where the film is set and about the gang with the police describing them as 'dangerous.'

Then we will get introduced to Poezzi with giving orders in his office. I will use low key lighting to not give to much away about Poezzi and to give some mystery and fear around him. There will then be quick clips of the gang doing criminal authority while 'Shipping up to Boston' playing for just six seconds. I chose this song because it is usually used to represent chaos and that is what Poezzi's gang will be doing.

The trailer will then cut to Poezzi being informed off a problem and will then resort to slow paced editing. I will use a gunshot sound for when Poezzi is informed off the problem to symbolize danger and shock and then it will cut to the new gang with Poezzi's gang describing them in a voice over. Then Ill cut to the police going after both gangs before another quick segments of the gangs battling and escaping the police before ending with Poezzi facing off with the rival gang leader on a bridge. I will use 9 seconds of 'Feeling good' (Michael Bublee version) for the segments because I feel it is a powerful song which also represents the end of something which could happen with Poezzi. The trailer will then end with the standard release date and who is in it.

This storyboard is a much stronger one than my previous one and I can use it when filming and editing to make sure my trailer comes out the way I want it to.

Similar products: Editing used in trailers

A huge part of a movie trailer is the editing techniques used to pull the whole thing together. Editing is the most crucial part of a trailer as it sets the tone and pace for the film and that is the key element in pulling in your target audience.

Therefore I am going to need to use a number of different editing techniques and have decided to look at the editing used in the 'American gangster' trailer to help me get a flavor of some techniques.

The first editing technique is used right at the start of the trailer with a fading shot. This is used just to quickly set the scene to the audience before fading into the rest of the trailer, thus giving the audience an insight into the film but without boring them.

Also from 21 seconds to 26 seconds the trailer also cuts from the present to the past, which once again is giving the audience an insight into the back story behind the actual plot of the film. As my film main character 'Poezzi' is also a famed gang leader I could use this effect to show my audience what crimes he has inflicted. 

Finally throughout there is fast paced editing as well as cut shots to events happening as shown by this gif. This sets the tone for the film and lets people know that it will be a film packed with action as shown by the different events happening. I have already planned to use fast paced editing in the middle of my trailer so that it can give my target audience a glimpse of what will happen with my film and by using cuts shots as shown here I think I could pull them in due to how effective it looks as well as giving them an insight.

Organisation: Locations

I need a host of locations for my movie trailer, and have started to visit certain spots to see where the best places to record are. The first location I need is a view of the Birmingham skyline to set the scene quickly at the start of the trailer.

For example this shot could be perfect for an establishing shot to start the trailer off with. This shot will let the audience know that this is the city 'Poezzi' and his gang run their business.













It is similar to the start of this trailer in which there is a half a second shot of the city, before cutting to the rest of the trailer.

                                                                    Another location I am looking at is the Birmingham canals. This bridge is the perfect place for Poezzi to face off with the rival gang member for the end of the trailer to leave the audience wanting more. Also due to the canal being underneath the bridge, it will have the threat of someone dying.

Finally the other locations I will need is the drama studio, and a few backstreet alleys by my house. I will post pictures on these things. I also plan to film in the drama studio during the October half term, but just need to get permission to use it.  I have also wrote to Bournville police station to see if I can go down there and film a few police cars driving round with the sirens on for a police scene.