Audience research

Action film- one of the most popular genres of film, there is a wide variety of people from all classes, age ranges and backgrounds who would enjoy the action genre. The core target audience for an action film would be young males as they are most susceptible to the appeal of violence, car chase, guns, fight scenes, and quick paced editing. Usually men would go see action films with other men as they usually have a very masculine themed story-line, you could argue that the James Bond films are an exception as they have developed over time to be accepted by both genders. Films such as fast and furious are predominantly aimed at men as the stereotypes conformed to appeal more to the violence initiated men. Usually the middle class see the action genre more as they have money left over in order to fill their media palette and they may also have more spare time, for example working class people may work more. Another reason why the majority of people who watch action films are male is because the main character of the film is usually male, this means that a male audience can relate far more to the character at hand.

Thriller films are different compared with action films, they are aimed more at both genders rather than just men and promote a sense of excitement, thrilling, tense, nerve wracking, intriguing and interesting entertainment. however the different sub genres make it difficult to nail down what specific thriller we are looking for, the action thriller films would definitely appeal more to a male dominated audience with violence and guns etc. Target audiences expect to be thrilled out of their seats by what they are about to see, if the film does not achieve this then the film will probably not be successful unless it has a very specific name to the series which is loved by many, e.g. James Bond for action films. The characters in thriller films usually need to be relate-able to the target audience and therefore have a very distinctive story-line which the audience can relate to in a way where they believe they are the character on the screen.

Actor Interviews

Questions:
Which character are you playing?
Why are you interested in this role?
What is your favourite genre of film?
What is your favourite Action/Thriller film?
What can you bring to this role?
Do you take inspiration from any Actors/Acresses? If so, who?

This is a compilation of our interviews with our actors/actresses that  feature in our film. We have asked them questions that are relevant to our film. 

Title attempt #1

The sort of title which we are looking to have for our film needs to be simplistic and needs to stick in the audiences memory. We used Broadway as a font because it is very basic and over emphasizes the shape of the letters involved, the simple design of the logo conforms to the stereotypes of the action/thriller film,  The films in this genre usually have a simple title so it doesn't take the audiences attention away from the content of the trailer, films such as inception use really plain designs just so the name can come up but it won't take anymore time then is needed in the TV advertisement time.

This is essential for a production company because it is their budget which they have to dip into in order to advertise their film to a wider audience, this will help them to achieve a more loyal audience as well as an idea of what age range and gender prefer the film, for example when looking for an age range they can decide who would be the most likely to watch the film based off of a trailer and then they need to aim for that rating, e.g. action films are usually a 15 as they appeal to an older audience especially with films such as die hard, fast and furious etc.

Stereotype expectations in the Syndicate

In our film we plant to implement various stereotypes throughout the trailer to appeal to the audience and also allow for the them to possibly link the trailer with its chosen genre. The main features of the trailer are showcased through two main characters and so the stereotypes are obviously focused around them but also with the other characters we are including in the trailer. The protagonist is shown to represent the more sophisticated style of action hero as to fit in with the idea of him being a government agency. He will represent the typical masculine styling you expect from the protagonist in an action film as well as playing a pivotal role in explaining the storyline to the audience.

The main antagonist in our film plays a similar role to his protagonist counterpart as he represents another masculine character whom furthers the plot across the trailer and helps contrast the protagonist as an equal force. The antagonist also serves the audience in setting up and contrasting the other characters present in the trailer as he will be portrayed immediately as the threat in the trailer, this will be portrayed through a fight or chase scene between him and the protagonist. He may also subvert these stereotypes in a way as we plan on incorporating some sort of dialogue between him and the protagonist as we want to showcase the relationship these characters have as in the background of the plot they were close friends.

We will also be including the typical damsel in distress in our trailer as to portray a significant love interest to the protagonist. This character will most likely be subject to the so called evil in the trailer, so she may be abducted or in danger in some way so that it sets up the protagonist to save her if it was in the actual film. We would want the love interest to contrast the protagonists masculine and violent way in our trailer and so she would highlight the cause of the violence as she is in trouble. This helps the audience directly relate to the protagonist, personalising him more as a whole and adding greater emphasis on what he does in the trailer.

We also want to include some minor characters whom provide us the necessary background information to further the plot and showcase it to the audience. This includes the supposed leader of the Syndicate who will be constantly shown in a dark room, ensuring you cant see his facial features to keep his character an enigma but allowing the audience to automatically assume he is a bad guy. He represents a strong individual and seeing as the audience can only make out his voice prominently they would assume he is mysterious but strong willed.

The leader of our so called good corporation acts as the major source of information as he is the narrator at the start of the trailer, providing us the basic outline of the story. He also represents authority as he is shown to direct the protagonist throughout the trailer on what he should do.

Trailer Ideas 3

Main plot:
Organisation member goes rogue and steals classified information, delivering it to the Syndicate - a crime organisation whom use it to conduct terror attacks across London.

Character list:
Bill - Protagonist
Zoey - Protagonists love interest
Matt - Rogue agent / antagonist
Conor - Organisation leader
Billy - Possible extra
Morgan - Possible extra

Refined main sequence:

• voiceover on top of establishing shots of London
• the voiceover leads on to dialogue between Bill and Conor - "what happened in London"
• snippets of a chase and fight scene - through traffic
• eventually after the dialogue explains the plot, the actual fight and chase scene are shown
• "bigger then all of us" - closeup of Bill
• "then its down to you to stop them" - shot/reverse shot
• showcases Bill looking for clues, returning to where the chase scene is set
• possibly fades to a shot of a wrecked house
• highlights Zoey being abducted
• "they took her from me, you promised her safety" - closeup of Bill
• closeup of Matt with a lighter - dark background
• dialogue between Bill and Matt "life is much like a flame; wild, uncontrollable yet so easily extinguished" 

Vlog 2 - Dubai

Vlog 1 - Dubai

Soundtrack Research - IPhone App

We experimented with an iPhone app which created music. The app had various settings: guitar, piano and drums. We used the app to create a unique soundtrack that no-one else would have on their trailer.

Film Log - Day 4

For the fourth day of filming we set about getting the domestic scenes of our trailer, the main location of the trailer is England and so we want to primarily focus on shots across London. We went to London Waterloo by train and ensured we got some establishing shots as we deemed that to be the most important shots we needed at the time. The first major section of London we focused on was the Parliament building as we want to include the landmarks so many people associate with London as to appeal to the audience more in our trailer. We got various different angles of the Parliament building with various shots including the background as to highlight London as a whole. We took a couple of shots on the bank opposite, mainly focusing on the horizontal style of panning. However we also got some dolly shot as to provide more variety for us to possibly use. We also got some shots from a nearby bridge to provide a higher angle which is closer to the building. Whilst we filmed this we also found a good location for a possible chase scene in which it is the water bank located opposite the parliament building and so we could incorporate the landmark in the background.

We also focused some shots on the London eye as like the Parliament building it acts to symbioses what you would want to see in London. We also focused on the panning style shot for the London eye as it gave us the necessary backgrounds we could use from the bridge for the majority of shots. We were also able to get some shots from the top of the London eye however we were hindered because by the time we got up there it was dark and so it is difficult to distinguish London. So the shots will most likely be abandoned as we want to ensure that there is even lighting throughout the trailer.

Production company research-Paramount

how its different this year

We are looking to emulate a production company such as paramount as its success is not just purely based on a specific genre rather it doesn't have one focus and therefore can help make any sort of film. Lat year our production company was Tryptic films with the candle logo which lit up, this year however we may look to recreate the logo in a fashion which is more relevant to the genre we want (action/thriller), this is different to our production last year as that was a horror film and so pictures relevant to last year won't be necessary for this year.

Paramount Pictures Corporation (commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, and formerly known as Famous Players-Lasky Corporation) is a film studio, television production company and motion picture distributor, consistently ranked as one of the "Big Six" film studios of Hollywood. It is a subsidiary of US media conglomerate Viacom. Paramount is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). It has distributed several successful film series, such as Transformers, Mission: Impossible and the Universe series.

  Paramount is the fifth oldest surviving film studio in the world after Gaumont Film Company (1895), Pathé (1896), Nordisk Film, (1906), and Universal Studios. It is the last major film studiostill headquartered in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles.

  Paramount Pictures is noteworthy for having three films that have surpassed the $1-billion-mark in worldwide box office sales:

·         Titanic (1997; $2,186,800,000)

·         Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011; $1,123,794,079)

·         Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014; $1,065,153,989)

  In 2006, Paramount became the parent of DreamWorks SKG. Soros Strategic Partners and Dune Entertainment II soon afterwards acquired controlling interest in the live-action films released through September 16, 2005, the latest film in this package was Just Like Heaven. The remaining live-action films through March 2006 remained under direct Paramount control. However, Paramount does own distribution (and other ancillary) rights to the Soros/Dune films.

Cast for "the Syndicate"

Bill- (Protagonist)

What we expect him to do- We expect him to act appropriately to the desired genre (a mix between thriller and action), stick to stereotypes about the protagonist, look the part (suit)

How we expect him to act- we expect him to act to a desired level where he has to have serious facial expressions to show the severity of the task at hand, we also expect little dialogue from this character to keep the animosity about him, we want to show chemistry between two of the characters through a shot reverse shot

How he will incorporate stereotypes into his acting- possibly help people, chase after the bad guy, relate-able character, love interest

Matt- (Rogue agent)

What we expect him to do- we expect him to stay in character (rogue agent) and to be able to express the seriousness of the role through his acting

How we expect him to act- we expect him to remain anonymous to the audience as he is the character behind the whole plot of the film, perhaps through quick glimpses of him where the camera perhaps focuses on the protagonist to keep the antagonist hidden

How he will incorporate stereotypes into his acting- less relate able, running away from the problems of what he has cause, less nice, inconsiderate, negative facial expressions,

Conor- (Antagonist)

What we expect him to do- we expect him to say largely anonymous as he is a character we're not supposed to know the identity of, we can do this by having shots below the eyes to make him less relate able to the audience, we expect a sense of professionalism about him as he is the ring leader in the rogue agents actions. 

How we expect him to act- We expect him to keep a neutral serious expression on his face at all times, we need to purvey his authority in some way, he needs to say little but with a lot of power behind the way he says it

How he will incorporate stereotypes into his acting- as the main antagonist he needs to come across as the bad guy, he can do this by sounding authoritative, having bodyguards, wearing suits, no front facing shots etc.

Zoey- (Love interest)

What we expect her to do- we expect her to be able to show her feelings towards the protagonist through body language and facial expression, she won't have the biggest part in the film but it will give valuable back-story to give the protagonist an incentive to do what he does.

How we expect her to act- we expect her to act like she is in love with the main character, like nothing can separate their love, we want loving looks and romantic type of stuff

How she will incorporate stereotypes into her acting- she will use love in the most effective way possible, maybe conform to stereotypes in some ways such as being controlled by emotions but subverting them in other ways by being independent rather than frail and passive.

Billy (extra)

What we expect him to do- we expect to fill multiple roles of different characters and to die a convincing death

How we expect him to act- we expect him to fall down convincingly and to fill a part of the film and to conform to stereotypes about the genres we have chosen

How he will incorporate stereotypes into his acting- He will be the henchman character for the antagonist or an extra innocent person which the protagonist fails to save, he will conform to stereotypes about the genre depending on the role he holds

Questionnaire of the action genre

1. what's your favourite type of action film? (e.g. action/thriller)

please specify ________________________________

2. what do you look for in action films?

please specify ________________________________

3. what stereotypical characters do you expect to see in a action film?

• hero
• villain
• strong character 
• love interest
• leader of international organisation
• spy
• people to ask questions along the way

other? 

please specify _________________________________

4. How do action movies make you feel?

• excited?
• enthusiastic?
• happy?
• intrigued?
• interested?

other?
please specify _________________________________

5. who do you like watching action films with?

parents?
siblings?
friends?
alone?
partner/spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend?

other?
please specify _________________________________

6. which setting excites you the most in a action film?

• forest?
• house?
• abandoned place?
• pub?
• bathroom?
• alleyway?
• school?
• busy road?
• high rise building?
• by the ocean?
• by a river (river Thames chase scene)

other?
please specify _________________________________

7. do you like watching the trailer of a action film before you see the actual film?

• yes?
• no?
• sometimes?
• maybe?

8. what sort of character excites you the most in action films?

• protagonist
• antagonist
• character who changes sides
• love interest 
• others

other?

please specify _________________________________

9. what's your favorite action movie?

please specify _________________________________

Questionnaire of the thriller genre

1. what's your favourite type of thriller film?

please specify ________________________________

2. what do you look for in thriller films?

please specify ________________________________

3. what stereotypical characters do you expect to see in a thriller film?

• protagonist/relate able character 
• innocent character who gets blamed
• character who has evil intent
• woman who catches the characters eye
• useless kid

other? 

please specify _________________________________

4. How do thriller movies make you feel?

• excited?
• intrigued?
• tense?
• curious?
• interested?
• engaged?

other?
please specify _________________________________

5. who do you like watching thriller films with?

parents?
siblings?
friends?
alone?
partner/spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend?

other?
please specify _________________________________

6. which setting intrigues you the most in a thriller film?

• plane
• cargo ship/boat
• train
• foreign country
• city
• streets

other?
please specify _________________________________

7. if a thriller movie is based of real events does it appeal more to you?

• yes?           
• no?
• not really?
• sometimes?

8. do you like watching the trailer of a thriller film before you see the actual film?

• yes?
• no?
• sometimes?
• maybe?

9. what's your favourite thriller film?

please specify _________________________________