Analysis of Teaser Trailers...

Alice in Wonderland

This is an adaptation of the original Disney Film, again being created by Disney. At the beginning of the trailer the memorable disney castles comes up, which immediately indicates that its a family film and also that it's going to be a "magical" type of film. The trailer shows parts of the actual film, this drags an audience in as they use a lot of enigmas. Non-diegetic sounds of music throughout; starts of calm and as the trailer goes on it gets faster and louder, this builds suspense which a lot of teaser trailers do as it is the first thing to attract an audience to the film. The trailer shows all of the memorable characters (Alice, the Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts etc). It also shows that the film will be much different to the first film. You can alos tell from the trailer that Alice is much older than she is in the book or the first film whic gives a sense that the film may be trying to capture more than a very young audience. There are a lot of faster cuts and also some slower ones with fade ins and outs. There are titles during the trailer with the memorable phrase from the first film "You're late for a very important date"; the titles also mention Tim Burton (the director) and the main actors (Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway) this can draw in an audience because they may like the actor.

Digital Tecnology

How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

I used digital technologies in the research of my portfolio by analysing the opening scenes to films in a similar genre that I wanted to use for my film. I did this using DVD's and you tube.

In the construction of my film I used digital technologies, using a camera and microphone. Also I edited my film using a computer programme.

Starting A2 - Representing your school

We have started a new practical piece in which we have to make two films. We have to present our films in two different ways, one is to "show off" the school, all the positive things about the school: children in lesson, sports, studying etc. And the other is to ask for fund so that the school can make improvements: decorating and fixing.The positive film is for the parents to see and for children deciding which secondary school to go to.
I will be filming with Matt Scott as it is good to get second opinions.

Synopsis - The Good Girl.

For my coursework I have decided to base my film on teen life. My film is called The Good Girl. It is about a girl whose brother died in a car crash and two years on, on her life has been turned upside down. Her parents split up, after her dad lost his job; her sister didn't talk, to anyone and now Beccy (the main character) had to help everyone re-build their lives. She was a good daughter, a good friend and a good student but not being able to talk about her brother was getting to her and she starts to steal...it didn't matter what she stole as she would just put it in a box under her bed but stealing was a release, it made her feel better so she didn't want to stop.
This film is a hybrid genre, part rom-com and part drama, she has to show the new boy round the school and likes him straight away bt her 'friend' likes him too.
In the end she confesses to her stealing and returns it all, also she ends up with the boy...happy endings do come true.

Preliminary Task

The Good Girl - Evaluation

My film challenged forms and conventions of real media products, as most films begin with music. Although all films begin differently they mainly all start with music, for example: Love Actually, Closer, Mean Girls. My film begins with the main character saying her first line “two years ago my life was turned upside down, I am going to tell you my story”. Although, this is similar (developed) to the beginning of Mean girls and Juno where the beginnings of the films are narrated by the main character of both films. Also, my film ‘flashes’ through time which a lot of film don’t do, they start at the beginning of a story.
I feel that the type of intuition that would distribute my film would be a smaller company such as working title as it is a British film. And although working title is part of universal I believe that the film is more likely to attract a younger audience (teens to young adults) and is more appealing to a British audience than to an American audience. Working title would be good for distributing this film for that reason, even though the film would be shown in America it is for a small social group that enjoy this genre.
To attract an audience the audience to this film it has to relate to the audience so as it is about a teen girl in trouble, teens are likely to see the film. Also the genre, the genre for this film is a hybrid genre, a mix of rom-com and drama. This will attract certain audiences, mainly female and young, which is who I aimed this film for.
From making this project I noticed that camera angles and genres are a crucial part of making the film work, as is editing. I found the editing more difficult than the filming as the software was hard to understand at first. Also all of the different effects that can be used in the film was a main part to make the film flow, I chose to use simple effects to make the film run through smoothly.
Looking back at my preliminary task I have found out that it is more difficult working on your own as oppose to in a group where people in the group can act and you can all do what is needed to be done a specific times. Also I have learnt about editing the film and adding effects to make the film look better as in the preliminary task our group did not use any effects.

Generic Conventions

Juno – At the beginning of the film the time of year is the first thing to come up and then it fades into the film. We see the main character 20 seconds into the film. From the beginning you find out that the main character is also the sort of narrator of the film. We see another character 1 minute into the film, with the main character. Then goes into the opening credits, where the film then goes into a cartoon style. In the opening credits there is music playing - All I Want is You sung by Barry Louis Polisar; also the main character is being tracked throughout this part, also there is use of OTH shot, pan, close up and high angle shot.

Closer – Music starts straight away and the name of the film then fades into the film. First main character seen 38 seconds into the film and second main character seen 46 seconds into the film – both are walking down opposite side over a road towards each other. Both characters are surrounded by people (in London) but they are the first people you see. When they make eye contact it looks as if they know each other but they don’t. Girl main character gets hit by a car and guy runs to her aid.

Love Actually – Starts at an airport, everyone there meeting their friends and family, whilst a narrator speaks (one of the main characters). Shows lots of shots of people hugging, greeting, and kissing. Then the shot changes to another of the main characters in a recording studio (1 minute 20). Pan, close-up, high – angle shot, shot of the other characters in the scene. High-angle shots and long shots of London and then into another main characters house. Credits throughout.

Mean Girls – Credits on a black screen for 15 seconds and fades into film. Starts with close ups of two people (parents of main character) then main character comes into shot (close up) and then into long shot. All talking to each other and then main character narrates. Flashes of things she’s talking about (stereotype home schooled children) then to photos of her family in Africa. Then to main character surrounded by people at high school, POV shots of what she can see and close ups of her face to show how she’s feeling. This cuts to her walking into a classroom and there’s an over the shoulder shot of her and 180° rule.

Because I Said So – music straight away, and goes into short clips (old fashioned clips – black and white and sepia) of mothers and daughters (matches music). Then wipes across to film, first shot of a wedding cake, and then to main characters (mother and daughter) and their family, eldest sister is getting married. They have photos taken and one of the main characters talk. Photos are taken and shown. Both main characters talk to each other OTS whilst switching between them talking and two other characters. Then wipes to another wedding cake (other sisters wedding)

Finished filming!

I have now successfully finished filming all of my project and now am starting to edit it.

How it's going

I have now completed the in-school scenes of the film and am now planning the out of school scenes which I will do at the weekend. There will be Interior and Exterior scenes, where she is stealing and arguing. The scenes in school are of the main character and there is one scene of her and her boyfriend. I've used a long shot that the character walks closer to and out of the shot and also a two shot of the couple kissing.
There is one other person in the film (Beccy's sister) and there will be a conversation between them when they're shouting at eachother.
The rest of the scenes are with just Beccy - the beginning where she talks about what happened to her and then the shots of her stealing.

What it's about.

This film as a split of a drama and rom-com, there are moments of homour but also the serious side of stealing and teenage behaviour.
My film is about a girl, her brother dies in a car crash when she was 14 and this made her family fall apart. Her mother ran away to a differnt country and her father lost his job and was now trying to re-build his life. Beccy then took on the task on taking care of her family. She was the model daughter, student and friend. Turns out, things got too much for 'the good girl' and she started stealing. It didn't matter what she would steal, it was just the feeling of stealing. It was a release. It all ended going too far and she admitted to what she was doing, she had to tell everyone, her dad, teacher and the bot she really liked.

Opening to a film

I have now completed my script and am ready to record the film. I have asked Beccy Newman and James Bradford for the main parts and still need to find one more person to be the main characters sister. I am planning to start filming on sunday and then two days during the week.