A2 PLANNING AND RESEARCH

Why have we chosen short film?

We have decided to produce a short film as there is such a wide variety of genres to choose from, it also gives us the chance to construct a British feel which we find appealing.

Also, as two students who study drama, we wanted to produce a piece where we would be able to write and direct to gain experience in these fields. We really enjoyed filming our AS practical piece and discovered that we had the ideas

and potential to make a much longer piece of film thus making short film the obvious choice for us. We will also

create an additional film poster and DVD cover.

Which Genre have you chosen? Why?

We have chosen to film a romantic comedy as we had immediate ideas for the narrative and while researching

found a lack of romantic comedies in the short film genre. Also, we wanted to explore a different genre from our AS

piece as we studied the antithetical genre of horror.

CONTINUED

Who is our target audience? How will we appeal to them?

Our main target audience are teenagers and young adults/couples (13 – 21) as the romantic comedy genre is most popular among this age group. Our piece is aimed at both males and females as our two protagonists have equal

roles within the film. In some ways we are trying to appeal to the mass audience by focusing our narrative on the

mainstream idea of a male/female romance, however as a short film, it will be unlikely to reach a mass audience so we

will aim to create an intriguing film which will interest the niche group of film enthusiasts who attend film festivals.

What do you want to achieve from your final product?

We want to communicate the message that appearances are unimportant and we want our film to embody the saying:

“don’t judge a book by it’s cover”. We also want to produce a professional piece of work, with good camera work and

editing and achieve the right balance between comedy and moralistic elements in our piece.

Any film that has duration longer than one minute and shorter than 15 minutes.

•Short films often focus on difficult topics which longer, more commercial films usually avoid.

•They rely on festival and art house exhibition to achieve public display.

•Actors and crews still choose to create short films as alternative form of expression. Short films are often popular as first steps into the cinematic art among young filmmakers.

•Short films can receive prestigious awards such as BAFTAs, Academy Awards and Golden Globes. One of the major short film competitions is ‘Yale Bulldog’ competition.

The romance genre (woman’s film) whether in novel, television or film form, will work with narratives whose starting point will often be the arrival into the life of the female hero of a male who interests her romantically. The narrative will often proceed by means of intimate conversations and encounters, coincidences, mistakes and so on, delaying and thus intensifying the audiences desire for the couple to ‘get together’ and usually ending happily in terms of the central, romantic relationship.

At the level of the audiovisual, romance has particular traditions: lavish clothes and domestic settings; much greater use of close ups, especially focused on the eyes; certain styles of intimate acting & dialogue; use of female actors in strong roles; all amplified by a particular kind of music: sweeping chords, piano and string sections of the orchestra.

•Romantic comedy films (abbreviated as rom coms) are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as a true love

•The basic plot of a romantic comedy is that two protagonists, usually a man and a woman, meet, part ways due to an argument or other obstacle, then

ultimately reunite.

•The screenwriters leave clues that suggest that the characters are, in fact, attracted to each other and that they would be a good love match.

•The ending of a romantic comedy is meant to affirm the primary importance of the love relationship in its protagonists' lives, even if they physically separate in

the end

•Romantic Comedies are typically aimed at young females and teenagers. This genre is one of the most popular for short film narratives as it has a large audience and strong moralistic points.

•Some of the most successful romantic comedies include: ‘P.S I Love You’, ‘Notting Hill’, ‘Love Actually’ and ‘Bridget Jones’.

Intertextuality is the shaping of texts' meanings by other texts. It can refer to an author’s borrowing and

transformation of a prior text or to a reader’s referencing of one text in reading another.

* Famous moments in films are often parodied in others. The ‘Shrek’ series often does this. It takes famous scenes

out of films such as: ‘Spiderman’ and ‘The Matrix’

and makes reference to them. This is an example of

intertextuality

* Other famous scenes from films are often referenced to in other texts – they tend to be either romantic or horror moments.

‘Silly Wee Films’

Silly Wee Films is a distinct video production and film-making company

based in Glasgow. It was formed in 2005 by Fraser Coull, it has progressed into a successful production company, looking

after and managing corporate and promotional videos for various high-end

companies. It produces a variety of different projects including short films

and music videos.

‘Surrealist Studios’

Surrealist Studios is a British independent short film company. Everybody who is part of Surrealist

Studios is a young person.

‘I Heart You’ (2010)

I heart you is a sweet romantic black comedy following Chris' journey through the seven stages of grief when his long-term girlfriend dumps him. It's up to his best friend Mark to guide him through the memories and fantasies that built up Chris' relationship.

‘Two Burglars and a Ballerina’ (2006)

A crime caper about one man's desire to woo the girl of his dream's

and teach his double crossing partner in crime a lesson for life.

The plot for our short film is centred around a date between two ‘nerdy’ teenagers, who arrange to meet via the internet. The film shows the male characters turbulent journey to her house – on his way he experiences various unfortunate events such as:

•Mugging

•Car incident (puddle)

•Loses way

•Steps in dog excrement

Eventually, he reaches her house and discovers she does not look like her display picture, consequently making him apprehensive about the evening. However after an eventful first date they discover they are similar people and share the same interests and hobbies. The film ends with the audience and characters realising that there is romance between the two. This communicates the underlying message: ‘do not judge a book by it’s cover’

‘SECOND LIFE’

‘HOPELESS ROMANTIC’‘Hopeless Romantic’ is a short film which uses the conventions of the romantic comedy

genre. It centres around a teenage boy’s infatuation with a girl and how he tries to change himself in order to become more appealing to her.

As the titles roll, we hear a simple piano melody, this connotes romance and also has a sombre feel – this gives the audience insight into the upcoming events of the film. We are then introduced to our protagonist: Greg. We recognise him as our protagonist as he is

the first character we are introduced to and he is the narrator throughout (voiceover). Greg speaks with a American accent which informs the audience that the film is set in the

USA. When we are introduced to the character of Ryan, the music changes to heavy rock/metal, which connotes his dominant/intimidating persona and rebellious personality.

This is also reflected by the fact he is wearing black and Greg is shown looking up to him via a high angle shot. We see Greg’s reaction to this through extreme close ups – this adds comedy to the film and clearly shows us the characters thoughts and emotions. A camera shot is used featuring all 3 characters positioned in a triangle and Greg in the background –

this connotes the classic ‘love triangle’ narrative and shows how Greg is looking in on Angela and Ryan’s relationship. Later on in the film, intertextuality is featured as a

reference to the classic movie ‘Rocky’ is shown when Greg is working on his physique for Angela, this also connotes how Greg is trying to imitate Ryan and looks up to him. When Greg eventually musters up the courage to approach Angela, his emotional state is shown through a slow motion, POV shot. This has dreamlike/fairytale connotations and shows Greg’s nerves, thus making us empathise with his character. We then have a sudden

narrative shift as Greg is hit by a speeding vehicle and the music abruptly stops. Although this is a serious/morbid situation, we the audience are amused by it as we are

constantly being talked though the narrative by Greg, who makes the situation embarrassing rather than a serious disaster.

The moral of the film is ‘don’t become somebody your not’, this is similar to our moral projected through our short film. At the end of the film, Angela smiles affectionately at

Greg, suggesting that there could be romance between the two after all, thus resolving the central romantic plot.

Big font for the logo of the magazine, this is always the largest text on the page

Broken Glass effect connotes the action in the film

This image covers the logo, this is a convention, the logo is familiar and does not need to be completely visible to be read. Protagonist in the centre of the page and dressed in black to stand out from the page shows importance, this will be taken from the films marketing images

Factual info on what the magazine provides right at the top

Barcode

Different font sizes to intrigue customers with impressive big numbers “100” making them feel they get their money’s worth or to focus importance on which film they are advertising and promoting

“SALT”

Circle shape used for more variety

Different Borders that look similar to the Paramount film company logo, also the stars used link to actors and actresses

Black background blocks to the strap lines used to separate the magazine into sections and prevent it from putting all information into one long section, and allows the magazine to advertise more information on what the magazine has to offer

Slang language used to intrigue younger customers and with holds information on what it could be. This is to attract more fans in general

Date

The largest text refers to the main film being promoted and also is linked to the main image. Usually the film companies design of logo and stock image are used

FILM MAGAZINE

‘BLUE ROMANCE’‘Blue Romance’ is a short film that uses the conventions associated with

the romantic comedy genre.

As the titles roll we are introduced to two characters who are sat on a park bench. This is a stereotypical ‘romantic’ setting which reminds

us of the films genre and narrative, also the initially windy, miserable weather connotes their relationship state and their emotions. We are informed via the characters southern accents that the film is set in the south of England. At one point, the dialogue centres around an embarrassing topic that adds comedy to the film and reflects the characters immaturity/childish nature. A low angle shot is used to

connote the lower status of the female protagonist – this suggests to the audience that something is bothering her and this something makes her different to the other characters. Pathetic Fallacy is also used to show

the change in the characters mood: when they are sat on the bench having a friendly exchange, the weather changes and becomes bright and sunny. A commonly used convention of the romance genre is the use of close ups to show characters thoughts and emotions. A close up is used to connote the characters affections when the two eventually hold hands,

this also links back to the romance genre. Romantic comedies usually end with the two protagonists getting together and kissing for the

first time and this is used in ‘Blue Romance’. This resolves the central romantic relationship in the film and informs the audience that the two

characters are likely to have a relationship.

FILM POSTER

Name of the film is the biggest text on the poster. Big/bold, grabs the audiences attention. Includes the protagonists name

Tagline – humorous/gives us information on the films narrative

Looking over her shoulder into the diary, could represent he wants to be involved in her life also her secrets are written in the diary

Main picture connotes the classic ‘love triangle’ narrative, they are both competing for her affections

Female character is positioned in the centre of the poster and is the largest image, shows she is the protagonist

Names of other films produced by the same company to attract the public

Names of the principal actors/actresses in the film

Film titles including cast and creative team

Line separating the image and text resembles a ripped sheet of paper which links back to the diary

FILM MAGAZINE

The logo of the magazine company is the largest text in order to promote the magazine and attract the target audience. The style of the logo links in with the main image as both have a florescent effect. This image covers the logo, this is a convention, the logo is familiar and does not need to be completely visible to be read

Uses awards to promote the magazine. Red is used to make it stand out against the contrasting background. Circle shape is used to make use of a variety of different shapes

The text is promoting the film being advertised by the magazine. It is big and bold therefore making it stand out and grab the audiences attention. Usually the film companies design of logo and stock image are used

Using famous, well known directors to promote and sell the magazine. Also uses bright coloured text

‘Plus’ – makes reader feel they are getting good value for their money. Also advertises other movies to try and attract a wider audience

Prioritising their magazine, ‘first look’ again trying to attract target audience by using extravagant vocab: ‘incredible’

Date of issue

Barcode

Factual info on what the magazine entails, also uses exclamation marks to enhance the attractiveness of the magazine

Title of the film is Bold and the biggest sized writing in the poster. The title also shows a comic statement which indicates the typical romantic comedy element of a love triangle

Tagline. of the movie which shows a typical saying “one true love” but then in a different colour to connote the comedy element is the word “twice” which then completely changes the meaning of the saying “one true love”

Clear image of the 3 main protagonists in the film, its shows the “love triangle” image which connotes the narrative. Woman at the front indicates she is the main focus of the film

Square boxes are used for more variety in the poster and to also feature more characters of the film which ,must be linked to the narrative and with them looking older then the protagonist connotes they might be parents

Certificate rating of PG, to connote to what age group it is suitable for

The name of the actors in the boxes “featuring” to possibly attract more viewers due to their names, different colour of writing used to make the names stand out of the poster

Name of the actors, the production company and director all in print. This is in order to gain more recognition for the film

Main protagonists dressed in dark colours, especially the female protagonist who is all in black indicates her importance and stands out the most

The background has the theme of clouds which suggests happiness which could link to the narrative and the “feeling” of romance, which also links to the genre of the film

Actors names, surname in the colour of the main

character in the film. To give more variety and again link

to the romantic genre

FILM POSTER