Questionnaire

We asked 20 people the following set of questions. We asked 10 males and 10 females, though our target audience are females. Usually it is best to avoid open-ended questions, however in order to gain real, honest, clear feedback we decided to use a few open-ended questions. We wanted clearcut opinions which we can use to tailor our trailer our focus audience.

Question 1. Are you:

Male      Female

 

We recognise that romantic films are not as suited to males as they are females, due to gender differences, however we feel it would be wrong to eliminate males from the equation completely as it is down to individual taste.  Opinions and preferences can be determined by the gender of the person because of the different ways in which males and females are treated; males are brought up to be very masculine and females are brought up to be very feminine. Men tend to have bravado; they have to appear brave for the approval of people. Females tend to be more vulnerable and sometimes like to appear slightly weaker than males. These aspects influence opinions.

Question 2.

What age range do you fit into?

13 and under     14-18      19-24      25-30      31+

In order to make sure we can understand why different people have different opinions, we controlled the number of people we asked from each age range. We asked 4 people from each age range.


Question 3.

What do you think makes a good film?

Peoples opinions: 

Strong story
Romance

Good actors

Believable

Good directing

Must look high-quality even if it’s low budget

Action

Element of humour

Violence

Good vs. bad

Epic parts

Horror

Unpredictability

Good acting

Realism

Imaginative

Interesting

Engaging

Follows conventions of the genre

Something which captivates the audience

Suspense

Questions to be answered

This gives us a lot of elements to consider with regards to the plot of our film.  We have to plan the idea for a whole film in order to produce a trailer for it but as we aren't making a feature length film our ideas can be more vague in places. 

Question 4.
What do you expect from a film trailer?

Clips from the film
Clips of good scenes
Background information
The plot to not be given away
Memorable lines

These are things we will need to consider in order to make our trailer fit our target audience.
Question 5.

On a scale of 1 - 5, 1 being has little importance, 5 meaning is very important, how important is a film trailer to you in the process of deciding to watch a film?

This clearly shows that the trailer plays a big part in the advertisement of a film. This means our trailer has to have a big impact.
Question 6.

What is your favourite romance film?

P.S I Love You
The Titanic
The Notebook
Casablanca
Gone With The Wind
Mamma Mia
Romeo and Juliet
(500) Days of Summer
Remember Me
Moulin Rouge
Love Actually
The Time Traveller's Wife

By asking this we can look at the features and conventions of these films, and look at what makes them special.


Question 7.

Why is this your favourite romance film?

Liked the actors
Can relate to issues
Good story line
Had action as well as romance - not confined to one genre
Original
Happy Ending
Believable
Unpredictable
Unpretentious

Again, this tells us what makes the films special so we can use similar conventions.

Question 8.

What do you think is needed to fulfil the criteria of the romance genre?

Focus is on love story
Happy ending
Positivity
Emotion
Soft, calm atmosphere
Lyrical, spiritual theme

Question 9.

Do you prefer a realistic plot or a more imaginative plot?

Question 10.

What is your preferred sub-genre of the romance genre?

Tragic Romance      Historical Romance      Time-Travel Romance

   Romantic Comedy       No sub-genre

Question 11.

How long do you expect a trailer for a romance film to be?

40 seconds - 1 minute        1-3 Minutes           3 - 5 Minutes      5 Minutes +

This will give us an indication of how long we should make our trailer.



Question 12.

Do you prefer narrative or words to describe the film?

Narrative       Words        Both  

This will indicate how we should narrate our trailer.

Question 13.

What do you think would be a good location for a romance film?

City      Country      Exotic Country      Forest        It doesn't matter      

Audience Research

Our film will have a very wide audience and in fact, could appeal to anyone. Romance is such a wide genre it is difficult to pin-point an audience, for the interests of marketing we intend to aim our film at 16 - 35 year old females. The characters used will be in their mid-twenties, so not too far from anyone in our intended audience age range. We will need to do research into our audience so that we know what they want from a film trailer.

The film will have a 12 certificate due to the sensitive themes such as the car accident however the trailer will be a PG. When researching my case study, I have come across the idea that intentionally making a trailer for a film suitable for the PG certificate encourages children to watch films unsuitable for their age. However, we did not intend to put the car crash scene in our trailer anyway, as it would give too much of the plot away so our trailer is not intentionally going to be a PG.

Script

This is a rough idea of our script for our trailer. Again we realise when filming things don't always work out, so this is just basic and leaves room for improvisation and alterations.

Scene 1:

(Soft, classical music begins)

Alex: Here she is, my beautiful wife 

(walks in to film Alice putting up decorations)

Alice: laughs Hello you

Alex: What are you doing?

Alice: Decorating our first Christmas tree! You can help if you like!

Alex: All right then...

(Puts camera down and closely helps Alice)

Black screen reads "The perfect Christmas"
Scene 2:

Alex: There you are, been looking for you

Alice: Here I am

Alex: You're so talented, you really should show these to someone.

Alice: laughs I'm not that good, it's just a hobby, it'll never take me anywhere

Alex: You can go anywhere you want

Alice: You're too sweet

(phone rings)

Alice: Hello?

Doctor: Hello, Mrs Brookes?

Alice: Yes?

Black screen reads - "The worst New Year"
Doctor: I'm afraid I have some bad news concerning your husband.



Scene 3:

Alice breaks down at the hospital

Scene 4:

Katrina: Can I get you anything?

Alice: No

Katrina: You need to eat

Alice: What for?

Katrina: I'll make you some soup. Your answer machine is flashing.

Alice: I know

Scene 4:

Depression

Scene 5:

Katrina: Come on you need to get out, this isn't healthy. Have you still not listened to your messages?

(Presses answer machine)

Answer phone: First new message; "Hi Mr Brookes it's Jodie from Elizabeth Andrews. I've looked at your wife's designs and they are wonderful, I was wondering if yourself or Mrs Brookes could give me a call back."

Second new message: "Hi it's Jasmine, just wondered how you were doing, hope you're ok, bye."

Third new message: "Hello again it's Jodie from Elizabeth Andrews. I haven't received a call back but we really are interested in Mrs Brookes work. We are holding a business lunch on the 12th of January, it's at 2pm at The George, Whittlesey, I do hope you can make it."

(Alice runs upstairs and lays in bed)

Scene 6:

Alice looks at her sketches and see's a post-it saying "Do it, you deserve it. I'll love you until the end."

Katrina: He's right

(Katrina leaves the room)

Scene 7:

Voice Over: From the makers of Lola Gray, comes a story...
Alice gets ready for the meeting at last minute

Voice Over: Of love and devotion

Scene 8:

Voice Over: Of tragedy and survival

Alice smiling, shaking someones hand

Voice Over: Starring Alex Suchoruczka, Alice Cutts and Katraina Esrythee

Clips of actors

Black screen reads - Until the end
Alex: I'll love you untill the end.

Alternative Trailer Ideas

For our romance trailer we had a few ideas:

• Husband dies of leukemia - ill in bed scene, scenes of medication taking - decided it was too similar to another film and wanted a more sudden event to shock the audience.
• After the husband dies, the wife has his baby, giving her hope - we found this was too predictable and would leave a stunted ending.
• Wife also dies due to loss of husband - we wanted a happy ending however and this may leave the audience feeling unsatisfied.

We thought we would play around with ideas as we filmed. From experience we know that certain things don't always work the way we want and our plot could develop as our research and filming progresses.

Plot

In Todorov’s terms the narrative is structured as follows:

1. a state of equilibrium at the outset
2. a disruption of the equilibrium by some action
3. a recognition that there has been a disruption
4. an attempt to repair the disruption
5. a reinstatement of the equilibrium

Thesis > Antithesis > Synthesis

Plot -->
Our audience research revealed that our plot needs to be realistic and believable. It also needs to be strong and keep the audience interested.

• It’s Christmas time, and newly weds Alice and Alex are celebrating their first Christmas together in their new home.
• Alice enjoys designing dresses and Alex wants to send them away for professional dress designs, but Alice stops him, saying she’s not good enough.
• On the 28th December, Alex is killed in a car crash.
• After Alex's funeral Alice receives an answer phone message for Alex and she can't bring herself to listen.
• Alice spends a lot of time unhappy, her friends try to help but she just wants Alex. She still won't listen to the answerphone messages which keep coming.
• One day Katrina comes round and notices the answer machine is still flashing and so presses play. Alice rushes to stop her, but it's too late and she hears. Alex sent off her sketches and a dress making company want to offer her a job.
• Alice is adamant that she won't go to the interview and stays depressed but one day when looking through her old sketches, she finds the design of her wedding dress, with a post-it saying 'I'll love you until the end x' from Alex, this inspires her to go to the interview.
• Alice picks herself up and goes to the interview, she is offered a position which she takes. 
• Alice becomes famous and has her own clothing line, she calls her collect 'Until the end', in memory of Alex, which she reveals in an interview.                                                            

Genre Research

The trailer begins with the film certificate and then shows the production company's logo, that fades out and shows clips from the films. There is classical music and narration from one of the characters. The music and the fading clips combined with the narrators soft tone, creates a calm, inviting atmosphere. The trailer shows a short summary of events, beginning with how the couple met, it shows their problems and then hints at the ending but does not give it away.  The narration stops while the full sound of the film is played, giving the audience a taster of the film, but still the music plays.

A lot of close-up shots are used, showing the emotion of the characters, suggesting it is a highly emotive film. Long shots, establishing shots and mid-shots are also used to show other character's reactions, establish the setting and to add emphasis when a character is arriving or leaving. The close-up shots show a lot of eye contact between characters. The film includes two love stories, or even a love triangle - two characters tend to have all the focus at once, the other characters are not included. The two lovers are both shot equally, one is not focused on more than the other, showing that they are equal and it is both their story's, not just one.

As the trailer progresses, the pace of the clips speeds up; the music becomes louder and more powerful; and the voice of the narrator is changed, it is a male with a stronger, more intense voice who is not a character in the story. The narrator highlights the fact that the film was made from the novel and also famous actors names and the director of the film. The characters look up as their names are said, they are smiling and the sun is shining on their faces, showing it's a positive moment. De-saturated colouring is used to show the unhappy events, adding to the atmosphere and intensifying the emotion. All of the clips flow and fade in and out calmly showing that it is a slow-paced, calm film.

Key lines from characters in the film are said between narration for emotive effect - they become slogans for the film.

The trailer ends with the name of the film clear on the screen, the narrator reads it out clearly. Some of the credits for the film are shown at the end of the trailer.






This is the trailer for the romantic film, Titanic. It begins by showing the 20th century fox credits which allows the audience to acknowledge the fact that it is a well produced film, made by a large film company. As the trailer begins, it is very quiet and this creates a tense atmosphere - automatically enticing the viewer as they immediately want to know me. The colours are also very dark, creating a sense of mystery - again evoking thought, emotion and questions.

A deep, male voice over is used to open with 'Take a journey back in time'. This is a bold statement and will catch the audiences attention and invite them into the storyline. It teaches the viewer a little about the film and invites them to learn more. The background music is orchestral, beginning slower and quieter and as the pace of the clips shown increases, the music gets louder and faster ergo adding excitement to the film. This shows the different depths and sub-genres of the film.

Lots of point of view shots are used to highlight objects significant to the plot line. A lot of close up shots of characters are used also, indicating it is a highly emotive film which will allow the audience to bond with characters. The characters 'Rose' and 'Jack' receive the most viewing time which shows that they are the most important characters. Their relationship is first shown using long shots, as the trailer progresses, close up shots, shot reverse shots and two shots are used, showing they are becoming closer.

Saturated colouring is used, which later becomes de-saturated as the mood becomes more negative. For the most part of the trailer, the sub-plots are focussed on, the disaster is not hinted at until the end showing mystery and spontanaeity; some things are left to the imagination.

Poster Research

As we are doing a promotional poster for our film, it was important to research similar genres to romance to build our knowledge on what is expected regarding layouts and colours.

This poster is for the film 'The Notebook' which is a well known drama/romance film. Just from a glance the genre is obvious, the intimate image of the couple is a clear indicator that the film is based on their romantic story. The iconic picture is from an intense moment in the film where the happy ending begins. The two actors share the same amount space on the poster, showing they are equal and have an equal part to play.
The layout for this film is quite effective; the main actor's names are contrasted against the background picture, including well known actor's names which will encourage the audience to watch it. The poster also mentions 'From the best selling novel' so it will attract readers of the book to watch the film. There is also a slogan at the very top of the poster, which is bold and would stand out to the audience. 

A typical romance film would be full of nice weather with bright sunshine, however this shows rain which reveals the intensity of the film. It shows it's to be taken seriously. In contrast to the rain however, bright, cheerful colours are used, they are pastel shades which add a sense of calmness.
      

This is the poster for the romantic film 'Titanic'. It is obvious this is a romantic genre as the two characters are entwined in a loving way. The clouds and hazy effects enhance the romantic aspect by creating a dreamlike state. Again there is a slogan which adds dramatic effect; we will need to consider a slogan for our poster. 'Nothing on earth could come between them.' is written across the characters indicating it is about them and the picture symbolises this quote. The colours of the characters are warm tones, again reflecting feelings of love. This is contrasted against the harsh image of the Titanic ship which is black. The title 'Titanic' is written in the form of ship metal which again contrasts against the dreamy image of the couple.

When studying both of these posters it is noticable that the couples are both embracing with their eyes shut. This is an obvious indicator that it is a romantic film therefore we will need to create a similar effect in ours. The characters are also positioned at the top of the poster with the title underneath. For the Titanic this positioning along with the clouds shows connotations of heaven. Again the Notebook also has sky in the background, however it is dark and stormy. This stormy sky could reflect the difficult times in the couples relationship and the light behind their faces could indicate that there is hope.

To begin with the title of this film is 'Love Happens' which instantly shows the genre is romantic. Again the couple of interest are in a loving embrace with their eyes shut. As all three posters have this in common it is likely that the characters in our project will be photographed in a similar position. The colours are also hazy and dreamlike, with warm tones; this represents the usual warm connotations we associate with love and romance.
The background and green colour of the font implies that this film will be set outdoors, something we need to consider; the relation between our setting location and our colour scheme of our poster.
The layout is similar to the previous posters with the title below the image of the characters. It is also highly contrasted against the plain background. Like the Titanic poster, the actors names are displayed above the characters but in a slightly smaller font than the title. This clearly addresses the audience and the famous actors would be appealing.
In addition there is the use of a slogan, this time it actually refers to the title implying that love happens sometimes when you least expect it. This is possibly more effective than the slogans on the previous posters as it ties with the title and gives a the audience a clear shot at guessing the plot. This is an important factor of the slogan, it needs to give an clue to the story plot.




Overall from doing this research on romantic posters from films already on the market has highlighted some things we need to consider and include in our poster. These include:

• focus on main love couple in a loving embrace
• colour scheme to reflect the plot of our story
• blur the image of the couple
• have a clear title, most likely under the image of the couple
• clearly shown names of actors
• slogan that gives a clue of the plot
• list of names and producers, not very clear at the bottom of the poster

Romance

 ro·mance  
1.

a. A love affair.

b. Ardent emotional attachment or involvement between people; love: They kept the romance alive in their marriage for 35 years.

c. A strong, sometimes short-lived attachment, fascination, or enthusiasm for something: a childhood romance with the sea.

2. A mysterious or fascinating quality or appeal, as of something adventurous, heroic, or strangely beautiful: "These fine old guns often have a romance clinging to them" (Richard Jeffries).

3.

a. A long medieval narrative in prose or verse that tells of the adventures and heroic exploits of chivalric heroes: an Arthurian romance.

b. A long fictitious tale of heroes and extraordinary or mysterious events, usually set in a distant time or place.

c. The class of literature constituted by such tales.

4.

a. An artistic work, such as a novel, story, or film, that deals with sexual love, especially in an idealized form.

b. The class or style of such works.

5. A fictitiously embellished account or explanation: We have been given speculation and romance instead of the facts.

6. Music A lyrical, tender, usually sentimental song or short instrumental piece.

7. Romance The Romance languages.

adj.

Romance Of, relating to, or being any of the languages that developed from Latin, including Italian, French, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish.

v. (r-mns) ro·manced, ro·manc·ing, ro·manc·es

v.intr.

1. To invent, write, or tell romances.

2. To think or behave in a romantic manner.

v.tr. Informal

1. To make love to; court or woo.

2. To have a love affair with.

c. The class of literature constituted by such tales.

4.

a. An artistic work, such as a novel, story, or film, that deals with sexual love, especially in an idealized form.

b. The class or style of such works.

5. A fictitiously embellished account or explanation: We have been given speculation and romance instead of the facts.

6. Music A lyrical, tender, usually sentimental song or short instrumental piece.

7. Romance The Romance languages.

adj.

Romance Of, relating to, or being any of the languages that developed from Latin, including Italian, French, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish.

v. (r-mns) ro·manced, ro·manc·ing, ro·manc·es

v.intr.

1. To invent, write, or tell romances.

2. To think or behave in a romantic manner.

v.tr. Informal

1. To make love to; court or woo.

2. To have a love affair with.

Romantic films often explore the essential themes of love at first sight, young (and older) love, unrequited love, obsessive love, sentimental love, spiritual love, forbidden love, sexual and passionate love, sacrificial love, explosive and destructive love, and tragic love. Romantic films serve as great escapes and fantasies for viewers, especially if the two people finally overcome their difficulties, declare their love, and experience life "happily ever after" - implied by a reunion and final kiss.
Many romantic films do not have fairy-tale, wishful-thinking stories or happy endings, although love serves as a shield against the harshness of the real world. Although melodramas-tearjerkers and romantic comedies may have some romance in their plots, they usually subordinate the love element to their primary goal - to provide humor or serious drama.

These ideas and conventions give us a lot to think about when considering our trailer.

Romance on Prezi

Genre

When deciding the genre for our trailer, poster and magazine cover we explored the possibilities of these different genres. Eventually we narrowed it down to either horror or romance. We thought horror would be good as it is a well defined genre, so the conventions are clear. We also have easy access to a typical horror film location (graveyard, forest etc). However, the problem with horror is that we thought it would be too similar to our AS work as we created a psychological thriller opening scene, so by doing this genre for our A2 coursework, we wouldn't be exploring other ideas; because of this, we decided romance would be the best genre for us to do. We are all interested in romance films so this would be a good genre. In addition to this, it is a totally different theme to our AS plot, so it will show our versatility and our skills to adapt to different genres and their conventions. 

When thinking of plots we decided to take a closer look at the romance genre and choose a sub-genre. We thought of doing a tragic romance because it would allow us to create a strong plot with a good beginning, middle and end.

1. a state of equilibrium at the outset
2. a disruption of the equilibrium by some action
3. a recognition that there has been a disruption
4. an attempt to repair the disruption
5. a reinstatement of the equilibrium

Time Plan

This year I am in a group with Alice and Sophy again as we worked well together on our AS coursework. This is a rough plan of when we want to complete tasks.