Planning - Synopsis

The main character, Mark Lewis, is an undercover government agent (mi6). He is just living out his “cover” job when he gets a text which tells him a time and a place to meet.Here he gets the information required to take out the target. However he finds out that his target is a defected agent working for other freedom fighters and terrorist groups around the world, earning money. It is when he finds out the target, Iqbal Saleem, when the main realises that they are old friends. It is here where Mark carries out his duties as an mi6 Agent and tries to take him out. However both are cautious and hold back.
Iqbal tries to convert Mark to become a paid rouge agent too.
This turns into a story of twist and turns where Mark joins Iqbal, but this is only to infiltrate deeper into terrorist organisations. Mark is forever feeding information back to Mi6 in secret.
Finally towards the end of the story line, Mark takes out Iqbal.

Weekly Update 3

In this third week of my coursework task I have carried out my questionnaire, which I have given to my target audience to help identify what I should incorporate into my film and to see what my target audience is interested in.
After doing this I have carried out my treatment and research into theorists which again will help me when producing my work.

Research - Theorists

Todorov described narrative as having a specified, logical, cause and effect chain working within them.

Conventional narratives begin with an initial situation followed by some form of disruptions which is later resolved and in doing so the initial situation is restored (perhaps with some changes)

Most mainstream narratives can be fitted into this model and certainly Hollywood films rarely stray from this structure.

Propp, another theorist, analysed a group of Russian fairy-tales and found that all of them, no matter how widely they differed in situation in their surface details, shared certain important structural features.

These Characters are                                                Function

The hero/villain                                                            s/he who seeks               

The princess/object                                                    who/what is sought

The father of the Princess                                          who rewards the hero

The donor                                                                     who provides                   

The dispatcher                                                             who sends the hero

The helper                                                                     who aids the action

The villain/ oppose                                                       who blocks the action

The false hero                                                               who dissembles

Strauss stated that oppositions will be revealed by the analyses of narratives. He went on to say that we know and understand what one thing is because of our knowledge of its opposite. In narratives, we know and understand what the villain is like because we understand what the hero is like.

When writing the synopsis and filming my trailer I will take into account what all of these theorists have said so that my story will be valid within the media industry.

Planning - Treatment

Product

The product I am producing as part as my production company is a teaser film trailer, the genre of which I have yet to decide. This teaser trailer will also be accompanied with two ancillary tasks, these being a magazine poster for the film and a magazine front cover with the film being featured on it.

Target Audience

Looking at the action genre in whole, the main target audience are mainly of male background, ranging from around 15-40. This target audience is very important for me to identify as it will have a final outcome on my final product, especially throughout the planning and construction phases of this project. In this instance lifestyle isn’t a particularly important factor as I am to target men from all types of lifestyle, as I deem them to be all interested in films from this genre.

So in regards to these contexts I aim to target quite a mass audience.

From my research I can see that there are a number of things that appeal to members of this mass audience. The most influential items possibly being those which are stereotypically related to the action genre such as gadgets, guns, girls, pyrotechnics and fast cars. I think if I can incorporate as many of these as I can to the film, it can be successful in targeting this audience. However I have to take into account that this production has very low budgeting so it will be very difficult to acquire some of these effects for real, however I could attempt to duplicate these effects in post production such as pyrotechnics. So using as many of these techniques as possible, I feel that I can target this audience and that my product will appeal to them.

Context

The products I plan to produce are a teaser trailer, film poster and a magazine front cover. These three will combine to form part of an advertising package. Specifically the film trailer and film posters aim to advertise the film itself within the film and print platforms respectively. This is different from the magazine front cover as it will feature many other items along with the film I am producing, with less focus on my product.

Having the product on these platforms will affect my product in different ways. There are rules and restrictions for publishing on these platforms and I will have to conform within these. For example not including any profanities or anything inappropriate for all viewers even if they are not members of my target audience, such as young children.

Media Concepts

Media Languages

For all of the products I am producing I aim to follow the conventions that are being set within the current industry. Knowing how to do this is one of the main reasons I have carried out a vast extent of research. Taking note of all the conventions that occur within these film trailers will help me to identify and replicate a similar convention within my product. Within my trailer I hope to challenge and better some of the conventions currently set within the industry, by doing this I will have to push the boundaries and come up with something special or eye-catching.

Institutions

To make the film trailer fit and suit within other film trailers I will create a production company of my own, including a name and a logo that can instantly be identified as my production company. This will be the distributing company for my product and will help me to compete and market my production to others within the same industry.

Representations

Within the film representations will affect my characters, especially within regards of stereotyping. Being able to identify characters easily are very important for my film. For example putting my main character in a suit and having him wield a gun will immediately tell the audience that he is some kind of agent or spy with some air of mystery around this. I aim to follow stereotyping within this product as often going against these stereotypes can have a detrimental effect on the popularity of films creating confusion within the audience and causing them to lose interest even before seeing the film. 

Genre

I have already decided that the film I will produce will be part of the action genre and there are clear conventions which I can follow for this, that can be including stereotypical items related to this type of film or having a soundtrack that fits within the genre. The setting of the film will also be important with my film to be set within central London, an iconic city that everybody in the world knows of. Also the style of editing and camera work will be following conventions as shots are usually quite short in length and also with a number of varying shots included.

All of these different factors combined will give my film a clear indication on genre and will be easily identifiable to all viewers.

Research - Questionnaire Results

From the feedback I have received from these questions, I have found some interesting answers. I will now need to find a techno-rock song to go with my trailer. This song or soundtrack will also have to suit the trailer with the right pace and set the tension. It is quite clear that weapons are important in an action film, however it will be very difficult for me to obtain the use of any other effects with such a small budget. The setting for my film is either going to be in a  landmark city or a rural countryside. Seeing as  our school is in Greater London, I have chosen to set the filming here. As to how much information will be revealed in the trailer, I have decided to make it so that, it will tell the basics but leave out  an details. I am hoping that this will make viewers want to find out more and go and see the film. This is an important factor when making a successful trailer.

Research - Questionnaire

Now I have researched other film promotion packages, including film trailers and posters, I will carry out research into my potential target audience.
I will do this by producing a questionnaire and picking up on any vital information which I haven't already from researching other current and past promotion packages.
After some research I have found out that the target audience for action films comprise of mainly males aged from 14-30. I will have to hand out the questionnaire to members of this target audience to gain some feedback.
As I have gotten my influences and information from trailers in the same style of package and genre this audience research should have already been taken into account. Promotion packages in this style will have already taken into account the audience, and if I continue to follow these trends then I probably will have picked up on items that my target audience will find appealing.
The main contents of this questionnaire will be questions I need answers to help me plan and construct my film trailer.

Weekly Update 2

This week I have carried out my genre specific research of trailers and posters to note down any conventions used. Also I have looked at these for inspiration and hope to gain a few ideas for my trailer and ancillary tasks.
I have also made a brainstorm with a few of my initial ideas of which I hope to carry on further with the aid of a questionnaire to my target audience.