As survey monkey doesn't create charts for interests which people have, so i made my own graphs in microsoft exel. The main bulk of reponses came from people of at the age of 16 and 17. This graph indicates that watching films (including going to the cinema), reading, listening to music, spending time on social media and socialising is what the majority like to spent their free time doing. After doing genre research we found similarities between the intersts of our audience from survey monkey and with the interests of the outcasts in teen romance films. these included: - reading - listening to music - watching films The only element which differs in the socialising part. This is because stereotypically outcasts tend to keep themselves to themselves and avoid socialising with other people as they feel as though they don't fit in. However, to make the film more relatable we will have to include a small aspect of socialisation. Maybe even if it just the boy who she meets that she socialises with: we still need to include a form of contact with another person.
Are you male or female?
At the very beginning of the survey we asked what gender the person was who was filling out the form. From this we found that 56 people out of the 66 that answered the survey were females. 54 of these females were aged 16 and 17, others ranged above 17 to about 50 years old. Because of this, we knew already that females were more interested in filing out the survey after we told them it was a teen romance. Generally, the majority of the audience for a teen romance is a female as they are more interested in the fantasy side of things. Also, the fact that my group attend a girls school meant that most of our piers filled it out who were female. After this, we knew that we were going to aim our film at female teenagers as they seemed more interested.
How many of the following films have you seen?
It was important that we addressed existing films when asking questions as they are our main inspiration for the opening. The film that was most popular was Twilight. It seemed as though this was a film which boys had seen too. Therefore this is a film that we will try not to be as similar to as we are aiming it at females. the second most popular was a Cinderella story. This film has a female protagonist and has a voiceover at the beginning with a misleading set up which seemed to be something that enticed the audience. Not only this but it has a theme of fantasy which seems to be popular amongst audiences when it comes to romances. The least watched film is pretty in pink. This is about how a girl must chose between the affections of her childhood sweetheart and a rich but sensitive playboy. I think that less people had watched this as it didn't appeal to them as much when seeing this advertisement. Therefore i think that it is a better idea to do a film which has just one boy who the girl likes from the very beginning, but have a small twist in the middle of the film.
If you have seen any of them, what did you enjoy?
About 78% of people that filled out the survey said that the characters were the most important part of the film. From this, i think that it is important that we find someone who compliments the whole 'outcast' appearance and who can fill the role well in order for it to look as realistic as possible. This can be because they enjoy doing the stereotypical free time activities, not because of their appearance as we can use mise en scene to adjust this factor. The plot was the second most important thing. In order to guarantee a good opening, we will have to write the plot of the rest of the film so that we know how we are going to leave the opening in a cliff hanger leaving them wanting to see why the film has opening in such a way. 30% of people said that the relatability was important which is what we have a big focus on already. This is because both the survey, the interviews and the focus group said this was important.
What settings do you usually associate with a film aimed at teens?
Out of 66 people who answered the survey, 60 of them said that school was a place which they associate most with teen films. This is because most the people in chick flicks are the same age as the audience and are attending school, this makes the film look more realistic but also relatable for the audience. The second most voted setting was the home. Again, a place which teens spend a lot fo their time when they're not at school. I think that school and home are the two most important setting which we should definitely try to include in our film opening.
I do, however think that it would be good to introduce a setting which isn't stereotypical which can foreshadow how our protagonist is not stereotypical as a teen and is an outcast. A place such as a train station which can have many different directions for a plot after the opening.
Link to survey monkey questionnaire: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?PREVIEW_MODE=DO_NOT_USE_THIS_LINK_FOR_COLLECTION&sm=DpSFXAqhRIKjjV4rhtKChgSym3dZjbn9eNr61l1sXSg%3d
Target Audience Mood board After looking at some of the survey monkey results, i noticed that most of the people that replied were 16 and 17. I then looked into what they like to do in their free time and the main thing was films, read and music. Due to these results i made sure that i included elements of these free time activities on the mood board.
This is one of the images on the mood board. Due to us having the idea that our teen romance is going to be one where either or both the characters are going to be an outcast, we included the usual things associated with outcasts. The library image can represent the reading aspect that out audience spend there time doing which means that they will be able to relate to the character a little more.
I also included this image of a bedroom due to Nicole saying that it where teens spend most their time in the target audience interview. This is the place which tends to tell you most about an individual: the tidiness of the room, the colours and the things that are actually in the room. For example in perks of being a wallflower, Charlie has a rustic desk with a typewriter on and a lot of writing equipment. straight away this tells you that he enjoys writing, does a lot of work, works hard at school, likes the less modern things compared to teens stereotypical style. This is what makes him seem like an outcast when you are first introduced to him. The main character from the princess diaries is also on the board because she i known to be an outcast. She wants to conform to the 'normal' aspects of society but feels invisible.
I included small snippets of text in the collage as well. This quote reminded me a lot of the resposes that we got in the survey monkey as the free time activities seem to be ones which isolate an individual to their own devices. People tend to say that they go in their own world when they are listening to music, same as when reading books and watching films. Therefore this seemed relevant to our target audience. We also found that our audience prefered to have a female protagonist which can suggest that the 'she' is also relevant as we are most likely going to have a female protagonist as she will be more relatable.
This image of ashton from '5 seconds of summer' is on the collage as he conforms to the idea of a cute boyfriend that our target audience talk about. he doesn't look like a typical outcast/geek and doesn't look like a complete jock, therefore he would be perfect for the role of the male character in our opening.
The bird cage cartoon image in the corner is a great symbolisation of our protagonist in the story. From the research i did into the existing teenage romance dramas, i found that most the protagonist's can't express their true self and tend to hide away from the rest of society. So in this image the bird is the protagonist and the cage is revealing some parts of them to the audience but holding them beck from flying away to where they want to be. There are then just smaller images on the board such as the lipstick, the backpack and the glasses which connote all the same kind of thing - how they are a bit of an outcast but wish they were seen to be a bit more normal then they are perceived to be. There is also a picture of a park to represent the response about typical settings associated with a teen romance from the target audience interview and fom looking at some of the answers on survey monkey.
Interview As part of my target audience research i did an interview with my friend who is 16 and i asked her about the teen romance genre where she based her answers on what she has seen in other films. I started off with a life of the questions which i wanted to ask, they included: 1. What are your expectations of a teen romance film? 2. What do you not want to seen in a teen romance? 3. What is the most important element for you when it comes to teen romance and why? (such as characters, plot etc) 4. Would you prefer to see a male or female protagonist? 5. What are the main settings that you associate with a teen romance? I also found that when i was asking the questions i could add in smaller questions to get a more detailed response.
This interview has been useful as i have been able to make some conclusions from it so that i can make my groups opening suitable for the teen audience. These conclusions include the following: - Teenage girls are more likely to watch a romance genre film if there is an attractive male character as they can fantasize about being in the situation that the girl in the story is in. This means that they want a female character to be involved and expect there to be a happy ending - the happy ending is key. - A female protagonist is preferred because this way, as a viewer you can put yourself in their situation and make things more relatable. - they don't want to see the 'evil' character to get the girl because they don't like the idea of the cute, adorable nice guy being unhappy as it again, isn't a happy ending. however, they do like to see a twist in the story where you think that the evil character is going to get the girl but then doesn't in the end. This way the film is more interesting. - Characters are very important in the film, they need to be relatable - so the characters would have to be roughly the same age as the audience for a teen romance so that the audience can really place themselves in the characters position. - settings which they expect to see in a teen romance are school as people watching the film are also going to school but also the bedroom as teens tend to spend a lot of time in the bedroom and a bedroom tells you a lot about someone's personality so you can get to know the character better. - i then focused on the opening and found out that is is important that the opening is just a casual day in the life of that person as the opening is a way of personally connecting with the main character from the very beginning.
During the opening a black screen has been used where the credits roll and there is the sound of a typewriter which makes you wander what is being written and why. There is then a voiceover of Charlie (the main character), still with no image. This allows the audience to focus only on what is being said and to get an idea of what the character is talking about - usually letting the audience into their life as what is said is quite personal.
Introduction to characters
Charlie is first introduced though a reflection in the mirror, this is after the voice-over however as an audience you can now put a face to the story - this is when you know he is going to be important in the film. There is a fade from black to a blurred image of Charlie as it slowly gets focused and the fact that we first see him through the reflection can connote that he hides who he really is. Hence, he is the wallflower. We can also tell from the introduction that he is a troubled teen. This is because of what is being said in the non-diegetic voice-over 'please don't try to figure out who i am' which shows how he is rejecting people from finding out who he really is.
Setting up plot
There is a very long introduction to the opening where it is continuous footage of the view from a car travelling through tunnels and cities. Straight away this tells you that the film is going to have an adventurous side to it as the journey can symbolise the journey in someone's life that is about to happen and that this road that they are on is significant to this person. However, the main give-away to what the plot will be is the voice-over as Charlie is writing the letter. He says 'You'd know i wasn't the weird boy who spends all his time in the hospital' but also 'but tomorrow is my first day of high school'. Here we find out two things: he is known previously to be an outcast, he hasn't fit in and obviously gets picked on because he is different. We then find out that it is going to be based at the new school which he is going to - new school, new start and the audience will then want to know what is going to happen at this school.
Pace and rhythm
The entire opening has a slow pace to it. There are very few straight cuts which can connote that Charlie takes time to understand things (socially) as much as others would. The cuts are also well spread out from one another which can convey the idea of it being his life and the stages in his life which he is taking.
Mood and tone
The typewriter credits at the beginning automatically set a relaxed tone, as though someone was sitting in their free time writing something in silence - which can link to the age group it is aimed at as they could be doing college work (teens). It could also suggest something about the character, their love for writing for example which tell you something about them before you even see their face. Before the typewriter sound kicks in, there is a guitar based music in the background whilst the car is driving which gives the film a happy and positive tone straight away. This then fades out slowly into only Charlie's voice-over which sets a more serious mood to it, his voice also sounds like it's all on one tone which can make him seem like an upset/depressed teen.
Now Is Good
Creation of enigma
The opening begins with a blurred image of Tessa as it is the reflection in a steamed up mirror. once she wipes away the steam to see her face a voice-over comes in where she begins to talk about moments which makes the audience question what will happen next. She even says 'Anything could happen next' at the end of the voice-over which informs you that something IS going to happen next but we are yet to find out what it is.
Introduction to characters
Tessa is introduced first with a close up shot of her wiping away the screen to reveal the focused image of her. This could connote that she is hiding who she really is and wants to let others know who she really is as a person. The fact that you can only hear the voice-over and some slight background music which has a magical, dreamy tone to it suggests that she is daydreaming - this is then backed up by her friend who is next introduced. She is introduced at a slight high angle which can suggest that she is less important than Tessa even though her body language implies differently. She is dressed all in black which can connote that she is a bad influence on Tessa and is the typical teen as she talks to Tessa about sex and boys.
Setting up plot
The plot is mainly set up by the thoughts of tessa being spoken through non-diegetic sound. She says: 'Moments. This is one. This right here, right now is definitely a moment. Anything could happen next'. From this we gain an understanding of her as a character as she seems to treasure things a lot from what she is saying. So therefore we know that memories will play a large role in her life. This is also supported by the conversation that her and her friend have. Her friend days directly to her 'come on then, number one on the list' which is implying that Tessa has made a list of things that she wants to do - number 1 being the most important. In other words we know she has a bucketlist and wants to do the things on the list for some reason. An arc to the mirror showing what she had put as number one on the mirror is then shown. She had written 'sex' which can back up why the film is aimed at a teen audience.
Pace and rhythm The introduction to the film is quite personal in order to get to know the characters a little more so therefore lots of close up shots are used of the characters at a slow pace between straight cuts so that we can familiarise ourselves with the characters. Shots such as mid shots are also used to show elements on mise en scene such as the outfits which they are wearing which also tell us something about them. The slow cuts can connote the whole idea of Tessa trying to delay the new experience as she doesn't feel comfortable doing it but she is influenced highly by her friend.
Mood and tone
The opening begins with a fade from black to a blurred image of Tessa which creates a dreamy tone and foreshadows Tessa daydreaming and explains the reason why she is zoned out (explained in the voice-over). There is also non-diegetic music at the end of the opening to reveal the word on the mirror - this then fades onto the next scene more fluently. The music which is introduced in the next scene has quite a dangerous mood to the scene.
Twilight
Creation of enigmaThe opening begins unusually which can leave the audience confused as to what's going on. Mainly because the action being shown doesn't match the voice of the character. There is a voice-over of Bella talking in a monotone voice which emphasises the whole idea of her being a depressed teen (who needs the love of her life to come and solve her troubles - stereotypical plot).
Introduction To characters At the beginning the voiceover of Bella mentions elements such as death whilst there is a deer on the screen which can tell us that she is quite an emotional character, she also sounds quite upset from the voiceover due to the monotone to her voice. There is a zoom up to bella until the camera is at a close up shot of her which allows the audience to put a face to the voice and familiarise themselves with the first character shown - evident to be the most important. Shortly after there is a quick view of her mom and her moms boyfriend which matches what is being said on the voiceover and the two shot connotes the close relationship which they have. This also exaggerates why it is such a big deal why she is moving out to live with her Dad.
Setting up plot We find out that there is a change in Bella's life coming us as the voice-over mentions how she is moving in with her Dad, away from her mom who she usually lives with. The story then begins as the music kicks in and we are introduced to her mother. The credits 'Twilight' comes last as it is the name of the film but it also bookmarks the new beginning of Bella's life living with her Dad, away from her Mom. not only this but the happy positive music can symbolise a fresh start. Pace and rhythm the beginning is very fast paced and action packed to grab the views attention from the very beginning and leave and enigma. It creates a mystery about the start and makes you wander what was chasing the deer and why. There are fast straight cuts and lots of tracking camera movements which builds the tension and makes the person chasing the deer unfocused and unidentifiable.
Mood and tone
The beginning of the clip is quite peaceful which then gets more action packed which can connote that once she moves in with her dad things are going to change from being normal and peaceful, to it being more adventurous and full of new experiences. The fact that the voice-over is spoken in a monotone can portray the whole idea that she is a troubled teen and finds things stressful easily. She doesn't like the change she is about to make.
A Cinderella Story
Creation of enigma
The opening begins with a blurred image of Tessa as it is the reflection in a steamed up mirror. once she wipes away the steam to see her face a voice-over comes in where she begins to talk about moments which makes the audience question what will happen next. She even says 'Anything could happen next' at the end of the voice-over which informs you that something IS going to happen next but we are yet to find out what it is.
Introduction to characters
Tessa is introduced first with a close up shot of her wiping away the screen to reveal the focused image of her. This could connote that she is hiding who she really is and wants to let others know who she really is as a person. The fact that you can only hear the voice-over and some slight background music which has a magical, dreamy tone to it suggests that she is daydreaming - this is then backed up by her friend who is next introduced. She is introduced at a slight high angle which can suggest that she is less important than Tessa even though her body language implies differently. She is dressed all in black which can connote that she is a bad influence on Tessa and is the typical teen as she talks to Tessa about sex and boys.
Setting up plot
The plot is mainly set up by the thoughts of tessa being spoken through non-diegetic sound. She says: 'Moments. This is one. This right here, right now is definitely a moment. Anything could happen next'. From this we gain an understanding of her as a character as she seems to treasure things a lot from what she is saying. So therefore we know that memories will play a large role in her life. This is also supported by the conversation that her and her friend have. Her friend days directly to her 'come on then, number one on the list' which is implying that Tessa has made a list of things that she wants to do - number 1 being the most important. In other words we know she has a bucketlist and wants to do the things on the list for some reason. An arc to the mirror showing what she had put as number one on the mirror is then shown. She had written 'sex' which can back up why the film is aimed at a teen audience.
Pace and rhythm The introduction to the film is quite personal in order to get to know the characters a little more so therefore lots of close up shots are used of the characters at a slow pace between straight cuts so that we can familiarise ourselves with the characters. Shots such as mid shots are also used to show elements on mise en scene such as the outfits which they are wearing which also tell us something about them. The slow cuts can connote the whole idea of Tessa trying to delay the new experience as she doesn't feel comfortable doing it but she is influenced highly by her friend.
Mood and tone
The opening begins with a fade from black to a blurred image of Tessa which creates a dreamy tone and foreshadows Tessa daydreaming and explains the reason why she is zoned out (explained in the voice-over). There is also non-diegetic music at the end of the opening to reveal the word on the mirror - this then fades onto the next scene more fluently. The music which is introduced in the next scene has quite a dangerous mood to the scene.
Friday 17th January 2014 As part as the audience research for the project, we created a rough questionnaire to get quantitative data. This was so that we could find out more about what people like/dislike when it comes to teen films so that we can adapt the results to allow our opening to have a positive effect on the viewers.
After we had done a rough copy in class, we used a website called survey monkey (www.surveymonkey.com) to make an online version of the questionnaire so that we could send it via email to our year group and get a bunch of responses from people our age. The link to the questionnaire is as followed: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/V9HMS9P.
As i had completed the mind map of all the elements i had found whilst doing research, i completed an A3 grid in class where i transferred the information and added more information that the other people in my group had found. This included more textual evidence of films that include the findings. We also did more research together about themes, narrative and iconography.
Wednesday 15th January 2014 Today i completed a mind map of the stock setting, the genre of the film, background information about that genre (teen romance), props and costume and typical characters. I also went further with my research and searched some of the main camera, editing and sound techniques used in some romance film openings so that i knew some of the stereotypical micro elements used in the genre.
When doing my research i found a word document via google search where it explained the basic plot of a teen romance. I thought that this would be useful when deciding what to include in the opening of my groups film opening.
Thursday 9th January 2014 Today we decided on the groups which we will be doing our coursework with. Once we had done this we worked on this chart where we considered the primary research we would have to think about before making decisions about our film opening. for example, the genres which people prefer but also what people don't like. To do this, we decided we would do things such as questionnaires, interviews and watch YouTube clips etc. (as shown on the chart). We also expanded on our graph and wrote about why we need to consider these things so that we can be sure as to why we are researching about something.
Age group interest charts
