PLANNING: CALL SHEET

 

A Single's Pitch Deck by Casey Drewett

CONSTRUCTION: PLANNING TO FILM

To gain a greater understanding of how we would set up lights, camera position/angles and prop positions we went to one of our locations which was the abandoned shed. Whilst we were there we took some establishing shots to show how we'd set up the lights and the cameras and props. 

After we took these photos of the shed we had to remove some debris such as branches, metal wires and the table to allow us to have more room to move around and create the sinister look we wanted the room to have. This is the room were our athlete Dan Clifton will be kidnapped and held hostage in by our serial killer. We set a chair in the centre of the room and placed a tripod with a camera on it facing the chair. This helped to give us an idea of how we wanted to shoot this scene. The use of two portable led floodlights allowed us to see how the lighting would help to create our sinister scene. The decision to place the camera in front of the chair was so that we can capture the raw emotion of fear and terror on our actors face as he talks directly to the camera. The use of low angle shots helped to show that he is tied to the chair. 

The second location we wanted to film at was in the woods. At this location we planned to film the running sequence of the athletes and where the detective finds all of the dead bodies. When looking at how to film the running sequence we decided to use crab shots, tracking shots and pan shots. 

CONSTRCTION: BBFC CERTIFCATE

 As our film/film opening is a British film we created a BBFC certificate which shows the age rating for our film. We went on the BBFC website and we looked at the requirements that make a film age rating 15. The list below shows these requirements.

Age rating 15

• Dangerous behaviour - Dangerous behaviour (for example, suicide, self-harming and asphyxiation) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Whether the depiction of easily accessible weapons is acceptable will depend on factors such as realism, context and setting.
• Discrimination - The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour, although there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language.
• Language - There may be strong language. Very strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification.
• Nudity - There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context. Sexual nudity may be permitted but strong detail is likely to be brief or presented in a comic context.
• Sex - Sexual activity may be portrayed, but usually without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour. Repeated very strong references, particularly those using pornographic language, are unlikely to be acceptable. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal are unacceptable.
• Sexual violence and sexual threat - There may be strong verbal references to sexual violence but any depiction of the stronger forms of sexual violence, including rape, must not be detailed or prolonged. A strong and sustained focus on sexual threat is unacceptable.
• Threat and horror - There may be strong threat and horror. A sustained focus on sadistic threat is unlikely to be acceptable.
• Violence - Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. 

From this list we created our own BBFC certificate which stated the age ratings and what subjects will be shown in our film (which is strong nudity, violence and language).

CONSTRUCTION: QR CODE

I decided that I would create a QR code to put on my film poster. This is because it would allow people to scan the QR code and be taken to our website and social media pages where they can find out more information about our film, as well as behind the scenes exclusives. 

How to make a QR code

Step 1: Select a QR code generator 

There are a number of QR code generators available on the internet. Some of the most popular include Kaywa,  QR Stuff , Visualead, GOQR.me. I will be using QR Creator. Things to look for when choosing a QR code generator are whether you can design a code that is unique to your brand, if you can analyse the performance or whether it is compatible with popular and common QR code readers e.g phones and iPads. 

Step 2: Design and linking it up

A number of these QR code generators allow you to create your QR code into a logo for your brand. You can change the colours of the QR code to reflect the theme of your website. I've selected  QR Creator  one of the QR generators mentioned above.  This shows how easy it is to create a QR code for our product and company. 

1. Select the type of content you want your consumer to be sent to when they scan your QR code. For example for a URL you'd do this 

2. Insert the content (URL for this) 

3. View the preview and customise as you choose

With this QR generator I could change the size of my code and the colour scheme of it. 

Step 3: Test the QR code 

You should remember to check if the QR code you have just created will work. You can do this on most phones by opening the camera and scanning the QR code. If the code is correct it will come up saying 'open in browser', by clicking on it  you will be taken to the website or the social media pages which are in the QR code. 

Step 4: Track and analyse performance

This will allow you to see how consumers are interacting with your brand. You want to be able to see how much traffic the QR code is pushing towards your website and social media pages. Monitoring this can help increase the amount of people that will see your production which could make them want to go and see it when it is released. 

QR Code Best Practises: Some Important Do's and Don'ts

After creating your QR code it is now time to talk about some practices which will allow for your QR code to be actually used. 

QR Code Do's 

1) Put QR codes where it is easy to scan and so that consumers have enough time to properly scan the code so that they can access your content. Whilst it is sometimes interesting to see QR codes on TV adverts or on billboards they are not very user friendly locations. You will need to place your QR codes where consumers have enough time to scan the code and where there is enough Wi-Fi and phone service that will allow them to easily access your content. 

2) Do optimise mobile performance. This is because most people will be scanning the code with their phones so where you are sending them should be best suited for mobile phone usage. Which will give them the best possible experience. 

3) Do offer a call-to-action (CTA). This will tell people what they are supposed to do when they open they scan the code. Some people will not know what exactly a QR code does and some will not know want to scan unless they think that there is a good reason to scan. 

QR Code Don'ts

1) Make sure that your code does not require a special scanner. The QR code should be app-agnostic so everyone can scan your QR code without any issues. A lower entry barrier allows for success for both you and the user to occur. 

2) Don't use QR codes just because you can. It is often common for companies to include QR codes as they feel that they can get more online traffic and more attention to their brand. However, sometimes this is not the case as some of the content that companies try and use a QR code for can provide the user with a negative experience. QR codes should be used and designed so that they fit mobile platforms. 

CONSTRUCTION: SMASH CUT

Beech town High Disco by Ross Morrison

PLANNING: MY PROMO PACK

Made with Visme Infographic Maker

PLANNING: MY TARGET AUDIENCE

 I needed to understand how I could plan my film to appeal to my identified target audience. I researched gender, age, social classes and ethnicities of people who watch horror/thriller films, particularly those who watch slasher horror. I also needed to research audience theory to gain a better understanding as to the types of audience that there are. I found Blumer and Katz theory whilst I was conducting my research. Blumer and Katz stated that audiences use media to gratify their needs (uses and gratifications model). This model allowed me to understand how we should target our films marketing campaign towards the particular type of audience we want to attract. Our target audience is likely to enjoy TV long form drama like London Kills and thriller films like Happy Death Day which offer escapism, diversion and entertainment. Our films narrative involves the classic ingredients of a thriller such as kidnapping by a serial killer, murder mysteries and a determined detective.  Another audience need which will be gratified by our film trailer is audiences need for surveillance: police procedurals offer fascinating insight into the detection process as well as sometimes the chance to see inside the criminal mind.  Finally, our film offers in the character of detective Wright a character for whom our target audience will feel keen sympathy and interest because of his personal tragedy and the admirably determined way in which he pursues justice. 

David Bradford (London Kills) pictured next to Detective Wright

An active audience also means that the audience interacts with media texts to create meaning. The Encoding-decoding model was created by Stuart Hall, who says that producers construct text which will be interpreted by the viewers. He says the process of decoding is where the audience reads, interprets and understands the text. Active audiences are critical thinkers who pay full attention to media text and create their own opinions. Audiences in our film may well decode the character of detective Wright in the way that we intended: He is a stereotype or visual shortcut with his suit, calm face and intelligent expressions of a stereotypical lead detective. For Hall, stereotypes build audience empathy quickly and signpost audiences through the narrative. Our detective hero is seen to be adept at noticing significant tell-tale details and is driven by both professional determination and private grief.

I have also found out the importance of media demographics and psychographics in audience analysis. Film companies use demographics to identify their target audience. They section the adult population into six groups which are mainly based on income and status. The letter code system helped me understand what characters in my film would fall into what category. The detective in my film would be in group C1/C2 working class. In our opinion, this makes him very relatable to the target audience and it mirrors the kind of casting found in police procedures for example Line of Duty. 

With the use of psychographics, film companies can identify their target audiences by looking at the personality and behavioural traits of the members. Psychographics make assessments about a persons viewing and spending habits and labels them. This made it easier for me to work out how to make my film more appealing  to my identified target audience. 

After researching a number of different distribution techniques I focused on ones that had been successful in reaching their target audience. Distributors study the current trends in media and look at how different brands create their own audience profiles. A large amount of brands use social media, websites and adverts to reach their target audience. When distributing my film I will create Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages as-well as a website. 

I profiled my audience and asked "Why they liked this genre? why would they want to watch my film? What makes my film different to others of this genre? How will my film appeal to the needs of my target audience?" I asked these in my audience questionnaire. 

PLANNING: STEREOTYPES AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Stereotypes and Social Groups

Stuart Hall, when stereotypes appear in the media such as in films like ours, they reinforce stereotypes. Audiences may decode the messages embedded in the stereotypes differently; however, genre conventions tend to repeat and reinforce specific stereotypes. 

Stereotypes are used by filmmakers like ourselves for various reasons. They can provide visual shortcuts, for example, through clothing codes, that help our audience to understand our characters. In our film, the character of Dan Clifton, the runner dresses in as a typical young athlete in trainers and shorts portraying an image that most people would be able to relate to. Stereotypes also help our audience to build character reliability: for instance, the character of Dan's girlfriend is strong and independent, which could be seen as an anti stereotype and should appeal to our target audience of young women, as will the athletic likeable character of Dan. Genre stereotypes also signpost audiences by the use of certain stock characters and the predictability of certain narratives. An example of where stereotypes will occur in our film is through the detective. The detective follows the stereotype of being intelligent, stubborn, determined and experienced. Another example of a stereotype in our film is the serial killer. We have made the serial killer fit the stereotype of a mentally unstable psychopath.  

Social Issues:

There are many social issues that are present in the 21st century.  The mind map below highlights some of them. After discussion we thought it would be best to focus on one aspect of the social issues highlighted and we decided to concentrate on the area that relates to mental health as this is a very large social issue especially at the moment. 

In our film the serial killer has faced many social issues in his past and therefore the state of his mental health is the focus of his character. His mental issues have been brought on by feelings of inadequacy. As his sporting records have been taken from him and his girlfriend has chosen to be with the current record holder he is filled with anger and hatred and wants vengeance on Dan who he sees as the root of his unhappiness. 

I created Pinterests that show different interpretations of social issues and stereotypes and social groups which we will include in our film. 

PLANNING: STORYBOARD

Following numerous discussions about our trailer we came up with an idea. This idea is shown in the storyboard below.  

 

PLANNING: CASTING

Character casting from RossMorrison21

PLANNING: TREATMENT

 

What is A by Ross Morrison

PLANNING: PROPS

 Many of the props we intend to use are stereotypical horror/thriller props e.g scary mask, axe, ropes and chair. These props will help to convey that our film is of the horror/thriller genre.

PLANNING: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

PLANNING: RISK ASSESSMENT

Below is a risk assessment that we have carried out for the locations that we will be using as part of our trailer shoot. These locations have been picked because we have access to them and we can use them to convey our genre of horror/thriller

 

PLANNING: CALL SHEET

PLANNING: INITAL DEVELOPMENT

Planning is an essential part of making a good trailer. Me and my partner brainstormed a number of ideas which we wrote down into a mind map. This gave us a clear idea of locations, props, characters, genre and plot for out film trailer. The film is set in the present date and we will present this through the mise -en-scene. A way in which we will show this is through the use of modern technology which will feature throughout our production. 

 

PLANNING: INSPIRATIONAL FILMS/GENRES

 Films and Television programme that influenced our film idea: 

- My Friend Dahmer:  Film about American serial killer Jeffery Dahmer this film was released in 2017.

- The Snowman: Film about Detective Harry Hole, as he investigates the death of a young women during the first snowfall of winter. His investigation leads to his job catching up to him after he discovers "The Snowman Killer". This film was released in 2017.

-Zodiac: This film is about the zodiac killer it was first released in 2007.

-Prodigal Son: TV show about an unemployed profiler who is the son of a notorious serial killer called 'The Surgeon'. As he tries to catch other serial killers and criminals in New York. This TV show was released in 2020.

-Mindhunter: TV show about FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench who attempt to understand and catch serial killers by understanding their damaged and twisted psyches. This show was released in 2017. 

PLANNING: BACKGROUND RESEARCH

PLANNING: LOCATION RECCE

The majority of the locations that will be featuring in my trailer are based in the same location. We felt that our school grounds had a number of good locations which can be used in our trailer as they are best suited for our storyline. The opening shot will be a tracking shot through the wood where the environment can build a sense of tension. before moving to the exterior of a house. 

 

PLANNING: HORROR CODES AND CONVENTIONS

After looking through codes and conventions of different films. I picked four horror films to look at their different codes and conventions and as to how I am going to include these different codes and conventions in my project. This Canva presentation shows the code and conventions I plan on using.

Horror Codes and Conventions by Ross Morrison

RESEARCH: HOW THE CAMPAIGN WORKS?

Task 1: Prints and Advertising 

Advertising: Mark Jones, Film Distribution and Publicity Consultant says that the largest spend of any P&A budget will be on advertising. Distributors can advertise through a number of 

• Posters
• Trailers
• Press advertising
• T.V. advertising
• Websites
• Outdoor
• Radio advertising
• Merchandise/Cross-promotion
• Online social media

The Poster 

Online Marketing: Chris Beselling, director of marketing at Pathe UK states that digital marketing needs to be at the forefront of their thinking. He says that social media platforms allow for millions of voices to be heard and that a film needs to work hard to maintain its deserved position in that space.

Task 3: Types of Trailers

Trailers are one of the key elements in drawing an audience in to watch a film. A trailer should interest and hook a viewer into making them want to see more. Trailers also give the audience a sense of the genre of the film, who is acting and directing the film and when the audience can expect the film to be released. 

I looked at different types of trailers for Mr Holmes, Teaser, Full, TV spot. I looked to see how each trailer was different and how it managed to show the selling point of the film. 

Type of Trailer example: Mr Holmes 

Teaser trailer: This type of trailer is under a minute long and is used to build curiosity about the film. This teaser trailer is from Mr Holmes and is told through the eyes of an ageing Sherlock Holmes. As he tries to solve a case that he has never been able to solve before and tries to correct the myths that surround him.

                                

Full trailer: This type of trailer is used to show more about the film such as cast members, a brief overview of the plot of the film as well as hooks that will make someone want to come and see the film. A full trailer shows more of the film without spoiling the film. The way that this full trailer is done is very clever as the voice that is over the trailer is that of the main character. He goes on to explain what is it he wants to solve which is a unique selling point for the film and this can hook audiences on the film.

TV spot: This type of trailer lasts 30seconds. The trailer will focus on a key hook which will grip the audience watching the short trailer. TV spot trailers give the audience a brief look at who is in the cast and who is the directors and producers  

                                

Task 4: Trailer Analysis

Task 5: Trailer Maker,

On the FDA website I decided that I would try and used the trailer making feature. Through using this feature I was able to find the key selling points from clips of the film 'Suffragettes'. I liked how i could change the clips around and make add a music to it. The trailer maker prevented me from putting transitions in which meant that it was very jumpy and not as smooth as I would have liked. 

DISTRIBUTION

Kezia Williams explained that, in a congested marketplace, a film distributors aim is too position a film in a way that it stood out for its target audience. Chris Bessling offered me a series of insights into how film distributors market a films USP(unique selling point) such as its star cast, provenance (such as its literal adaptation or biopic credentials), its wards and good reviews. It also said how to position the film as a unique cinema experience come the week of release. 

Matt Smith of the FDA tells us that spend on digital has increased enormously. For instance, trailers are now cut for portrait viewing on smart phones. Digital includes all social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc) that work as a synergetic whole in promoting a product. Matt Smith also refers to paid for marketing as a distinct form of free publicity. Social media can generate a viral market - free publicity. 

I choose to make my collage on the film IT Chapter 2. This was because the film was the sequel to IT which earned over $700million. The genre of IT is horror and this would attract a certain type of audience to the film even before other people would have watched the trailers, or read the films instagram, facebook, twitter and website pages.

IT is about a group of friends coming together to over come the evil force which terrifies the children of the town every 27years when a clown (Pennywise) emerges from the sewers. It was directed by Andrés Muschietti. IT was an adaptation of the famous Stephen King novel. This meant that the film was a literary adaptation of the novel. After the huge success of the first IT movie IT Chapter 2 had a large following before the film had reached screens. IT chapter 2 is set 27 years later than the first IT film the characters, who are all adults and have lead separate lives are forced to come together one last time to defeat the even stronger Pennywise. Although having a large following from the first movie It Chapter 2 did not do as well as expected only earning $70million. 

RESEARCH WHO IS A TARGET AUDIENCE?

Distributors have a number of factors to think about which lead to how and when the film is distributed. These factors include age, gender, lifestyle. Distributors have to compete for audiences time and for their disposable income 

RESEARCH: WHAT SETS A FILM APART?

After watching Kezia Williams and Chris Besselling on the FDA website it gave me an insight into the factors that need to be focused on so that the film can be set apart from the rest. I can use this information to help me make my film be different from the others. Kezia Williams stated that at any moment during the film campaign distributors will look for key themes, unique selling points and hooks. She also said that emotional and engaging aspects of the film can be used to grab the audiences attention.

Chris Besselling, marketing director for Pathe UK explains how he looks for hooks or key selling points as early as he can in the making of a film. He goes on to explain how a selling point of a non blockbuster would be different to that of a blockbuster. 

RESEARCH: THE ROLE OF THE DISTRIBUTOR

I used the FDA film site to research the roles of the distributor. The Chief Executive of the FDA, Mark Batey explains how a distributor has to consider who, what, when and how which are involved for marketing successful  films.

WHAT?
Mark Batey states that at the earliest moment a distributor needs to work out what this film is. He also says that the distributors should look at if there are any other films which have come out recently which are similar and look at how well they have done. other things that the distributor should look at are how well that the films that the actors involved have done, the director is another factor which the distributor needs to look at. They need to look at how well their previous films have done.

To show how different genres of films need different distribution methods. To show this I made a collage of a number of films that Working Title make:

  

WHO?
Mark Batey says that another role of the distributor is that they need to look at who their audience is. He states that the most frequent cinema goers are young adults and students. However more recently people aged 40-50 have started attending the cinema he finishes off by saying how the age range in one screening can range from 8-80.

The largest audience section is age 16-34 in 2018 91% went to the cinema making a total of 77Million visits. The FDA recorded that ages of audiences are increasing. Over half of TV aduience are aged 54 and over. Figures influence distributers so they would be intrested to know that 48% of 12-15 year olds said that YouTube is their favourite platform with Netflix having 19% of this age group saying its their favourite platform.

WHEN?
Another key role of a distributor is to determine when a film is going to be released. in the uk around 700 feature films are released from blockbusters to low budget documentaries. Mark Batey  says that picking a date to release your film is a very difficult decision.

There are factors that are out of the control of a distributor, for example weather or large sporting events like the FIFA World Cup can result in changes in box office takings. This is because the cinemas are competing with these factors. Another example of the weather being a factor is that during the third week of april when there was a warm weekend less people attended the cinema.

HOW?
Mark Batey suggests that another key decision for a distributor to make is how they are going to distribute the film. How much money that the company can spend on bringing the production to market and how many cinemas are actually interested in screening the film. He also mentions that distributors only get a percentage of the box office takings so distributors need to establish how much money it is going to cost to distribute the film and if they can maximise their percentage due to the cost and methods of distribution they use.

In 2018 the FDA estimated that UK's investment to distribution of 916 new titles will exceed £350Million. Most of this is pays for Uk advertising such as social, digital and physcial media outlets. There is a relatively low cut of money for distributors, from the box office takings,  the high costs of marketing and distribution reduct the amount of money earned by the distributors.