Target Audience

Target Audience on Prezi

The target audience that our group is aiming at, are teenagers who are in college or have left in recent years; the exact age range being 16 to 19 year olds. We don't aim to please just one specific gender, as both males and females would be able to enjoy and relate to the film.
The audience for our film will be of the social grades BC1C2 on the JICNAR scale, as the humour involved would be entertaining for middle minded people yet parts of sophistication would be used that would also appeal to a more intelligent audience. Typically, our audience would be mainstream hedonists who set out to have a good time, on a first basis they will appear to be conformist who blend into the crowd, but once getting to know them you will discover how different they are and sometimes how individual they can be at times too.

Our audience will usually be confident about their actions and who they are as a person, they also like to enjoy everyday life as it comes. They enjoy going to the cinema, parties, going out for group meals but also find sitting in with a few good friends and indulging in a MacDonalds and chocolate just as much fun. They take pride in their appearance and tend to follow the latest trends whilst attempting to add their unique style to it at the same time. Most of the music they listen to is pop and their favourite artists would be Professor Green, Skepta, Nicki Minaj and Rihanna, mainstream music with a different take. Being mainstreamers, they tend to idolize very famous people; such as Cheryl Cole, Katy Perry and JLS. They will tend to shop in places like River Island, Republic, Topman and Primark, where they pick out glamorous outfits to wear for day and night occasions. The audience will also crave being in a relationship and tend to be in long relationships, making them enjoy watch romantic films.They enjoy films like the comical classic 'The Hangover' and all time favourites like the 'Harry Potter' sequels. Although their favourite type of film are 'rom-coms'. Their favourite rom-coms include '10 Things I Hate About you', 'Love Actually', 'Never Been Kissed', 'Adventureland' and 'Mean Girls'. They own many of these DVDs at home where they got from HMV, as they like to watch them after a soak in the bath or at a girly sleepover with their best friends. Although if a more Universal rom-com is on the screens they enjoy nothing more than a trip to the cinema with their boyfriend/girlfriend for the perfect date. Their favourite actors and actresses include Katherine Heigl, Jennifer Aniston and Hugh Grant. Also, if they have the time, they like to attend movie premieres for the latest romantic comedy.

Film Openings - Genre Specific Analysis

For this part of our research, we had to take on the responsibility of choosing two film openings that are relevant to our chosen genre to analyse, so that we can identify the key elements that made the introduction effective. 

 I chose to look at two films that had strong links to the first ideas that our group had, because we are basing our film around a High School rom-com, the first film I chose to analyse was the teen movie, 'Mean Girls'. 

Mean Girls is a stereotypical 'High School' rom-com that came to our screens in 2007. This is established by many key elements that make a film and genre work. It is easy to decipher that the film is aimed at teenagers because the setting is at a High School. Also, the introductory seconds into the sequence, the parents of Cady hold the most screen time, making Cady seem like a child. The elements that create a comedy are the references Cady makes to people who have been home schooled by showing two polar opposites that she labelled 'freaks' that she included herself in.

A most important element that I analysed was the title of 'Mean Girls' itself. It obviously reveals a lot about what the film is going to be like and what it is going to be about. Also, it reveals who the main target audience could be. Because of the first word being 'mean', reveals that possibly the film will be about girls who are not very nice, or because Cady is the main character maybe you will see her change from an innocent new girl into a meaner and more sinister character.

The art of the title also unveils much about the film itself. The boldness of the word 'Mean' draws our eyes immediately to it, making it stand out and appear bigger. The world 'girls' appears to be quite feminine and also a considerably amount smaller than the word 'Mean'. This connotes that being 'Mean' makes you stand out, tougher and a lot bigger than just 'girls', creating a binary opposition between 'mean' and 'girls'. 


Like all teenage rom-com's the main character is usually someone who is average looking, quite unpopular and a bit of an outcast from the rest of their school. In this film, the main character Cady is outcasted as she is from Africa and also had been home schooled up until that point, her costume which is a bland shirt which is baggy and unflattering also makes her stand out from the vain and beautiful people at the High School. This seems a familiar theme amongst teenage rom-com's. Also, within every teenage rom-com there are the dominant characters who are introduced to remind the main characters that they are lonely and don't fit in. However, in contrast the main character always ends up befriending similar people also seen as 'freaks' or 'outcasts'. Cady strikes up a brief conversation with two people in the opening sequence, and as they are introduced together and after the main character, it could be that they are going to be positioned to become close with her.

I identified brief relevance for the narrative theory of 'Levi Strauss' theory of Binary Opposition' during the opening sequence to Mean Girls, Cady is saying goodbye to her parents before entering the High School, at this point the three characters (including Cady) that we are introduced to are in a positive mood and feeling excited. However, when Cady enters the school and begins her first day pushes her into a small crisis where she realises that High School isn't how she expected it to be, as she feels shut out and alone this gives the binary opposition between the typical High School teenagers and people who aren't used to the culture. This is shown by the high angle over the shoulder shot to Cady after being shooed by the girl - this shows she is feeling belittled by the situation and also how she sits in the toilet cubicle to eat lunch, and although without connotation it is easy to see that she is isolated, because she is in a small space it seems as if that is how small she feels in comparison to the rest of the school. 

The cinematography that is used in the opening sequence creates a humorous atmosphere. A low angle, medium close up shot of the two parents makes it seem as if they are talking to a young child. Also because we are the ones looking up at the parents whilst they are 'instructing' us makes the audience feel childish and patronized. This is also enforced by the use of the brown 'lunch' bag that the male 'father' figure is holding, which is most likely something a parent would give to a younger child on their first day of primary school instead of a 16 year old. This makes the introduction quite comical because it is ironic that the parents are patronizing their 16 year old daughter for her first day of High School, but still acting as if she is going to a first school. This also sets up the scene that it is a teen movie, further more encourages the comedy side to the genre of the film as the humour used is sophisticated yet all of the audience can relate it back to their first day of High School.

In this teenage rom-com, there is a voice over from the main character. Perhaps this is because, as someone who has always been typecast as a loner, she feels the need to introduce herself as she is a 'nobody' compared to 'the popular people' who have someone else introduce them to the film. Cady's voice over gives exposition to where we are in place and time, and also gives background to the past as well. This tells the audience what they need to know, in this case to make relevance to the genre, it is vital that we know Cady has just moved to a completely new country and hasn't lived a typical teen life up until now, and because of the tone she uses in her voice and also by the quote "I had a great life, but then my Mom got offered a 10 year at North Western University. So it was Goodbye Africa and Hello High School" shows how she has negative feelings towards going to a High School, like the majority of leading characters in teenage rom-coms. The non-diegetic music used in the opening scene also plays a key part to making the genre work. The song that plays in the introductory seconds is a song that sounds like it is from an African culture as there is the use of more natural sounds, this song is played up until Cady crosses the road to get to the High School, where it abruptly stops. This connotes that High School is nothing like she is used to and indicates where the drama is about to begin in the film.

Another opening to a film that I choose to analyse is '10 Things I Hate About You'.

10 Things I Hate About You is a classical teenager High School romantic comedy. I chose to analyse this film as the opening scene jumps straight into the action and uncovers many stereotypes even within the first few seconds. An Establishing shot of the City reveals to the audience the season of the film as the weather is hot so it tells the audience that it is around spring - summer time. The romantic side to the genre is half way through the opening sequence where a poster advertising 'Prom' is seen, which is a huge convention in every country. The Prom poster is used as exposition in this film as it connotes that they are all coming to the end of the school year. However, a girl who was earlier introduced driving a car rips down the poster - connoting that she doesn't believe in dancing or fairytale romances for whatever reason, perhaps something to do with her earlier in the year antics. Because prom is a tradition which most girls want, says a lot about the character of Kat because she is refusing to conform to tradition, because Kat rips down the poster, it might suggest that Kat is likely to have a transformation within herself and therefore find love when she's not interested in it, rather than standing against convention because of the ironic sense that prom is supposed to be a teenagers girls favourite part of high school, compared with Kat who seems to despise it. Although, through further analysis, the disruption could be questioned, because of it's big studio and big stars cast, the audience may already suspect how the narrative of the film will resolve itself in many ways.

One of the main characters is introduced quickly in the credit sequence, and although not shown first  it is clear to see that she is a key character. 'Kat' breaks into the scene in her 'out of fashion' car and playing her loud and indie/rock music, creating 'Levi Strauss' theory of Binary Opposition' between the girls in the clean and new convertible made up with make up and expensive clothes compared to Kat listening to her diegetic loud music with her run down car, tomboyish clothing and fresh face. Because all of the other girls are staring at Kat also shows the audience that Kat doesn't fit in because she is too different to them.
Similar to the main character in Mean Girls, who also didn't wear figure flattering clothing makes Kat the 'out cast' character in the film. Which enforces the theme that the main character in teenage rom-coms are always scene as being out of place, but the audience are in the position to favour the out cast people. Following on from themes that are used within rom-coms, in the opening sequence as well as being introduced to the main characters, the credit sequence also allows the audience to see other stereotypes that are common in teenage films - such as the 'pretty' and 'popular' people.

The way lighting and sound represents Kat shows her to be a character who doesn't care about the world or about fitting in, and likes to think of herself as a 'individualist' who doesn't need to conform. The lighting that is used within the beginning enforces this, the lighting seems to create a shadow and darker sense around Kat, like the scene where she's driving the car. The girls in the other car appear to be bright and colourful as the light is shining upon them compared to Kat whom is sat in the shadows, which creates a binary opposition between both of the groups.

 The way sounds is used in the opening minute tells us a lot about Kat as a character. The girls in the convertible are listening to a diegetic upbeat and mainstream song playing on their radio, the same song that is played whilst the studios and directors are being introduced. When Kat comes into the scene, her diegetic and loud individualist music overpowers the group of girls. The song choice itself also reveals a lot about Kat and the person she is, the first lyrics "I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation" connote that this is how Kat is, revealing that she has a rebellish side to her.

Unlike Mean Girls, the art of the titles in this opening sequence also reveals a lot about the genre of the film. The titles are much like a teenage scribble used in a note pad or a doodle book. This says alot about the genre because it is connoting that it is a teen movie aimed at teenagers. It is clear that key elements in the opening sequence establishes 10 Things I Hate About You to be a typical High School rom-com. A final point that joins in the comedy part to the film, is the 'Teacher' Ms. Perky who hates her job and is far more interested in writing. This brings the ironic factor to the film as she is the teacher who hates the children.


From the analysis of the two teenage High School rom-coms, there are obvious themes amongst both than will be vital to making our genre effective when we are planning and filming the opening sequence. A lot of links to make the introduction work became clear and has influenced many ideas that our group is starting to have.

Genre Mood-board

For this part of our task, we created a 'genre' mood board to help us arrange key points for our opening. The mood-board allowed us to get a strong image of what the main character would be like, where and when the opening would be set in time, what other characters would be introduced within the opening sequence, making decisions about the costume and the type of genre which we would prefer to do. From the moodboard, it gave us a clearer image as to what props and the type of people that we could think about casting for specific roles vital to the opening sequence.

Genre Mood-board

First Ideas

For this part of our task, we had to decide on a rough plan for what our film introduction would be like. After a discussion amongst our group and contemplating which genre of film would be best to work with, we all favoured the hybrid of a 'Rom-com'. We decided that the age of our target audience would be teenagers who are in college or who have recently left - so preferably 16-19 year olds. We decided that this would be this best age range to work with as they would appreciate the humour more as they could relate back to their college experiences. We thought about what 'narratives' we could use in our 2 minute opening to our film, we found that we could use two of the three narratives, 'Levi Strauss' theory of Binary Opposition' as in the opening the audience will see a classic 'Nerd' being bullied by the 'Popular' people. We thought about the idea of 'Nerd' being our main character who is in love with one of the popular girls in his college, a typical high school rom-com. However the audience should be in a position to favour the 'Nerd' because we are seeing everything from his point of view. We could also set up some Enigma codes by making his life seem normal and then putting some action into it. We are going to make our film in the present time and it's just before the summer holidays.

The group I am working in is with Jess Wild and Sam Yapp.

Updates on time management

I am keeping on top of most of my work, although as I did no research or work on my blog over the weekend I have fallen slightly behind. However, if I finish my started blogs over my free periods today and work on it tonight, I will be on target to achieving the deadline.

From Concept to Screen: How does the credit sequence from Dexter work?

Where did the creative ideas come from?

Eric  talked over with the show's original creators to find out what kind of a character 'Dexter' was. They spoke about personal things about the character himself such as his likes and dislikes, so Eric could determine how to present the show. After seeing that the upside down letter forms in 'DEXTER' are very similar the right way up, lead Eric to find that big link between the word and the character, 'Dexter' - as like the word, he doesn't undergo a huge transformation when he turns into his inner serial killer. He found that Crime Scene photographs were made to have mundane and a sense of overwhelming importance that could be very important to this piece. Eric thought that by looking at something from the surface it could just be a normal object, such as a window. But after finding out that it is the window Martin Luther King was shot out of, the 'normal' window begins to have a troubling presence. Eric did his own creative research into this idea and so he made a creative team with a few designers to try and capture things as if you could feel their negative presence. Eric was keen to keep the 'distorted' image in mind, so did further research into changing something seemingly 'normal' into something a bit more sinister. After attempting to re-contextualizing usual and everyday things into something more horrific, the idea of a 'twisted' morning routine changed into something nearly identical to a crime scene investigation that Eric is also fond of. The image below won Eric Anderson the job as he has the ability to capture normal things and zoom in closer to reveal the horror that lies within them.

Eric Anderson: "Everything, no matter how mundane or beautiful, has an undercurrent of violence to it. It is just a matter of how closely you look. We are conditioned to see a blossoming flower as beautiful. But if you look closely, if you look differently you will see it more like an explosion. Here we see a mundane morning routine illustrated in extreme close-ups showing the underlying tension found in everyday situations making violence a part of everything."

How did they fit in with the concept of the character of Dexter?
His idea of making everything look seemingly normal at first glance but as you start to look closer it becomes apparent that under the surface everything is more twisted really appealed to Eric. The character of Dexter is supposed to be a normal man with a normal everyday job who seems to live a normal everyday lifestyle. However the closer you get to know Dexter, unveils that he isn't so 'normal'. Similar to the pictures, where at first glance appear beautiful, yet the further you zoom in reveals the sinisterness of everything about them. Because Dexter would work for a 'Crime Scene Investigation' unit, linking that idea in to a normal day routine would on the surface be usual but appear more abstract the further times you watched it. Eric had to link in 'Dexter's' usual morning routine and turn it into some a bit more horrific. They did this by making a list of things Dexter would do, and then choosing specific normal things that could be turned into an activity a lot more sinister; such as cooking an egg and the yolk leaking out linked back to how the blood spurts out of a dying victim yet still making it seem normal like Dexter is on the surface.

How did the actual sequence communicate this meaning about Dexter?

Because Dexter is the main character of the series, he needed to be seen as a normal person living a normal and everyday life; like how the majority are seen on the surface before getting to know them. The opening sequence was representing Dexter's morning routine, showing the viewing audience that he is shaving like a normal man and then going on to him making his breakfast, like a normal man. But because we see an everyday routine with a secretive sinisterness about it suggests that we are seeing it how Dexter is, giving him a private and a dark side. The use of sharp jump cuts between various parts of the scene reinforces the idea that the opening sequence is dramatic, and although doesn't reveal anything murderous about Dexter, it hints that he does have a hidden profile to him.


How did the use of noir lighting and shallow depth of field add to the atmosphere of the piece?
The use of the shallow depth of field in the opening sequence to Dexter was so that it captured the pure grittiness that the directors and editors wanted to achieve. It makes it seem as if we are looking at things from Dexter's point of view and that is why they seem distorted. The purpose of 'noir lighting' is to portray a darker side to things by the use of shadows and different types of lighting. In the first few introductory seconds to the opening, the noir lighting is used to intensify the darkness whilst still withholding a crisp and precise light. Hard lighting is used to draw attention to the mosquito on Dexter's arm whilst still capturing the shadows that fall over Dexter which make him appear even more mysterious and a bit daunting to the audience, which leads to an intimidating and gloomy atmosphere.

How did the choice of music anchor the meaning of Dexter, why was it chosen over the Xploding Plastix track?
The original track that was chosen for the opening - 'Xploding Plastix' seemed to make the opening too tedious. The music was dark and mysterious in itself which took away the power of the distorted introduction sequence that Eric Anderson spent so long trying to create. Also, it made it too obvious that Dexter was a character with another side. Although the editors were really fond of the track, they didn't think it was the one. However, after they did more research they found a song by Rolfe Kent. The music created a controversy to the sequence itself and created two polar opposites between the track and the film. However, the new track created a push pull with the sequence and made it remain horrific in a way but with a more humorous light.

Research: ANALYSIS OF THE OPENING OF JUNO

For a part of our research into developing our ideas for our 2 minute opening sequence to a film of our choice, it was essential that we analysed openings to a few films. This is my analysis of Juno.

1.    A key convention to making a title sequence work is to relate the titles to the film. The titles in the opening to Juno are quite childlike and similar to the comic book theme; still making links between the main character Juno and the film. The titles themselves are of a large size and are made to look three dimensional. The titles also link into the season that is first introduced in the opening sequence as they seem to be moving in the wind, like the leaves after they fell off a tree. In one part it appears that a title is placed on a fence, this connotes something about the character Juno that much like the title she is stuck between making a decision linking back to the saying “sitting on the fence”. Because the titles are so childlike and arty, it yet again enforces how Juno still has her inner child but is becoming more aware of it as the possibility of her bringing a child into the world becomes more like reality than a daydream. The titles reveal more of a framework of comprehension because the titles aren’t represented in a serious way, so it creates the premise that this film is going to be laid back and perhaps a bit comical.

        The costume that the character Juno wears in the opening credits appears to be quite unisex. Because she is wearing jeans, heavy trainers and a chequered shirt it makes the character of Juno seem like quite a tomboy. The clothes are all quite baggy and unflattering, and in some ways perhaps a bit different to that of a typical 16 year old girl. This could connote that Juno isn’t a shallow and vain person as she doesn’t feel the need to show off every inch of skin on her body which seems like she doesn’t want to be in the centre of attention for her appearance. Later on into the opening sequence you see her drinking from a ‘Sunny D’ bottle and also see her pick up some junk food from the shop, which makes Juno seem quite bland as she follows a typical and unhealthy teenage diet.

1.    The non-diegetic music that starts to play whilst the character ‘Juno’ begins walking, completely replaces any other noise that could be playing during the introduction, this itself could connote that she is in her ‘own world’ which could perhaps bring into question as to why she doesn’t want to live in reality. Barry Louis Polisar, who recorded the song featured in the opening credits, said that the song itself was supposed to relate to ‘Nursery rhymes’ and Children’s music, which again links back to the character of Juno who still feels like a child herself but maybe thinks that it is time to grow up. The lyrics ‘If I were a flower growing wild and free, All I'd want is you to be my sweet honeybee’ suggests that the film is about Juno growing out of the ‘immature’ and ‘naive’ image that is held against her, yet still wants to be able to feel secure with somebody, connoting that she also wants a romance.

       Within the first few seconds of the opening, Juno is filmed in ‘real’ time where all the houses and other parts of the mise-en-scene are what is seen in reality. However, as soon as Juno starts walking animations of her neighbourhood replaces the ‘reality’ effect which could portray Juno as a daydreamer and doesn’t want to be in her real life. This could show that the life Juno lives isn’t appealing to her and she’d much rather be elsewhere. Because it is animated, it also gives the effect that they are in a ‘comic’ book, which could show that at heart, Juno still feels like a young child and similar to how they like to doodle when daydreaming. A group of runners pass Juno, and unlike the main character, they are still being filmed in ‘real time’ although they are a blur to Juno, this tells us that Juno herself could be contemplating a big decision because she is only focused on her own actions and no others. The ‘Sunny D’ juice drink also turns into an animation, connotes that everything in Juno’s life is a bit of fun. Because she is half animated and half ‘normal’ it shows that Juno feels like she is stuck between two places and isn’t sure which way to go – to stay like a child or to grow up.

1.    However, mise-en-scene used in the introduction to ‘Juno’ plays the most significant part in portraying the main character. It helps to create the mood that is set in the film, but from Juno’s point of view. In the first few seconds into Juno you see her standing in the front garden surrounded in the stereotypical ‘American’ suburban neighbourhood. During the opening sequence you follow Juno as she walks through her neighbourhood, revealing many more buildings and shops indicating that she lives in a quiet neighbourhood, such as the ‘drug store’ and the local shop. All the houses surrounding hers are extremely similar with the white panelling and mail boxes out in the front garden. This connotes that the character of Juno herself is still a child growing up in her house. But because she is outside and on the front garden, it appears to be as if the house is representing her inner child and she is taking a look at herself and seeing how she needs to grow up. There is slight use of exposition as before she begins to walk down the path you see leaves falling off a tree which informs us that the time of year is around November. This plays a vital part to the film because it allows us to see how we are about to embark on a long journey with Juno and perhaps see how she is about to grow up. This tells us that the main story for Juno is following her on a journey she is going to take.

Research: KEY CONVENTIONS

 As a class we did some research on various types and genres of different film to find out what is included in the introductions. It became apparent that in each beginning of the films they show similar conventions.

All films introduced the main people who played a part in creating the films such as the production team, editors, costume, hair and make-up stylists and the crew who helped create the music - this was all shown in the credits sequence and is obviously the aim of it. As well as firstly introducing the crew more so on the technical side, the credits sequence often introduced the main characters and perhaps the bigger 'stars' who were playing roles within the films.

In some of the films such as 'In Search Of A Midnight Kiss' there was exposition in the first few seconds of the introduction which was shown in a 'quote' form. This plays sometimes a crucial part to the films and their narrative. For this film, because it is hybrid also known as a 'rom-com', the quote at the start which was "Between December 25th to January 1st, the number of people on Match.com, Craigslist and Myspace increases by 300%", gave the film a time and a place which happened to be just before New Years, this also tells the audience what they need to know by the writing - when it's set and that the film should be about romance. There is also use of a black and white picture montage of people kissing and the main character who is doing a voice over whilst the audience watch, enforces how alone single people are. There is a contrast in colour between the people in love, being black and white, to the single people who are in dull colours reveal the purpose of this, which is to show 'Binary Opposition' between people in relationships against people who are single and therefore alone. The introduction makes the audience favour couples in a relationship as they have the majority of the screen time. This opening gives quite a clear framework of comprehension; because the introduction is about him disliking being alone and single, it is quite predictable that the main character will try to find a relationship of his own. Just by the first few introductory minutes to this film, it unveils parts of the main plot.
In contrast, few of the films revealed different things within the opening title sequence. The film, 'Kick-Ass' for example. The credits sequence shows it is a big money film because the production is Universal, although the first few crediting titles are naming the cast and crew within the beginning seconds like the other films we researched. The voice over in the introduction to this film shows exposition and tells the audience exactly where they are and what time too. Exposition in this film also reveals the fact that the main character is a nerd who's life is consistently boring, this is shown by the elision of the months between the time where the main character's mother died and to where he is now. The beginning sequence's purpose is to introduce the main character - Dave, who is seemingly lacking female company. Through the research I believe that two of the three theories of narrative are used within the opening sequence to 'Kick-Ass', the first being Levi Strauss' Binary Opposition where there is a vast opposite between Nerds and 'Popular' people in the school, but in controversy to majority of teenage films the audience are positioned to favour nerds. Also, Barthes' Enigma Code is used where at first Dave's life is seemingly okay until his Mother dies and he then decides to change the consistently boring lifestyle he leads and perhaps doing this and finding love along the way, so this Enigma sets up the question for what is he going to do and how.                                                            
Barthes' Enigma Code is perhaps used in a better way in the film 'London to Brighton' where the introductory sequence immediately sets up many questions that the audience want answered. Although exposition is used at the start to let the audience know where they are and at what time, there is restricted narration as they have no idea as to what has happened or what is going to happen because of the reversed chronological order. So, the framework of comprehension is impossible after watching the opening sequence. Unlike the other films, 'London to Brighton' . Although there is a lack of naming the cast and crew also adds to the film being mysterious and a bit daunting.

Main Task

Film the titles and opening of a new fiction film, that lasts a maximum of two minutes.

Deadlines-
Research: 26/11/10
Photo-storyboard: 3/12/10
Filming: 07/01/11
Production: 28/01/11
Evaluation: 11/02/11