My Film Proposal: Trailer Storyboard

Apologies, it appears page 4 was scanned twice, so there is a repeat of it. Again, if the pencil is too hard to see, I have the original in my media folder if required.

Selected Scenes for My Film's Trailer

1.  Animated Comic-Style exposition/opening
2.  The abduction of babies with powers, and Jared's mother's escape
3.  Jared using his powers for the first time
4.  Montage of action-y clips
5.  Establishing shots of the city and the slums
6.  Final fight scene between Jared and Argent
7.  The Title (with institutional information)

My Film Proposal: Storyboard (Document)

A document version of my storyboard, thus in much better quality, to make it easier to read the text.



Unfortunately, it appears that due to conversion errors, the document version is in fact worse than the scanned version.

My Film Proposal: Shot List

There are some differences between this and my storyboard, as I did not change all of the edits I made to the storyboard here.

My Film Proposal: Storyboard

Please forgive the lack of clarity on some pages, as the scan did not come out terribly well.  I do have the original with me in my media folder if required.
Liam Shadows Storyboard (Scan)

Film Marketing Research Task: Avatar

Avatar's marketing campaign consisted/consists of:

• A website -
• A teaser trailer - simply a montage of intriguing shots and scenes from the film to grab attention.
• A normal trailer - containing the normal codes and conventions of A-A trailers.
• An interactive trailer - interactivity is a very useful tool as it can often be fun or interesting to use.
• Several posters - Placed at/on buses, bus stops, cinemas, etc. according to size, shape, and content.

The most notable merchandise includes:

• Various books about the film, ranging from sticker books to 'The Science of Pandora'.  These cross-platform mediums can act as advertising, but most likely are generally aiming for extra revenue.
• Games, including chess, video games for several consoles, and a mobile game.  Again, same as before, in terms of advertising and bous revenue.
• DVD and Blu-ray copies of the film, as well as special and collector's editions.  These are useful for keeping the film in the minds of people after it has stopped being shown, so could be useful to prompt buying of more merchandise, or keep up popularity for sequels.
• Soundtracks, for people who enjoyed the music.  This is particularly useful for keeping the film in the minds of the public as music can be listened to at any time, and will remind the listener of the film.
• Action figure toys of many of the characters, most notably several variations of the main characters in different attire or with different accessories.  These were not kept in shops very long, indicating subpar popularity, but are still available to buy online.

I believe that the marketing stategy was reasonable, with good posters, trailers, and a website, as one would expect.  It was all of a very high quality, and was released and advertised effectively, however, there was nothing inherently special about the marketing strategy, and for such a celebrity of a film, I think a creative and unique marketing ploy would have been useful, and could have further impacted upon the film's success.

Moodboard to represent men and women in A-A films

I have learnt that in action and adventure films, both male and female gender stereotypes have been relied upon heavily in the past and were used to great effect.  However, as society becomes less sexist, a greater variety of roles have been played by both genders.  There has especially been a widening of the types of roles that women are able to play in action and adventure, such as the introduction of the 'action heroine'.  In my moodboard, I demonstrated awareness of the above by portraying women in traditionally male roles, and men in traditionally female roles, so as to show the diversity now embraced by the film industry.  I also placed contrasting images of characters next to each other to demonstrate the diversity of role that a single character can enjoy.

Edited [A-A Film Pitch: Shadows]

The PowerPoint version of this presentation 

Synopsis:

·         Equilibrium:  An order of superheroes called the Order rule the world, ‘protecting’ it from ‘evil’ in an overly zealous fashion.  They take all newborns that demonstrate super abilities, and brainwash them into servitude.  The result is a hyper-intolerant dictatorship run by superheroes where the smallest transgressions of the meticulously crafted laws results in a life sentence.  Thus, the world is cowed into saccharine goodness, save for the rough underground slums hidden from the eyes and minds of the Order by the powers of it's leader. 

·         Disruption:  Jared Black, the protagonist, lives rough in the hidden slums, thus escaping detection.  He therefore remains undiscovered as he develops superpowers allowing him to solidify and control darkness and shadow.  Jared decides to use them to fight the ‘good’ superheroes of the Order and joins forces with a secret force of rebels aiming to overthrow them.  The rebels mount an assault on the stronghold of the Order, and attempt to kill or disband them.  Jared faces off with his powers against the leader of the Order, known as Argent, and managing to rebuff his mind control, Jared wins, killing him.

·         Restoration:  With the Order overthrown, the world quickly descends into a state of anarchy, free from the Order, which is overthrown.  The anarchy eventually subsides, and new civilisations begin to form.

Influences:

Superhero comics and films in general.

Target Audience:

As a superhero/fantasy film, the target audience is 15-25 year old males.

Marketing Plan:

The film is aiming for a mainstream audience, so a wide release and advertising campaign is necessary.

•     Film

–        Release Date: Friday, January 20^th, 2012

–        Mainstream release: To be played in most cinemas

•     Posters

–        Bus Shelters: 20/10/11 (– 3 Months)

–        Buses: 20/12/11 (-1 Month)

–        Town Centres: 06/01/12 (-2 Weeks)

–        Cinemas: 06/01/12 (-2 Weeks)

–        Newspapers: 13/01/12 (-1 Week)

•     Trailer

–        Teaser released in cinemas: 20/09/11 (– 4 Months)

–        Official Trailer released in cinemas: 20/11/11 (-2 Month)

–        Teaser released on TV: 20/01/12 (Release)

•     Website

–        Put up: 20/10/11 (– 3 Months)

–        Advertises DVD and soundtrack when released

Ideal Staff/Casting:

·         Director(s): The Wachowskis (Formerly the Wachowski Brothers)

·         Producer(s): The Wachowskis (Formerly the Wachowski Brothers)

·         Jared Black: Johnny Depp

·         Argent: Hugo Weaving

A-A Film Pitch: Shadows - Powerpoint

Homework: Target Audience Profile

My film's primary target audience is 15-30 year old males, as they are the typical target audience for Action and Adventure.  As this is a film of the superhero sub-genre, which was originally derived from comic books, comic fans are a prominent secondary audience.

My Film's USP

Rogue superhero saves the world from an over-zealously lawful superhero-controlled dystopia.

A-A Film Pitch: Shadows

Synopsis:

·         Equilibrium:  An order of superheroes called the Order rule the world, ‘protecting’ it from ‘evil’ in an overly zealous fashion.  They take all newborns that demonstrate super abilities, and brainwash them into servitude.  The result is a hyper-intolerant dictatorship run by superheroes where the smallest transgressions of the meticulously crafted laws results in a life sentence.  Thus, the world is cowed into saccharine goodness, save for the rough underground slums hidden from the eyes and minds of the Order by the powers of it's leader. 

·         Disruption:  Jared Black, the protagonist, lives rough in the hidden slums, thus escaping detection.  He therefore remains undiscovered as he develops superpowers allowing him to solidify and control darkness and shadow.  Jared decides to use them to fight the ‘good’ superheroes of the Order and joins forces with a secret force of rebels aiming to overthrow them.  The rebels mount an assault on the stronghold of the Order, and attempt to kill or disband them.  Jared faces off with his powers against the leader of the Order, known as Argent, and managing to rebuff his mind control, Jared wins, killing him.

·         Restoration:  With the Order overthrown, the world quickly descends into a state of anarchy, free from the Order, which is overthrown.  The anarchy eventually subsides, and new civilisations begin to form.

Influences:
Superhero comics and films in general.

Target Audience:
As a superhero/fantasy film, the target audience is 15-25 year old males.

Marketing Plan:

The film is aiming for a mainstream audience, so a wide release and advertising campaign is necessary.

•     Film

–        Release Date: Friday, January 20^th, 2012

–        Mainstream release: To be played in most cinemas

•     Posters

–        Bus Shelters: 20/10/11 (– 3 Months)

–        Buses: 20/12/11 (-1 Month)

–        Town Centres: 06/01/12 (-2 Weeks)

–        Cinemas: 06/01/12 (-2 Weeks)

–        Newspapers: 13/01/12 (-1 Week)

•     Trailer

–        Teaser released in cinemas: 20/09/11 (– 4 Months)

–        Official Trailer released in cinemas: 20/11/11 (-2 Month)

–        Teaser released on TV: 20/01/12 (Release)

•     Website

–        Put up: 20/10/11 (– 3 Months)

–        Advertises DVD and soundtrack when released

Ideal Staff/Casting:

·         Director(s): The Wachowskis (Formerly the Wachowski Brothers)

·         Producer(s): The Wachowskis (Formerly the Wachowski Brothers)

·         Jared Black: Johnny Depp

·         Argent: Hugo Weaving

Avatar NICS Analysis

Narrative

• Equilibrium: Jake Sully, a paraplegic marine, takes the place of his dead scientist twin, going to Pandora, a tropical planet, to act as a diplomat for the Na’vi, the native species, and secretly a spy by means of artificial Na’vi bodies, Avatars.
• Disruption: Jake meets a Na’vi woman, and falls in love with her.  He is inducted into their tribe, and gains valuable information, and then betrays them to the human military in exchange for an operation to fix his legs.  He later has a change of heart, and helps to defend the natives against the human invasion, eventually repelling them.
• Restoration: Jake’s consciousness is permanently transferred to his Avatar, allowing him to live as a Na’vi for ever, while the hostile humans are exiled back to Earth.

Iconography

•          Avatar Bodies: Represent the duality of the humans and the Na’vi
•          Military uniform and technology are a constant reminder of humanity’s brutality
•          Na’vi ‘clothing’ designed to connote primitiveness
•          Bright, vibrant outdoor lighting and colour, especially greens and blues (Na’vi) – connotes purity, oneness with nature, goodness
•          Dark interiors (Human) – Connotes moral ambiguity, evil
•          Mise-en-scene contrasts highlight the moral alignment of the factions
•          Stunning scenery and locations highlighting Pandora’s purity

Characters

•          Hero – Jake Sully: Paraplegic marine shoehorned into the Avatar project
•          Villain – Colonel Miles Quaritch: Military leader on Pandora, racist and vicious, he will kill anything that gets in his way
•          Princess – Neytiri: Na’vi woman who Jake falls in love with
•              Donor – Dr. Grace Augustine: Leader of the Avatar project, she grudgingly teaches and mentors Jake
•          Helper – Norm Spellman: Fellow member of the Avatar project, he befriends Jake

Settings

• Pandora is a vibrant paradise planet, with enormous trees and floating mountains.  There is a great deal of lush jungle to emphasise the natural untouched beauty of the planet.  The Na’vi colony focused on in the film lives in a tree, showing their closeness to nature.
• Conversely, the majority of the human-inhabited areas are much closer to Earth-like conditions – trees have been cut down, metal buildings erected, and many mining facilities scar the beauty of the land.  The insides of the human bases are entirely metallic, often with low lighting, to emphasise the urban, synthetic, unnatural feel of the human society.

Homework: Genre and Narrative analysis

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Genre:

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a Sci-Fi Comedy, and is an adaptation of Douglas Adams’ book of the same name.

Characters:

Hero: Arthur Dent – A clueless middle-aged man drudging through life. He is portrayed as both ineffectual and cowardly on several occasions, and is possibly the epitome of mundanity, having worn a dressing gown and pyjamas for the entirety of the film.

Villain: Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz – As with all Vogons, “Not actually evil, but bad-tempered, bureaucratic, officious and callous” according to the Hitchhiker’s Guide. He is responsible for the destruction of planet Earth, thus killing every human on it at the time, and intends to kill Arthur and Ford. However, as he is just following orders, the Vogon dogma, it could be interpreted that it is not directly his fault.

The Helper: Zaphod Beeblebrox – President of the Galaxy, and an fool of epic proportions. He is vain, self-centred, and almost perpetually in a state of drunkenness (even if he is not drunk), especially after the detachment of his second head.

The Helper: Ford Prefect – An alien from the planet Betelgeuse, and Arthur’s best friend. He saves them both from the Earth’s destruction, by teleporting aboard a Vogon ship. He is Arthur’s main source of support through-out, as the other characters are often too self-absorbed or hostile to care.

The Helper: Marvin the Paranoid Android – A constantly depressed robot, he hates pretty much everything.

Princess: Trillian (Tricia McMillan) – She and Arthur met at a fancy dress party, but she grew bored of him and instead left with another man, later revealed to be Zaphod. She has since been following him, and appears to be in some sort of relationship with him. This creates tension between her and Arthur, who is still in love with her.

Villain: Humma Kavula – A rival of Zaphod’s, and his almost extreme opposite. While Zaphod is portrayed as stupid, charismatic, and overly gifted in the body parts department, Humma is very intelligent, not particularly charismatic, and has no eyes, nor legs. Humma seeks revenge on Zaphod for becoming President of the Galaxy, “proving that good looks and charm win over brilliance and the ability to govern.”

Villain: Phouchg and Loonquawl – The Magratheans responsible for overseeing the extraction of the Question to the Answer of Life, the Universe, and Everything. They attempt to do so by cutting out Arthur’s brain, in which it resides.

Narrative:

Equilibrium: Arthur Dent lives a mundane existence on Earth, completely unaware of most things around him, such as the fact that his best friend is an alien, his house is scheduled for demolition, and the planet Earth likewise.

Disruption: Thankfully, his alien best friend saves Arthur from suffering the same fate as the rest of planet Earth (demolition), by taking him with on a series of close shaves with death while trying to find the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. The answer turns out to be 42, but more importantly, the question whose answer is 42 is revealed to be inside Arthur’s mind. The Magratheans, Phouchg and Loonquawl, attempt to learn it by removing Arthur’s brain, but he manages to break free and kill them.

Restoration: A backup planet Earth is created, exactly as it was a second before the Vogons destroyed it, but Arthur remains in space with the others, and leave for Milliways, the restaurant at the end of the Universe.