Called JJ as memorable due to alliteration and has connotations of a teenager/young adult, which the main protagonist. JJ also connotes lower class and therefore stereotypically more association with drugs, of which is the cause of his jeopardy. However our character will be portrayed as middle class, as JJ is an abreviation for John-Jones, the character tries to hide his posh upbrinigng by shorteing his name.
For our new and improved idea, we've made the narrative much simpler and not over-encumbered for an opening sequence. We've recognized that it is just an opening and we don't need to tell an entire story. We've also planned ahead so we can think more about how what we include mise-en-scene etc could foreshadow things later in the story that we won't film. It will be a drama/thriller film.
Here's the idea:
Black screen with diegetic field sounds such as winds and leaves like a J-cut so the scene is set before the viewers see it, this reflects on the plot as mysterious as information is withheld and audiences are left guessing to fill in the enigmas. This also reflects on how the protagonist is still knocked out at this moment so the audience has a conscious sync with the main character building a little rapport so their emotions are more sympathized with. Furthermore, it reveals how the character also doesn't know certain things, so there is a lack of dramatic irony which again builds a connection to the viewers and character as they are both in the same situation.
Then again still with J-cut and lack of non-diegetic music a phone starts ringing. This is used to add a temporary enigma as an initial hook to the audience and engage them from the offset as it juxtaposes the fields sounds so the location is less well known. This confusion reflects onto the characters and again builds a connection between the two.
A long fade transitions to an establishing with a male (older teen) who's placed a the bottom right of the rule of thirds in the frame. It's a long fade to create the illusion of time passing and disorientation of the protagonist. We will follow the rule of thirds to keep our shots high level and effective. The protagonist will be male to appeal to our primary audience, 16-24 year old males, by making him an older teen it appeals to this audience as they find him relate-able and what he does is achievable and recognizable in their own life.
Again a long fade to a close up of his eye where the shot is held for a while showing his eye move and then open. Holding the shot creates tension as to what'll happen next, as his eye moving may even freak audiences. When his eyes open audiences learn a detail about the character, his brown eyes, not blue like a stereotypical protagonist, it makes him more ordinary and therefore more relate-able to the viewers which follows the convention of a drama film.
A normal cut to his phone reveals his mum is calling and he owns an iPhone. iPhone makes him more relate-able again, this is a key convention! Mum calling shows how he's in a position of danger as the connotation of a mum is protective and caring, and if she's calling him in a field, she likely doesn't know where he is which makes the teen a vulnerable character away from the protection of his mum.
Another long fade to the previous establishing shot and he is standing up, but stumbling and struggling to stand. Emphasizes his vulnerability and his position of weakness as he is clearly injured and in a position of struggle. Wide establishing shot makes him seem isolated and abandoned, he'll be placed in center frame to emphasize this effect.
Cut to a close-up of his face reveals a cut/bruise. Connotations he's been in a physical fight and ditched, helps the audience piece together story. Stereotypical teen fighting.
Back to establishing shot, hold shot as fades show him walking further into the distance.
Fades again show his disorientation and passing of time as he is clearly walking slowly, but a determined character as he pushes through the pain. Distancing himself from the camera rather then the camera following him shows how he is distant from reality, he's still damaged and confused and lost.
Characters
We will have two characters: 'Mum' and 'JJ'.
Mum is just a nameless voice actor. The fact she is never named throughout the entire movie and opening suggests the inequality of woman in a negative way (against it), as even though she is a mum and caring for her child in the best way she can, she is still portrayed as helpless as she doesn't end up helping JJ and objectified as is given no name. This is to challenge the social inequality as audiences feel that the way she is portrayed is very unfair.
JJ is his name to suggest his embarrassment of being middle class as it is shorten posh double-barrel name, therefore the stereotypical idea that his jeopardy was caused due to criminal activity (drugs) is made clearer to the audience as he's trying to cool and fit in with his age group.
Locations
We'll only shoot our sequence in one location: a field. Specifically this one.
Risk Assessment
The red area is a definite health hazard, there are warning signs placed up and the cliffs are crumbling, filming here leaves us at a risk to fall over the cliff and likely kill ourselves from the fall. Because of this, we will not film in that area.
There are also nearby roads, although not busy, can still have traffic moving along them, again because of the risk we will not film in these areas.
Timing / Schedule
Saturdays are unavailable some of our group are employed and work on this day. Therefore Sunday is the most likely day to film but weekdays are doable for Matt and I. We also need to film when the sky is cloudy/slightly cloudy with rain to add dramatic effect to the sequence, as the pathetic fallacy reflects the mood and state of JJ.
With a limited time we will have to begin filming soon. Fortunately, there is light rain Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, all days we can film so we should be able to gather enough footage.
Mini-Risk Assesment
Rain can cause more hazards such a slipping or damaging the camera (We will bring proper equipment so the technology isn't damaged ie umbrella). But more importantly, it will emphasize current dangers, roads will be slippy and effect the drivers' vision so the risk is greater and equalling with the cliffs as they are eroded more heavily and water soaked.
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Codes & Conventions - Drama/Thriller
Drama
-Verisimilitude
Verisimilitude is what drama movies want to achieved: realism. My opening follows this as the character is a realistic relatable teen who has no special powers or superhuman ability to help him overcome goals. Although the scenario is slightly less realistic it isn't outlandish and is believable so doesn't ruin this convention.
- Preferred Reading, Hall's theory
Similar to verisimilitude, preferred reading is a theory by Stuart Hall, formally called the 'Audience Reception Theory'. If the audience can relate to the characters they find the movie more enjoyable and this is common in the drama genre. In our movie making both characters stereotypical, we've achieved this. The mum is very caring and in distress, as her son hasn't returned, the teenagers watching can understand this situation.
- Emotionally moving
The distressed mum evokes pathos from the audience as her teary voice really emphasises her emotions.
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Thriller
- Relevant and contemporary
The movie is set in modern time with current problems and so is very relevant.
- Protagonist has a goal / agenda
JJ wants to find out who left him the note on the back of hi phone and who's beaten him up and left him there as he doesn't know.
- Lower age certificate to allow for larger audiences ie 15
According to the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) guidelines, this movie would likely be rated a 15. This is perfect for our target audience as the rating is low enough to allow 16-24's to watch it, and not too low (12) to put our audience off watching it for being too childish. Thriller films are rarely ever 18, so they can encompass a larger audience and be family films, something my film follows.
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Storyboard
Target Audience
Our primary target audience is 16-25 year old boys as they can appeal with the character and the males generally on the whole prefer action.
However woman of a smiliar age group are secondary as the emotional side and drama aspect would appeal to them.
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Roles
Hopefully, Matt's brother (16) will play the role of JJ, he looks around 16-17 which is the ideal age range for our protagonist as it is most relatable for our target audience.
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| Theo Bray |
My mum (45-60) will voice 'mum', this is to create an authentic motherly voice and the emotions behind the voice will likely be more powerfully portrayed.
We've chosen family members to cast as it means filming will be easier as there will be less time constraints and required transport.
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Analysing Similar Movies -
Gladiator
Gladiator is a Drama/Action film, the genre is incredibly similar to ours and so ideas and inspirations from the movie could be very relevant.
The plot definitely differs from ours but the themes and ideas established in the opening will be like ours and so this will be an ideal opening to analyse.
The Zulu shouts from the barbarians is because 'Zulu' is the director's, Ridley Scott, favourite movie. An interesting movie reference could add a sense of personalization to the movie, it also can intrigue audiences as they feel smarter if they understand the reference.
The editing and long held cuts at the very beginning would be a very good idea to incorporate into our piece. It allows the audience to really look at the protagonist and keep up/understand the situation. It also slows down the pace and sets the tone/mood for the movie: poignant and meaningful. We will do this with the long fades and held shots as it will reflect on the pain of the protagonist.
The mise-en-scene also has a very clear meaning. All soldiers are wearing roman armour, which instantly connotes the roman time period and war. Clear meaning would be a good idea, the costume of JJ will be vital, we will need to make it dirty and worn to connote his struggle and pain.
The atmospheric non-diegetic music creates a grand ambiance that something great will happen. Our sound will have to have an equally as effective meaning; we will have to connote the disorientation so sharp, harsh high-pitched sound will be perfect, lense flares accompanied could work really well.
The close up on the protagonist reveals the character and works well in context with the editing to make the main character incredibly clear. We should use close ups on our character to create an equal effect of importance and reveal him clearly to the audience.
The mise-en-scene also has a very clear meaning. All soldiers are wearing roman armour, which instantly connotes the roman time period and war. Clear meaning would be a good idea, the costume of JJ will be vital, we will need to make it dirty and worn to connote his struggle and pain.
The atmospheric non-diegetic music creates a grand ambiance that something great will happen. Our sound will have to have an equally as effective meaning; we will have to connote the disorientation so sharp, harsh high-pitched sound will be perfect, lense flares accompanied could work really well.
The close up on the protagonist reveals the character and works well in context with the editing to make the main character incredibly clear. We should use close ups on our character to create an equal effect of importance and reveal him clearly to the audience.
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The Perfect Storm
Perfect Storm is drama/thriller, I specifically chose to analyse this film as it was edited by Richard Francis-Bruce, a renown Australian editor who edited greats such as 'Se7en', 'The Shawshank Redemption' and Harry Potter. Being editor for the sequence I hope to gain inspiration from his techniques.
Again although the plot isn't similar, the editing will be interesting to analyse and will be good for inspiration.
These use of dissolves rather than fades could be a very good substitute for the fades, as it more obviously connotes confusion and still connotes passing in time.
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Big Fish
Big fish is comedy-drama / fantasy. What is most effective about this film however is how it manipulates the audiences emotions throughout, sadness, happiness laughs this film has it all. In our movie a strong sense of dread and sadness is needed at the beginning so by analysing this I hope to see how Tim Burton evokes these emotions from the audience.
IMDb Synopsis
If the film continued we would likely use flashbacks as he uncovers the truth of what happened. It also portrays a parental relationship which we will do in our film.
The narrator is very intriguing, it hooks the audience to the movie, much like the technique of a book. We may include a narrator into our piece, with the voice of JJ. However, that depends whether the event was in the past, which allows use to then cutaway to the present and extend our piece if it's not 2 minutes.
The single tracking shot will not work with our idea, however, the idea to reduce the number of camera angles as much as possible may be a highly effective idea, yet it will not exemplify to the examiner our knowledge and ability to do different types of shots. It does however, seem to be very common in opening sequences for there to be a small number of angles, and so as long as we include some shots to increase our grade, we could still pull it off.
The 'only-essential' mise-en-scene really helps the audience only focus on the important details like in this case the narrator and fish metaphor. In our film, it will be used so the audience focus on the protagonist and mum's voice.
The invisible cut when the fish blocks the camera could be used in our film if we decide to include a narrator and make it past tense. When cutting to the modern day moving past a tree could allow us to use an invisible cut.
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This is a very strong piece, the mise-en-scene is outstanding and the cinematography is great. The only let down is the order of the titles, the use of starring and the order is very unprofessional. They jump straight to their own credits rather than directing and the use of starring is off-putting, this shows how we should really take care with our titles and make sure they're in the right order (which we've already researched).
Not only is the mise-en-scene, camera, sound, and editing outstanding in this piece, the acting was also efficient. Having good actors is important to the piece as it makes it more professional. We should also see from both pieces that we should really take care with mise-en-scene, as it, along with sound, is what makes the piece professional.
Also from this research, I noticed drama films are less common in AS, therefore our piece has a greater chance of standing out and being unique, much like Moonlight below.
Analysing AS Movies -
This is a very strong piece, the mise-en-scene is outstanding and the cinematography is great. The only let down is the order of the titles, the use of starring and the order is very unprofessional. They jump straight to their own credits rather than directing and the use of starring is off-putting, this shows how we should really take care with our titles and make sure they're in the right order (which we've already researched).
Not only is the mise-en-scene, camera, sound, and editing outstanding in this piece, the acting was also efficient. Having good actors is important to the piece as it makes it more professional. We should also see from both pieces that we should really take care with mise-en-scene, as it, along with sound, is what makes the piece professional.
Also from this research, I noticed drama films are less common in AS, therefore our piece has a greater chance of standing out and being unique, much like Moonlight below.
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Marketing & Exhibition
Barry Jenkins
A24, Plan B Entertainment, Pastel Productions
A24
89th Academy Award, 2nd most nominations (8):
Best Director
Barry Jenkins
Best Picture
Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner
Best Supporting Actor/Actoress
Mahershala Ali/Naome Harris
Best Adapted Screenplay
Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney from In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blueby Tarell Alvin McCraney
Best Original Score
Nicholas Britell
Best Cinematography
James Laxton
Best Film Editing
Nat Sanders, Joi McMillon
Budget
$5,000,000
Gross
$17,800,000
Opening Weekend
$400,000
Festivals
Despite of the claims about how the drama audience is dying and distributors don't want to distribute drama films, with 28% of films released in the UK being drama, they only made up 7% of the Box Office, Jenkin's 'Moonlight' was a great success, even with it portraying a huge minority with LGBT black people, largely due to its effective marketing campaign.
A24 were the distributor of Moonlight, one of the campaign's most successful techniques was its choice of festivals.
Moonlight premiered at Telluride Film Festival, a festival renown for launching less known indie films bound for success including 'Slumdog Millionaire' and '12 Years a Slave'. Jenkin's also has a history with the festival beginning in 2002 as student filmmaker
Then the film featured at Toronto International and New York, again notable for Oscar hopefuls. The film earned solid reviews at all these festivals packed with journalists and media, all these reviews created hype for the film and created an early buzz for this unique film.
The trailer was absolutely outstanding. Max Covill said it “only teases at the larger plot and encourages audiences to learn more about the picture.”. Watch it above ^ it currently has 3.7mil views and is very critically acclaimed.
The poster was also very effective, simplistic image and colours shows the gravitas and severity of the movie, whereas the 3 separated images show his progression and hint at the idea of the plot. All this in one simple image is extremely difficult and well played off. Also, the poster looked nice on many platforms: poster, mobile, desktop...
Social Media
It wasn't there direct techniques that drove their most visible asset, but it was their sheer number of amazing reviews from renown critics that opened Moonlight to the public and gave it traction. Time Out’
Joshua Rothkopf wrote: “this film is the reason we go to the movies.” The Los Angeles Times’ Justin Chan said:
“it doesn’t say much; it says everything.”
A number of influential celebrities also gave their take on the movie, giving it great reviews that all their
followers could see and so be influenced by.
Our Movie
For our movie, I would imagine Studio Canal UK (previously Optimum Releasing) would distribute the film, as with other British films such as, 'This Is England' (2006 Drama) and 'Attack The Block' (2011 targetted towards teens) our movie will fit in with their usual distribution. Also their parent company Studio Canal based in France could expand our film to a french and international audience.
Film4 Productions could be a good producer as they don't follow mainstream and fund quite controversial movies such as '12 Years a Slave' and 'Trainspotting', both hugely successful despite their 'controversy'. And considering our movie is about teens helping in drug crime it can definatley be considered controversial. They also were the production company for Never Let Me Go, another drama/thriller with similar aged leads.
Moonlight premiered at Telluride Film Festival, a festival renown for launching less known indie films bound for success including 'Slumdog Millionaire' and '12 Years a Slave'. Jenkin's also has a history with the festival beginning in 2002 as student filmmaker
Then the film featured at Toronto International and New York, again notable for Oscar hopefuls. The film earned solid reviews at all these festivals packed with journalists and media, all these reviews created hype for the film and created an early buzz for this unique film.
"The best film at the Toronto International Film Festival this year is also the most delicate" - Stephanie Zacharek
Artwork and Trailers
The trailer was absolutely outstanding. Max Covill said it “only teases at the larger plot and encourages audiences to learn more about the picture.”. Watch it above ^ it currently has 3.7mil views and is very critically acclaimed.
The poster was also very effective, simplistic image and colours shows the gravitas and severity of the movie, whereas the 3 separated images show his progression and hint at the idea of the plot. All this in one simple image is extremely difficult and well played off. Also, the poster looked nice on many platforms: poster, mobile, desktop...
Social Media
It wasn't there direct techniques that drove their most visible asset, but it was their sheer number of amazing reviews from renown critics that opened Moonlight to the public and gave it traction. Time Out’
Joshua Rothkopf wrote: “this film is the reason we go to the movies.” The Los Angeles Times’ Justin Chan said:
“it doesn’t say much; it says everything.”
A number of influential celebrities also gave their take on the movie, giving it great reviews that all their
followers could see and so be influenced by.
Timing
perhaps most importantly was the timing of Moonlight's release, it can at a time where race and gender discussion became increasingly political, ie #blacklivesmatter. By representing an LGBT and black community in a minority really helped it stand out from other indie films and become so successful.
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For our movie, I would imagine Studio Canal UK (previously Optimum Releasing) would distribute the film, as with other British films such as, 'This Is England' (2006 Drama) and 'Attack The Block' (2011 targetted towards teens) our movie will fit in with their usual distribution. Also their parent company Studio Canal based in France could expand our film to a french and international audience.
Film4 Productions could be a good producer as they don't follow mainstream and fund quite controversial movies such as '12 Years a Slave' and 'Trainspotting', both hugely successful despite their 'controversy'. And considering our movie is about teens helping in drug crime it can definatley be considered controversial. They also were the production company for Never Let Me Go, another drama/thriller with similar aged leads.
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