Some more questionnaire results

I previously stated my target audience for my short film consists of 16-25 year old and yet the only audience research I have conducted is from people aged 17-19. I need to ask the higher aged members to see what they think and ensure they belong in my target audience and I can appeal to them with my short film. Thus I have distributed a similar questionnaire to more people to ensure I cover all ages in my target audience. Most of the questions were answered with similar results.

The main question I need the feedback for to establish if my target audience needs changing is this:

What are your initial thoughts? Does this appeal to you?
People of a higher age were more split in their opinions. Comments ranged form really positive to incredibly negative. But as I stated in my earlier questionnaire post this is too sort out the people that are interested from those who aren't and maybe identify types of people and remove them from my target audience.

I had some really good comments :
"Yes, I love the twist at the end"
"Sounds like a cute story idea."
and
"It's a great idea debunking the ideal of living in an imaginary pie in the sky world portrayed in most movies and living in the present."

Equally some comments were less than encouraging:
"It really doesn't, it seems boring and I don't like the spoof idea."
"No."

Still, the majority of responses were positive. From this I can draw that, as more of my younger target audience were positive, the people with lower ages are more likely to enjoy my film. However, many of these responses were still positive, meaning that it does appeal to older people but those that like films of similar genres. I think this is a reasonable response and so will not be changing the age bracket. 

Initial film poster designs

 Now I have analysed some existing film posters I am aware of the conventions. I have been thinking about what I want my poster to be. I definitely want it to comply to the general conventions of film posters, for example having the billing block at the bottom, title the largest and so on.  As for the image/s I have by no means made up my mind but I have some thoughts. These are some sketches depicting my first ideas for my own film poster. 

Poster 1

The background to this poster (which I have not drawn, you'll understand when you see my drawing ability featured in the animatic) will be the coffee shop location out of focus. The foreground (drawn) will be in focus. The picture on the cup, the thought bubble with a heart in it, links to the premise of the main character imagining a romance. 

+ Conventions of film posters are filled, the billing block, actor names, tagline and release date are featured

+ It sets the scene for the film showing the location

- I don't know how it will look with the out of focus background. Even if it was in focus it may look too busy

- Not conventional of the rom-com genre 

Poster 2

This posters image is more conventional, it features the main character behind his book looking upwards at the title. The background will be plain white, as it is in so many romantic comedy film posters. The image (although it won't be) could almost be one featured in the film, giving a true representation.

+I like how it represents the story
+ Follows conventions of both genre and film posters
+Shows the main character to the audience

- Isn't it just complying to a cliché  I think I need to either stay away from the cliché or completely mock it.
- I don't think the text placement is right. It may end up cluttering the poster.
- The thought bubble might be hard to distinguish from the white background without making it look cartoon-like

Poster 3 

This poster is a bit like that of the film Rubber I analysed in an earlier post. It's minimal style is something I really like. The text surrounding the logo in the middle was inspired by the Starbucks logo of the mermaid in a circle surrounded by the corporation name. Again I would use a white background for this poster to keep it simple and pleasing to look at.

+ I think the logo is clever and will look really good
+ Really simplistic, I feel this reflects the short film genre

- Could look boring and rather bare
-Not much room for text such as reviews. A it is now It unbalances the poster but I don't want anything else on the cup.



Where to go from here?
I need to ask my target audience which one they prefer. I could also take some photo's and mock up some rough posters to see how practical each idea is and if I would be able to make each one how I plan for it to look.

Story Boarding - Shots 21-77

This is the bulk of my film, these shots are the daydream sequence. It consists of 6 separate scenes all fabricated in the main characters imagination. I chose these scenarios based on rom-com research and audience feed back. They are:

                                                                                                              Scenario 1

• The two characters run towards each other in a field in slow motion. Arms outstretched ready to embrace each other. As they draw closer the male character trips and falls flat on his face in front of her. 
• Why? This is a classic convention of the romantic comedy genre; two characters running towards each other, usually is a corn field, and when they meet in the middle they hug and the man spins the woman around. Instead I have changed the ending to parody the situation.  

                                Scenario 2

• The camera tracks from left to right. They are sitting together on a sofa watching a horror film. He is hiding behind a cushion scared whilst she sits beside him unfazed by the film. 
• Why? This was rated quite well in my audience research as how highly it would likely to be seen. It's playing on the convention that women are scared of horror films; men often comfort the female when watching films. So this is a simple case of role reversal. 

                           Scenario 3

• The two characters are in a park, hand in hand they spin around. Point of view shots will be used to show each characters face as seen from the others perspective. I will film them by getting the actors to hold the camera as they spin, this way the head will stay steady in the shot but the background will spin. The woman look concerned and proceed to vomit in the others face.

• Why? The whole spinning scene has been associated with the genre for ages. The first time I thought of this film premise this is something I wanted to include. I hadn't however thought about how to end this scene. It was suggested to me the someone could vomit on the other. I think this is a perfect twist on the scenario, I asked my actors if they would mind performing this before I was set on the idea but they are happy to do it (or so they say). 

                          Scenario 4

• The next scene is of a dinner date. She is waiting at home, the table set with candles and napkins: a posh, romantic set up. The main character comes into the house with a bucket of chicken and places it on the table. He tucks his napkin into his collar and takes a carefully selected piece of chicken from the bucket and onto his plate using the cutlery. Meanwhile she eats the chicken in a medieval fashion, ripping the meat from the bone with her teeth. The bones pile up on her plate and she drinks the gravy. The guy sheepishly looks up from his plate at her. 
• Why? I wanted to do a dinner date scene and it rated well in my audience feedback. I thought about the classic Lady and the Tramp scene and though about how to change it.This is the scenario I ended up with. I like the role reversal again: you would expect this behaviour from him (if at all) rather than her). 

                                   Scenario 5

• Set at a train station, each character is on an opposite platform. The male has lots of signs, he reveals them one at a time. They say (separated by commas showing sign changes): "Hello, I have a question, Would you, make me, the happiest man alive, (at this point she expects a proposal) Will you..., lend me £6?, I need it for a taxi, and maybe a twix."
• Why? This is a parody of a scene from Love Actually (2003, Richard Curtis). Instead of a cute confession of love as it is in the film he misleads her into thinking he is going to propose then asks her for this scene, it may be my favourite. 

Here is the scene form Love Actually (2003, Curtis) that I am parodying in the above scenario. 

                         Scenario 6

• This is a split screen shot, each of the two characters walks into their shot. They each look at their phone as it goes off. An extra walks past and picks up the partition between them revealing they are in the same location. 
• Why? This scene is like breaking the fourth wall, it directly addresses an editing convention of romantic comedies. Split screens are often used and initially I was going to feature one as part of another scene. However this is just using a convention rather than exploiting to create a parody situation. Hence, this scene was created. 

An example of the split screen technique in the romantic comedy film Pillow Talk (1959, Gordon)

I have very clear images of each of these scenes in my mind, I just hope I can convert these to images on the screen. Storyboarding them has definitely made me more confident, before I hadn't worked out exactly what each scene would comprise of but now it's down on paper I feel better about it all. I haven't yet decided on shot timings too much, I have a rough idea for each but this will become clearer when producing my animatic. 

What's next?

I need to finish my storyboard. All I have left to do is the scene when the main character returns from his daydream. Following this I need to produce a script. Although there is no diegetic dialogue within the scene I do need to think about what I wan't the voice over to consist of. Then I need to produce the animatic. 

Story boarding - Shots 10-20

My story board is well under way now. It's a very time consuming process but it's a vital part of creating a quality film. These shots are still, like the previous 9, set in the coffee shop location. They depict the male character looking round the cafe, at the woman and beginning to make assumptions about her leading on to the daydream.

They start with him bringing his book in front of his face and sneakily scanning the room from behind it. As this happens his inner monologue will appear as a non diegetic voice over, he will say something along the lines of "Just a quick scan of the room to see who's abo-hello. Who's that? I haven't seen her before." (although the script isn't written yet this is roughly what he will say).

Hiding behind his book he notices her hair (in a point of view shot) and comments that she is pretty, followed by her clothes and he comments she is stylish. He then see's her book, it's the same one he is reading, he takes this as a sign that they are meant to be together. The film cuts to a long shot of the female character, the guy comments how she is perfect for him. This prompts the daydream segment of the film.

He is behind his book...

... and hides when he thinks she is looking at him. 

The next part of my short film to storyboard is the daydream segment.

Story boarding - Shots 1-9

It's this time of year again. Let the story boarding begin. We started yesterday and so far I have done the opening segment where the main character walks in up until the start of the day dream. I just wanted to talk about shots 1 to 9 today due to the editing technique I plan to use with these shots.

Shot 1 is an establishing shot, the main character comes in and looks around before moving off to approach the counter. Now, between shots 2 to 9 I want to use a rapid cutting technique similar to that used in Hot Fuzz in one of the later scenes. I found a good example of this technique to better explain what I would like to create.

These fast paced shots in my sequence consist of:

• Shot 2: The main character stepping up to the counter
• Shot 3: A close up of his face as he is looking at the menu board. 
• Shot 4: A medium shot of the menu board. This is following the shot/reverse shot continuity technique.  
• Shot 5: Back to shot 3 but with him pointing at the board (signalling what he wants)
• Shot 6: An aerial shot of the counter. The drink and money are exchanged. 
• Shot 7: A medium long shot, the guy turns round and looks side to side for a seat.
• Shot 8: A point of view shot from his perspective looking for a seat.
• Shot 9: He sits at a eat and pulls out his book. 

Each of these shots will be short and quickly cut together, like the example video above. This enables me to show necessary action without it taking up the time. Over this shots there is no dialogue or soundtrack, only diegetic ambience sound from within the coffee shop . 

Audience Research - Focus Group

As well as my questionnaires I have conducted a focus group with five members of my target audience. Here is the recording, they were a bit giggly.

What did I ask them?
What book could the women be reading?
Answers I got

• Something classical/romantic - Atonement, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility - I like this idea but I'm not sure what a mans response would be to this. It fits with the genre but in terms of the narrative it doesn't quite make sense. 
• Something philosophical - This would make the woman intriguing yes but what is a philosophical book? It also needs to be recognised by the audience so a quite famous book would be needed. 
• Something the man would be interested in - A Batman comic - This is a really good idea, maybe not a batman comic as this seem childish and represents her as so (which I don't want). But, a book that appeals to the man would make him assume they would be a perfect match. 
• The same book that he is reading - This is even better than the last idea. This will help the audience understand where the main character is coming from when he is thinking about her. It suggests that they actually are similar and a perfect match. 
• Sherlock Holmes, The Hobbit, Lord Of The Rings - These are good ideas for the book, I think I will go with Lord Of The Rings as it is an absolute classic that the audience should definitely recognise.

I have chosen to go with Lord Of The Rings as it will appeal to the male character, I will also have him reading the same book for the reasons listed above. 

Does he need a motive for being in the coffee?
Answers I got

• It's part of his daily routine - This is a good reason for him being there. It is a believable and relatable situation. 
• He always see's her there and today has plucked up the courage to talk to her - As the other members of my focus group pointed out this makes the character appear as a bit of a stalker. But this still isn't an unreasonable concept. 

I like the idea that it is part of his routine but today something has disrupted this causing him to daydream. However it does make the main character come across as impulsive but on the other hand in the other scenario surely he would already of thought about asking her on a date, prompting this fantastic relationship. For this reason his visit will be part of his daily routine. 

Do you have any ideas of romantic situations I could feature?
Answers I got

• Running through corn fields into each others arms - This is a really good idea that I had completely overlooked. I would love to include it but the only problem (and it's quite a big one) is the time of year. All of the crops have already been harvested. 
• Lady and the Tramp-esqe spaghetti eating - I like this and will definitely use it in the dinner date scene I was already planning. 
• Running in the rain - This is also a good one, getting caught in the rain is often featured in romantic films and would be a perfect scenario. I would need to think of a twist though. Also if it doesn't rain when I have access to my actors I can't do it. 
• Watching a movie but him being really scared - I had already thought about this. Hearing it from my focus group is fantastic and makes me think I should definitely include it. 
• A falling leaf landing on their hands - Although romantic this would be incredibly hard to create. Leaves don't fall straight, the camera angles would be hard to perfect and the shots would be difficult to co-ordinate. For these reasons I will leave out this scenario. 
• Giving her flowers - A simple, sweet romantic gesture I will work it into another scenario to impact upon the parody aspect. 

I have been looking for more ideas and these are some really good concepts for scenes. I will include numbers 2, 4, 6 and hopefully 3. 

What should the second male character do when he reaches to woman?
Answers I got

• The other guy could have the same book as well - This was a really funny idea and fits the comedy I am trying to create. The other members of the focus group also found it funny which makes me think it would be a good thing to include (seeing as my target audience likes it). It could come across as too cheesy though, I haven't decided. 
• He could just go and sit with her - This was what I was thinking initially but I don't think it sends a clear enough message to the audience, they might be confused as to what has happened. 
• The waiter could bring her something that he bought for her - I'm note sure on this. Coffee shops don't tend to have waiters. The kind that dose have waiters isn't the kind of coffee shop these characters would go to. 

I will need to think more about this one, maybe I will ask some more people what they think. 

Today I watched: Love Actually

I need to watch some films similar in genre to my own to familiarise my self with the conventions. I don't particularly enjoy romantic comedies, I find them very repetitive, silly and just uninteresting. So generally as a rule I avoid them. This is why I have decided to do a parody of one for my project. It will also pose a challenge for me and broaden my knowledge of cinema I wouldn't usually know about.

The first film I have decided to watch is Love Actually (2003, Curtis)

The film opens at an airport arrivals gate, Hugh Grant is talking through a voice over telling of his characters views about  love. We see lots of couples and family members embracing each other as they meet again after a flight. Strangely there is a mention of 9/11. Fair enough it is relevant, he is saying how none of the messages sent (as far as he knows) from people within the towers were of hate, just love. But still, I think that's a bit heavy for what is meant to be the start of a comedic movie. But, in the name of media studies, I kept watching anyway. 

The first character we see who holds a place in the plot is played by Bill Nighy, he is recording a christmas song and 'dad dancing' as he does so. Straight after it cuts to christmassy shots: ice skating, a decorated high street etc. Following this the audience is introduced to Colin Firths character leaving his partner in bed to go to a wedding. The next scene is of Liam Neesons character.... A pattern is forming. Short, brief introductions to each character of the 'ten very different' stories featured in the film. This proves a real problem for me. I understand, as Hugh Grant told me at the start, that the idea is love is all around. But it just cheapens each story, it's like it's not really worth focussing on. This is in contrast to my film, I am focusing on just one story. This will allow me to develop the character in more depth and create a quality story. To be fair, this film, although having many similarities, is completely different to my idea and the way I want to do it. 

This film in all was not far off what I expected. There was:

• A wedding
• A last minute airport run 
• A twist
• A nervous, socially awkward englishman
• An affair
• Another affair
• Matchmaking
• Forbidden(ish) love
• Misunderstanding
• Unreasonable acts of romance (learning a language, knocking on every door in the longest street in the world)

A parody of this could well be featured in One Fine Coffee Break

Unfortunately all these things are frequently featured in romcoms but I can't use all of them. The premise of my idea is the perfect relationship. But I can still draw inspiration from the positive things listed above. I am particularly thinking of misunderstandings they are always funny. Also over the top romantic acts, they are cute and should be easy enough to make funny.

In relation to the narrative: there were ten loves stories. These were interlinked through character relationships and meetings/locations. As I said earlier I think this was too much and I didn't really like it. This allowed none of the characters to really stand out or make an impact on the audience. This means (for me anyway) I came away from this film with no lasting impression. Each narrative strand was chopped up and interlaced with strands from other narratives.

The target audience was probably very well catered for, it's obvious I am not a member of this target audience. The sheer abundance of characters means that there is almost definitely someone the audience can relate to, root for and sympathise with. This again is a contrasting point to my film. There is one main character who I need to make appeal to everyone. I need to think about how I will achieve this.

I found watching Love Actually really useful. I plan to continue my research by watching more films similar to this and blogging about what I think of them and how they may influence my short film.