Audience focus group

We asked four people of different age groups and genders the five following questions:

• What is your favourite genre?
• What are the typical conventions of a romantic/ drama film?
• What are the typical settings of a romantic/ drama film?
• Why do you think most romantic films involve straight couples?
• Would you watch a film that didn't involve a straight couple?

We asked these questions to help get a better understanding of what we should/ could be including in our film and whether this would appeal to people.

Although everyone had different favourite genres that weren't the same as the genres we are focusing on, all of the others answers people gave were fairly similar.

We concluded that for the question of what are the typical conventions of our genre, people expected to see a couple in love, obstacles occurring that stop them from being together, a fight occurring between them, etc.  These are all things that we have taken into account and will be including in our film story line.  Additionally, people expected to see a romantic/ drama film set in big urban cities (such as New York) as well as home and work place settings. When we come to filming, we have decided to film some of our scenes in Oxford to give the feel of  an urban city setting as well as filming at scenes in a home setting to make the film feel relatable to our viewers. Also, most people believed that straight couples are stereotypically involved in romantic/ drama films as it causes less controversy and people may feel more comfortable when watching it. However, everyone said that they would watch a film involving a gay or lesbian couple. This is good for us to know as it shows that our film is appealing to people of different genders and ages.

Romantic/ drama film genre research

We created a survey to help us determine what people stereotypically expect/ want to see when they watch a film of the romantic/ drama hybrid genre. The link to the questions we asked them is here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6PJRWC8 or you can see the questions we asked them below:

After we created the survey, we then asked people from varied age ranges and genders to answer the questions. We did this to help us understand what different types of people prefer and want to watch. This will help us for when we come to create our film as we will be able to see what people generally look for and want to see from a romantic drama film but more specifically what people from our key audience want to see.

Here is the link to the results we gathered from our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-5XHB9Q7J/ However you can also see the results we have gathered below:

Firstly, we asked everyone who answered how old they are. We did this so that we can see which age groups our genre is more suited to and whether what different age groups stereotypically expect to see changes depending on their age. We then asked what their favourite genre is to see if our film would appeal to them. Although only 8% of the people said their favourite genre is romance, 28% said their prefered genre is drama. This is the highest percentage that we recieved, therefore making our results more accurate as the audience we have asked may be interested to watch our film. Similarly, 80% of the poeople we questioned said that their favourite genre is drama when asked a question on which genre out of romantic, drama and educational they prefered. We asked this as our film contains aspects of all three and we wanted to find out which genre to include more of in order to engage our audience.

When we asked the people we questioned what settings they would expect to see in romantic drama films, the answers were all fairly similar. Generally people gave answers such as, big cities (sometimes urban), restaurants, a work place, at home, in park with beautiful scenery, etc. From these results, we can conclude that we need to include locations that are fairly normal so that our film is relatable to everyone. As well as including settings that are aesthetically pleasing and beautiful to look at to ensure we include a romantic feel to our film. We then asked what were the typical conventions you would expect to see in a typical romantic drama. The main answer we received was that usually, two people meet and fall in love and that everything is going good until a secret is discovered which results in a big fall out/ misunderstanding, however they then make up at the end of the film. This was helpful for us to hear as our story line follows this convention, therefore we know that when people watch our film, they won't be disappointed with the story line as it is what they expect to see.

Generally, when asked what age group people believed our film to be aimed at they mostly said around 20+. They also thought that it would conventionally be aimed at people of all ethnicities, mostly people of a middle- high class and predominantley based towards females. From theses results, we can see that the key audiences we had already expected our film to be based towards are agreed by people we have randomly questioned and therefore we will keep these groups as our key audiences.

However, when asked what kind of relationship people would like to see what when watching a film, 86% of the people answering it said straight. We asked this question as we have planned for our film to be based on a gay relationship and wanted to know if this would appeal to our audience. Although, most people said they would prefer to watch a film based on a hetrosexual relationship, we are going to break these conventions and stick with our original idea of having a gay relationship as a central story line in our film. We have decided to do this as we believe it will make for more dramatic and interesting viewing which we know that people want to watch from the answers of our previous questions.

Also, we asked whether people would prefer to watch films that are educational, easy going or a mixture of the two.  Overall, 48% of people said that they would prefer to watch a mixture of the two. Although we had originally planned to make our film slightly more educational due to our HIV and AIDS story line, we are now going to make it more focused on being mixture of the two categories to make it appeal to more people. Lastly, in our questionnaire we asked what story line's you would expect to see. Our top answers included an obstacle, eg parent and a break up, to which our film wil include both of these aspects.

Overall, from doing this questionnaire, we have been able to determine what we should/ shouldn't include in our film. Additionally, it has helped us to alter our story line and aspects we were going to include to appeal to a wider range of audiences.

Audience theory and opening scene analysis

Engaging audiences essay

Analysis of the opening scene from The Hunger Games: 

In this essay I will be analysing aspects such as camera angles, editing, mise en scene, sound, etc, to help come to the conclusion of how they engage the audience and why each aspect is used how it is in the dystopia, action and adventure film that is the Hunger Games. 

Throughout the opening scene digetic sounds are used. We firstly hear them being used in a conversation where Caesar Flickerman is interviewing Seneca Crane. This conversation is used to help us gain some background information about the hunger games as they talk about why it occurs. Within the scene, we hear a crowd cheer. Although we as viewers cannot see these people, we can assume that they are in the room as the characters look to where we would expect a crowd to be sat. This is done to show how the characters are the main focus of the scene and which suggests their importance. Wethen come to another scene, in which we hear a loud cry/ scream. Again, although we cannot see the person, we can assume this sound is digetic as we are soon shown the source of which the sound has come from and can assume that the shot we were shown before is the outside of the place that they are. This is done to exaggerate the loudness of the cry/ scream. This scream is used to show that these characters are normal, ordinary people and makes the audience emphasise with the characters. This scene continues, and we hear digetic sounds as there is a conversation between Primrose and Katniss. As this part of the scene begins to end and Katniss leaves Primrose in her room, we are shown a shot of Katniss walking down her stairs however we still hear the end of the conversation she was having beforehand in Primrose’s room which shows a use of non-digetic sound being used. However, this doesn’t last for long as the sound quickly changes back to digetic with the sound of Katniss’ footsteps, her taking her coat off of a hook, a cat hissing and then her talking to the cat. 

Camera angels are an important factor used in the opening scene to help show what is happening more clearly to the audience. The scene begins by using two people shots and over the shoulder shots to show a conversation between two people (Caesar Flickerman and Seneca Crane. These shots help the audience to understand what kind of relationship the two characters have, which appears to be quite professional. There are also some close up shots used in this scene so that we are shown the characters when they are individually talking as this makes them the auidences main focus. The scene then switches to a different location where we are shown a rural area. This is done in a long shot to give the viewer an understanding of where the scene is set. In the rest of the scene we are firstly shown an extreme close up of Primrose’s hands and Primrose and Katniss’ heads on each other to show that she is shaking and hugging her sister. This helps the audience to immediately understand the close relationship that they have with each other and that Primrose looks to Katniss for safety and security. This helps to engage the audience as they begin to feel invested in their relationship and the characters themselves. We are again shown close up shots and two people shots to show their conversation and their relationship. This continues for the rest of the scene. At the end of the scene we are shown a medium shot so that we can see Katniss leaving her house. This shot allows us to see where she currently is and where she is going to, helping to add small details to the storyline. 

The audience is shown a difference between where the characters Caesar Flickerman and Seneca Crane are located, which is on a TV studio/ on a stage and where Katniss and Primrose Everdeen are located, which is in a rural, sparse area. This highlights the difference in social standing between the characters. This foreshadows that Caesar and Seneca are of a higher social position and have more authority as where they are set appears to look more wealthy as they are from the Capitol which is similar to a government and therefore have power. However, Katniss and Primrose are shown to be poorer and less well off which we can see through how they are shown to be of a poverty status. This is done to immediately in the film to emphasise the difference in authority and social positions each character has. With Katniss and Primrose being of a poorer status, people can relate to them more as most people would have been within this category at this time therefore, if we were experiencing this situation, would also probably be in the running to go into the hunger games. As they are similar to a majority of people watching the film, this makes them more relatable and helps the audience to engage  more in the film. 

In the opening interview scene, the characters are shown to be wearing smart clothes. This is one way in which we can infer that they have a professional relationship and are having an interview. Caesar is shown to have bright blue hair and eyebrows as well as wearing a blue suit. Whereas, Seneca is wearing a black and red suit, his hair is slicked back and his beard is shaped very unusually and uncommon for someone in this time period. The way they both look helps to set the time period for this film, showing it as a dystopia and suggesting it is set in the future (sometime after the year 2070). Their smart clothes also similarly allude to their wealth and high status, by showing that they can afford nice looking things. However, although we don’t see much of Katniss or Primrose’s clothes, they again infer their lower status as they don’t appear to be dressed smart. Their clothes are also quite dull, plain colours (dark blues, blacks, whites) which contrasts the bright colours that the other characters were wearing. As well as suggesting their poverty through the colours, this also perhaps foreshadows their mood and their feels. As the richer characters of a higher status are shown in brighter colours, were the lighting in the seen is also brighter and lighter. However the poorer characters are dressed in plainer, dull colours which perhaps reflects their sadder and anxious mood. 

Within the interview section of the scene, the 180 degree rule is used. We can see this as we only see one half of the room, even though we hear the other half we don’t see it. This way the audience doesn’t experience disorientation and instead continuity is felt within the scene. We can also assume, that because these characters are of a high importance and an interview is being conducted, that this is being shown on TV and what us as viewers can see is what viewers at home would also see. When the scene then cuts to a different location and characters, omnipresence editing is used to show that these scenes are occurring in two completely different places however the subject of both conversations is the same (they’re both talking about the hunger games), even though their opinions on the subject aren’t. Within both separate scenes, we see shot reverse shots being used to show conversations between both sets of characters and to show their different relationships. In the ending scene, we see Katniss walk down her stairs and leave her house which is shown by a pan shot. This then turns into a zoom lense as she gets closer to the door and therefore becomes closer to the camera. 

The mise en scene in the beginning interview scene is done by both characters sitting at a slight angle towards each other. This shows that they are conversing with each other. However, because their seats are not fully facing each other and are positioned somewhat towards where we would expect an audience to be, this shows that they also want to include the audience in their conversation and engage them as well. When the scene then changes to the rural area that their house is located in, we see a shot of what the outside area of their house is like. This scene includes tall trees, which are mainly placed on the left and right hand sides of the shot. There are also, wagons, pylons, what appears to be more housing and vegetation in the distance and a hut, which we can assume to be where they live as it is the only housing unit in the scene. The hut is placed somewhat hidden between tress and a wagon is placed in the foreground of it. This is done to suggest that their home is isolated, secluded and hidden away from anything else. This might be done to infer that the characters that live there are quite mysterious and private people. It may also suggest that they like to keep themselves to themselves. In the ending scene, where we see Katniss leaving her house, we are shown her taking a coat off of a hanger and a cat on the floor. These things are placed within the scene to make the audience understand that she is in her house and to make the situation feel more normal and realistic. This helps to engage the audience as it makes them feel as though Katniss is just a normal person, who goes through similar things to the viewer, making her feel relatable. 

Overall, camera angles, editing, mise en scene and sound are all used to helps set the scene for the film. They are used to show the relationships between characters and to engage the audience through hinting towards the storyline for the rest of the film and beginning to try and make the audience feel connected and invested in the characters. Appearance and location are also largely used to show the social divide between the two sets of characters we see in the opening scene, which is again used to hint towards the upcoming storyline in the film.

True Grit poster analysis:

Colour:

This poster uses a very neutral colour scheme consisting mainly of browns and greys. This is done to highlight the genre of the film as crime western films often consist of very neutral fiery colours to highlight the drama that occurs.

Font and layout:

The font choice suggests an old fashion and western feel, which the film includes. The grey colour also suggests this as it creates an aged look. The text is significant in suggesting the film genre and showing who is in the film/ who’s created in it and what it’s called. As well as showing reviews from top critiques.

Codes:

Symbolic codes are used through the guns resembling violence, crime and death. This adds and aggressive feel to the film. Written codes are also used, for example the film title is put central in the largest font to make the film title clear and the main focus.
The tagline of the film is ‘Punishment comes one way or another’. This suggest that someone has done something that others want them to get revenge for it. It suggests to the punishment being one of violence through the tagline appearing to be said in an aggressive nature.

Institution:

On the poster, the company name is not mentioned. This might be because they don’t want to distract the audience away from what the film is about and who is in it. However, the company of the film is Skydance Productions. This film was released in 2010, which is not shown obviously in this poster. The brand image of this film shows that it will include violence, action, adventure and drama.

Representation:

On the poster there are the four main characters within the film. These include big names such as Matt Damon. Themselves and their names are made as one of the main focuses of the poster, with Matt Damon’s name in the middle of it. This is done to draw attention to the fact that big celebrities are in the film as this will make people want to watch it more if there are people in it that they know of and like. In the middle of the poster, we see two of the main characters with their backs to each other, this ay be done to show confrontation between these two characters which may suggest what happens within the film. All of the characters are shown as looking very serious which suggests that the film has a very serious and perhaps violent topic. The characters are all dressed in fairly stereotypical clothing for that time period and area which was in around the 1880’s in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Genre and audience:

We are shown the genre of the film through the use of guns within the poster. The man who is placed closest to the camera is given the biggest gun to suggest that he has the most power and that he perhaps most of the violence and drama will occur with him. There are also other guns in the image to again highlight that violence and perhaps that maybe deaths will occur within the film. Other signifiers used include the appearance of the characters. Their serious looks suggest a serious plot within the film. The primary audience for this film is male audience, which we can infer through the guns and masculine colours being used.

Central image:

This image is shot from slightly below however is a long shot as this way it is able to include all of the four main characters in it. The main character (Jeff Bridges) is placed in front of the other characters to highlight his importance and dominance. However, the other characters are then placed in downsizing positions, this suggests how they are positioned within importance in the film. They are all looking straight into the camera to make the audience feel somewhat intimidated. The camera angle is positioned straight onto the characters to show their importance. They are all positioned in front of a wooden wall. This is done to add a western feel to the poster. Some of the characters are carrying guns which suggests violence and drama.

Genre analysis for three different film openings

Welcome!

Welcome! I'm Holly Smith and i'm a student at Didcot Sixth Form College, who is currently in Year 12 and studying media, english, art and history.

Within media, I am mainly interested in TV and internet media forms. Within TV, I enjoy watching soaps, comedies and drama programmes. Similarly, I also enjoy watching films, mainly within the romantic comedy genre. I also enjoy media related to fashion and am interested in journalism.