Storyboard

Shot sequencing

Initial planning

Props and costume analysis.

Actor planning

For my production, actors I could use are Owen (Far left), Tom (middle right) or Jake (far right) as my main character. These would be suitable for a action/outdoor, army style role.

Others:

Mitchell

 Ernest

Vicki

I am looking for a older male character I think, so Ernest would be most suitable for this role, however any in the top photo would also fit the sort of character I am trying to create.

Sheffield Location Planning

Audience Interviews

Would you watch a film in the comedy genre?

T: Yes
R: Yes

Why?

T: Because I enjoy funny things and I find them more entertaining than sad films.
R: Because I like to be amused and I enjoy watching funny films.

What do you want to see/expect to see from an opening title sequence?

T: The backstory and find out who the characters are.
R: I would expect to be introduced to key characters and maybe see the setting of the film.

Is there any other types of films you enjoy watching?

T: Action/adventure and Sci-Fi
R: action

Which would you rather see, comedy or your option, and include an example?

T: Action/adventure such as Indiana Jones.
R: Comedy such as Grown Ups.

Media audience theories

Shot composition analysis

Video transcript:
The perspective lines, highlighted in red, give the image depth and a sense of enigma by not showing fully what is around the corner.

Size for significance – The South Street Park sign, evnen though it is not in focus still has a sense of power by being a main feature in the image. The sign has an importance of setting the scene for the shot. This can link in with the mobile audience theory.

Contrasts in brightness – The foreground is darker than the background, this gives the scene a sense of enigma, perhaps hinting that something bad is going to happen or giving the background a sense of optimism.

Rule of thirds – this keeps the image looking tidy and focuses the audiences’ attention on the midground as it is the brightest so appears highlighted, this could make the audience question the foreground.

Narrative – This image adds to the narrative by having the iconic South Street Park sign, this sets the scene and reveals a real life location for the story. 

The natural imagery in the foreground suggests a floral scene, hinting how the city may not be as scary or uninviting as the scene first appears to portray.

Genre – This image could conform to the comedy genre as it uses bright natural light, commonly found in comedy productions to add a sense of optimism and happiness to the shot, suggesting a light side, enhancing the light-hearted comedic value. Also, the way the image is split into thirds, with the middle third being the most eye catching could suggest that the next scene will be there.

Audience response/theory – A primary response I would hope to evoke through this location would be to intrigue the audience through the enigmatic foreground, both by it being in the shade and that the path leads off around a corner into what could be anything.

This supports Barthes’ Enigma Code theory which suggests how media texts need to leave unanswered questions to engage the audience.

By being set in Sheffield, using the South Street Park sign, the audience may want to visit the location after seeing this. This fits with Couldry’s Mobile Audience theory, that audiences want to visit places associated with the media production.

Location Research

Four Lions (2010) - location

The location fits in with comedy genre conventions as it gives you a close encounter with the main characters, introducing them right from the start. This intimate setting is used widely in the comedy genre to allow the audience to 'get to know' the characters. This moves the narrative on as it introduces key characters to the film.

This establishing shot of the setting moves the narrative onto the second scene, set inside Meadowhall (the shopping centre) and introduces it from a distance, zooming in on it from afar, from Tinsley, where the first scene was set. This gives a sense of perspective and allows them to make a map in their mind of the setting.

After this, the shot shows inside the shopping centre, establishing the scene and giving the audience more detail about the scenery allowing them to build up their mental map of the film's setting.

Media audience theories

Active Audience Theory
Audience actively constructing interpretations and meanings from the media texts they encounter.

They bring their own individual experiences, values, ideologies and identify to each text.

Interpreted differently by different people.

Media Producer's Power

• The audience can only participate within carefully constructed and framed spaces
• The programme's host's or expert's views are dominant 
• Use of voiceover and narration emphasises producer's power
• Editing
• The narratives and scenarios

Audience participation needs to be encouraged as it generates money and audience loyalty. However, the debate is whether audiences are actually empowered or not.

The Hypodermic model - Frankfurt School (1920's/30's)
The messages in media texts are injected into the audience by the powerful syringe-like media.
The audience is powerless to resist - The media is like a drug.

Gerber (1956)
Messages do not simply flow from the text to the audience.
The audience discuss, debate and challenge the texts - reduce power.

Texts can be seen as polysemic - deliberately constructed to be read in a number of different ways, to appeal to a wide number of people.

Morley (1990)
Saw media as an object that carries a meaning and a value.

Silverstone (1994)
Argued that television provides a sort of sense of security and reassurance for many adults and young people.
The internet can also be seen in this way, as; 'the continuities of sound and image, of voices and music can easily be appropriated as comfort and security because they are there.' - Not alone - reassurance

Couldry (2004) - Mobile Audience
Audiences can visit places related to the production, like go on tours of the set or visit locally filmed scenes.

Abercrombie and Longhurst (2005)
There has been a shift in the audience's experience, allowing the boundaries between them and the producers of the media become more fluid through the use of social networking and TV voting.

Uses and Gratification

Katz and Blamer (1974) 
Audiences choose particular media products to satisfy their uses and gratifications (needs), these are to be:

• Entertained
• Informed
• Social interaction
• Personal identity

Mcquail (1997)
Motivations for using a media text are for:

• Information
• Learning
• Personal Identity
• Social Interaction
• Entertainment

Shaun Moore (1998)

Media texts allow the audience to perceive themselves as part of an imagined community.

The audience feel they have something in common with other imagined members of the audience.

Criticisms of the Uses and Gratification theory

It doesn't explain why different members of the audience interpret a text differently.

Ang (1985) identified gratifications of identification and fantasy.

Hill (2005) explored how gratification from reality TV emerge from discussions around to what degree the programme has been staged.

Clapham's theory - Selective Filtering

Selective perception - Audience only like something if it is aligned with their own views.

Selective retention - Audience only hear aspects of a media text that align with their own views.

Selective exposure - Audience only watch/engage with media texts that align with their views.

Morley - Decoding Model

Audience interpret media using their key ideologies/beliefs.

This will impact our production because the opening title sequence that I produce will need to satisfy some of the uses and gratifications.

Demographics mood board

Stereotypes (of men & post-feminism)

 

 

Actor research

 

Actors in the film can identify a films genre. This is known as star association.

Examples of this include:

Adam Sandler

His films are comedy films, and they all show him as the main protagonist, showing his star power and star association with the genre. His films tend to be popular, proving how having him as the main character aids advertisement and marketing of the film. Having built up this façade may be problematic for Sandler, as it may be hard for him to move into a different role if he wanted as he is iconic in the comedy film scene so could find it hard to migrate to another genre.