R + P Post 10: Reflections so far/ looking ahead

So far I feel that my group has worked very well together and have used our time extremely effectively. We have been able to put our artistic differences aside in order to create a concept which has developed into a creative and intricate film opening idea. We spent a lot of time brainstorming  ideas and creating documents such as storyboards together in a group, whilst also having individual contributions to the group. For example, I spent some of my time outside of group meetings continuing to write the script, whilst fellow members of my team created storyboards of titles and shots for inspiration. By doing activities such as this, our group has developed very strong references for or film. Research into similar LGBT films such as Beautiful Thing have informed us about film content and our target audience, whilst films such as Submarine have given us a great insight into the British indie genre. This research has helped us create a film that we feel accurately portrays the genres which we intended.

Looking ahead, I am extremely excited about starting to film our opening and being able to experiment with different shots. I am looking forward to watching all of our hard work come together and hopefully develop into our envisioned film opening.

R + P Post 9: Our script

Whilst I was writing the script I felt that it was important to quickly and accurately portray what type of person that Craig was. For this reason, I felt that it was fitting to have a large majority of the dialogue within the opening as a voice over. This meant the audience could instantly feel more connected to the character as he spoke directly to them, allowing an immediate insight into his mind. This idea was largely influenced by the movie 'Submarine' as I felt that the character of Oliver Tate was impeccably represented through his use of voice overs. An issue that I had whilst writing the script was trying to find a way to condense a character such as Craig into very few words so that the voice over did not distract from the visuals within the opening. This difficulty resulted in many re-drafts of the script with the help of my fellow group members.Below I have included the Treatment for the script.

Since creating this draft I have edited it further in order to create a new and improved final script which I have included below...

R + P Post 8: Our opening sequence ideas, to include sound and titles

In our opening sequence our main character, Craig, gets ready to leave his house and go to school. However, he skips school and goes to the lake instead. Here he writes his most intimate thoughts and ideas in his notebook. Whilst doing this Craig witnesses another apparently gay character getting abused by bullies. Craig finally plucks up the courage to interject into the fight and defend the boy getting bullied, however, this results in a violent outburst in which he is punched.  

For sound we have decided to use acoustic instrumental version of the song 'Let it go' by James Bay. We have decided to re-record this song using only a guitar. We felt that this would give a raw edge to our soundtrack and suit our chosen genre of Indie. As well as the soundtrack, there will also be a voice over that runs at points throughout the opening and a small amount of dialogue during the conflict scene. 

For sound effects we have decided to use the 'white noise' and the sound of a punch. We wanted to use white noise to suggest the quiet rural setting and whilst also intensifying different moments. We wanted to use a punching sound as this would be expected in a scene of conflict and increases the naturalism of the sequence.

The titles within our opening sequence will include...

• Film 4 productions ident 
• BFI logo
• QUAK Films Presents
• Our film title
• Introducing Reuben Wooley
• Directed by...
• CRAIG

We chose these titles in order to stick to conventions for film openings. We took great inspiration from the film Elephant as they used 'b-roll' of scenes of nature for the background of their titles. We felt that this was very effective and gave the titles a more minimalistic feel. We chose to also include the name of our protagonist as a title at the end of the sequence as it helped to instantly give more information to the audience and signified the end of the film opening. However, we decided not to place the title of our film half way through the opening like in Elephant as we felt that it did not allow the film title to stand out a lot. We also researched many different types of fonts used within different film openings to gain inspiration from.

A mood board made by Pheobe of different styles within exsisting opening titles

R + P Post 7: Our film's title and plot outline

This is a picture of an aglet

The current 'working title' of our film is 'AGLET'. I felt that this would be a fitting name for the film as an Aglet is an essential part of many people's lives that is overlooked regularly. An aglet is 'a metal or plastic tube fixed round each end of a shoelace.' Without this small element the whole shoelace would fall apart and it would be extremely difficult to use the shoe anymore. Its seemingly irrelevant but important nature mirrors that of Craig and serves to prove that even people deemed unimportant by members of society are essential for it to work efficiently. The use of seemingly unconnected names for films is usual in the indie genre. For example, films such as Milk and Fish Tank have such inconspicuous names which I felt were very powerful an essential part of many people's lives that is overlooked regularly. An aglet is 'a metal or plastic tube fixed round each end of a shoelace.' Without this small element the whole shoelace would fall apart and it would be extremely difficult to use the shoe anymore. Its seemingly irrelevant but important nature mirrors that of Craig and serves to prove that even people deemed unimportant by members of society are essential for it to work efficiently. The use of seemingly unconnected names for films is usual in the indie genre. For example, films such as Milk and Fish Tank have such inconspicuous names which I felt were very powerful

The plot of our film consists of a teenage boy name Craig whom is trying to come to terms with becoming an adult and learning to tackles issues regarding his sexuality. Craig's journey is told from his own perspective as we follow him whilst he attempts to find himself. The audience are given a ticket into Craig's mind via his notebook and bear witness to how his ideas, both good and bad, work out. Throughout the film we also see how Craig's Experience of love develops and changes him for the better.

R + P Post 6: Our chosen genre and how we plan to connote this

We will be trying to connote  the Coming of age genre through Craig's journey. Character development is essential to connote this genre as they often follow their protagonist on a journey as they develop morally and psychologically. For example, in our film we watch Craig turn from a shy introvert, into a more confident and happy teenager. Coming of age films often use Todorov's theory and try to find a solution to the problem present within the film throughout. 

Oliver Tate from Submarine

Another genre that we will be attempting to connote through our film opening is the British Indie genre. We have done this through our decisions of characters, grading and shot types. We decided to make Craig a quirky individual in order to reflect some of the types of people that we believed enjoyed the British Indie genre. For Craig's character we were greatly inspired by the character of Oliver Tate from the film Submarine. Although he is very awkward he is also a very likable character and has many layers to his personality. We have also been able to experiment with different shot types that may be considered 'quirky' and are fitting to the more risk taking genre of Indie. For example, in our opening we have decided to use different cameras such as a GoPro to  achieve different effects. We will also be using  more experimental editing such as jump cuts. This also occurs in Submarine and we felt that this was effective as it was something that is rarely seen and stood out to us.We also wanted our grading to connote the Indie genre. In order to achieve this we took inspiration from different grading techniques that we liked and felt would be fitting to out film.

Bright and colorful grading in the film 'Fish Tank'

Bright, saturated grading in the film 'Juno'

These grading decisions connote the indie genre as they give the film's footage a unique look, emphasisng their independence.

R + P Post 5: How we plan to attract/ address our target audience

Our target audience is made up of:

• Members of the LGBT community
• British people aged 15 and over
• Fans of the British Indie genre
• Fans of romantic dramas
• Fans of 'coming of age' films 

How we plan to attract/ address members of our TA:

1. LGBT community - We will attract them by having an openly gay protagonist. Doing this may appeal to the as they may find the character relatable as they may have gone or will go through the same situations as our main character Craig does. They may also feel that they are finally being accurately and realistically portrayed within the media which may appeal to them.



One of our British countryside settings





2. British people (over 15)- We have addressed British people by using British actors and a British setting. The characters also speak of British themes. These factors maybe seen as highly recognisable to this audience which means that they may be able to engage with the film at a deeper level. They would also be supporting the British film industry which is beneficial for many British people. We have addressed the older age of our TA through our 15 certificate. By deciding on this certificate we allow ourselves the right to include more explicit content. This may vary from the use of swear words to the inclusion of scenes of violence. We feel that this gives our film a more realistic feel which may appeal to more people.                                          
3. British Indie fans - We attempted to stick to the conventions of this genre through our choice of shot types and grading decisions. We also depicted a character which may also be considered 'Indie' by his hobbies such as listening to vinyls, which fans of this genre may also enjoy. We my also be t attract them through our decisions in production and distribution. By choosing independent institutions such as Film 4, BFI and our created company Quak Films we instantly appeal more to British Indie fans as it becomes apparent that we are a low budget, British, Independent film. 

   

   Our chosen Independent production company 

4. Fans of romantic dramas - As our film goes on, the relationship between Craig and David continues to blossom. The themes of love and heartache appeal greatly to this audience. The fact that the love story is between two males may be seen as something 'different' and appeal to a wider audience as it is a story that is rarely seen in the mainstream film industry.
5. Fans of 'Coming of age' dramas - Throughout the film we follow Craig on a journey as he struggles to find his voice. The audience bears witness to the characters maturing and developing into a more confident and happy person. 

R + P Post 4: Representation of social groups in our opening sequence

In our opening sequence we represent members of the LGBT community. The different sexualities represented mean that a large majority of our TA (target audience) may feel represented. We chose two represent two contrasting characters in order to avoid enforcing stereotypes. By avoiding the predictable 'camp' characterisation through our protagonist, we create a more believable character. This may also be seen as a U.S.P (unique selling point) for our film as it showcases a community and characters that are rarely explored in modern media. A love story between two males may also be seen as a U.S.P as their are not many representations of this type of story within the mainstream media.

Statistics revealing the lack of LGBT representation in film 

Being gay is not seen as downfall of our protagonist and does not have any particularly affect of his characteristics. This helps to break down the prejudice towards the gay community and shows the audience that the people within the LGBT community are the same as those out of it. They go through the same situations and must overcome similar obstacles in life. This is why we felt that it was important to include a moment of conflict within our film opening as we wanted the gratification of an idealistic presentation of the world to be apparent, without creating a world that could be deemed realistic. It also reveals the very apparent presence of homophobes within modern society. This harsh and somewhat disturbing realism forces the audience to be educated to the discrimination that many people within the LGBT community go through.

We felt that creating a 'coming of age' film would be an efficient way to depict the journey that many gay people go through for self acceptance. As the film continues we are able to see Craig develop his own self confidence as he embraces himself and his sexuality. We felt that it was important to portray him as a stereotypical teenager with hobbies such as listening to vinyls and sketching in his notebook so his is seen as a likable and multi dimensional character.

Shot of Craig writing in his notebook with an average representation of a cluttered teenage bedroom 

R + P Post 3: Our production and distribution institutions

Production:

We created our own British, independent production company call Quak productions. Our company is based in London and focuses on producing independent films which represent members of the LGBT community.

Distibution:

We decide to use Film 4 as our distribution company. We felt that this would be fitting as they are a British company that have previously distributed other indie films such as 'Suffragette' and 'The Inbetweeners'. We will also be receiving a grant from the BFI (British Film Institution). This funding aids the British film industry and has been known to be a 'stepping stone' for many other British independent films such as... As independent films rarely get releases of varying platforms, we will heavily rely on screenings of our film at film festivals such as the BFI festival, and eventually TV releases on channels such as Channel 4 in order to increase the success of our film.

R + P Post 2: Our target audience

Core audience:
The core audience of our film will be members of the LGBT community. The LGBT community is one made up of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. We are able to appeal to this audience through our portrayal of a homosexual protagonist. This creates a more relatable character for the audience as they may have experienced similar situations. It also gives opportunity for a social group that has rarely been represented in the media. Other films such as 'Weekend' (2011) and 'My Beautiful Laundrette' (1985) have also had this core audience and explore similar themes of love and happiness, whilst also revealing the hardship that people within this community often go through.

Wider Market:
In our wider market we would hope to appeal to fans of the genres of drama, romance, coming-of-age and comedy. As our films takes different aspects from these many different genres, we hope this would make it appeal to more people. We would also hope to attract fans of the indie genre as this had a heavy influence in the decisions we made about our film. The film 'Submarine is an example of a film with a very similar target audience to the one that we want our film to appeal to. We also hope that our film would appeal to many British people due to our use of a British setting and British characters.

R + P Post 1: How we intend to work as a group

In our first group meeting we decided to meet on Wednesdays and Fridays from 3:55-4:55 in the media department. We have agreed to arrive on time and complete the tasks required for the meetings in advance. We have also agreed to work as a team by listening to everyone's ideas and respecting people's artistic differences. We have also set up a Facebook page so that we can contact each other quickly and posts any ideas and pictures that we may have.