Target Audience Interview

To help create our trailer, as research we have been asked to interview a member of our target audience to produce the best possible outcome for our trailer. These are the questions I have asked and the target audiences responses:

What would you expect from a typical crime trailer?

• Has a good story and interesting actors

What are your favourite things about crime films & trailers?

• Uniqueness(period drama/personality of a key investigator)
• Storyline and sub plot (personal relationship)

What is your favourite crime (film/trailer/series) that you have seen? and why is it your favourite?

• Father Brown, unique character, intellectual plots and twists
• Silence of the lambs

Do you prefer a film that follows a structural plot, or one that changes slightly and includes flashbacks etc? Why do you prefer the one you have chosen?

• Flashbacks, so you can work out how certain decisions or assumptions are made, e.g Sherlock

Do you have any advice/ideas of what can take place in our trailer?

• Have a story with a sub plot, keep us entertained by making us think 'who did it?' or when will it happen

Film Industry Research

20th Century Fox:

20th Century Fox Film Corporation (commonly known as Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures and Fox) is an american film entertainment company, and is one of the major film studios. 20th Century Fox is based in Los Angeles, and was founded in 1923. The company used to work along side but now they work along side (as a subsidiary) to 21st Century Fox. 20th Century Fox have produced famous films such as: Big Momma's House, X-Men, Dr. Dolittle, Ice Age, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the clones, Cheaper by the dozen, Fantastic Four, Just My Luck, Marley and me and many more.

Universal Studios/Pictures:
Universal Studios Inc. (also commonly known as Universal Pictures) is an American film company, it is also one of the major film studios. The Universal is a conglomerate company and is owned by Comcast. Its production studios are based in Universal city, California. Universal Studios have produced famous films such as: Jaws, E.T the Extra Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Despicable Me 2, Furious 7, Jurassic World, Minions and many more.

Paramount Pictures:
Paramount Pictures Corporation (commonly known as Paramount Studios or Paramount) is an American company (entertainment) that produces Film, Television and Motion pictures. Paramount is one of the major films companies, their headquarters being based in Hollywood. Paramount Pictures have produced many famous films such as: Transformers, Mission Impossible, Star Trek, Crocodile Dundee, Paranormal Activity, Indiana Jones and many more.

Warner Bros:
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc (commonly known as Warner Bros Studios or WB) is an american company (Entertainment) that produces film, television and music. WB is one of the major film studios, their headquarters being based in California, USA. Warner Bros is a conglomerate company that has several little companies which form Warner Bros. Some of the smaller companies include: Warner Bros Television, Warner Bros Pictures, New line cinema, Castle rock entertainment and DC entertainment. Warner Bros also own half of the CW Television Network.

Walt Disney Pictures:

Walt Disney Pictures Inc (originally known as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio) is an American Film production company which is apart of The Walt Disney company. Walt Disney Pictures is apart of The Walt Disney company, and their headquarters are based in California. Walt Disney Pictures have produced films such as: Cinderella, Snow White and the seven dwarves, Treasure Island, Peter Pan, the Jungle book, My Neighbour Totoro and many more.

Pixar Animation Studios:

Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as just Pixar) is an American film company that specialises is computer animation. Pixar Studios were bought out in 2006 by the conglomerate company 'The Walt Disney Company', with their studios based in Emeryville, California. Pixar Animation Studios have produced famous feature films such as: Toy Story, WALL-E, Finding Nemo, Up, Monsters Inc, The Incredibles and many more.

*(Conglomerate - company made up of smaller companies)

Audience Audit

• Target audiences
• How you will address these

The main target audience of which our Crime film trailer will be based towards is from the age of a young adult onwards (15+) This is because of the concept of violence used to create the heist scene, and also because of the effect that the use of weaponry will have on the audience. It would also be targeted towards a maturer target audience because of the heist scenario and because of the possible use of strong language. 

A Crime trailer would mainly appeal to a male audience because of the involvement of action (gets the heart racing and creates adrenaline) and also the stereotypical female role which is commonly used to attract a male through the appearance of a female. Most Crime trailers would also appeal to a female audience as well as male because of the way that the action makes the brain think about each of the scenarios.

The age regulation for most Crime trailers is based around the 15+ mark. This is because of the content, this is so that the regulatory bodies have to make the trailer age appropriate as well as the film itself. The film would usually be based towards a similar age group of 15 and sometimes 18+. Most crime trailers are made for the audience of 12 or 15+ so that the trailer can be appropriately advertised on TV and before other films start in a cinema, but limiting the content which can be shown in the trailer from the film.

For our crime trailer we will focus the content towards our target audience by:

• The use of action - By aiming it towards a male target audience we need to create a concept of suspense, tension and action. The trailer needs to emphasise on the action but still show a plot to keep the audience engaged and leave them wanting more.
• The use of camera angles - By focusing on the camerawork and angles we can make our trailer as effective on the audience. Not only by creating emotion for the audience, also putting them into the characters perspective by using angles from theuir point of view. 
• The emotion and after effect - By focusing on the emotion used in the trailer and the effect that it would have on the audience, it will help to make our trailer effective to drawing the audience in and wanting more. It will also help to show us the best point of our trailer by the way the audience reacts to it

Analysing "Big Hero 6"

The features of a trailer:

• Company logo (Dreamworks, Paramount, Warner Bros and Universal etc.
• Give an idea of the narrative (they follow a plot / tell a story).
• Voice-overs (sometimes - creates effect) 
• Textual information (written words)
•  Focus upon characters (and actors if they are famous and will help to sell the film) 
• Capture the genre and make it clear for the audience 
• Billing block 
• Release date (unless it is a film teaser trailer)

https://youtu.be/z3biFxZIJOQ

The second trailer I am focusing on is "Big Hero 6". Although this is also a film trailer, it is almost completely different to my first chosen trailer "Oceans Twelve".

About the film - "Big hero 6 is a 2014 American 3D computer animated superhero comedy. It was produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures - being the first superhero film released by Walt Disney. The film is inspired by the Marvel Comic Superhero team using the same name. The film is Directed by Chris Williams and Dom Hall, the film shows the plot of a young robotics prodigy named Hiro Hamada, who forms a superhero team of students at his brothers university to defeat the masked villain."

In Disney film trailers, similar features are used in most if not all. One main aspect of this is through the actual appearance. Most Disney films/trailers are made into an animation, this is so that it will appeal to its younger target audience. For this trailer there is a use of various different colours, many of which tend to be bright (yellow, orange, pink etc.) By using these types of colours it help to attract and appeal more to a family viewing audience (6+).  

In Disney Animation film trailers, similar features are used in each. One main aspect of this is through the use of its content. For most animation films they have a concept of comedy. In this particular film, a comedic effect is added to the trailer to appeal to their target audience (Children) and to attract them to watch or buy the film. It is common for the comedy (child friendly) to appear in films of this genre as the producers intend to make the film enjoyable for both its younger and older viewers. The target audience for this type of film is directed towards children (6+) as although the language and content had been made suitable for the target audience, Disney had included scenes that could be slightly upsetting or scary for some younger viewers. The mode of address in the film trailer is made to be quite chatty, appealing to the target audience by making the language easier to understand.

The main location in which the film was set was in "San Fransokyo" a mixture of both San Francisco and Tokyo. Big Hero 6 was originally set in Tokyo (for Marvel), but disney created the name "San Fransokyo" as they wanted to create the urban mashup and involve both of the locations.
Most films which are in a similar genre to this (action, family and superhero) tend to have similarities with common characters. In this particular film trailer the common characters of a "villain" along with the typical heroic characters which save the day at the end of the film. Each of these common characters also have costumes which are typically used films like this, helping to show the audince what genre it fits in. In this particular trailer, there are several denotations of black, this having connotations to represent danger and mystery in the chase scene. This scene helps to set the pace of the film at this particular point, building both the pace and tension. In this trailer, as it is an animation film all of the camera angles and shots tend to be medium or long to show what is actually going on, but only using these to help set the scene. In the the lighting in the film trailer tends to be normal and natural looking, only using a lighting technique and making certain scenes dark to create effect.

Regulation and Regulatory bodies

Whilst creating our production for a Crime trailer, we have been asked to look into the Regulations and Regulatory bodies for film and trailers.
The main regulation body for film/trailers is the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification).
The BBFC follow strict rules when income to the content included within films and film trailers, once of which is the follow the age guidelines which approves of which boundary a film/trailer will fit in and the audience of which can view it.

The Guidelines of which the company BBFC follow are used to the best of their abilities to give the best information to the consumers, the guidelines which they follow are:

"It is important that the BBFC's classification standards are in line with what the public expects and that its decisions take account of what the public finds executable to each age category.

Therefore every 4-5 years, the BBFC carries out a major public consultation exercise to find out what the public thinks about the age rating or films and videos before they are released and whether the BBFC's classification standards meet the public concerns.
The BBFC adjusts its standards and criteria in response to any changes in public attitudes"
- Source: BBFC Official website

When a film or trailer is being produced, each has to be met by the criteria's provided by the BBFC making sure that it is appropriate for the audience it is actually aimed at.

When the age regulations for film trailers are added, the advertisement and the actual film audience are different. Usually with films, the trailers are usually made age appropriate so that they can be shown on tv advertisement or before other films in the cinema. On the other hand, the films themselves tend to have a high age restriction.
The trailers are usually made more age appropriate so that a younger audience can watch the trailer but not actually the film itself. For example, if the trailer was to be advertised on tv, certain clips which may be shown in the film would be cut out so that it is appropriate for viewing audiences.
When film trailers are released in before a film in the cinema, the genre is usually taken into consideration. For example, if a family disney film was to be shown in cinema, they would have trailers of the same genre shown before hand, rather than showing a trailer from a completely different genre.

Analysing "Ocean's Twelve"

The features of a trailer:

• Company logo (Dreamworks, Paramount, Warner Bros and Universal etc.
• Give an idea of the narrative (they follow a plot / tell a story).
• Voice-overs (sometimes - creates effect) 
• Textual information (written words)
•  Focus upon characters (and actors if they are famous and will help to sell the film) 
• Capture the genre and make it clear for the audience 
• Billing block 
• Release date (unless it is a film teaser trailer)

The first trailer I am focusing on is 'Oceans Twelve'. "After pulling off the heist if their lives, Danny Ocean and his pals unexpectedly find themselves back in the harness in this sequel to 2001's blockbuster hit Oceans Eleven". Oceans Twelve in a comedy heist film which is part of the Oceans trilogy,  written in 2004 by Jerry Weintraub and Steven Soderbergh working alongside Warner Bros. 'Ocean's Twelve' includes many well know actors and celebrities, such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García, Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bernie Mac and David Holmes.

In Crime Drama / Heist film trailers, similar features are used in most if not all. One main aspect of this is through the camerawork. Whilst creating a Crime film trailer, the producer and director have to take into consideration the effect that will be created on the audience, and if it creates a certain form of emotion (in crime trailers this is usually presented through either being shocked or scared).
By using these similar emotions for most Crime trailers, it makes it easy to identify a piece of film as a crime or horror just by the effect that it has on the audience. The camerawork which is used in this particular trailer is used to help present the emotion. The camera angles used (in this case several close ups, long shots and over the shoulder) help to show each perspective of the action, so that it produces a maximum effect on the audience watching.

Another feature which is commonly portrayed throughout Crime trailers is through the choice of music. Rather than using simple hit records, Oceans Twelve uses an array of action sounds. This is commonly created when a major part of the film is taking place or when a character is in danger. When music is selected, the director can choose the pace at which the music is at and how it can be used to set the specific part of the story. Commonly in action scenes, the music builds up over time, coming to a sudden halt when a character is in danger, or an important message is being put across.
This film trailer fits in well with the Crime film trailer genre because of the features that it portrays throughout. Although this film has a slight concept of comedy (which isn't always shown through crime films) its main plot is significant to similar crime types. This trailer helps to attract a larger audience because of how different it is against the more common Crime films. Not only because of the genre but also because of the use of comedy. This is shown in the trailer when the three main male characters are gathered around a table, in what seems to be a bar or cafe. Each of the characters (in this case: George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon) are laughing together. This is used to create the concept of comedy.

In the trailer, it is clear to see the type of film it will be through the use of text. At the very start of the trailer the film uses the text "Who can forget, the thing they did, with that guy that time", This is used to attract and audience for both the previous film and what will take place in Oceans Twelve. By using this particular text, the trailer implies that the film will contain action that would be similarly shown in other other crime films.

The film trailer for Oceans Eleven and Oceans Twelve uses well known celebrities to help attract an audience. In the Oceans Twelve trailer, the picture freezes to focus on each of the celebrities individually. From this it informs the audience on the type of roles each of the celebrities will portray in the film. This will appeal to the target audience who are fans of the celebrities, for example: In the film the actor, and well known celebrity George Clooney can help to attract an audience of both fans of him and his work, along with people who are fans of Crime Films. By using many well-known celebrities, the film would achieve a larger viewing audience then if they used actors who were not to the same popularity. In the trailer, George Clooney is portrayed as 'The smooth operator', this of which is similar to his actual personality as well as his given character. The trailer also shows us the use of mode of address through parts of the film, of which help to show the action through the actors point of view, engaging the audience and making them fell apart of the film, rather than just a member of the audience watching. The film helps to make the audience feel apart of the film through each of the perspectives as the audience can relate to a certain member of the 'Oceans Twelve' team along with  watching it through their own viewing perspective.

The trailer 'Oceans Twelve' also uses a range of semiotics to help attract and appeal to an audience. One example of this is though the colour used, On the opening scene of the trailer, the pictures are displayed in black and white, with the writing over the top being a fluorescent red. This is used in the trailer mainly for the text 'Who can forget, the thing they did, with that guy that time?'. Because of the coloured used for the writing in the trailer, the font is made to be appealing and appear attractive to an audience, whilst also standing out against the darker background.
Another semiotic used is shown through the choice of costume. In this particular trailer, dark suits are mainly used to create the effect of mystery and importance among the leading characters. This is used so that it the trailer can show which of the characters 'mean business' and play the most important roles as apart of the Oceans Twelve team. The enemies which don't actually appear in the trailer, but appear in the film where a similar costume type to those of Oceans Twelve, instead using more mysterious and dangerous lighting when focusing on them.

Another semiotic used is through the use of sound and lighting. Although in most Crime films serious dramatic music is played, in this particular film, the sound is slightly more upbeat and light hearted, which creates a simple and catchy rememberable beat. The sound that the producers have used helps to create an effect on the audience by the way that the music fits well with the video being shown, and also how it connects with the audience through the catchy beat and rememberable title sequence.
The lighting used helps to create and effect by including bright flashes for some action scenes to portray if a certain character is in danger.
Another semiotic feature which is focused on for the trailer for 'Oceans Twelve' is the editing and how the clips and frames are placed together. In the trailer, the components are edited together to create the biggest effect possible on the audience. The beat of the music is placed in time with the videos and text to keep the viewing audience engaged, making the trailer memorable.

The target audience for the trailer 'Oceans Twelve' would mainly be a male young adult/adult. The trailer (and film) uses a storyline and language which would most appeal to that target audience. The trailer would attract more to the male audience rather than a female because of its contents of both crime and action. This film would attract a small female audience through the trailers concept of comedy.

Initial Production ideas

As part of my moving image coursework, I plan to create a crime movie trailer working alongside Stefan Okopskyj. We plan to create crime trailer, that would capture suspense and emotion, it must also be 3 minutes long. As we are doing the main part of the coursework individually, for the production we will share the job roles of editing, camerawork and Mise-en-scene distributed evenly between us.