Audience Feedback

Chelsea Kinsella
Age: 17 Job: Student / Interests: Photography, films and socialising / Favourite film: Pulp Fiction

I have chosen to include Chelsea in my audience feedback as she fits into my target audience; she loves films in general and has a good knowledge on what makes a good film and usually a good instinct when it comes to what films we should watch. She is able to recognise key features and conventions of a crime thriller and see if they fit with each of my pitches and give reliable feedback.

Video of Chelsea's audience feedback

AWRY

SCANDAL

Kirsten Farrell
Age: 27 / Job: Radiographer / Interests: Studying  / Favourite Film: Batman

I have included Kirsten in my audience feedback as she also shown a keen interest into crime thrillers, which suggests she will be able to provide me with feedback that will improve the making of my trailer and construction of my narrative. She loves to watch thrillers in particular.

Voice note of Kirsten's feedback 

AWRY - MEMO AND SCANDAL - MEMO 1


Lucas Foran
Age: 15  / Job:  Student / Interests: Football and video games  / Favourite Film: Reservoir Dogs

I have included Lucas as part of my audience feedback as he is also from the audience I am targeting my film towards, he plays crime games on PS3 and Xbox and has a good knowledge of what makes the impact due to these games. He also represents the youngest of my target audience, I am eager to find out what 15 year old's think about my film and what to ensure it appeals to them.

Video of Lucas' feedback 

AWRY

SCANDAL 



Neil Conlon
Age: 34  / Job:  DJ / Interests: Music and going out  / Favourite Film: This is England

I have included Lucas as part of my audience feedback as he is someone I would like to target as someone in the older side of my target audience. His opinions are important to me as I know he has a good knowledge into film and is a representation of many of the people his age that would also like Crime Thriller films.

Voice note of Neil's feedback 




Luke Doran
Age: 19  / Job:  University Student / Interests: Scaling and racing  / Favourite Film: Donnie Darko

I have included Luke as part of my audience research as he is an ultimate thrill seeker. He enjoys watching films that mess with your mind and include twists and turns. The narrative I have made is something I hope people like Luke will enjoy and find particularly interesting and exhilarating.

Written response of Luke's feedback 

AWRY

Would you go and see the film?

Yes, I would go and see the film.

What do you think of the overall plot?

I like the idea of the whole plot, it appeals to me entirely. Each of the characters and the setting seem interesting and different to the typical things that are in crime thrillers.

 Does it fit the genre and have the elements it needs?

It includes the key things that make up a crime thriller such as violence and murder. Most of the crime thrillers I have watched are based in places like New York; so it would be refreshing to see something come out from a city in England. It makes it much more relatable for me and definitely something that I would like to see with my friends.

Is something there that they would like to find more about?

It would help to know why they have gone into terrorism if they were both so clever and could be successful through education or typical work.

What are the weaknesses?

I’d say the weakness’ of the film probably lie within how well it will be able to be filmed, as it may be hard to find the locations in Birmingham to pull it off effectively; however if you do it will be great.

What are the strengths? 

The plot is very original and seems like the audience will feel a range of emotions. Including love will really pull on the heart strings and have the audience gripped.

SUSPECT

Would you go and see the film?

Yes, I would probably go and see the film.

What do you think of the overall plot?

The plot seems good but does seem a little typical; I am a bit tired of seeing the same bad things happening to kids from deprived backgrounds!

Does it fit the genre and have the elements it needs?

It fits the genre well and you seem to have adhered to all of the conventions of a typical crime thriller – while including a bit of background information into them .

Is something there that they would like to find more about?

I think the obvious question is why the step brother wants to get the brother into trouble.

What are the weaknesses?

The weakness is probably how little it does go against typical conventions. It probably wouldn’t stand out compared to other films, .

What are the strengths? 

The twist at the end could be really shocking if it’s done in a clever way.

Target audience

I am going to be constructing a film trailer for a film within the genre of Crime Thriller. In order to create a film that will appeal to the needs and wants of an audience, I need to recognise the target audience i'm appealing to. To do this I am going to build a character profile of a typical audience member. 

I am targeting the age of 15-35, I have found after conducting research that many Crime Thriller films have a certification of 15a; due to the nature of the film. Many of the films include drugs, blood and gore and this isn't acceptable for a younger audience. In terms of the JICNAR scale and the demographics of my target audience, it would range from anything D - being semi skilled or unskilled workers to A/B - being managerial and administrative workers. There is a wide spread around this part of my target audience as I don't believe that the money you earn affects the types of film you like and they are much more down to personal preference. It isn't like a magazine where audiences will only read about things that they can afford or think are in line with their lifestyle - films are a place to immerse yourself and find out about other cultures as well as thrill in this particular genre. 

My film is targeted towards both girls and boys, however stereotypically boys are into gore, thrill and murder more than girls. I don't want to target only towards boys however as I know girls do enjoy this type of genre too and want to make sure I include things that appeal to them - by adding in women characters i think this will attract them and give them someone to relate rather than it being a typical all male cast. However, females may be attracted to the male characters in the film and this could draw them into watching it and vice versa.

My moodbood below shoes the sort of things that would interest my target audience and what they make take part it in their daily life, just because they enjoy crime thrillers doesn't mean they have a particularly crime filled life. They may enjoy things like roller coasters as they are almost alike to the thrill you could experience when watching a good film (and what I want my audience to feel like when watching my trailer). I have also included games such as crime city with may particularly influence the younger side of my target audience, as these games could influence there film choices. As well as the age groups within my target audience, I have also mentioned the gender through the use of an icon; which represents the both genders I am appealing to.  The conventions of a typical crime thriller I have also included, such as drugs, guns, murder and violence as it's something that my target audience will need to enjoy to enjoy the film. 

Questions for my target audience:

• Would you go and see the film?
• What do you think of the overall plot?
• Does it fit the genre and have the elements it needs?
• Is something there that they would like to find more about
• What are the weaknesses?
• What are the strengths? 
• What kind of characters would you expect to be in the film? 

AWRY: Planning and Pitch

AWRY:
I chose to pitch my idea in the style of a poem as I think this is a creative way to engage with my audience and put across all of the vital information within the narrative in a short space of time. I used red and blue lighting to mimic the lights of a police car.

Script/poem

Film? Awry, that is the name

Listen if you want to know want have became

Meet the Characters, Tony and Emma

They get into a bit of a dilemma

Left school with nothing less than straight A’s

So so clever, they did nothing but amaze

Left school nothing but still in love

But could they stay together when push came to shove?

Engaged in terror, extremism and violence

Both went crazy, stupid, even mindless

Brainwashed entirely by a man named Renny

Who told them the Quaran states “you need to kill many!”

A bomb planned one of Birmingham’s trains

Will they do it or will they use their brains?

A film filled with crime and thriller,

Think next time… are you sitting next to a killer?

My Pitch

SCANDAL: Pitch and planning

SCANDAL:
I am pitching the idea of my film in the character of Craig's little sister, I intend to sell the overall idea of the film without going into too much detail; leaving the audience wanting to know what actually happened and why. By using Craig's little sister, I was able to pull on heart strings of the audience and introduce one of the characters to them directly. The audience still remain intrigued about the characters of 'Craig and 'Denzel' and it meant I could pitch it in a video-log sort of way, in the style of Craig's little sister herself. I chose the filter of black and white on the video as a way of showing the way Craig's family live - only being able to afford a black and white camera, it also keeps the mystery amongst the narrative and film idea as a whole.

Script:
Hello, nice to meet you. I am Craig's little sister, I was 11 when it happened. Craig was good, he got set up by Gaz. He just wanted a better life for me and wanted to help me get away from this place. He just needed the money so bad. Gaz is the real baddy, thats my step brother - who still lives at home. Denzel promised Craig money to kill someone that he said was bad, he said he'd killed 3 women in the area. I am not saying it's right but Craig was a nice boy, honest. Anyway, it turns out Denzel was one of Gaz' friends, and Gaz had set him up. Before I knew it, there was the sirens and my brother in the back of a police car.

Here is my pitch:

Second idea

Idea Two

Name of Film: 
AWRY

I have taken thought and consideration into the name of my film, it is quite an ambiguous word and could lead the audience wanting to know more. The word 'AWRY' is infact a synonym for the word gone wrong - which brings connotations itself.

About the film:

 The film is set the city of Birmingham and is about a girl who finds a boyfriend after leaving school, who teacher her about the extremist of islam. She attends undercover meetings and is brainwashed into the extreme views of these people. Her and her boyfriend plan a terrorist attack on one of  Birmingham's trains but she falls pregnant and had frequent nightmares about the terrorist attack - shes from a normal family and realises what she is doing. She fails to go through with it and when meeting her boyfriend and before the attack shoots her boyfriend.


Characters:
Emma: The young girl who has left school
played by a 16 year old girl

Tony: Her boyfriend

Renny: Leader of Islam group
same age as Tony

Locations:

A train station and a train - I will use the train station near my house called wylde green which is a good spot to record.
A school to show where Emma used to go - I will use the school I attend, this to should keep my filming fairly straight forward and minimize the chance of things going wrong and if they do gives the opportunity to try again and again.
A secret location point for Emma and Tony - various meeting points could be used, I could ask my target audience which they think is most effective. 

Mise-en-scene:
They all dress in normal clothes to hide there beliefs and views, such as jeans and plain tops. They look nothing out of the ordinary and like to discard themselves as 'normal' people with 'normal' views.

How it links to the narrative theorists:
Vladmir Propp: In AWRY, there is only three main characters. One being Emma, one being Tony and one being Renny. The idea of Propp's seven character roles are incorporated throughout the narrative. For example, even though Emma seems to be being brainwashed - she is able to save the people on the train by killing her boyfriend. This is a heroic decision she has to make and could lead to drastic consequences, yet she puts herself and her baby on the line so she can live her life for the better. In a sense, the public on the train are the princess' as they are the ones that need saving and Emma makes the decision to do this. The magical object that gives Emma the sense of worth and opens her eyes is her baby, meaning her body is the donor. The villain in the narrative is Renny, as he manages to brain wash Tony entirely and lives to brain wash people with ridiculous extremist views - killing people in the process. As Tony learns his traits, as an audience he will become much more of a Villain too.


Tzevetan Todorov: The state of equilibrium is seeing the couple in young in love, when everything is fine and they have received excellent A-Level results after studying hard. The events leading up to the bomb and the planning before hand is when we see the characters changing and as an audience you would begin to resent them and their choices. When Emma becomes pregnant, this is when everything seems like it could be resolved and neither of them would sacrifice their lives but Emma has to choose wether she should tell her family the news or think about the babies life. Emma goes through with the murder and the new state of equilibrium is Emma's life without her boyfriend and her new family.

Roland Barthes- The resolution through action was the murder of Tony, this part resolved the war against terror. Another code that is present in the narrative is the Enigma code, working out whether or not Emma will go through with it, or whether she will keep her baby. This keeps the audience thinking, in effect keeping them engaged.

Claude Levi-Strauss- The binary opposites present in the narrative are baby vs boyfriend, from the point of view of Tony girl vs boy and life vs death.

Idea One

Idea One

Name of Film: 
SCANDAL

About the film:
 The film is set in the city of Birmingham and is about a boy who leaves school in hope for a job

earning money to provide for his little sister. He is from a deprived background and uses job searches as a way of finding jobs. He comes across a job requiring to call to find details - which offers huge sums of money. The job being a hitman. In desperation to provide for his family and take his sister out of the council house he currently lives in with his step dad, mom and stepbrother. Craig has to make a decision that would impact greatly on the life of his younger sister - with the sum of money meaning he would never have to work again. He is told he must follow the victim on his way home and murder him. However as they meet, it becomes apparent that Craig has been set up by a rival by his step brother  - just as he pulls the gun police turn up and arrest him.

Characters:
Craig Hogan: The Hitman
played by a 16 year old boy

Denzel Eta: The one who promises huge sums of money, the employer
played by a slightly older boy who appears nice and down to earth - comforting Craig throughout it all

Gaz White: Craig's step brother
same age at Craig

Suzie Hogan: Craig's sister
around the age of 11

Locations:
A council estate where Craig lives
A bridge with graffiti, where the incident is suppose to take place
A school to show where Craig used to go
A meeting point for Craig and Denzel 

Mise-en-scene:
Craig appears to be wearing scruffy clothes from being a lower income un-caring family

Denzel appears to look smart and formal, looks like he is earning well and has new phones and the latest watch yet doesn't appear 'chavvy' at all
Gaz is much alike to Denzel dressing in much of the same clothes

How it links to the narrative theorists:

Vladmir Propp - The seven character types he came up with feature in this narrative. The villian is Gaz , the donor is Denzel as he promises huge sums of money which lures Craig into the crime. The false hero is Gaz, as even though the audience will find themselves feeling sorry for him and emotionally attached - all in all he was going to kill someone. The helper is the one who had agreed to Gaz and Denzel and helped them frame Craig by putting his life in jeopardy. The dispatcher is Denzel, who informs police he has seen a fight on the bridge yet rings the police to set Craig up and isn't a good dispatcher. 

Tzevetan Todorov - The first equilibrium in this instance could be when he is living on a council estate and even though he doesn't see his life starting as great due to money problems, he is much better of than how he ends up at the end of it. The disequilibrium is when Craig chooses to pull out the gun and the police come and arrest him. The new state of equilibrium leaves Craig in prison and his step brother left to live his life. 

Roland Barthes - The film is very much associated with culture and the actions that Craig chooses to take are based partly on his upbringing. Although he isn't from a gang, he just wants easy quick money and falls into false hope and loses what the values he holds as a person in exchange for a sum of cash he believes would give him a better life. As a crime thriller, Craig will be shown various hit-men shooting and receiving cash as part of his 'training' and this is part of the action code Barthes theorized. The puzzle and enigma code is the decision between money and killing which is left until the end of the film to reveal what Craig chooses.

Claude Levi-Strauss - The main binary opposites in the narrative are money vs life, brother vs step brother and these drive the action and suspense to create a good and effective 'thriller', by keeping the audience keen and interested and forcing them to take sides with the characters.