19. Storyboard

Storyboard of my film opening - 'Take 2'

18. Scripting

Amelia (main character) is lying in bed.

VOICE OVER (of Amelia): Okay, so today's the day. New school, new start, new me.

Amelia looks at her alarm clock.

AMELIA: Oh shit!

Amelia jumps out of bed and starts rushing around trying to get ready.

VOICE OVER: Organisation is key this year. I'm determined to work hard, do my homework and get good grades. The thing I want most though, is a decent social life. This means I need to make a good first impression.

Amelia goes into her bathroom and stares at herself in the mirror.

VOICE OVER: I've been trying out some new styles recently...

(Flash back to her trying out different styles - Chavy, gothic and hipster)

VOICE OVER: It's hard to find the balance between fitting in and standing out from the crowd. I need something that says 'wow! that girl is cool' ... Although i'm not too sure what that is.

(Flash back to bathroom)

VOICE OVER: Then again, no one remembers first impressions anyway, right? I guess i'll just have to go with the 'I'm too cool to make an effort' look, for now.

Amelia puts on a bit of makeup, ties hair up and gets dressed. She runs down the stairs and out the door.

VOICE OVER: Being on time has never been my strong point. It's a good thing I can multitask. Did I mention that i'm not great at remembering things either? Oh well.
I have a new chance now to get things right. This is my upper school experience, take 2. I can't mess this up.

Amelia walks in through the school doors.

17. Timeline planning

This is the timeline of my Film Opening - 

16. Costumes

Here is a list of the costumes I am going to need for my film opening with an image and an explanation of the meaning that I am going to try to produce with them.

Pyjamas

As the main character is shown waking up in the morning, she will be introduced wearing pyjamas. This is in order to make her morning routine as normal and relatable to teenagers as possible.

'Chavy' outfit

Before her first day of her new school, the main character experiments with different looks and styles. One of the looks she tries out it a 'chavy' one. This consists of big jewellery, lots of make up, bright clothes and possibly a cap.

'Gothic' outfit

The next look that the main character tries out is 'gothic'. This consists of lots of dark eye makeup, dark lipstick, flat hair and black clothing.

'Hipster' outfit

The last outfit that is tried out is the 'hipster' look. This consists of dip died hair, a hat, sometimes glasses, a crop top, shorts and long socks.

Casual outfit

Finally the main character decides to just go with a standard, casual outfit for school. This will consist of a skirt and a shirt as the skirt is needed for a comedic part.

15. Locations

Here is a list of the locations I am going to use for my film opening with an image and an explanation of the meaning that I am going to try to produce with them.

School

I have chosen to use a school as the main location of my film as this is a convention of a Teen Comedy. The character will arrive at the school at the end of my film opening suggesting that the rest of the film will take place within the school. Using a school shows the age of the characters and makes the genre clear.

Main characters bedroom

This is where the main character will be introduced at the start of my film opening. Her room is pink and very girly which shows a bit about her personality. It allows you to get an idea of the age and lifestyle of the main character.

Main characters house

As the main character is getting ready in the morning she will be running around the house as she is in a hurry. This will make her seem relatable and down to earth. Showing where the main character lives will allow the audience to connect more with her.

14. Prop list

Here is a list of the props I am going to need for my film opening with an image and an explanation of the meaning that I am going to try to produce with them.

Makeup

I am going to need makeup to show the main character getting ready in the morning. She is trying to fit in at her new school and has been experimenting with different looks using makeup and clothes. I plan for the main character to put on makeup in the mirror to help show this.

Toast

As the narrative of my film opening is based on the main character getting ready for her first day of school, eating breakfast is included in her morning routine. To show her going doing this the main character will quickly eat a few bites of toast. This will also help to show that she is in a rush.

Toothbrush

Again, as part of the main character's morning routine, she will rush brushing her teeth. To do this she will need a toothbrush. It will also be used as a small comedic part of the narrative to help my film opening fit the genre of Teen Comedy.

Cigarette

To show the main character trying to fit in at her new school, as well as experimenting will different styles, she will to try to smoke a cigarette. Using a cigarette fits with the conventions of a Teen Comedy as drug usage. This will comply with the guideline of a 12A rated film as long as the use is infrequent (which it will be as it will only be shown once) and is not glamourise (which it also wont be as the main character is going to not like smoking and then flush the cigarette down the toilet).

13. Mood board

I have created a mood board containing the conventions of a Teen Comedy that I am going to include in my film opening.

Making this mood board has helped me to visually summarise the conventions of a Teen Comedy. It is a collage of different photographs and words that I combined together on powerpoint. I can now see what type of characters, language, situations and props I should include in my film opening.

12. Brainstorming synopsis

To start thinking of ideas for my Film opening I created a mind map using MindMeister.

11. Preliminary Task Video

10. Preliminary Task Storyboard

To practice my storyboard skills before I complete my final storyboard, I created a short 6 shot storyboard to plan my preliminary task video -

9. Preliminary Task Script

To practice writing the script for my film opening I have written a short script for my preliminary task -

Tim walks through the door and sits opposite Amy.

TIM : Hey

AMY : Hey!

TIM : How are you?

AMY : Yeah I'm alright, you?

TIM : Yeah I'm good

AMY : Did you hear about the party last night?

TIM : Yeah it was like, so good! Everyone's talking about it. That girl, Laura? She.. She.. Ahh I don't want to talk about it. Hahaha! But anyways, they even played (something)!

AMY : Yeah I know! That's a great song. I wish they played some Coldplay though.

TIM : Nah I know, I know. But, Coldplay don't really have any new music lately.





8. Production company logo

My production company logo -

My production company is Splatter Studios. I feel my logo represents this well as the background of it consists of different coloured paint splats. The splats are pastel colours that go together well, making the background visually appealing. It also fits the genre of Teen Comedy well as the colours are bright and friendly. Similar to this, the font that I have used I think appeals to a Teenage film. The font is bold and bubbly which gives off a positive vibe.

The job of a production company logo is to represent the company and illustrate the type of company that it is. The difference between a major and independant production company is that independant companies have less money to work with than major ones. Major film production companies also produce films on a regular basis.

Here are some examples of other production companies within the same genre as mine are -

This Nickelodeon logo is similar to my own. The background is similar with the paint splat. I really like this idea as I think it is fun, creative and very eye catching. The font in my company logo is different to all of these examples, however I think it creates a similar feeling as the Dream Works and Nickelodeon font. The Columbia logo is probably the least like my logo and I think it is the least appealing to teenagers as it seems quite old fashioned and is not very bright and colourful.

7. Audience Expectations

The genre of film I am creating is Teen Comedy. The target audience for this genre is therefore teenagers or people from ages of around 12 - 18. This is because the comedy and narrative of Teen comedies is typically based on things teenagers would find funny and can relate to.

This Jicnar scale puts people into catagories A, B, C1, C2, D and E based on their job -

The demographic that I think would watch my genre of film would be catagory E. This group includes students (teenagers) as they most likely do not have a job or have a part time unskilled job. Even though only 8% of the population fall into this catagory, I think this is a good age range of people to target a film at as they usually have more free time and would be happy to spend it at the cinema or at home watching a film.

The BBFC classification that my film fits into is 12A. The effect this will have on my target audience is that it will allow all teenagers over the age of 12 to watch the film. Where as, if I had classed the film as a 15 it would prevent people from the ages of 12-14 viewing the film, even though they could have enjoyed it. Therefore, giving it a 12A rating will enable everyone in my target audience to watch and be entertained by the film.

To find out what my target audience would expect from a Teen comedy, I filmed some people between the ages of 12-18 (teenagers) and asked them what they would expect.

I combined these quick interviews into one video -

6. Nine frame analysis

Nine frame analysis of the film '16 wishes'

1. This is the first shot in the opening sequence. It is a long shot of the main characters room which establishes the setting and location. The typography is important in this shot as the title of the film is shown. The choice of font here hints at the narrative of the film. The '16' in the title is made to look like birthday candles, suggesting that it is, or soon will be, the main characters 16th birthday. The fact that the word 'wishes' is in quite a standard font and is a dark blue colour makes me think that wishes are perhaps not a good thing in the film. 

 2. This shot is a close up of the main character. You can see clearly see her appearance and that she is asleep. Having a young teenage girl as the main character is a convention of a teen comedy. In this particular frame (along with frame 6) the mise en scene is kept simple. There is just the main character in quite a standard single bed. This keeps your attention on her facial expression. 

3. The cameras then go around her room and zoom in on different features. For example, in this frame there is a close up of a scrapbook. This tells you a bit more about the main character such as her hobbies and the boy that you assume she likes.

4. Another thing in her room that has a close up on is this new driver handbook. This shows that the character is learning to drive. This links the 16th birthday idea to the main character as 16 is the age that you start learning to drive in the US. 

5. The cinematography in this shot is a close up of an alarm clock. This corresponds with the sound of the alarm going off. This shows that 7:00 was the time her alarm was set for which means she most likely has school to go to.

6. This is a similar camera shot as frame 2 except from a different angle. Again it focuses the audiences attention on her facial expression, which is now of her looking at her alarm clock. As well as the pore strip on her nose possibly being funny to some viewers, it also fits the main character to the conventions of the main character in teen comedies. They are usually always trying to improve themselves and clearly this character is trying to improve her appearance.

7. This shot is of the main character smiling. The performance of this actress shows us that the main character is excited about just having turned 16 years old. Having the film based on her 16th birthday is a convention of a teen comedy. They often start on an important event such as the first day of school or a birthday.

8. This frame introduces some of the other main characters. Along with the dialogue in the film, this shows that the girl lives with her mum, dad and brother. They are clearly wishing her a happy birthday. However, as this camera angle puts us in the position of the main character, these characters seem very close and 'in your face'. This explains the characters reaction to her family in the next frame... 

9. Here you can see that the main character feels a bit smothered by her family and doesn't like it. Her facial expression and body language shows she is not happy about them being in her room. This may have been done so some viewers of the film can relate to the main character.

Doing this Nine frame analysis has given me some inspiration for my own opening sequence. In mine I  plan to show the main character waking up on the first day of her new school. As a similar situation to this occurs in this film opening, I can use some of the same cinematography and mise en scene to achieve a similar atmosphere. Another thing I have learnt from this analysis that the audience is able to make links between different things that are shown. Such as linking the New driver handbook to the fact that the main character is turning 16. I could use this in my film opening if I want to discreetly give out any extra information about the main character.

5. Certificate Ratings

Before I come to making my own opening sequence, it is important that I understand the role that classification plays in deciding the content of films. I will research different certificate ratings so I have a wide range of knowledge about them. This will allow me to assign my own film opening to the rating that I feel fits my narrative and genre the best.

Once I have chosen the certificate rating that I intend for my film opening, I will have to make sure I follow the guidelines accurately in order to achieve it.

Using the BBFC website, I researched the guidelines for each certificate rating and summarised them in a short video -

 

How each certificate rating fits with the genre of Teen Comedies -

U and PG

For a teen comedy, the main target audience for my film would be teenagers. To make my film enjoyable for teenagers, I feel I would not be able to do this whilst staying within the guidelines of a U or PG rating. For example, drug misuse is only acceptable if it carries an anti drug message and there can only be mild bad language. In a film made for teenagers to watch, I think not using strong language or showing occasional drug taking would make it boring and not relatable for them. 

12A

I think a 12A fits my genre quite well. It allows infrequent strong language and drug taking as long as it is not glamorised. I think my film opening could comply with these guidelines whilst still having good comedic value and narrative that teenagers find entertaining.

15

In a 15 certificate rating, everything that I would want to include in my film opening is acceptable. Such as strong language and drug taking. However, if it is also acceptable in a 12A (as long as it is infrequent) I feel it would be better to rate my film as 12A so more people could watch.

18

As my genre is targeted is teenagers, I think this certificate rating would take out too much of my audience. Even though everything I would want to include to make the film enjoyable to teenagers is allowed, I don't think it would be worth loosing most of the people that would watch the film.

As my chosen genre is Teen comedy, the main target audience for my film would be teenagers. Initially, I thought this would lead to the certificate rating being a 15. However after researching how each certificate rating fits with my chosen, I now think that my film would be better suited as a 12A.

This is because I think my film opening will comply with the guidelines of a 12A certificate rating without having to change the narrative or comedic value. Therefore, I feel it is better to have a lower certificate rating if possible as it increases the audience that are allowed to view the film.

The two guidelines that influence parts of the comedy in my film opening are to do with the use of strong language and drug taking (In particular, smoking). Both of these are acceptable in a 15 but in a 12A the guidelines are more specific. However, the guidelines for a 12A rated film are that the strong language and drug taking must be infrequent and the drug taking must not be glamorised. I feel that I could still follow this without having to change the comedic value and so my film opening should be classified as a 12A.

4. History of the genre

Genres are not fixed. They develop and change over time and therefore it is difficult to define one. In order to fully understand the genre of 'Teen Comedies' I have researched the history of genre and learnt about how it has developed over time. I then created a powerpoint that maps out the information I have found.

3. Genre Conventions

Conventions of a 'Teen comedy'

Knowing the conventions of my chosen genre, Teen comedy, will help me when I come to making my own film opening as I can see the conventions I need to include. It will allow me to know what kind of atmosphere I need to create and how to go about doing that. For example, I can see that my film opening needs to be light-hearted and I could achieve this through showing friendship, fun or some harmless violence. It also helps me to get an idea of the characters to involve, such as an 'idiot' and 'popular' ones.

2. Understanding of micro elements

I have analysed the opening sequence of the film 'Angus thongs and perfect snogging'. I have looked at the micro features and analysed them for the meaning they produce when used in an opening sequence. This will help me when I produce my own 'Teen comedy' opening sequence as I will have an idea of what I need to include to achieve a similar effect.

1. Timeline of an opening

Conventions

Conventions of a film opening

• Around 2 minutes long (However, some major blockbusters may be up to 5 minutes)
• Introduces the key characters
• Introduces pre plot or beginning of the narrative
• Establishes setting/location
• Non diegetic sound
• Key credits such as production company, director and actors
• A key event occurs
• Title of the film

Conventions of a 'Teen comedy' film opening

• Introduces main character during a particularly memorable moment (For example, after a breakup, first day of school or last day of school)
• Non diegetic sound appeals to younger generation (Usually pop songs)
• Main character is recognised as socially awkward/unpopular
• Establishes setting/location which is often school

Timeline of a film opening

I have chosen to look at the opening sequence of the film 'Lol' by Lisa Azuelos.

I watched the opening sequence to 'Lol' and recorded all of the titles that appeared on a piece of paper. Within the 2:58 sequence there was a total of 27 titles. This credited everyone that was involved in the making of the film, including the producers, directors and actors. 

On another piece of paper I made note of the sound and camera shots. This enabled me to see the sound effects that corresponded with each camera shot. For example, the voice over of the main character started at the same time as the close up shots did. Tracking the sound also helped me to get a better understanding of the effect of music in 'Teen comedies'. The song played in the background did not build tension or suspense, but instead just created an upbeat, light-hearted atmosphere.