Aims and Context

I am planning on creating a Step Outline for a LGBT Drama. The target audience will be 12A due to parts which some may find upsetting.  The main feature of the film is that the identity of the main characters will be kept secret until the reveal at the end.

Recent Film Productions Research

US Blockbuster:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

• Budget: $245million + $122.5million (Marketing) = $367million
• Opening Weekend: $248million
• Worldwide Gross: $2billion
• Cast: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver
• Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy
• Production Companies: Lucasfilm (founded by George Lucas)
• Classification: PG-13
• Rating: 92% Rotten Tomatoes, Average Score - 8.2/10
• Release Date: 17th December 2015
• Director: J.J. Abrahams 
• Studio: Walt Disney 

Why it was successful:

• Star Wars is a very famous franchise therefore it has acquired a huge fanbase who were eager to see the new film.
• A lot of the original cast members featured in The Force Awakens such as: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. It also features a lot of references. 
• Social Media helped the success of The Force Awakens as there are many fan accounts for the franchise of those who support the movie regardless of how well it did. 
• Storm troopers march through London - got people talking - influx in social media activity as it went viral.
• Before Star Wars, Daisy Ridley was cast in minor UK roles like Casualty, Silent Witness and student films. The director JJ Abrahams decided to choose an unknown actor because he preferred watching he old Star Wars' and not knowing who the actors were. 

UK Production:

Bridget Jones's Baby

• Budget: $35million + $17.5million (Marketing) = $52.5million
• Opening Weekend: $9million
• Worldwide Gross: $211million
• Cast: Colin Firth, Renee Zellweger, Patrick Dempsey
• Genre: Romantic Comedy
• Production Companies: Working Title Films, Miramax
• Classification: 15
• Rating: 77% Rotten Tomatoes, Average Score - 6.3/10
• Release Date: 16th September 2016 
• Directed by: Sharon Maguire
• Studio: Universal 

Why it was successful:

• Bridget Jones's Baby is the 3rd film in the Bridget Jones franchise therefore it had attracted audiences who enjoyed the previous two films. 
• All 3 Bridget Jones's are based on the popular book series written by Helen Fielding, attracting a wide audience of those who enjoyed the book series and would like to have seen it be brought to life. 
• The character Bridget Jones is a much loved heroine after the huge success of the previous films as a lot of women relate to her quirky character. 

Why it was unsuccessful:

• Hugh Grant played a huge part in the Bridget Jones franchise and only featured briefly in Bridget Jones's baby due to his dislike of the script. Resulting in fans of Hugh Grant not wanting to watch the third film without him in it. 
• As Bridget Jones's Baby is a Romantic Comedy, it means that the audience is limited and with the plot being about pregnancy, it means that a lot of the 15+ audience would not be able to relate to the film, whereas those who are middle ages women would. However many women that age are busy and may not have been able to find time to go to the cinema.
• The film didn't do very well in the US, unlike the first two films.

Marketing:

• To appeal to the target audience of older women, they advertised the film on stereotypical 'women' products like muller light yoghurts and aero. This is due to the fact that more women purchase these products if they are health conscious and are the target audience for diet products.

US Independent Film:

Manchester by the Sea
 

• Budget: $8.5million + $4.25million (Marketing) = 
• Opening Weekend: $4million
• Worldwide Gross: $62million 
• Cast: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams 
• Genre: Drama
• Production Companies: Pearl Street Films
• Classification: R
• Rating: 96% Rotten Tomatoes, Average Score - 8.9/10
• Release Date: 16th December 2016
• Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan 
• Studio: Amazon Studios

Why it was successful:

• 
  

World Cinema Production:
The Tribe (Originally called Plemya)

• Budget: $1.5million + $750k (Marketing) = $2,250,000
• Opening Weekend: $11k
• Worldwide Gross: $150k
• Cast: Grigoriy Fesenko, Yana Novikova, Roza Babiy
• Genre: Foreign Drama
• Production Companies: Harmata Film Production, Ukrainian Film Agency
• Classification: Unrated 
• Rating: 88% Rotten Tomatoes, Average Score - 7.6/10
• Release Date: 11th September 2014
• Directed by: Miroslav Slaboshpitsky
• Studio: Drafthouse

Why it was unsuccessful:

• The Tribe is filmed entirely in Ukrainian Sign Language with no subtitles or voiceover and all actors are deaf, meaning that unless someone knew Ukrainian sign language they would have to try and piece the film together via the action taking place however those who know western european sign language may be able to understand 70% of the film. therefore the film is not for everyone as many do not have the skill to be able to interpret the film. Also silent films are not for everyone therefore the audience is limited. Not much recognition from those not in the USL community. 
• An Article for the Guardian written by 

The Shining

The scene 'Come Play With Us' begins with a tracking shot of Danny as he rides his tricycle around the corridors of the hotel. Danny appears so small on the tricycle in comparison to the huge corridors and this makes him appear more vulnerable and as he cycles off, he gets further and further away from the camera, appearing like he is disappearing and in danger. As Danny turns the first corner, the camera doesn't follow and instead lingers on a shot of the corridor whilst still slowly tracking forward, this makes the viewer aware that Danny is not safe as even the camera didn't follow him. The next shot is of Danny in a smaller corridor and the camera is still tracking behind him. As he abruptly turns round the a tight corner there is a sudden increase in the non-diegetic music as a shrill high-pitched sound is heard. This is a common convention of Horror movies as they are usually unexpected and build fear. The use of the high pitched sound made me think that something bad was about to happen and prepared myself for what is going to be round the corner. The camera follows him around the corner and blocking his path is two young girls, this came as a shock to me as we had been made fully aware that no one else was in the hotel apart from Jack, Wendy and Danny, meaning that something is not right. Danny abruptly stops as this appearance has taken by shop, this is shown by a reaction shot of a close up of his face where he has a shocked expression alongside him heavy breathing which emphasises his fear and panic in the situation, a series of shot reverse shots are then shown between the close up of Danny and a long shot of the back of Danny's head with the girls at the end of the corridor, this creates tension for the viewer. The girls speak in a very slow tone which gives off a very creepy vibe and provokes fear within the audience, they also have a slight echo effect which is a typical convention in horror films as it gives off an unnatural feeling. They ask Danny to 'Come play with us' this scared me as Danny is a naïve young child who would probably do exactly what they asked, after this sudden shots of the girls covered in blood after being killed by their father are shown, this suggests that they want to kill Danny too. Alongside these shots are loud non-diegetic sounds which on their own would not create that much fear, but with the disturbing footage of the girls it provokes even more fear into the audience and made me feel scared. The next shot is another reaction shot of Danny and this time his mouth is wide open and he appears very shocked and scared about what he is witnessing. Shots of the girls covered in blood appear in between shots of the girls saying 'Forever and ever' this gives a distressing feeling and emphasises the eeriness, there is a bloody axe in front of the girls bodies which is the weapon that Jack was going to kill Wendy and Danny with, so this is significant as it is foreshadowing what Danny's fate could be. Danny then covers his eyes which emphasises that he is still a child with the fact that he is trying to hide himself from the girls when he is still clearly visible. As Danny slowly peels back his fingers, the music becomes much more intense which would lead me to believe that the girls would be standing directly in front of Danny which would create a jump scare, but instead, the girls are gone. In the corridor there is a prominent 'EXIT' sign situated by one of the doors which would suggest to Danny that it is very dangerous and he needs to leave.

Reflective Analysis

I was given the task of creating a short horror/thriller sequence, I decided to film in the parts of college which is not used by many students as it has quite a dark and creepy vibe which emphasizes the horror genre I was trying to portray. I shot the whole sequence in black and white as it adds an old fashioned feel to it and also makes the scene feel a lot darker and more eerie, to further add to this as we were editing we added suspenseful non-diegetic music which increases in pace as the sequence progresses, this is used to add tension and to give the impression that something bad is going to take place. I filmed this after college therefore there were no other pupils around which adds the horror convention of isolation as the main character was wandering through the almost derelict corridors alone. The first shot is of the character walking up to the door and opening it, this is the establishing shot which sets the scene for the sequence. This is then followed by a close up of the door and then a panning shot of the character walking through the abandoned corridor completely unaware of the figure lurking in the shadows, this is done to add a sense of suspicion as to who the figure is and what is going to happen to the girl. The girl is trying to find her classroom when she hears two bangs coming from the other room which her response is to turn around and a reaction shot is shown, following from this is an extreme close up of her eyes highlighting the distress and confusion the noise has caused. This then transitions into security camera footage shot at a dutch angle of a painting which was left on the floor and in the reflection the girl can be seen walking towards the figure. The character is then attacked by the figure and left for dead as the figure is shot walking away in slow motion acting like they feel accomplished with their kill.

Overall I feel like the task went okay however there are many improvements I believe would be necessary for example, it could have been a lot longer if would have planned out more shots that I wanted to film and also a lot of the shots I thought was reasonably good, turned out to be inadequate after viewing them again. 

Revolutionary Road Scene Analysis

In the first shot used, there is use of an establishing shot of what seems to be a school corridor with two people (a man and a women) walking down it. The shot lasts 20 seconds with only the diegetic sound of footsteps featured in the scene, this could suggest that the two are not getting along for some reason, this idea can be supported by how far apart the two are together, towards the end of the sequence we see the man is ahead out of the frame, where as the woman is a few seconds behind.

In the next shot, we can see the pair in the car, with the male driving. The shot was filmed as a two shot/medium close up. There is a silence for approximately 5 seconds and the two look quite far apart. It becomes apparent that the two are in a relationship when the male refers to her as ‘baby’ when the silence has been broken; this has been used to establish that the two are together. The woman becomes increasingly frustrated within the scene as the male is trying to comfort her, about something she may not have achieved. The two become increasingly agitated. The next shot shows the male parking the car on the side of the road (long shot), this is to establish where the car is parking.

The next shot is a long shot of the car and the pair sitting in the car, we can see they are sat even further apart. The male tries to talk to the woman, however, we see her move further away when he tries to touch her; this connotes that the two are in a fight. The next shot is a medium close up/over-the-shoulder shot of the woman; this is to show the woman’s emotion; this is an example of low key lighting as we can only see the only her face. We then cut to a medium close up of the male from a low angle; this could suggest that he is superior in the situation. We then cut back to the female in a reaction shot of the man trying to sort things out, she seems very distraught as she shouts at her partner, saying “leave me alone!”, this is followed by a reaction shot of the man, who becomes increasingly agitated to the woman's arrogance to talk about the problems the two are having, these are examples of shot-reverse shot.

The next shot is a medium close up of the woman sitting in the car. She looks quite calm within the clip, however you can tell that the man and woman are distant with each other because you cannot see him within the shot. There is only lighting from the left hand side, which highlights her emotions of sadness. The next shot shows the man through another medium close up. He is seen to be moving to face the woman which suggests that they are in conflict. He is also pointing his finger at her, which suggests that he is being authoritative towards her. He facial expression suggest that he is frustrated with the conversation as he is frowning his eyebrows. He also used explicit language which suggests that he is arrogant. This shot is almost 20 seconds long which suggests the diegetic dialogue is important to the narrative.

The next shot is another medium close up of the woman. This time she has her hand on her forehead, which suggests that she is frustrated by the conversation. Her facial expression shows that she is confused. Also the setting of this scene is within a car at night. We can see this from the low key lighting outside of the car.

We then cut to another medium close up of the man who is getting aggressive towards the woman and using offensive terms towards himself. This shows that they might not respect each other. In the next scene, there is the use of another medium close up, however the man comes within the shot. We see him through the use of hard lighting, where we see a part of his face and he finger, pointing at the woman. This shows that the conflict is getting worse, because he is invading her personal space. The whole of this sequence is a shot reverse shot, which intensifies as the clip goes along. In the next scene, we see the woman get out of the car in anger, through the use of another medium long shot. Which suggests that she has had enough of his shouting at her. The next scene is a long shot which shows us the front of the car that they were sat in. The lighting from the headlights is beaming intensely which suggests that the argument could get even more heated.

The next scene is an establishing shot which shows us the location of the conflict. There is hard lighting which lights up only part of the scene. It almost looks like a spotlight on the woman, which suggests that she is significant to the next scene. There is also a slight track to the left which shows that it could be a handheld camera. We then see a medium close up of the woman lighting a cigarette which could emphasise her frustration. We can also see the man walking towards her through the use of a streetlight. When the man reaches the woman he appears to have calmed down since exiting the car. From when they were in the car, the man seemed to dominate the conversation, however the woman appears to be getting agitated by this and starts arguing back. There is the use of a two shot which shows them as standing apart from each other which confirms their conflict. You can also see one of the headlights which is lighting up the space between them, almost as if it is a barrier within their relationship.

The next shot is a mid-shot of both characters, although they are very close to each other in proximity, they share a very negative aura and both have a confrontational demeanour. The rule of thirds is used in this shot as both characters utilise the middle and left side of the screen, leaving the gloomy darkness lingering on the right hand side of the shot, this could express their dark relationship or the impending doom that could be yet to come.

 

As the male lead starts to walk off, the shot changed to an over the shoulder, mid-shot focusing on the female lead. Both characters have immense aggression towards each other this is shown by their tone and dominating body languages. The distance between the characters shows emptiness in their relationship and as the male lead turns away, a car is shown in-between them highlighting the obstructions in their relationship.

The next shot returns to the original position, a mid two-shot, by using shot reverse shot to emphasize their interaction. There is also an increase in tension and physical violence. The male lead regains his dominance by attempting to hit the female lead. As she cowers away he proceeds to take his anger out on the car. This shows the change in roles, as at the start of the scene both characters portrayed the same level of dominance and anger towards each other but after the incident the male lead holds more control over the female just due to violence.

 All of these scenes are shot statically to focus on their argument without any distractions; this shows that the argument is the only thing that is in their mind at that moment and they have put all their energy into it.

As the male lead strolls off after the injuring himself, the camera angle stays the same and does not track him, to show the females reaction to what he has just done, she seems shocked at the situation even though she isn't facing the camera. The male lead then stands in the way of the car lights making him his body the only well lit object in the frame. This puts emphasis on him and makes it seem like he's seen the light and regrets his actions.

The next shot is a part over the shoulder mid-shot of the male lead cowering over the car bonnet, with the female lead standing over him, this allows her to regain the dominance and control over him. She then dramatically gets into the car leaving the male still in pain outside the car, however regardless of what has occurred she still allows him time to get into the car with her, showing that she still cares about him and could never leave him.

 

The camera angle then changes to a close up of the woman's face in the car whilst waiting for the male to get in. The lighting is very low-key and there is only a small amount of light on her face to show her distressed expression to the situation. The complete darkness around her emphasises her dark thoughts smothering her and there is no escape. The male then enters the car just as she manages to pull away her hand and show her distraught state.

The last few shots of the scene are silent and are close ups of their faces looking horrified after the events which had taken place. A series of shot reverse shots then take place with the camera focussing on the character closer to the camera at the time, leaving  the other character blurred in the background this emphasises that although they are sat next to each other they are both very alone and are taking no notice of the other person and are essentially lost for words.

 

The last shot of the sequence is a still, long shot of both of the car showing both characters sat inside. There is a huge distance between both of them which shows the hollow in their relationship and the intensity that the nights events had caused to both of them. The lighting is low-key except for the single street light and two car lights, these emphasise the light at the end of the tunnel for them and signify that they can work through their issues.