Research Summary

Audience

From researching my audience of males and females between the ages of 16 and 24, I have found that they will hopefully be able to relate to at least one aspect of my short film whether that’s the characters, genders, ages or the situation that they have found themselves in. I tried to create a short film which included a situation that students may find themselves in (having to write a synopsis or essay and having writers block) which will hopefully mean that the audience will find the film more entertaining and will want to finish watching it. My short film will appeal to this target audience by including at least one male and one female character so both genders will hopefully find something they can relate to. The genre is comedy, which any age group can enjoy although I’ll be aiming my humor at 16-24 year olds by including one liners and subtle comedy aspects that this age group would enjoy. My film will have no age restriction, so although it is target mainly at 16-24 year olds, it will also be suitable for any age group due to having no reference to violence, drugs, sex or alcohol. There are around 7 million 16-24 year olds in the UK (around 11% of the population) so there is a large potential audience for my film, to be able to target the majority of these people I will be publishing my short film on YouTube, which is an interest in the age group for my film, so they will know how to navigate around the site and come across the film easily. Due to my film being scripted in English my film would be suited mainly for Britain and other British speaking countries although the UK would be the main target audience as the audience may need an understanding about the British education system or the subject of Film Studies due to the content that will be included. The characters within my film would fit into the class profile of C2 within my production as it gives my film the ability to appeal to people who are associated with these classes (the majority of my target audience would fall into this category).

Market

The genre of my short film will be comedy and the conventions of this

genre mainly consist of bright colours and locations, natural and bright lighting to create a realistic environment, upbeat music and a common attribute for the comedy characters is sarcasm. The majority of these attributes can be found within the comedy short films and sketches made by the YouTubers Jack & Dean (Ghost Fighting Corporation trailer - https://youtu.be/ZunoHaQ9JHw ). The comedy genre as well as having typical attributes people would associate with the genre they also have typical camera angles that are used which can also be seen in Ghost Fighting Corporation. These are naturalistic camera angles such as medium shots to catch a conversation going on between two characters, close up shots to show emotion on character’s faces, wide angle shots to show the environment the film could be taking place in and extreme close ups to show detail such as the text that the two students could be writing.

There are many existing products of the same genre as my film, the majority of these can be found on YouTube created by YouTubers such as TomSka, TimH and Jack & Dean. The trilogy of ‘Meanwhile’ (Meanwhile 1 - https://youtu.be/YmokqDrIBKg ) was created by TomSka and contains a similar style to my short film of whatever is being said by the narrator happens in the next scene. The simple but effective short sketch keeps the audience entertained through the funny scenarios and quick editing between narration and action.

Another example of a short film that contains subtle comedy codes and conventions is the 4 part short film created by TimH called Project: Library (trailer - https://youtu.be/rcHmTpdUPbI ). This short film contains a variety of camera angles that keep the viewer entertained even if the scene is showing something that would be a regular occurrence such as somebody walking up some stairs. By using a variety of camera angles it makes even the duller scenes more interesting to watch. The visual effects that are used are effective

and add to the suspense and action that the short film is based around while also adhering to codes and conventions of the comedy genre such as bright naturally lit scenes which make the viewer feel happy and comfortable watching the film.

As well as looking at short films which have been published online I also researched full length films that relate to my short film and contain interesting techniques. One of the films that I researched was the 2008 film directed by Charlie Kaufman, New York, Synecdoche (https ://youtu.be/ XIizh6nYnTU ). This film is based around the story of a theatre director through a performance he puts on about his life. The camera angles that are used within this film are effective at portraying the story and the size of the production to the viewers. This film is a combination of drama and comedy, unlike my film which will be mainly based around the comedy genre and the struggles of writers block.

Production

Pre-production

During pre-production of my short film there will be some production considerations I will have to address such as the process of storyboarding and scripting which will be done at the same time so I will know what shots I will

need to film as the dialogue goes on between the characters. By having a storyboard and script it will help me while filming as I can refer back to what I planned while also having something for the actors and crew to look at so that they know what they need to be doing in each shot so the filming of the short film will be quick and smooth. I will also have to consider scheduling my shoot so that the cast and crew know when we will be filming; they’ll know what scenes we’ll be filming as well as what equipment or props they will need for that shoot. This will ensure that my short film will run smoothly and that I will film all the shots I will need. Casting will be very important to my short film and to the overall product that is created as if the actors used are not convincing to the viewers than they won’t want to watch the whole film. This is why I will be casting actors who have experience and not friends who are in my class as they may not be as professional.

Production

While the production process for my short film will be going on I will also be considering aspects such as when I will be filming a conversation or scene between two of the characters that are acting out the scenario that is being written I could film the scene once through with the camera in one position ( straight on medium shot) and then re-film the whole scene from another angle (side angle looking at one of the characters) which would mean that when it comes to editing the film together I can switch between different shots while they're talking so that the audience do not get bored while watching it – similar to that of the Ghost Fighting Corporation short film. I will be using a boom microphone so I can record the audio separately from the video which means that when it comes to editing I do not have adjust the volume level on the video file because a line is too quiet and cannot be heard. All of the lines within my film will need to be clear and loud because it is a comedy and contains subtle one liners. For filming the scenes of the students writing the synopsis at the desk I will be using a tripod to film, so that the shot will be steady and level due to most tripods containing a spirit level. As well as considering the cast for the short film I will also be needing a crew of around 2-3 people who can help operate the camera, the boom while also having someone who can refer to the storyboard so that we don’t miss out any important shots. If I were to be filming in locations that would need permission

from land owners or the government I would need to plan this in advance but as my short film will be based in locations that we would usually see teenagers such as the bus stop or the local park I won’t be needing permission as these areas are public access.

Post-production

To ensure that my final film is of a professional quality I will be using editing software that is used in the media industry such as Final Cut Pro or Premier Pro which will help me to create the quick cuts which are needed between the scenes acted out by the characters and the two students sat writing the synopsis. To be able to follow the codes and conventions of a comedy genre I may need to ensure that the shots are brightened or adjust the contrast so that the shot seems lighter – similar to what has been done in the Project: Library short film.

So that my short film will keep the audience entertained and so that it is clear to them that the scenes between the two students writing the synopsis and the characters who are acting what they’re writing out are separate, I may alter the colour of the scenes between the two students. I could alter the scenes so that they are black and white or gloomier than the scenes of the characters acting out the scenario so there is a clear definition between the real life and what the students are thinking about.