This is my own individual design for an institutional logo which could be used at the beginning of our film. I decided to design an animated logo because these are seen more frequently within the media, which means that our opening will look more professional. I designed it on PowerPoint, which means that it is quite impressive that it is animated. However, Jack has also designed a logo, so we will have to decide between the two of them in order to choose our final logo.
Tuesday 18 March 2014
Wednesday 12 March 2014
Research into Independent and Mainstream institutional logos
Mainstream:
Another mainstream institutional logo which is world recognisable is the 20th Century Fox logo. It again features animation which would be completely out of the reach of an independent company, but also features the overstated styling which is a feature of mainstream logos. The font is huge and unmistakable, whereas with the independent logos below, the use of text is quite understated and is not immediately recognisable. Another important feature about this logo is its use of sound. The matching soundtrack is as recognisable as the actual logo is, because the two are always heard in conduction with one another. Being an independent institution, we are unlikely to feature sound in our logo - if there is any sound, it will be a single shot sound, rather than an instrumental piece which is set to the entire logo.
Independent:
The HanWay Films logo is a typical example of the logo of an independent company. It is incredibly simple, white text on a black background, with no animation and no music in the background. This could be due to the financial restraints on the company, who can't afford a fancy logo like the ones above. However, it could also be a deliberate stylistic choice, as the company may decide that the artistic content of their films is more important than the logo which precedes the film. The logo for our company, Peacock Productions, is likely to look a lot like this logo, as it is fairly simple to design and render, yet still works well at the beginning of an independent film. Also note that this logo will usually only be on screen for a few seconds, as opposed to the mainstream logos, which are often on the screen for upwards of 25 seconds.
The Film4 logo is a fairly unique type of independent logo. Whilst it is still not as complex as any mainstream company logo, it contains some animation and embedding, which is a lot more than the other independent institutional logo I analysed has. This could be because Film4 films are usually relatively large budget compared to the rest of the independent film market, so they have the money to be able to design a logo which is more comparable to the mainstream institutions which dominate the market.
After looking at both independent and mainstream logos, I have realised that whilst mainstream logos can draw in a larger audience for a film, an independent institutional logo would not only be much easier to make, but would also suit a film in the drama genre much better, as a flashy logo would look out of place at the start of a film which is going to likely be about dark themes.
The logo for Universal is one of the most well known logos of any institution throughout the world - it has been at the start of countless films. It is also a lot more complicated than many logos, due to the complex animation which is involved. This is typical of a mainstream institutional logo - a lot of money would have been invested into making the film as flashy and engaging as possible, so the logo has to match this. Being an independent company, we are unlikely to design a logo like this, because not only would we not have the money to be able to afford the expensive graphics design expertise necessary, but it would look out of place at the start of a film which deals with raw, realistic films from the beginning.
Another mainstream institutional logo which is world recognisable is the 20th Century Fox logo. It again features animation which would be completely out of the reach of an independent company, but also features the overstated styling which is a feature of mainstream logos. The font is huge and unmistakable, whereas with the independent logos below, the use of text is quite understated and is not immediately recognisable. Another important feature about this logo is its use of sound. The matching soundtrack is as recognisable as the actual logo is, because the two are always heard in conduction with one another. Being an independent institution, we are unlikely to feature sound in our logo - if there is any sound, it will be a single shot sound, rather than an instrumental piece which is set to the entire logo.
Independent:
The HanWay Films logo is a typical example of the logo of an independent company. It is incredibly simple, white text on a black background, with no animation and no music in the background. This could be due to the financial restraints on the company, who can't afford a fancy logo like the ones above. However, it could also be a deliberate stylistic choice, as the company may decide that the artistic content of their films is more important than the logo which precedes the film. The logo for our company, Peacock Productions, is likely to look a lot like this logo, as it is fairly simple to design and render, yet still works well at the beginning of an independent film. Also note that this logo will usually only be on screen for a few seconds, as opposed to the mainstream logos, which are often on the screen for upwards of 25 seconds.
The Film4 logo is a fairly unique type of independent logo. Whilst it is still not as complex as any mainstream company logo, it contains some animation and embedding, which is a lot more than the other independent institutional logo I analysed has. This could be because Film4 films are usually relatively large budget compared to the rest of the independent film market, so they have the money to be able to design a logo which is more comparable to the mainstream institutions which dominate the market.
After looking at both independent and mainstream logos, I have realised that whilst mainstream logos can draw in a larger audience for a film, an independent institutional logo would not only be much easier to make, but would also suit a film in the drama genre much better, as a flashy logo would look out of place at the start of a film which is going to likely be about dark themes.
Sunday 9 March 2014
Type of Production Company
Our company, Peacock Productions, is going to be an independent production company. There are a myriad of reasons as to why we have made this decision, most of which come down to the tight financial budget we have to work on. However, there are also stylistic reasons behind choosing to operate as an independent company, and it will allow us to target a more specific audience.
First and foremost, we have chosen to be an independent company because we are going to be working on a budget of almost nothing. This means we are unlikely to be able to film in locations which are particularly far away, or invest in any specialist equipment. This is why being an independent company will work well, as the audience will be coming to see our film based on the quality of the story it tells, so will not be disappointed when there are no special effects or uses of CGI.
Another financially motivated reason for deciding to be an independent production company is it means we will not have to find star actors for our film. A mainstream film company would be expected to use big name actors/directors in the production in order to bring in an audience who are fans of the other work of these people. However, an independent company will often use relative unknowns. Additionally to this, using actors who are unheard of means that the audience can focus entirely on their roll within this film, rather than comparing it to their performances in other films which they have featured in.
As our film is going to be part of the broad drama genre, being an independent company will actually benefit this. Drama movies thrive on having high levels of verisimilitude, which comes about from using realistic settings, realistic actors, and camera work which isn't particularly flashy. A mainstream film company would be looking to put a "Hollywood sheen" over all of these aspects of the film, so being an independent company will allow us to stay true to the roots which our genre which founded in.
Finally, operating as an independent company will allow us to target a more specific audience, as we will not be looking to recoup a huge budget in the way that a mainstream company would have to. This means that we can target the film towards an age range of between 5-10 years, and at just one psychological mindset, whereas a mainstream film would have to aim to appeal to all psychological mindsets, and a variety of different ages.
Considering the type of production company which we wish to operate as has taught me about the importance of making our film as professional as possible, even on the tight budget which we are going to be operating on.
Considering the type of production company which we wish to operate as has taught me about the importance of making our film as professional as possible, even on the tight budget which we are going to be operating on.
Monday 3 March 2014
Mood Board of My Target Audience
The main things which I am representing with this moodboard are teenagers and regional identity/location. I have included teenagers from a variety of different social groups. These groups were inspired by the website www.uktribes.com, as it shows the variety of different groupings which teenagers place themselves and their friends into. By including as wide a range of teenagers as possible, I have represented that I want my film to appeal to as large an audience of teenagers as possible. Groups of teenagers which I have included in my mood board include casuals, hipsters, townies and goths, a diverse mix in order to show the diverse audience which I believe my film will have. Note that I have not included any or many adults within the mood board, because I believe this film will not appeal to many of them.
In addition to this, I have included iconography of the north (gravy), as I believe that our film would be more successful with a northern audience than a southern one. I have also shown urban and suburban areas, as this is where my film will be set. People are more likely to enjoy a film if they can relate to its setting, so by setting it in an urban location, I am more likely to attract an audience of people who live in the city rather than those who live in the countryside.
Below is my mood board. Creating it will be very helpful when scripting out my film, because it will be a visual reminder of who my audience are, and thus will remind me what iconography will need to be incorporated into my film in order to attract these audience members which I am targeting the film towards.
Saturday 1 March 2014
Independent Research on Target Audience and Certification
Below is a list of the current (February 2014) top ten drama films and their certification.
1. The Wolf of Wall Street - 18
2. American Hustle - 15
4. Lone Survivor - 15
5. 12 Years A Slave - 15
6. Only Lovers Left Alive - 15
7. Dallas Buyers Club - 15
8. Captain Phillips - 12A
9. August: Osage County - 15
10. 300: Rise of an Empire - 15
1. The Wolf of Wall Street - 18
2. American Hustle - 15
4. Lone Survivor - 15
5. 12 Years A Slave - 15
6. Only Lovers Left Alive - 15
7. Dallas Buyers Club - 15
8. Captain Phillips - 12A
9. August: Osage County - 15
10. 300: Rise of an Empire - 15
As these statistics show, the genre of drama appears to target a mainly adult audience, as only one of the films of the current most popular drama films is certified in a way which allows people under the age of 15 to watch it. This is because they often show the grim reality of a certain society, which means there is often violence, bad language and drug use. The genre also targets older teenagers, as not only does the classification mean that younger teenagers cannot watch the films, the subject matter is often not something which is of interest for younger teenagers. For example, The Wolf of Wall Street would have been even more popular and successful had it been certified as a 15, because it's certification as an 18 meant that many viewers aged 16 and 17 had to turn to piracy in order to see the film.
The demographic groups which our genre targets are usually from working class to middle class - it is unlikely that anybody who is upper class would be interested in watching a drama. This is because they contain elements of realism which they are unlikely to have ever experienced before, although they may be more interested in a historical drama such as 12 Years A Slave. Because of this, the demographic groups targeted by our film will be B, C1, C2 and D, as it is unlikely that anybody in demographic category E (the underclass) would be interested in watching a film about a subculture, and anybody in category A is likely to feel too detached from what they are seeing to be able to relate to it.
The audience theory which can be applied to this genre is the Hypodermic Needle theory. Despite being outdated, the theory suggests that the audience are going to copy whatever they see in a film. This is true for most drama films, as they are often relatable to the audience (kitchen sink dramas) and allow them to change the audiences mind about a certain issue. An example of this is The Wolf of Wall Street, as despite it containing situations which the vast majority of the audience will never experience (making $50 million in a year), it has a message which they will be able to relate to at the end, which is that the capitalist idea of making as much money as possible isn't the best way to live. The audience know this because they see how money corrupted the young man. This is a perfect application of the Hypodermic Needle theory, as the audience are likely to go away with this idea in their minds, and live their lives according to it. Drama is one of the only genres where this theory is still applicable, as many other genres of film contain story lines which are too surreal for the audience to take things from to apply to their own lives.
As expected, most of these films used big name actors and directors (Martin Scorcese, Leonardo Di Caprio, Tom Hanks and so on) as their main way of attracting an audience to watch their films. I will not have the luxury of any budget to pay actors, let alone a budget as big as these ones, so I will have to rely on the more subtle techniques and theories which are used to attract the audience in these films when making my own one. For example, if I were to employ the uses and gratifications theory into my piece, then I would be able to show the audience that my film is able to fulfil certain needs of theirs, for example the need to witness artificial relationships or for entertainment. All of the drama films which I have studied employ these theories, however they are harder to spot in higher budget films because the majority of the emphasis from attracting audiences is placed on the lead actors within it.
The demographic groups which our genre targets are usually from working class to middle class - it is unlikely that anybody who is upper class would be interested in watching a drama. This is because they contain elements of realism which they are unlikely to have ever experienced before, although they may be more interested in a historical drama such as 12 Years A Slave. Because of this, the demographic groups targeted by our film will be B, C1, C2 and D, as it is unlikely that anybody in demographic category E (the underclass) would be interested in watching a film about a subculture, and anybody in category A is likely to feel too detached from what they are seeing to be able to relate to it.
The audience theory which can be applied to this genre is the Hypodermic Needle theory. Despite being outdated, the theory suggests that the audience are going to copy whatever they see in a film. This is true for most drama films, as they are often relatable to the audience (kitchen sink dramas) and allow them to change the audiences mind about a certain issue. An example of this is The Wolf of Wall Street, as despite it containing situations which the vast majority of the audience will never experience (making $50 million in a year), it has a message which they will be able to relate to at the end, which is that the capitalist idea of making as much money as possible isn't the best way to live. The audience know this because they see how money corrupted the young man. This is a perfect application of the Hypodermic Needle theory, as the audience are likely to go away with this idea in their minds, and live their lives according to it. Drama is one of the only genres where this theory is still applicable, as many other genres of film contain story lines which are too surreal for the audience to take things from to apply to their own lives.
As expected, most of these films used big name actors and directors (Martin Scorcese, Leonardo Di Caprio, Tom Hanks and so on) as their main way of attracting an audience to watch their films. I will not have the luxury of any budget to pay actors, let alone a budget as big as these ones, so I will have to rely on the more subtle techniques and theories which are used to attract the audience in these films when making my own one. For example, if I were to employ the uses and gratifications theory into my piece, then I would be able to show the audience that my film is able to fulfil certain needs of theirs, for example the need to witness artificial relationships or for entertainment. All of the drama films which I have studied employ these theories, however they are harder to spot in higher budget films because the majority of the emphasis from attracting audiences is placed on the lead actors within it.
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