Friday, 25 June 2010
Primary Audience Research
Fish Tank Trailer
Four Lions Trailer
ART HOUSE AUDIENCE:
As seen by my reasearch of pearlanddean my target audience is hard to define because its not the age or price of the consumers, its there love for differentiating cinema, the cinema that challenges convetions and doesn't conform to the mainstream post-hollywood approach. Art film's as they're often know as are mainly independent and serious pictures that conisist to be targeted at niche audiences and the themes tend to focuss on social realism, thoughts, dreams, character depth and unclear goal driven narrative.
Most of my intrests for my product come from films that don't adopt the normality of convetional mainstream films like the trailers I have focused on like, Mike Leighs 'Naked' a small tale about an intelectual character on the run in London but that covers such a grand scale of ideological depth. I want my film trailer and print product to stand-out from others because of rewarding difference and intresting challenge convetional turns.
But to begin I most try and understand art house audiences and how they interpret film as art opposed to entertainment, they view it on such analytical and critical levels in such a way of substance of overstyle. Alot of art films are excellent and creating atmosphere through cinematgraphy and distroted sound, but often with the lack of sound can be twice as effective because of its unorthodox occurence that gives a sudden stillness, this often works well with juxtapositioning visuals. Also the use of ambient sound being reinforced can hold th repition of threat for example in the recenntly deceased Dennis Hopper's 'Easy Rider' ...
"Joe Queenan's guide to arthouse cliches
“The ideal arthouse film is set in a part of the world few of us know and even fewer intend to visit. The steppes of Central Asia or a forlorn village in Central America are fine, but rural Slovakia will do in an emergency. The arthouse film should make us feel that we understand the world better than we do, even though we don't. It should give us a sense of moral and intellectual superiority over people who go to see Tom Cruise movies. It should star Tilda Swinton, or seem like a film in which she would be likely to appear. It should be a bit grainy. Gypsies, often in distress, may be in the mix, but generally not the Amish. Ideally, a proper arthouse film should have mangled subtitles. Children should be abandoned, or on a long trip over the mountains, or trying to recover lost shoes, or sneaking scraps from the dinner table to a man they believe to be Frankenstein. Anything about Balzac is great. Ideally, the cast should include Parker Posey, Daniel Auteuil, Lili Taylor, Hope Davis, Steve Buscemi, the 2004 winner of Argentina's Cesar for best supporting actor, and Joan Plowright.
The principals in an arthouse movie should include a creepy loner who collects weird things: gynaecological instruments, a stool rescued from a bathroom once used by Abba, that sort of thing. The protagonist may be an opera buff or a train engineer fast approaching retirement or a buttoned-down Swedish time-management expert assigned to monitor the comings and goings of single, self-sufficient Norwegian males. They may have trouble breathing and need a respirator. They may be a taxidermist or a watchmaker or an Italian language student. They will not be a recent Harvard graduate seeking a job at Vanity Fair or a starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. Sexually unfulfilled musicians are a fixture in arthouse films, particularly pianists. So are congenitally miserable Scandinavians and emotionally repressed Japanese. A proper arthouse film will often have an exotic animal, such as a dromedary or a yak, and it will sometimes feature a chatty dwarf who is wise beyond his years. Quite often the dwarf will be a bit cheeky. The Legend of the Cheeky Dwarf would actually make a very fine title for an arthouse film. It's surprising no one has yet tried it.
Arthouse films rarely have a feelgood quality. They may make us feel smarter or more wise in the ways of the world, but they rarely make us feel happy. If a little Jewish boy befriends a vicious anti-semite in the waning days of the second world war, the film will not end happily. If a little Afghan girl pretends to be a boy to avoid the Taliban, it will not end happily. If the movie is set in equatorial Africa or Northern Ireland, it will not end happily. If a Danish handyman reluctantly agrees to marry the daughter of the Chinese restaurateur who lives directly across the street in exchange for free meals, it will not end happily. The only arthouse movies that end happily are the ones with the yaks. No one knows why.
The arthouse film is not interchangeable with the foreign film. Many excellent foreign films are merely commercial films that happen to be in a foreign language. A basic rule of thumb: if Jean Reno stars in a film, it is not an arthouse film. If Penelope Cruz is speaking English on screen, it is not an arthouse film. If she is speaking Spanish, it almost certainly is. There are a few examples of arthouse films that include martial arts – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – but not many. In fact, that may be the only one.
Typically, an arthouse film has an intrusive, overbearing soundtrack that won't give the audience a chance to relax for one second. Often these films are scored by the remorseless minimalist Philip Glass, whose music is at least as annoying as anything that takes place on screen. Integral components of a good arthouse film are a song or two by Leonard Cohen, Björk, tango master Astor Piazzolla and perhaps something introspective by Bach, though Albinoni will do in a pinch. You will rarely hear Slade or the Four Seasons or Wham! in an arthouse film. You are unlikely to hear Mariah Carey. And if you do, the director is being malevolently ironic.
Not all arthouse films contain the same components, but certain elements almost never occur outside of the genre. If there is a yurt in the motion picture, it is probably an arthouse film. If the director acted as his own editor, it is an arthouse movie. If an old man sets out on a long trip atop a reconditioned lawn mower to visit the brother he has not seen in 20 years, it is probably an arthouse film. If Tom Waits is involved in a film in any way, it is an arthouse film. That is equally true of David Byrne.
There are several things that must occur in an arthouse film in order for it to work. There should be a long train ride. There should be an anonymous letter or a diary no one was supposed to read. At some point the main character must visit his mother in a nursing home. The mother may smile, but she must not speak. That would ruin everything.
Arthouse movies are often set in the waning days of the Raj. They frequently star accomplished English actresses of a certain age who look a bit shopworn. These women are checking into a hotel to die or consorting with quirky expats in some florid fascist country or maintaining a stiff upper lip in Lahore.
Arthouse movies frequently have twee names like Io Sono l'Amore and Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont and Tea With Mussolini and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. That's how moviegoers can tell in advance that Bruce Willis isn't in them.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/oct/20/arthouse-cinema-cliche-breathless
"
“The ideal arthouse film is set in a part of the world few of us know and even fewer intend to visit. The steppes of Central Asia or a forlorn village in Central America are fine, but rural Slovakia will do in an emergency. The arthouse film should make us feel that we understand the world better than we do, even though we don't. It should give us a sense of moral and intellectual superiority over people who go to see Tom Cruise movies. It should star Tilda Swinton, or seem like a film in which she would be likely to appear. It should be a bit grainy. Gypsies, often in distress, may be in the mix, but generally not the Amish. Ideally, a proper arthouse film should have mangled subtitles. Children should be abandoned, or on a long trip over the mountains, or trying to recover lost shoes, or sneaking scraps from the dinner table to a man they believe to be Frankenstein. Anything about Balzac is great. Ideally, the cast should include Parker Posey, Daniel Auteuil, Lili Taylor, Hope Davis, Steve Buscemi, the 2004 winner of Argentina's Cesar for best supporting actor, and Joan Plowright.
The principals in an arthouse movie should include a creepy loner who collects weird things: gynaecological instruments, a stool rescued from a bathroom once used by Abba, that sort of thing. The protagonist may be an opera buff or a train engineer fast approaching retirement or a buttoned-down Swedish time-management expert assigned to monitor the comings and goings of single, self-sufficient Norwegian males. They may have trouble breathing and need a respirator. They may be a taxidermist or a watchmaker or an Italian language student. They will not be a recent Harvard graduate seeking a job at Vanity Fair or a starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. Sexually unfulfilled musicians are a fixture in arthouse films, particularly pianists. So are congenitally miserable Scandinavians and emotionally repressed Japanese. A proper arthouse film will often have an exotic animal, such as a dromedary or a yak, and it will sometimes feature a chatty dwarf who is wise beyond his years. Quite often the dwarf will be a bit cheeky. The Legend of the Cheeky Dwarf would actually make a very fine title for an arthouse film. It's surprising no one has yet tried it.
Arthouse films rarely have a feelgood quality. They may make us feel smarter or more wise in the ways of the world, but they rarely make us feel happy. If a little Jewish boy befriends a vicious anti-semite in the waning days of the second world war, the film will not end happily. If a little Afghan girl pretends to be a boy to avoid the Taliban, it will not end happily. If the movie is set in equatorial Africa or Northern Ireland, it will not end happily. If a Danish handyman reluctantly agrees to marry the daughter of the Chinese restaurateur who lives directly across the street in exchange for free meals, it will not end happily. The only arthouse movies that end happily are the ones with the yaks. No one knows why.
The arthouse film is not interchangeable with the foreign film. Many excellent foreign films are merely commercial films that happen to be in a foreign language. A basic rule of thumb: if Jean Reno stars in a film, it is not an arthouse film. If Penelope Cruz is speaking English on screen, it is not an arthouse film. If she is speaking Spanish, it almost certainly is. There are a few examples of arthouse films that include martial arts – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – but not many. In fact, that may be the only one.
Typically, an arthouse film has an intrusive, overbearing soundtrack that won't give the audience a chance to relax for one second. Often these films are scored by the remorseless minimalist Philip Glass, whose music is at least as annoying as anything that takes place on screen. Integral components of a good arthouse film are a song or two by Leonard Cohen, Björk, tango master Astor Piazzolla and perhaps something introspective by Bach, though Albinoni will do in a pinch. You will rarely hear Slade or the Four Seasons or Wham! in an arthouse film. You are unlikely to hear Mariah Carey. And if you do, the director is being malevolently ironic.
Not all arthouse films contain the same components, but certain elements almost never occur outside of the genre. If there is a yurt in the motion picture, it is probably an arthouse film. If the director acted as his own editor, it is an arthouse movie. If an old man sets out on a long trip atop a reconditioned lawn mower to visit the brother he has not seen in 20 years, it is probably an arthouse film. If Tom Waits is involved in a film in any way, it is an arthouse film. That is equally true of David Byrne.
There are several things that must occur in an arthouse film in order for it to work. There should be a long train ride. There should be an anonymous letter or a diary no one was supposed to read. At some point the main character must visit his mother in a nursing home. The mother may smile, but she must not speak. That would ruin everything.
Arthouse movies are often set in the waning days of the Raj. They frequently star accomplished English actresses of a certain age who look a bit shopworn. These women are checking into a hotel to die or consorting with quirky expats in some florid fascist country or maintaining a stiff upper lip in Lahore.
Arthouse movies frequently have twee names like Io Sono l'Amore and Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont and Tea With Mussolini and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. That's how moviegoers can tell in advance that Bruce Willis isn't in them.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/oct/20/arthouse-cinema-cliche-breathless
"
Alot of people view the art house film audiences as a bunch of interlect but they're open minding people who agree with difference and change but mainly daring and risk taking films that the multi-plex or mainstream avoids with jeopardy.
Textual Analysis
I've chose this poster of Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Magnolia' because not only his he my favorite director but because this poster attracts something similar that i intend my final product to look like. I like how self designed Paul Thomas Anderson has included just a single picture of a magnolia flower in a magnolia color it stands outand attracts the audience because of its flamboyance and boldness. I also like how the film has a hyper link narratives, a concept around different self contained episodes that has the same feel. On a polysemic level this mutuality is represented through the same blend of magnolia color and how each character appeals as interested on each side of each leaf, so this is illustrating that they're all part of the same story, all part of the same leaf.
Another aspect I enjoy is how the font is so fundamental with the capit
al letters or three dimensional text but attracts the audiences attention purely because of the carefully chosen colors picked. This idea of using a flower holds the iconography of the eternal cycle of life, which on a connational level represents the ideologies of life and death represented in the films. Moreover I find it interesting how something so basic can achieve such attention, i always agree with the saying 'less is more' because a lot of film posters become over complicated for example the following posters below....
I like the picture below of Stanley Kubricks 'Full Metal Jacket' also because it includes a completely original object and how basic of an idea it is but achieves such attention. It represents the vietnam war including political iconography of war including the bullets and juxtaposing images like the peace badge when the soldiers are fighting a pointless war. This contraction of "Born to kill" and the peace symbol is a paradox that represents the confusion of American society during the vietnam war.
Here is the link to my 'Textual Analysis' prezi...
Trainspotting Trailer on Prezi
Prezi of my textual analysis, how i deconstructed Danny Boyles 'Trainspotting' trailer of the protagonist Renton tied to a railway track and telling the audience what not to do and the consequences to mistakes. Also includes deconstructing film poster and magazine of the same film and how color scheme, presentation and other connotation codes construct an understanding and interpretation.
This niche targeted audience trailer begins with an introduction of characters, showing them from in a range of locations with the protagonist narrating with ideological questions that instantly gets the audiences attention. Like most art film trailers this trailer indicates little into the narrative but offers character depth, conversely it doesn’t offer much resolution like most mainstream or mass audience targeted trailers. Another curtail point is that is doesn’t display any binary oppositions it just demonstrates an angry character isolated from society portraying psychological loneliness and capturing the personality of the film. It’s a bizarre representation of English urban industry and social culture and its primal fears and thoughts that question philosophy and interaction. It is extremely science orientated thus demonstrates the characters intellect with the diegetic quotation of ‘The future doesn’t exist’. This film reflects British civilization of the 1990’s and doesn’t have universal appeal because it’s an aesthetically poetic self indulgent and contained character study that conveys the test of ones philosophy.
The influence this trailer has had on my intended audience remains because its also an art film the depicts British society and themes of paranoia and temptation of lust hence the title ‘Naked’ but on a polysemic level it represents the exploitation of the characters uncertainty and their desperation. The technical decisions I will be making is how I will use non-diegetic sound to create suspense and unease like in this trailer it illustrates a ghostly haze of enigma. This trailer has aspired me to include a diegetic monologue and voice over that determines the plot direction (along with inter-titles) and questions that challenge audiences ideological views. I will begin my trailer at the end of the film to reinforce the mystery aspect and use the codes of non-linear narrative to display the variety of emotions the film has to offer. I will dress my characters in school uniform that will represent the naiveties of youth and young manhood. I will shoot mainly throughout the day to establish realism as this is a social-realist melodrama.
The influence this trailer has had on my intended audience remains because its also an art film the depicts British society and themes of paranoia and temptation of lust hence the title ‘Naked’ but on a polysemic level it represents the exploitation of the characters uncertainty and their desperation. The technical decisions I will be making is how I will use non-diegetic sound to create suspense and unease like in this trailer it illustrates a ghostly haze of enigma. This trailer has aspired me to include a diegetic monologue and voice over that determines the plot direction (along with inter-titles) and questions that challenge audiences ideological views. I will begin my trailer at the end of the film to reinforce the mystery aspect and use the codes of non-linear narrative to display the variety of emotions the film has to offer. I will dress my characters in school uniform that will represent the naiveties of youth and young manhood. I will shoot mainly throughout the day to establish realism as this is a social-realist melodrama.
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
The Danny Boyle film 'Shallow Grave' is one of the most originally inventive films I have seen in a long time, its inspired me for an idea of take the principal idea of a bunch of paper boys discovering and body but with it a temptation and a hidden danger provoking serendipity. I would play on suspense like Boyle and some other masters of dehumanisation and demonization such as Stanley Kubrick, Sergio Leone, Orson Wells, Billy Wilder and the master Hitchcock but I’d give the film humour for relation for emotion effect as I mentioned.
The trailer I have selected is the film 'In Bruges' which is directed by Martin Mcdonagh; I enjoy the playfulness and humour behind Mcdonagh's films because like Quentin Tarantino he knows exactly how to use humour as an empathy for bereavement or violence. I would like my films to engage in humour to result in effect on the audience so they can relate and identify so when the tragic may arise the audience pay for it, almost as if the director is a puppeteer playing with the audiences emotions. Personally I don't like the trailer for 'In Bruges' because I find it misrepresents the film and sells it in a different style to its actual art form.
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
This trailer of Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange’ is an incredibly well made and unconventional trailer due to its time of positioning, most early 70’s film trailers of this period would have been as plot exploiting and illustrated with a comical voice over, like films like ‘Straw Dogs’ and ‘The French Connection’…
The factor I most particularly enjoy about this trailer is that it captures the disturbing and strange personality of the most and doesn’t misrepresent the film in any form or fashion. I agree with one of my favourite cinephile, critic and novelists theories in the video bellow…
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