Year 12 Research and Planning

Research and planning constitutes 20% of your final coursework marks and 50% of your final AS grade.


There are several areas you need to consider. The first is what genre of film you are making and who the target audience might be.


You will be making a thriller, but this is a very general concept. What sub-genre of thriller might your film be labelled with?


DONE! Analysis of Film Openings (3-5) - This should be included as an additional source of research and planning – you should begin to focus on films similar to yours. Use this format to find inspiration but also to help present your ideas...  http://www.artofthetitle.com

DONE! 1. The Pitch or the Outline – like high-concept cinema, try and summarise your film in one or two sentences.

Describe the genre and setting of your idea. How will your opening be constructed? Work through your opening in some detail. Give the longer narrative some definition.

JUST STARTED...

2. Audience Research - Who are your target audience? Find out if they're going to like your idea. How do you find that out? I know, you ask them. Try a survey. all the cool kids love an online survey. Try surveymonkey. Then some vox pops. Follow up data collection of quantitative data with some qualitative data. 

Then consider the certification. Who are the BBFC? Click on the link to find out more. http://www.bbfc.co.uk/

Who are the target audience of most thrillers – how is your film likely to be the same? How different?

You will need to do both primary and secondary research…this means writing questionnaires, interviewing people about their ideas, maybe a focus group or some vox pops…

3. Firm up the Narrative / Plot based on your audience research - SHOW HOW YOUR IDEAS HAVE CHANGED – what is the ‘story’ of your whole film. You only need to be very general about this.

4. What is likely to be the style and tone? - What atmosphere or mood are you attempting to create in your opening scene? Explain how you’ll go about this? What particular camera shots are you hoping to use? How are you going to use lighting and the camera to create tension? Are there any film openings that have influenced your idea? Include some images from films that have influenced you and explain why. Define the genre of your film by referencing other films a little bit like it...

5. Characters – Costume – Props - describe the characters that will appear in the opening of your film. List their age, appearance, hair, eyes, general demeanour – whatever’s relevant to your idea. Include images of actors that have influenced your idea and explain why you think they would be appropriate for your opening – have they appeared in similar films?

6. Graphics – not all title sequences are the same. What titles do you intend on including in your opening? What fonts do you plan on using – include examples. Have you based your ideas on any particular films? What kind of ident are you going to produce for your production companies?

7. Sound – will you be using non-diegetic soundtrack in your opening? What diegetic sounds will the audience hear? Will there be any dialogue (there should be!)? Any use of voiceover? Will the sound be parallel or contrapuntal? What effect are you trying to create? Give examples from particular films you’ve seen to help explain your ideas.

NOW THINK ABOUT HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PRESENT YOUR RESEARCH? How can you use technology to make your presentation interesting....

Consider the benefits of different online presentation software...

Consider using ideas from students in previous years as a resource for your work.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

Detailed planning: layout, shotlists, scripts, drafts, storyboards…these will all come after your initial research…