Summary of my research into audience, genre and production.

1. Research Summary
Audience
Fromresearching my audience of males and females between the ages of 16
and 24, I havefound that they will hopefully be able to relate to at least one
aspect of my shortfilm whether that’s the characters, genders, ages or the
situation that they havefound themselves in. I tried to create a shortfilm
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 moreentertaining and will want to finish
watching it. My shortfilm 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’llbe aiming my humor at 16-24 year olds by including one
liners and subtlecomedy 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, sexor 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
shortfilm 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 thefilm 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 aboutthe British
education systemor the subjectof 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

2. The genre of my shortfilm will be comedy and the conventions of this genre
mainly consistof brightcolours and locations, natural and brightlighting to
create a realistic environment, upbeat music and a common attribute for the
comedy characters is sarcasm. Themajority of these attributes can be found
within the comedy shortfilms and sketches made by the YouTubers Jack &
Dean (GhostFighting Corporation trailer - https://youtu.be/ZunoHaQ9JHw ).
The comedy genre as well as having typical attributes people would associate
with the genrethey also have typical camera angles that are used which can
also be seen in GhostFighting Corporation. These are naturalistic camera
angles such as medium shots to catch a conversation going on between two
characters, closeup shots to show emotion on character’s faces, wideangle
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 samegenre 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 shortfilm of whatever is being said by the narrator happens in the
next scene. The simple but effective shortsketch keeps the audience
entertained through the funny scenarios and quick editing between narration
and action.
Another example of a shortfilm that contains subtle comedy codes and
conventions is the 4 part shortfilm created by TimH called Project: Library
MediumshotusedinGFC. Close upusedinGFC. Wide angle usedinGFC.

3. (trailer - https://youtu.be/rcHmTpdUPbI ). This shortfilm contains a variety of
camera angles that keep the viewer entertained even if the sceneis showing
something that would be a regular occurrencesuch as somebody walking up
some stairs. By using a variety of camera angles it makes even the duller
scenes more interesting to watch. The visualeffects that are used are effective
and add to the suspenseand action that the shortfilm 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 shortfilms which have been published online I also
researched full length films that relate to my shortfilm and contain interesting
techniques. Oneof the films that I researched was the 2008 filmdirected by
Charlie Kaufman, New York, Synecdoche(https://youtu.be/XIizh6nYnTU ). This
film is based around the story of a theatre director through a performancehe
puts on about his life. The camera angles that are used within this film are
effective at portraying the story and the sizeof 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

4. Pre-production
During pre-production of my shortfilm 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 whatshots I will
need to film as the dialogue goes on between the characters. By having a
storyboard and scriptit will help me while filming as I can refer back to whatI
planned while also having something for the actors and crew to look at so that
they know whatthey need to be doing in each shotso 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 ensurethat my shortfilm will run smoothly and that I will
film all the shots I will need. Casting will be very important to my shortfilm and
to the overall productthat is created as if the actors used are not convincing to
the viewers than they won’t wantto watch the whole film. This is why I will be
casting actors who haveexperience and not friends who are in my class as they
may not be as professional.
Production
While the production process for my shortfilm 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 (
straighton medium shot) and then re-film the whole scene fromanother 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 GhostFighting Corporation shortfilm. I will be using a
boom microphoneso I can record the audio separately fromthe video which
means that when it comes to editing I do not haveadjustthe 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 atthe 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

5. considering the cast for the shortfilm I will also be needing a crew of around 2-
3 people who can help operate the camera, the boomwhile also having
someone who can refer to the storyboard so thatwe don’t miss out any
important shots. If I wereto be filming in locations that would need permission
fromland owners or the governmentI would need to plan this in advance but
as my shortfilm will be based in locations that we would usually see teenagers
such as the bus stop or the local park I won’tbe needing permission as these
areas are public access.
Post-production
To ensurethat my final film is of a professionalquality I will be using editing
softwarethat 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 arebrightened or adjustthe contrastso
that the shot seems lighter – similar to what has been done in the Project:
Library shortfilm.
So that my shortfilm 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 areacting whatthey’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 whatthe students are thinking about.