Website deconstruction

• Social links listed on top right
• Promotes film - how you can own it on top of the page
• Tabs such as overview, story, cast and crew, videos, photos, news
• Have to scroll down for the rest of the information - doesn't fit onto one page

• Plays music automatically - also has the option to turn it off
• Can text 'Go London' to 85080 for exclusive clips
• Promoting dvd edition
• Has production company at the bottom and when the dvd comes out
• Tabs about the film such as: about, competitions, trailer, soundtrack, etc.
• Sites for advice and help listed under forums but no facebook, twitter, etc.

• Social media links listed on top right
• Synopsis listed when you arrive on home page
• Trailer at bottom
• Has 'buy now' button to promote film
• In cinemas now, age certificate: 15 - targets right audience

Deconstruction of the characters in "It's kind of a funny story"

Vladimir Propp's theory of narrative

Vladimir Propp suggested that characters took on the role of narrative 'spheres of action' or functions. He came up with 7 different character types:

• The hero - usually male, is the agent who restores the narrative equilibrium often by embarking upon a quest. The hero is invariably the texts central character.

• The villain - usually creates the narrative disruption

• The donor - gives the hero something, it may be the object, information or advice, which helps in resolution of the narrative. 

• The princess - is usually the character most threatened by the villain and has to saved by the hero.

• The dispatcher sends the hero on her or his task

• The false hero appears to be good but is revealed at the narrative's end to be bad.

Craig Gilner is 15 years old and suffers from depression. He started having symptom's a few weeks after starting highschool at Executive Pre-Professional. The school's intense academic pressure caused him much stress. After going to countless doctors and therapist's he stops taking his medicationand his suicidal thought's become greater to the point he contemplated jumping off the Brooklyn bridge. He then check's himself into a hospital and meets other patients. This is the main protagonist as the story revolves around him and his mental illness. I decided to look into this character because they are very similar to the protagonist in our teaser trailer; both suffering  from depression and suicidal thoughts.

Noelle is a patient at the hospital that Craig forms a strong bond with. Like Craig, Noelle broke under the pressure and became very stressed, leading to her depression. Unlike Craig however, she was pressured by boys. She cut her face with scissor's and was admitted into the hospital for self-harm. According to Propp's theory, Noelle can be seen as the helper as she forms a strong bond with Craig and helps him through his depression. 

Bobby is one of the mental patient's in the hospital. Bobby and Craig form a quick bond and Craig looks up to him, almost like a mentor. Bobby end's up getting a job, after Craig let's him borrow one of his shirts to wear to a job interview. Bobby can be seen as the donor in this film because Craig looks up to him and he offers advice for Craig.


Our trailer
Our character fulfils more than one sphere character type; the victim and the villain. She is self-destructive and destroys her own life by taking drugs. This was done by featuring a close up shot of her heating up syrup on a spoon which acted as heroin, followed by a tracking shot of her running away in a subway under low-key lighting; further emphasizing how her life has changed and that there is little hope. This shows that there is not always a hero and that she has to face her problems alone; conforming to social realism.

Editing in teaser trailers

- Teaser trailers tend to use small clips of different parts of the film which is used to entice the audience.

- This means that the most common type of editing used in a teaser trailer is a 'cut' between two shots which saves time in the editing process.

- Another popular choice of editing in teaser trailers is a 'fade' this sort of editing technique is used the trailers such as 'Star Trek into darkness'.

- However this editing method tends to be used in shots that are in equilibrium or in romance trailers because the fade makes the trailer smooth and calm.

Other editing techniques:

Continuity editing- Editing that creates action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes without jarring visual inconsistencies.

Cross cutting- Cutting back and forth quickly between two or more lines of action, indicating they are happening simultaneously.

Jump cut- A cut that creates a lack of continuity by leaving out parts of the action.

Matched cut- A cut joining two shots whose compositional elements match, helping to establish strong continuity of action. 
Montage- Scenes whose emotional impact and visual design are achieved through the editing together of many brief shots. 
Rough cut- The editor's first pass at assembling the shots into a film, before tightening and polishing occurs.
Shot reverse shot cutting- Usually used for conversation scenes, this technique alternates between over-the-shoulder shots showing each character speaking. 
Wipe- Visible on screen as a bar travelling across the frame pushing one shot off and pulling the next shot into place. Rarely used in contemporary film, but common in films such as 'Star Wars'.
Sequence shot- A long take that extends for an entire scene or sequence. It is composed of only one shot with no editing. 

Snowdon Teaser Trailer

- The beginning of the trailer uses a 'Fade' effect between each shot which conveys the idea of calmness.

- When the shot gets to the middle of the trailer there starts to become disequilibrium, then there is a use of the 'cut' affect which increases the pace of the trailer.

- At the end there is a 'jump cut' which makes the trailer enginmatic as it does the title of the film. 

Ip Man 3

- Though-out the whole trailer the main use of editing is 'cut' which is used to show the audience as much footage as possible into the trailer. 

- There is the use of a 'Slow-motion' which id used in a fight scene the emphasise the impact of the hit.  

- The shots appear and cut at the same beat as the music and as the music gets faster the shots and cuts appear quicker which makes build-up to the ending dramatic.

- After the build-up and the black shot, there is the use of 'fade' which makes the trailer in equilibrium again

Deconstruction of social realism posters

Kidulthood
- The colour scheme is very simplistic yet effective, colours such as grey, black and misty blue are used to create a dark atmosphere.
- The females are wearing tones of pink to represent their femininity.
- The white title is bold and stands out from the contrasting background.
- The baseball bat in the character's hand conveys the idea of violence.
- The use of 'powerful, moving and unforgettable' attracts the audience's attention and makes them interested in the film.
- The clothes represents stereotypes of todays youths, with the characters wearing hoodies and tracksuits. The mise-en-scene therefore makes the genre obvious to be a teen urban film.
- The lighting has a mixture of low-key and high-key, the low-key represents the darkness in the lives of the characters.

Fish Tank
- The orange font contrasts with the blue background which makes it stand out to the audience. The size of the font also draws the audiences attention as it takes up half of the poster.
- The tagline 'live, love and give as good as you get' stands out as well as the white contrasts with the black from her trousers.
- The low angle shot represents Mia as a powerful character. The low angle also portrays her as imitating as she looks as though she is looking down on the audience.
- The images of the buildings in the background suggests that it could be an urban drama.
- Mia's clothing suggests that she is working class and the use of the hoodie conveys that there could be crime and violence involved.
- The use of the clouds in the background and the bight orange title suggests the idea of freedom.
- The lighting on her face is half in the shadows and half in the light which shows that she has had a difficult past and is moving in to a positive future.

Bullet Boy
- The lighting is dark behind the boys head and bright on his face which suggests that he has had a difficult pst but is moving on to a brighter future.
- The colour of the image in his head connotes the idea of danger.
- The image of the young boy is holding a gun which suggests the film battles the social issues of gun crime and violence which working class youths.
- The tagline 'you only get one shot at life' is enigmatic which makes the audience want to know more on the narrative.
- The reviews contrast with the green and black background which make them stand out and the one worded reviews such as 'striking' catches the audiences attention quickly.
- The fact that the character is the only person on the poster porters the idea of loneliness.
- The background image is a eerie muggy green colour which creates mystery about the main character.

Deonstruction of Actors in Social Realism Films

FISHTANK

Connor- Michael Fassbender

- Middle Class

- Innocent but becomes the antagonist

- Charming

Mia- Katie Jarvis

- Aggressive

- Working Class

- Isolated

- Young teenage girl

- Criminal

-  Has no future

- Audience feels sympathetic for her

- Lonely

 Joanne- Keirston Wareing

- Emotional

- Single mum

- Not a maternal mother

JUNO

Juno- Ellen Page
- 16 year old girl
- Quirky
- Innocent
- Independent
- Middle class
- Emotional
- Pregnant
- Confident
- Feminist
Paulie- Michael Cera
- Admires Juno
- Innocent
- Middle class
- Naive













LONDON TO BRIGHTON

Joanne- Georgia Groome
- Young girl
- Innocent
- Immature
- Smokes
- Homeless
- Runaway child
Kelly- Lorraine Stanley
- Maternal figure
- Working class/homeless
- Caring
Stuart- Sam Spruell
- Middle class
- Middle aged man
- Bully
- Violent
- Rich













KIDULTHOOD

Sam- Noel Clarke
- Mixed raced
- 15 years old
- Violent
- Bully
- Antagonist
- Abusive to girls
Becky- Jaime Winstone
- Underage drinking
- Abused
- Innocent

Deconstruction of Genre

What is Genre?

In film theory, film genre refers to the method of categorizing films based on similarities in the narrative elements from which films are constructed or the emotional responses they elicit. Most theories of film genre are borrowed from literary genre criticism. Besides the basic distinction in genre between fiction and documentary, film genres can be categorized in several ways.

What are Sub-Genres?

Sub-Genres are identifiable sub-classes within the larger film genre, with their own distictive subject matter, style, formulas and iconography. For example the film 'When Harry met Sally' would have the genre 'comedy' and the sub-genre would be 'romantic-comedy' and the film 'James Bond' would have the genre 'action' and the sub-genre 'spy'. 

Our genre?

The genre in our teaser trailer is 'Teen Social realism'. Social realism refers to the work photographers and filmmakers that draw attention to the everyday conditions of the working class and the poor; social realists are critical of the social structures which maintain these conditions. We have taken the generic stereotypes of teenagers and enhanced them to create an interesting narrative for the audience. The miss-en-scene such as the drugs and cigarettes is how we portrayed the idea of social realism without teenagers. 





Common conventions of our Genre:
- Location setting (not in a studio)- Fish Tank
- Wide shots- Bullet Boy 
- Non-professional actors- Fish Tank
- Semi-improvised scripts- Ken Loach
- Humour and seriousness 
- The erosion of regional identities- Yasmin 
- Wider social issues explored- The Full Monty 
- Emotional and dramatic individual stories

Deconstruction of mise-en scene and titles in Ill Manors

Ill Manors is a British crime drama film written, co-scored and directed by Plan B. The film revolves around the lives of eight main characters and features six original songs by Plan B, which act as a narration for the film. Ill Manors is a multi-character story, set over the course of seven days, a scenario where everyone is fighting for respect. The film focuses on eight core characters, and their circles of violence, as they struggle to survive on the streets. Each story is also represented by a different rap song performed by Plan B.

Mise-en Scene

I feel that the mise-en scene in this trailer is relevant to our teaser trailer as it includes shots of cocaine, a teenage girl smoking, a blade, abuse and alcohol. These are all issues that teenagers might face so I think that we can take inspiration from these mise-en scene and incorporate them into our teaser trailer. The shots of the blade, cocaine, smoking and alcohol are effective because our genre is based on teen urban/social realism and these are some things that people associate teenagers with. Our teaser trailer has a sense of mental illness so the blade may be effective as it could symbolize that she has to turn to self harm because she is struggling to cope with her problems.

Titles/Reviews

These titles are placed in front of a time-lapse of a motorway. I think that this is effective as establishing/wide shots are usually used in urban films and the time-lapse captures the movement of the cars and how busy the city is.

Deconstruction of Adulthood

Adulthood is a 2008 British drama film. It was directed and written by Noel Clarke, who also stars as the protagonist, Sam Peel. Adulthood is a sequel to the 2006 film Kidulthood, which Clarke also wrote, and depicts Peel’s experiences after he is released from jail.

Six years after being jailed for killing Trife, Sam is released from prison. During the course of the film, it is revealed that Sam has changed dramatically and is not the person he was six years ago. He has learnt from his mistakes and is still haunted by his crime.

Production Company

Adulthood is produced by IFC Films; a production company that we have chosen to distribute our teaser trailer. Through my research into our genre, I've found that IFC Films tend to distribute teen urban/social realist films, making it appropriate for our trailer. 

Mise-en Scene - Location

The mise-en scene used in this film conforms to common conventions of an urban film as it is based in an urban area/inner city of London featuring shots of council estate and ‘chavs’. The trailer shows iconography of London such as undergrounds, hammersmith station and red buses.

Titles

The titles are in bold which is commonly used in urban films. The titles tells us the storyline and creates a sense of enigma.

Soundtrack

• "End in the Streets" (Plan B)
• "Paranoid" (Dizzee Rascal)
• "Kids of the Underground" (Scarlett & Viva featuring The Audio Bullys)
• "Reppin' London" (Sincere featuring D Double E & Scorcher)
• "Follow" (Tinchy Stryder)
• "Running for Life" (Eliza Doolittle)
• "Look What You've Done" (Lethal Bizzle featuring Kate Nash)

Awards and nominations

• Screen Nation: Honorary Production Award 2009 – Adulthood – Winner

• BAFTA Awards: Orange Rising Star Award 2009 – Noel Clarke – Winner

Deconstruction of Boyhood

Boyhood is a 2014 American independent coming-of-age drama film, written and directed by Richard Linklater, and starring Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater, and Ethan Hawke. Shot intermittently from 2002 to 2013, Boyhood depicts the childhood and adolescence of Mason Evans, Jr. (Coltrane) from ages six to eighteen as he grows up in Texas with divorced parents. 

Boyhood is produced by IFC Ptroductions and distributed by IFC Films and Universal Pictures. IFC Films is a production company that distributes similar films in our genre which is why we have taken inspiration from Boyhood. 

Boyhood is a social realism film and covers issues such as divorce, domestic abuse, alcohol, drugs, school/graduation and relationships.

Boyhood soundtrack

Yellow - Coldplay
Hate to say I told you so - The Hives
Anthem Part Two - Blink 182
Beyond the Horizon - Bob Dylan

Deconstruction of film posters

 

  

• Pastel/neutral colour scheme; blue and pink connotes elements of romance that may occur throughout the film which is commonly used in romance/teen films
• Reviews, star ratings and awards that the film has won stand out to show that it's a film worth seeing
• The main actress is the only one in the poster so this shows that she is the main focus and the film most likely revolves around her and her life
• Effective positioning as the golden rule has been used so your eyes automatically focus on the girl
• Sans serif font which is a contemporary font
• The torn wallpaper in the background could symbolize neglect and the poor lifestyle

•  Unique film poster which incorporates the use of illustrations, shading and black outlines which makes it look quite animated - the illustrations and shading further enhances the idea of a typical diary for a teenage girl as it makes it quite personal
• Again, the same colour scheme as Fishtank and the use of reviews and star ratings, conforming to common conventions in teen urban film posters
• The font is quite messy unlike Fishtank which is looks tidy with sharp edges, the font used in the poster imitates her handwriting since it's a diary
• "Some things are best kept secret" - the tagline is relevant to the film and title since it's about a diary
• This is a social realist film; the mum is holding a cigarette which could show that issues such as smoking/drug-use is covered in this film. Also, the review "finally a film that gets youth" shows that it is a relatable film which covers issues that youths will face

• The gun in the poster is coincidentally pointing to the young girl
• London and Brighton are both very different locations so there is a strong contrast; both London and Brighton are in bold
• Font has a scratched effect to show that it's an urban movie that covers social realism
• "Innocence has nowhere to hide" - although she is an innocent young girl, she still has to face reality and issues such as prostitution, being independent, etc.

• A young boy is laying on the grass which is effective as this film is about a boy growing up and we usually associate grass with childhood, parks and fun.
• The poster is very simple as the quote at the top of the poster tells us what it's about
• The font of 'Boyhood' looks quite messy, almost like a child wrote it; very simple colours - possibly enhancing how simple childhood is? 

Research into Film Directors

Film director: Jason Reitman
Jason Reitman was born on October 19, 1977 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is a director and producer, known for Up in the Air (2009), Juno (2007) and Thank You for Smoking (2005).

He was nominated for an Oscar for the best achievement in directing for 'Up in the air' in 2009.
He also won a golden globe and a BAFTA for the same film for the best screenplay- adapted. Lastly an AFI award for movie of the year for up in the air, which all indicates that he is successful film director.  


Film director: Andrea Arnold
Andrea Arnold was born on April 5, 1961 in Dartford, Kent, England as Andrea P. Arnold. She is an actress and writer, known for No 73 (1982), Fish Tank (2009) and Red Road (2006).          
The film wasp (2003) won an Oscar in 2005 for the best short film, live action. Furthermore she won two BAFTA awards for the films 'Fish Tank' and 'Red Road' in 2010 and 2007.   
Lastly she won a AFI award for fish tank again in 2009, showing that this film was creative and successful, therefore we used it as inspiration.



Film director: Menhaj Huda
Menhaj Huda (born 20 March 1967) is a Bangladesh-born British film and television director and producer best known for the film Kidulthood (2006), Comedown (2012) and Everywhere and Nowhere (2011).
The film Kidulthood a Douglas Hickox award for Best Independent Film awards in 2006.
He also won a Jury Award for Jump boy in 1999 for The best feature film. 




Film director: Paul Andrew Williams
Paul Andrew Williams was born in 1973 in Portsmouth, England. He is a director and writer, known for London to Brighton (2006), The Cottage (2008) and Song for Marion (2012).  
He won the New Director's Award for his film London to Brighton in the 2006 Edinburgh International Film Festival. In 2003 Williams was the only UK-based director to be picked up by the Fox Searchlight Director's Lab. Royalty premiered at the London Film Festival in 2001, was shown UK television, was shortlisted for the Kodak showcase, and later screened at BAFTA.



Film director: Stephen Chbosky
Stephen Chbosky was born January 25, 1970) is an American novelist, screenwriter, and film director best known for writing the New York Times bestselling coming-of-age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999), Rent (2005) and Jericho (2006-2008).
He won 2nd place at the ACCA awards for the best adapted screenplay for the film 'The perks of being a wallflower'. He was also nominated for a CFCA and COFCA award for the same film, however didn't win anything. Lastly he won an Independent spirit award for the perks of being a wallflower, this all shows that this film was the most successful and due to being a coming of age film, we used it as inspiration.

 

Deconstruction of London to Brighton (inspiration)

 

London to Brighton is a 2006 award-winning British film. The film was written and directed by Paul Andrew.

Kelly is a working class prostitute that becomes Joanne's mother figure as they travel to Brighton. The role of the mother figure is evident through kelly making sure she was fed and showered. The first scene we see of kelly goes against Todorov's theory of equilibrium as Kelly is seen to be running into a public toilet with a black eye in panic.

The representation of the working class is shown through the council houses, drugs, smoking, guns and a work man's cafe. Joanne and Kelly are seen to be working class they are vulnerable as they are targeted by dangerous men that intend to kill them.

Joanne's childhood differs from others as she runs away at the age of 12 away from her abusive father and motherless home. She wears childlike clothes, eats ice cream and plays on the beach which shows her innocence however she smokes which subverts the common representation of young children.

The characters subvert common media representations as Kelly is a prostitute yet acts as a mother figure to Joanne and acts maternal, along with shielding and protecting her on their journey. Furthermore the character 'Stuart' subverts representations of a middle aged and middle classed man, instead he is abusive towards Joanne and Kelly and kills two men.

Brighton is represented as safe place to get away from the prostitution and homelessness however that quickly changes and Kelly and Joanne end up in a worse situation. Their end goal is to get to Devon however their dreams are unrealistic and because of their vulnerability makes them unable to achieve it.

Deconstruction of the Endscreen of Trailers

Deconstruction of Endscreens

Fish Tank

• The text has the same 'water' effect as the rest of the typography throughout the trailer which plays on the title 'Fish Tank'. 
• The text is relatively small for the screen, but the billing's block is for accreditation of the people involved and therefore the audience do not necessarily have to be able to read it. 
• Normally, the billing's block is in all capitals, this one is in sentence case. 
• It conforms to common conventions by having a range of sizes throughout the text. The role of the person is smaller than the person's name, due to the accreditation being more for the individual than for their job role. 
• The production companies and producers of the film are at the top of the screen, followed by the actors and other job roles i.e. casting director and production designer. 
• The loo's of the production companies and producers are at the bottom of the screen.

The Selfish Giant

• This is a more conventional billing's block. The typography is thin and tall, which is commonly used for billing block's. 
• The text is in all capitals which makes the font easier to read in the short time that it appears for. 
• The text is a range of sizes which again, makes the billing's block easier to read due to the job roles being split, for example: BFI and FILM4 present a MOONSPUN FILMS production.
• Some of the words, on the small screen, cannot be read. This doesn't matter as again, the billing's block is for accreditation and not for the audience. 
• Under the billing's block there are the 5 logo's of the producers and production companies.

• After the billing's block there is a title stating the date of release. 
• It is in the same typography as the titles during the trailer, and the same colour background as throughout
• The social media links are listed below in a colour not used anywhere else in the trailer. This is to attract the audiences attention, so that they look up the sites.

Film Promotional Website Deconstructions

Deconstruction of previous A2 media trailer - "The Deprived"

The Deprived

Production companies

• Simple yet effective production companies
• Relevant to genre

Camera angles

• Good range of camera angles - handheld, close up, tracking, long shot, etc.

Mise-en-scene

• Good use of location - abandoned buildings, forests, etc.
• Attention to small details such as rusting and blood stains to suit genre and to make it look abandoned
• Map looks realistic
• Dark lighting to portray atmosphere

Typography

• Typography is in bold to show its importance
• Letters aren't perfect - have a rough texture and possible blood stains
• Typography is appropriate as it is similar to the state of the location

Music

• Sound of radio/real news footage at the beginning - sound is distorted to give a no signal effect which is effective as this film is about survival
• 'Heartbeat sound' when clips of the location is shown to build tension
• Use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound - diegetic sound of the male actor speaking
• Effective use of sound at the end where we hear the sound of a gunshot and birds, possibly crows, flying away