PRELIMINARY TASK

This is our preliminary task which has enabled us to practice filming, editing and creating
a voice over for the first time. It has highlighted that the areas have done well are editing and
filming. This means that the areas that we need to work on are our opening titles, credit
sequence and also the quality of our voiceover.

ADOBE AND PHOTOSHOP TUTORIALS

Having had a small introductory workshop about how to use photoshop, we decided to take matters into our own hands and develop these essential skills ourselves. To help us do so, we took to the internet to find some online tutorials about the basics of photoshop.

A video that I found particularly useful is the one linked below. It talks briefly about the essential skills of photoshop, and reinforced what we already knew having taking part in a workshop.

We then went on to watch part 2 of the video series. This was also very useful as they went into slightly more depth about the different effects that we could use and actually put into practise in our work.

To consolidate our knowledge, we put these skills to the test by having a go at editing for ourselves.

PHOTOSHOP PRACTICE

We decided to look at Photoshop for future use within our poster and magazine cover. We played around with some of the tools so that we could remove a background and insert a picture of someone onto another background. The previews can be seen below, included are the before and after images.

In order to do this we had to open up a picture of someone, we then used the cropping tool to get rid of any excess background that we wouldn’t be using a lot of space on the computer when it was to be saved. From this we used the quick select tool. Using this we could ‘trim’ around the photograph of the person in order to get rid of any excess background. We could make it very accurate by zooming in and out of the picture. If we went wrong slightly it made it easy to retrieve the bit we cut out by either clicking undo, or by using the ALT key.

We then had to open a new background, this would open in a new tab. The cut out of the person could then be transferred over to the new background by dragging in onto the new tab. We could also resize it by using the select button and dragging the corners of the image.

This then created a layer, it move the image around we needed to unlock the layer therefore we clicked the lock on the side of the screen and it unlocked it so that we could move the image.

We then saved it to the web so that we could save the new image that we had created.

LOCATION EVALUATION - PROS AND CONS OF EACH LOCATION

Throughout the month of November as a group we have been researching potential locations we may use as our settings in our film trailer. The main 3 settings we decided we needed was a train station, a store and a house. Below we will discuss the pros and cons of each location we researched and decide on the final 3 locations we will use out of the options researched.

Train stations:

Stoneleigh Station vs. London Waterloo Station

Stoneleigh Station:

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
Close and convenient to use, allowing us to take more shots at this location (this would help us to produce a high quality piece of work as we have more than 1 type of shot.)	During the time we would be filming (December/ January) weather conditions will probably not be the best. We will need to be weary and careful when filming along the tracks (greater risk of danger).
Previously used this location in AS year 12 Media Studies, so we know when the best times are to film and we would be confident in knowing we can gain easy permission to the station again.	Being aware of commuters, as a group we wouldn’t want to impact anyone's day to day routine.
Quieter station, will allow us to capture shots showing the main female protagonist Clio in isolation. This will potentially reflect how she is feeling.	Employees leave at around 11 AM so if anything serious was to happen there would potentially be no one around.

London Waterloo Station:

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
The amount of commuters may work as a benefit as we could capture shots of the main female protagonist Clio walking away with a suitcase through a crowd of commuters. Ultimately being forgotten.	Extremely busy as it is a station which connects so many routes. During the time period we hope to film (December) it will be packed with commuters and people wanting to go Christmas shopping.
A well known and recognised station. Potential viewers would recognise this iconic station and be able to relate to it in a personal way.	Much harder to request and get approved access to film in and around the station. This could limit how much space we are allowed to use and how much time we could spend filming shots.
Large base of employees working at London Waterloo so if anything was to happen (eg. dangerous) we would be able to deal with the situation safely.	A much further and inconvenient train journey to get to the station. Could use this travel time elsewhere eg. capture more shots.

In conclusion we have chosen to use Stoneleigh Station, although London Waterloo has many strengths we believe Stoneleigh will be more suited within our trailer. Our main reasoning is that we believe we will be more able to capture an array of shots, especially ones of Clio in isolation. This will allow for the narrative to become more believable. We will also feel less pressure potentially because if time and travel as it is close and convenient to use.

Stores:

Sainsburys vs. The Cooperative vs. Dorking Road Stores

Sainsburys:

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
Well known and recognised supermarket chain. This recognisable brand would help to make the film relatable to our target viewers.	It becomes dark very quickly during the winter months and their is limited lighting around Sainsbury's, so we would need to potentially bring additional lighting to use.
There is a large car park area and a large space for filming without harassing or disturbing customers of Sainsbury’s. This additional pathway space will allow us to find the right angle to film at, allowing the shot to be of a higher quality.	Limited car parking time (3 hours). This seems like a long time but we would need to take a number of shots from different angles, position actors and provide lighting/ props. We will have to direct throughout, all of these jobs can kill time.
Should have resources available for our main actress to buy in one shot eg. Tinfoil, paper towels.	Extremely busy supermarket, especially during the winter season. Would need to be respectful of customers.

The cooperative:

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
Well known and recognised supermarket chain. This recognisable brand would help to make the film relatable to our target viewers.	Lack of car parking space. This would be crucial for us as we would be staying and using the area for a longer period of time. We would also need to take shots of the babysitter parked up, so without a clear parking space this would be very difficult.
Local and convenient to two members in our group.	Limited lighting around the store during the time we hope to film. We would need to supply additional lighting.
Should have resources available for our main actress to buy in one shot eg. Tinfoil, paper towels.	Busy store, we would need to be respectful of customers.

Dorking Road Stores:

Advantages:	Disadvantages:
No car parking bays  but a wide area outside the front of the shop which would be available for us to use to park cars.	The lack of a recognisable brand may affect how relatable the trailer is to our target audience.
One member in our group is a regular customer of Dorking Road Stores. This works as an advantage for us because we have a relationship with the owners we may be able to request and accept permission to use the store.	As Dorking Store being a smaller corner shop the majority of them are strict on how many teenagers use the store at once. This restriction may limit us taking shots of Clio walking out with products bought. As it is smaller, we could also be an annoyance to other customers.
The store is close and convenient to one of our houses making it easily accessible.	Limited lighting around the store during the time we hope to film. We would need to supply additional lighting.

In conclusion we have chosen to use Sainsbury’s as our store setting. Although The Cooperative and Dorking Road Stores have many advantages, we believe Sainsbury’s is the best option. This is because we would capture the best shots here as it has the largest car parking space and pathway for Clio to walk down. It has all the resources available we would need to buy and capture Clio walking away with them. Another benefit is that Sainsbury’s is a recognisable and relatable brand for our target audience.

House:

We have only researched one house and it's one of our own hence why there is no need for a comparison. We choose one of our houses as it is easy and suitable to use. Houses are very conventional and similar hence why we have chosen to use one of our own as we want to reflect that Clio has a similar standard of living as us.  

LOCATION RESEARCH AND RISK ASSESSMENT - COOPERATIVE - KINGSTON ROAD (EWELL)

We may potentially use the store the cooperative located along Kingston Road, Ewell. We would use this setting as it would reflect and portray moments in our trailer when Clio would be collecting the resources to trash her ex boyfriends car.

We would like to use the cooperative as it is convenient and close to where we live. Using a location which is closer to our homes will enable us to spend more time gathering shots we could use. The more shots we gather, the higher quality our trailer could be. This is because if we are put under a time limit of filming in a certain location, it may be hard to reschedule the re -taking of any scenes.

We thought the Cooperative would be an ideal setting as it is a smaller store than Sainsbury's which would be ideal. As regular customers we have a personal daily encounter with the staff and owners so they would hopefully be okay with us filming outside the store. Another benefit of using the cooperative is that we wouldn’t have to carry all the equipment to far as it is closer than Sainsbury’s. There is also car park spaces available, however it is limited. We also liked the idea of filming outside the Cooperative as their is well lit street lights along the pavement and outside the store. This would make things a lot easier for us as we wouldn’t have to provide additional lighting during darker hours of filming.

However the Cooperative lacks a large car parking facility and a short hourly stay unlike Sainsburys. This would make it difficult for us to potentially capture all the shots we need and the limited space may affect the quality of the shot.  

Risk assessment:

Some areas we need to be cautious about when filming outside the Cooperative is the fact it is located along a busy main road. There is also limited pavement space for filming so we need to be weary of how much space we are using as we do not want to disturb the general public.

LOCATION RESEARCH AND RISK ASSESSMENT - DORKING ROAD STORES

Dorking Road Stores, is a little corner shop and convenience store near Epsom hospital. We brainstormed the idea that we could film inside a convenient store or supermarket for a closer insight into what Clio would be buying. We then thought about the risk of being caught filming and how other people would be in our shot who may not be wanting to be filmed. We also thought that that we would need to get permission to film, therefore we thought that we’d have to film somewhere local in order for them to know us and so we could easily persuade them.

Advantages of using Dorking Road Stores would be that it is close to where we live therefore it’s easily accessible, it is also quite small (this could be a disadvantage too), this means that we wouldn’t need many shots and we could get it done quickly.

However disadvantages would be; it could be too small, as mentioned above, this is a disadvantage as they may not sell what we want to buy essentially. We therefore would have to take in different products into their store which they may not appreciate. Another disadvantage would be that even though it’s local we may not be able to access it as they may not want teenagers coming in when there are customers as we would easily get in the way.

Overall, from the evidence above we decided against using the convenience store as we believe it would be too small and we wouldn’t be able to easily get permission and we’re very short on time to film therefore we can’t wait too long for the permission.  

LOCATION RESEARCH AND RISK ASSESSMENT - LONDON WATERLOO STATION

Although we have looked at Stoneleigh station as a potential location for our main character Clio to run away from, we also thought we should consider other places. One of the main benefits of Stoneleigh station was how quiet and unused it is. This may now seem ironic that we are looking at London Waterloo as a potential location but we will explain this.

It is common for films of the coming of age genre to use recognisable locations to set their film in. This has many benefits including the fact that the audience will be able to relate to this location and therefore create more of an interactive narrative and media product for our audience. This is essential for our target audience due to them wanting to find people that they can relate to throughout their teenage years.

We are also able to get a really wide range of shots in this location, and the busy atmosphere would allow us to capture this hectic location, which could contribute to the anxiety and fear of the Cleo who is about to run away. It would be a great visual representation. On top of this, there is the potential to achieve all sorts of shots, including close ups, medium shots, establishing shots and birds eye view shot.

In terms of how convenient the location is to film, it is:

-Likely to be extremely busy and we do not wish to be an inconvenience for commuters

-A half an hour train ride away from home, during which we will have to carry all props

-The train station could be considered as dangerous due to live train tracks, slippery stairs during winter conditions and the mass of people.

LOCATION RESEARCH AND RISK ASSESSMENT - STONELEIGH STATION

Location research:

We may potentially use Stoneleigh Station as one of our locations during our trailer. We would use this setting as it would reflect and portray that the main female protagonist is running away from home. We would be able to capture shots such as a low angle shot of her walking away, also a  medium shot of a train pulling away with her sitting inside a carriage or a long shot of commuters rushing around her as she sits and waits for her train. This location is equally as important as the mise-en-scene of a suitcase she will be carrying, as it will massively emphasise the idea of her escaping her life through running away.

We would like to use Stoneleigh Station as it is convenient and close to where we live. Using a location which is closer to our homes will enable us to spend more time gathering shots we could use. The more shots we gather, the higher quality our trailer could be. This is because if we are put under a time limit of filming in a certain location, it may be hard to re-schedule the re -taking of any scenes.

We thought Stoneleigh Station would be an ideal setting as it isn’t as busy and popular as destinations such as Epsom or London Waterloo, who see more regular commuters. The idea of the station make it easier for us to film as we won’t potentially get in the way or danger ourselves when recording on busy platforms. Another benefit of Stoneleigh station being quiet is it may reflect that Clio is isolated and all alone when encountering on her escape. We also liked the lighting during a night time at Stoneleigh Station, this is because it portrays a eery feeling. If we chose to film Clio running away at night, this would benefit the shots we take as the darkness combined with spotlights makes it more gritty and if anything could happen to her. However if we film during the day, Stoneleigh station has a opened layout so natural lighting may be enough when filming.        

Risk assessment:

Some areas we need to be cautious about when filming at Stoneleigh Station is the tracks, walkways and stairways. We would need to be weary when filming along the walkways or stairways as they are very slippery especially during the winter season when we will be filming. To prevent any accidents we would need to avoid running scenes using these areas. We also need to be cautious about the tracks and trains passing when filming, so again we would need to avoid running and make sure we stay behind the yellow lines when trains are approaching. So listening out  for the announcements will help us to prepare when it is best to film.

When filming we should also be aware of any employees who work at Stoneleigh Station or any commuters. We don’t want to be a inconvenience or cause any havoc to people trying to live their day to day lives. To avoid any problems when arriving at Stoneleigh station we can ask an employee if we have permission to use the track to film a couple of shots.    

LOCATION RESEARCH AND RISK ASSESSMENT - HOUSE

As a group our original idea was to use a house as one of our settings as it creates a realistic approach to the film which can be relatable to our audience. We wanted to find a setting which would be stereotypical to the film genre. We therefore chose a house as obviously everyone has a place to live, but also throughout research of watching coming of age genre films and trailers we found a recurring theme through them all. Therefore we thought this setting would be an ideal setting to shoot a few scenes.

Advantages of using a house in our film trailer would be that we have access to a realistic setting, as it would be one of our houses it gives us a more relaxed environment to film with less time restrictions, alongside this we also have more available access to try different camera angles for example being able to do high angle shots by standing on chairs and stairs, if we tried to do this outside we would struggle. It gives more artistic freedom.

The setting would adhere to many codes and conventions of the genre.

However, on the other hand, the house may be a struggle to use as a setting if we wanted to shoot a scene where we ‘trash’ a car, the neighbours may be a bit inquisitive and may ask questions. We also would have to make sure that nothing gets ruined or broken within the house.

LOCATION RESEARCH - SAINSBURY'S CAR PARK/ ENTRANCE

We wanted to use a car park as we wanted to get some shots hopefully within a montage, of our main protagonist Clio stumbling out of a store into the car park with bags or handful of products which will be used when getting ‘revenge’ where the babysitter James would be waiting for her by the car.

This would make the trailer effective as the shots would create an enigma code of why was she needing to go into a store to buy things, and what was she planning on doing with these too.  

From thinking of different superstores we could use which has a large car park for example; Londis, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s. We settled on Sainsbury’s as it was the most convenient as it was easy to access and it was open long hours. It also had a large area of car park which would make it easier to film in, we could then also keep out of the way of other shoppers.

We thought that Sainsbury’s would be an ideal place to use as it has lots of lighting, therefore it will make it easier for us to film if we wanted to film at night. This gives us a larger time frame to film so were not rushed.  The bright orange lighting coming from the Sainsbury’s lettering could be used to create an effective atmosphere that we can discuss later.

It was also convenient of location as it is close to our school so it’s easily accessible so we could film after school.

However, some disadvantages of using Sainsbury’s car park would be that you can only park in there for three hours. It may seem like a long time however, we would have to use our time wisely to direct everyone into their positions in order to gain as much footage as possible. From this we would have more of a choice when it came to the editing section of the process.

Another disadvantage would be that it does get dark quickly, even though the car park is lit well. If we wanted to do a close up shot we may have to use any extra lighting. This extra lighting may also not be effective. In the past we have thought about using our iPhone torches but they may not be strong enough. Therefore this shows us that we will have to pick a good time to go out and film.

COSTUME AND PROP RESEARCH - MOTHER

COSTUME AND PROP RESEARCH - STAN

COSTUME AND PROP RESEARCH - JAMES

COSTUME AND PROP RESEARCH - CLIO

PROS AND CONS OF EACH POTENTIAL NARRATIVE

When discussing our narrative ideas as a group we decided that when making a final decision of what narrative to chose we would have to weigh up the strengths and weaknesses of each one.

Storyline 1 (As seen in the finalised ideas mind map post):

Brief plot/ blurb:

Based on a true story. Alan and Jan are high school sweethearts. As their love for each other grows so does their parents concerns. Jan's parents forced their relationship to be put on hold. As years go by will they end up back together? Or will their high school reunion tear them apart.

Pros of storyline 1:	Cons of storyline 2:
As the narrative is based on a true story, it is something different and potentially would be more exciting to film.	The film would be hard to portray as we would need 2 different versions of each character, one when they are in high school and one when they are older.
We would use a variety of places to film and actors involved. This would give the film the realistic aspect.	We would be tempted to present it like the notebook as it is a similar storyline.
Unique as it isn't a stereotypical coming of age film so characters and costumes would be different and exciting.	We believe the true story would be hard to portray in a exciting way for the audience.

Storyline 2 (As seen in the finalised ideas mind map post):

Brief plot/ blurb:

Jess a teenage girl meets her dream guy during the summer holidays. As things begin to heat up, their summer fling is cut short with the reality of going back to school. Not only does she have to face the heap of homework she has been set but her boyfriend begins to wonder what really happened during the summer holidays. A sudden new boy rocks up with the intentions of furthering the summer fling with Jess. Who will Jess choose? Her childhood sweetheart or the new boy in town?

Pros of storyline 2:	Cons of storyline 2:
Would be easy and convenient to film as we could use settings and actors from our school.	A conventional coming of age storyline, similar stories have already been told eg. the first time.
May involve us using quirky and interesting settings eg. Brighton beach to represent Jess’ holiday.	Romances are hard to portray.
Would enable us to show stereotypical characters seen in coming of age films eg. typical mean girl, nerd, rocker.	Not many characters or settings would be used.

Storyline 3 (As seen in the finalised idea mind map post):

Brief plot/ blurb:

Clio a 17 year old girl, living her day to day life dealing with her family's problems. Faces the hardest one yet when she gets her heart broken. Seeking revenge, she partners up with her brothers babysitter in hope to let loose. As one chapter closes, another begins which involves seeking her true identity by running away.

Pros of storyline 3:	Cons of storyline 3:
The storyline is unique, exciting and has a gripping element when the teenage girl runs away.	We don’t want the romance to be the main part of the trailer and present it in a cliche way.
The storyline is more relatable for our target audience of female teenagers. This is because it involves problems they may face eg. depression, the abuse of alcohol.	Have to be careful with the comedic aspect.
We would enjoy filming it as a group as it features comedic, romantic and dramatic aspects.	We may find it hard to present mental health issues such as depression.

In conclusion, we decided to chose storyline 3. We made this decision because we believed it would be the most interesting and gripping storyline to present. Other reasons include that it would be one of the easier films to portray and film as we can use resources from our school and homes. The things we need to be aware of is to not focus on the romance aspect as the genre is a coming of age hybrid with drama.

FINALISED IDEAS MIND MAP

The mind map we have made features basic information on the coming of age genre, examples of the different hybrid coming of age genre films and 3 alternative storylines. We have discussed the different storylines and have gone into detail about the props, settings and characters we may use.

From creating this document we will now further our ideas by discussing the pros and cons of each storyline in another post.

RESEARCH AND PROFILING (TRUE STORY IDEAS)

It had been an initial idea to select a 'true story' that we have found online and develop this into a narrative that we could base our trailer on. We were a real fan of this idea until we discovered the lack of interesting and relatable stories out there that we could portray in an emotion capturing way. Below are some stories that we came across:

1. http://yourstoryclub.com/short-stories-love/story-of-teenage-love/
2. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/evelyn-lauer/my-first-love-story_b_5191891.html

To conclude, we decided against this idea as, as unique it may have been, we did not connect with a story passionately and decided that we wouldn't use this as a basis for our trailer.

AUDIENCE RESEARCH AND PROFILING INTERVIEW

In this video we asked a random selection of teenagers a group of questions relating to our genre. This helped us to discover what they would expect to see in a coming of age film as well as gave us an insight into what sort of film they would rather go and watch.

INFLUENCES ON OUR PRODUCTION

Directors:

1. John Hughes - The director of the most popular coming of age films including Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club.  The breakfast club has been a massive influence on us, and has highlighted the stereotypical characters that we will portray.
2. Mark Waters - The director of coming of age films including Mean Girls and Freaky Friday. Mean Girls is a classic coming of age film that also highlights character stereotypes.

Producers:

1. Scott Rudin - The producer of Clueless is a heavy influence for us due to extravagant use of props and costume.

Authors:

1. John Green - The author of popular books including Papertowns and The Fault in our Stars.
2. William Shakespeare - Although you may be surprised to see him on our page of influencers, Shakespeare is actually responsible for The Taming of the Shrew which was adapted into a modern high school environment to become 10 Things I Hate About You.

Films:

1. Girl on the Train - The concept of alcohol, and being dependant on it, is covered in this film as a key element. We can use this film as inspiration due to our feature of potentially having an alcoholic mum.
2. The DUFF - It highlights the different stereotypes that would be featured in our film. Furthermore, it is thoroughly enjoyed by our target audience and we would also like to have this positive response.