Character List/Bios

The characters in my 5 minute short film are as follows:

 

Milton Andrews- This character is the main protagonist of the film, as well as the father of the first victim and the main villain, and the wife of the final victim. He is an ex-detective who commits to finding his daughter’s killer, he is well respected by his former colleagues, but no one could have known how these murders would affect him.

Milton is played by Keith Wetherall

 

 

Lillian Andrews- This character is the first person to be murdered in the film, She is the daughter of Milton Andrews and the final victim, and the younger sister of the villain. A beautiful and talented artist, Lillian has always been in the public eye, and her art was highly sought after, but as all art experts know, art is only truly valuable after the artist’s death….

Lillian Andrews is played by Sophie Wetherall

 

 

Frank Myers- No one can deny that Frank Myers has had more than a few run-ins with the law, and over the past two years he has gone from average low-life to becoming one of the greatest legends in Lincoln’s ever-growing criminal underworld. However, after his last run-in with Milton Andrews, he seems to have turned over a new leaf. But with this latest spate of brutal murders leaving the entire city in panic, will his reputation be the death of him?

(Frank Myers in the prime suspect for the murder of Lillian Andrews)

 

Myers is played by Lewis Pickering.

 

Violet Andrews- Violet is the adoring wife of Milton Andrews, however, their relationship has seen its fair share of turbulence. As the wife of one of the best detectives in Lincoln’s history, Violet has been targeted by criminal after criminal in an attempt to throw Milton off his game, almost to the point of divorce. This didn’t change much even after Milton retired from the force, but he has always remained by her side, often making Violet wonder what they would do without each other…   

Violet is played by Lynne Wetherall.

 

Edward Andrews- Growing up in one of Lincoln’s wealthiest estates, Edward has always enjoyed the many bonuses that came with his father’s fame and social status. However, after Milton decided to leave his job as a Lincoln’s most famous detective, the luxuries quickly dried up along with the already strained relationship between him and his father. This drove Edward over the edge, and his lust for money soon turned into a lust for revenge against those who took everything he loved away from him…His own family.

 

I will play the part of Edward Andrews.

 

 

 

Target Audience Member Profile/Questionnaire 2

 

 

 

Here is my target audience questionnaire for Keith Wetherall.

 

 

After analysing the responses from both questionnaires, I have discovered that both TA members enjoy watching films of the crime genre and also the suspence/'whodunnit' aspect of said genre. As such my film will incorporate both of these ideas in order to effectively engage members of the ABC+ audience of over 35 males.

 

Despite this feedback, however, neither target audience member said that they like the silent genre, and as such I will aim to ensure that my film not only entertains the audience, but also attracts them to the genre.   

Target Audience Member Profile/Questionnaire 1

Here is my questionnaire/TA member profile for Terry Hyke. Unfortunately, I am currently unable to rotate the image of the questionnaire. I will attempt to rectify this as soon as possible.

In order to reach the maximum number of viewers for my 5-minute short film, I would use a variety of mediums. For  example, since new technologies are now very much the norm worldwide, placing my video on Youtube would greatly increase interest from a general audience. Also, if I were making this short film on a large budget, I would perhaps place a trailer for the film on TV channels such as ITV 3 and Alibi, as they show a wide variety of popular crime/mystery shows such as Castle, Law and Order: UK, Agatha Christies Poirot and Agatha  Christies Miss Marple among others. This would attract a large number of people from my target.audience of ABC1, over 35 males. 

Film Noir Analysis- 'Touch of Evil'

For my next genre-specific film analysis, I shall be analysing the film noir ‘Touch of Evil’ (Orson Welles, 1958).

The camera techniques used within the film consist of a great number of  close up/reaction shots to show the emotions of the characters throughout the film, such as this shot of the main character, American police chief, Hank Quinlan (played by Orson Welles), which connotes through the focus on the character’s facial expressions, that he he has sinister motives and/or has something to hide.

There are also a great number of POV shots, especially during the murder scenes, this allows the audience to ‘feel’ the pain and terror that Quinlan’s victims are feeling. Within the film there are also a high use of low camera angles, (to denote Quinlan’s power and dominance over others),  tracking shots (perhaps encouraging the audience to focus on the specific characters that the camera is tracking, forming an enigma, making the audience wonder about the significance of these characters), deep focus (to focus the audience’s attention onto specific happenings, facial expressions etc.) and elaborate crane shots (used to establish location). These are shots that Welles has become known for his extensive use of.

In terms of mise en scene, the most notable features within the film are low-key lighting, which denotes darkness, corruption, sinister goings-on  etc., and the clothing/body language of the characters, especially in the case of Mexican narcotics investigator Mike Vargas (played by Charlton Heston), who wears a smart suit (denoting high power and status) and always stands tall , connoting pride and the character's sense of honour and justice). This challenges the stereotype within the film that Mexicans are the ‘scourge of society’*.

The costumes used within 'Touch of Evil' are typical of 1950's society. (i.e. the males are smartly dressed in suits and ties, and the women in dresses.). This connotes that men the men are of high social status, have respectable jobs etc, while the women are lower class, (wearing more common, generic clothes). This highlights a common stereotype of 20th century films, that women are of lower status than men.

The themes shown within ‘Touch of Evil’ are typical conventions of the film noir genre, these are corruption, deception and crime (specifically murder). These are shown especially by the low key lighting and the sound used within the film (to create tension and enigma). Also, the film is set on the American//Mexican border, and thus relies heavily upon the theme of constant tension between the two (i.e. corrupt American police chief Quinlan and law abiding Mexican narcotics investigator Vargas)

The editing within the film is generally slow (to show the laid-back attitude of the characters, especially Quinlan and many of his supporters.), however, the transitions speed up towards the end of the film and in the murder scenes. These fast cuts, along with the sound used, are designed to create tension and fear within the minds of the audience, as well as enigma, to make the audience wonder ‘what will happen next?’

*note that this is not a general stereotype, but the general opinion of various characters within the film specifically.

Short Film Planning- Initial Ideas- Pitch

For the next part of the planning stage for my 5 minute short film, I was asked to produce a 1 minute pitch in order to outline my initial ideas. This allowed me to gain feedback and improve the concept of my short film accordingly. Firstly, it was suggested that the concept presented may not fit in to the 5 minute allocated time for the film and that to create the effect of a true 20th century silent film, I must pick locations  that don't have anything modern in the background (e.g. tall skyscrapers, busy roads etc.). This means that every single one of my locations must be carefully considered in order to avoid such obstructions. Also, it was suggested that I take inspiration from the cutscenes in the game 'LA Noire', as these are good examples of how a film noir should look.

I was asked whether or not I would use captions in my film to show speech, however, I decided that, since text often detracts the audience from the film itself, that I would simply use mime as it keeps the audience focused on what's going on in the scene.

It was also suggested to me that I should start the film from after the murder has taken place in order to enhance the enigma throughout the short film and to give the film a contemporary feel.

Short Film Planning- Initial Ideas- Bubble Diagram

Short Film Planning- Initial Ideas- Bubble Diagram on Prezi

Determining My Target Audience

To determine the target audience for my film, I have examined the UK Film Council (now British Film Institute) data regarding demographics and genre preferences of UK film audiences. The data does not include any direct statistics for the silent or mystery genres, but does include statistics for film noir, which is similar to both genres. This shows that neither the silent nor the mystery genre is largely recognised in the UK film market. This would mean that creating a film of these genres would be extremely unique. The given demographics data shows that the film noir genre is most popular among males over 35 and those of the AB social class.
For these reasons, I shall aim my short film at an audience of males of age 35 and above. This will most likely increase the amount of people from this TA who will go and see the film. I will also target those in their late teens etc. in order to introduce the silent mystery genre to a younger audience. Also, if there are some members of the audience who only like mystery films, this will introduce them to silent films and vice versa. 

Those targeted by my short film will mainly be of the ABC1 social class, as the typical viewers for silent films are older and more sophisticated, while the typical viewers of mystery films like an intellectual challenge and prefer to be in the position of the main protagonist.

The overall success of a film heavily depends on the reception it gets by its designated target audience, meaning that demographics and psychographics are essential and often reflect the films box office total. I.e. if you aim a film at an inappropriate target audience or the film is not well received by its target audience, then it is more than likely that the eventual box office total will be low. 

The box office totals for ‘The Artist’ (Michel Hazanavicius, 2011), a silent film, and ‘Sherlock Holmes’ (Guy Ritchie, 2009), an action/mystery film, are below:

‘The Artist’ 

UK/US Box Office Total: £36,924,194.01/$57,635,592.60

UK Box Office: £9, 028, 092/$14,089,220.60

US Box Office: $43,546,372/£27,899,102.01

‘Sherlock Holmes’ 

UK/US Box Office Total: £157,084,791.03/$245,762,313.16

UK Box Office: £25,711,734/$40,228,115.16 

US Box Office: $205,534,198/£131,373,057.03


(Box Office Data From: http://www.screenrush.co.uk/ )