What ‘issue’ are you integrating into your narrative? Explain how your film idea reflects a social, cultural and/or political context? (200 words)

I am going to be integrating the issue of climate change within my film idea. This is an issue which has increasingly gained both mainstream and niche media attention in recent years due to different activist movements. The issue will be explored by the socially aware main character finding out about the governments plans and intentions towards climate change. Whilst highlighting the governments poor efforts to change anything, it also informs the audience about the subsequent consequences of those in higher authority and power such as the police and government forces. The topic of cover ups and corruption will also be explored throughout the film as people continue to not listen, and these portrayals will be represented through the characters and their views. I chose to cover the issue of climate change as the older audiences (30-49 year olds) tend to often be less informed about it. The narrative will contain all elements of social, cultural and political contexts as it establishes an issue not commonly explored in mainstream media.

Character Profile- Part One

Basics

Name: Bill Ackley

Age: 49

Place of birth: Outskirts of London

Current location: Coventry

Nationality: British

Education: graduated high school and directly served in the navy afterwards

Physical Appearance

Height: 5’9

Eye colour: brown

Hair colour: brown

Build: medium

Preferred outfit: Often pictured in police/smart uniform

Glasses: none

Accessories (cane, pipe, necklace, etc.)?

Grooming: cleanly shaven

Distinguishing “tics” and mannerisms: none

Health? Do they suffer from chronic illnesses? No

Handwriting: smart and organised.

Gait: confident and intelligible

Speech and communication

Style of speech: well educated, put together

Tempo of speech: average

Do they have an accent? No

Pitch: average

Posture: stiff

Gesturing: compulsive hand talker

Level of eye contact (direct, shifty, etc.): direct

Speech impediments: none

Laughter: colleagues jokes etc

Describe their smile: sarcastic

Emotive: keeps emotions to self- They have a resting neutral/serious face.

Part Two

The Past

Hometown: Watford

Type of childhood : sheltered

Education: Graduated high school and went onto the navy afterwards

Were they involved in organizations and clubs at school: Involved in sports, especially football in school. Enjoyed playing football however was often left out of teams

At graduation, they were named Most Likely To be successful in the yearbook.

Jobs (if applicable)? What would their résumé look like: Resume would be organised, plenty of experience within the police, recently promoted within the police

Dream job as a child: Always wanted to be in the navy because of how organised he is.

Who were their role models growing up? Describe them: Grew up listening to David Bowie, inspired by many footballers.

Greatest regret: Moving away from his hometown

Hobbies growing up: Football(both watching and playing) , academic subjects, etc

Favourite place to be as a child: Watching daytime football in the living room

If they could change one thing from their past, what would it be: Time spent away from family

Major turning points or “life beats” in childhood: Main major turning point in his childhood would be when he decided to join the police instead of fulfilling his lifelong goal to be a footballer

Earliest memory: His 1^st Birthday party

Saddest memory: Near-death experience as a child, the passing of his father

Happiest memory: Any childhood memories

Clearest memory: Winning the first football tournament

What are their skeletons in the closet?: Portrayal and hint that he is corrupt throughout the film

Three adjectives to describe them as a child: Outgoing, committed & shy

What advice would they give to their younger self: Work hard to build up

Criminal record: Clean

Family

Father: Age (if living): deceased

Occupation: former police officer

Briefly describe their relationship with your character: Always looked up to father growing up, they had a close and inseparable relationship. His father sadly passed away not long before his near-death experience in the Navy which caused him to change jobs to work within the police like his father did.

Mother: Age (if living): 72

Occupation: Retired, had previously worked at a solicitors

Briefly describe their relationship with your character: Close to mother, frequently visits and cares for her. However she can sometimes be too worried about Bill.

Siblings:

How many?: Only child, however he has a bestfriend who he considers his brother

What are their names?: Martin

Ages?: 42

Briefly describe their relationship(s) with your character: Worked within the navy together, however they have both moved on after the incident that nearly killed them both. They still frequently keep in contact and Martin now works within a Tech company.

Family’s economic status: middle class

How often do they see their family in a year?: Frequently sees mother, however very rarely sees wider family.

External Relationships

Closest friends? Describe them: His closest friend is Martin from his Navy days. However he does have friends and colleagues within the police force such as Debbie, Ethan and Jacob who all work within his department which he is in charge of.

Enemies? Describe them: His main enemy is himself, he often doubts himself but he also has a lot of enemies as a result of the line of work he does (policing). He is well known to common criminals.

How are they perceived by…

• strangers in the street?: As he is smartly dressed he is often seen as a more respectable character.
• acquaintances at a work function?: Due to his recent promotion, he has seen many co-workers begin to notice and listen to his ideas more.
• colleagues in the office?: He is represented as smart, logical and organised
• authority figures?: respected but sometimes belittled by higher authorities
• friends in their friend circles & the opposite sex: He is considered sometimes too serious about situations, he doesn’t always know how to switch off after work.
• extended family?: Rarely sees, but at family events is well-spoken to and appreciated, although he doesn’t necessarily trust them.

Social media platforms they are on: Facebook & Twitter

How would they use their social media platforms?: To be updated on information, particularly if it has to do with his job, he prefers to stay up-to-date with world and local events.

How would they fill out an online dating profile for themselves?: He would want someone less serious due to his serious job nature.

What’s their role in a group dynamic?: Parent

How quickly do they respond to emails?: Almost instantly, he has to stay updated with information. He is constantly glued to his computer for email updates.

Who do they depend on for…

• Practical advice: His mother
• Mentoring: His mother/Martin
• Wing-man: Martin
• Emotional support: Himself
• Moral support: His co-workers

What do they want from a relationship: To be valued and have somewhere to escape work related problems.

Who would be their ideal partner: Someone who is less serious about life, funny, caring and smart

Do they have a significant other?: Not currently

How many people would attend their funeral?: 75- close family and friends, most co-workers as he is a well respected.

I will use media language in my production to conform to the crime/thriller genre, the use of crime scenes, police uniforms, and the way in which the main characters are presented and going missing in the film by the menacing character. It also uses dark scenes to create fear and tension in the audience. Roland Barthes’ Semiotics theory shows that dark colours as well as reds to signify terror with the characters and therefore the audience reflects this behaviour.

The main character in the film will consist of a middle aged woman posing as socially aware to the climate change epidemic and conflicting the attitudes associated with the older generation. Stuart Halls Reception theory implies that an active audience should interpret and respond to the media text and is capable of challenging ideas encoded in it. The ‘corrupt’ police officer will reflect the stereotypical views of older generations, therefore prompting the audience to respond in a different way to the socially aware main character. The inclusion of a strong black woman role in the film, includes both gender and racial diversity, implying that the issue in the film truly affects everyone regardless of who you are. Representation of the main character will be the main purpose of the production, to ensure the audience will take away the same attitudes as the same character and highlight the governments lack of action across the world. The Stuart Hall Representation theory applies of having strong female character roles in the film on both the protagonist and antagonist sides, it reinforces the idea of corruption whilst underlining the main issue.

The ages of the main characters in the film also strongly reflect the target audience (30-49 year olds). By having middle aged actors/actresses, the target audience are more likely to be able to relate to the personalities in the film whilst listening to the messages addressed. The uses and gratifications theory implies that the audience will use the main characters as a form of personal identity, and potentially be inspired by the main attitude. As well as providing information on not only climate change, but the power of government/police/higher powers corruption.

The production will conform to its media and industry context by the mainstream genre of crime, as well as the storyline of having a plot twist and the false-hero’s identity being revealed. The stereotypical use of a murder scene conforms to the crime drama as well as the actors and directors being associated with the genre. With the use of Universal producing the film. The wider context of climate change however it is a subject which is rarely explored by the mainstream media, although the topic becoming increasingly common through the increase in climate change movements throughout recent years.

My cross-media production will incorporate release future games of the film, giving the audience the opportunity to view multimedia content in different platforms. These include promotion across different social media particularly aimed at the target audience. I am going to use Columbia Pictures for my film idea because it has historically produced films of a similar nature and genre to my idea. I also intend to promote throughout magazines aimed at similar age groups who have an interest in the film industry, magazines such as Empire Magazine. The film will be promoting the film through websites and other online media commonly associated with 30-49 year olds. Social media linked with these age range include Facebook (with 78% of 30-49 year olds using Facebook, and 40% using Instagram).

https://noahmaynard.wixsite.com/Morningstar     -A* Example

https://lilyhunt7.wixsite.com/website-5

‘The Crowd’ uses drone shots in the background with the four main characters in order to introduce the audience to them. The characters appeal to the main audience, it also uses many pictures and video clips. The character page outlines and displays

• Dark colour palettes
• Title of film on the front page
• Reviews on home page/separate page
• productions related to it? Universal/ Columbia and other releases
• Audio in the background/as a soundclip/Audio-Visual (interviews, directors talking about the film)
• Reviews
• Characters- introduces the characters to the audience
• actors/directors/producers

I have chosen Columbia Pictures because the genres made by the company suit my target audience (30-49 year olds). The genres explored by the production company include espionage, crime, comedies and less animations- genres which typically appeal to older audience. This is further reinforced by the use of actors within that age range and marketing strategies to appeal and attract the targeted audience. 

ColumbiaUniversal Powerpoint

Fargo (1996) Teaser Poster

The Fargo teaser poster uses white plain background to create a sense of emptiness in the poster as well as focusing on the main subject (the two people in the image). It is clear that one of the figures is perplexed as to what has happened, much like the confusing plot that is Fargo. The red font lettering implies the severity of the situation. The poster creates enigmas for the audience viewing it, due to the confusing situation therefore promoting the film in a successful way as the audience wants these enigmas and questions solved. The genre is reflected as there is the use of a police chief placed as one of the main subjects. There is also the use of a dead body which is the most gripping part of the poster, the audience would want answers as to ‘how’ and ‘why’ the situation occurred. The use of the snow represents the location which the film is based (Minnesota/North Dakota) as well as highlighting the isolation by the emptiness of the location.

Inception (2010) Theatrical Poster

The inception film poster has a dark theme which correlates to the dark genre and serious nature of the film. There is a dark colour palette, mostly blue hues which reflects the moody atmosphere and genre. The characters are placed looking focused, this introduces and familiarises the characters with the audience. The main character (Leonardo Dicaprio) is seen in the centre of the poster to represent importance to the film, he is also seen as closer to the camera than the other characters. The background is edited to reflect and reference the title ‘inception’ as it is something which shows a bird-eye view of the setting of the film. The editing in this film poster shows the sci-fi side of the genre as well as linking back to the crime genre with the phrase “your mind is the scene of the crime”, using direct address to the audience as well as personifying the situation to make the audience sympathise with the main characters. The ‘inception’ font is written in red, with heavy connotations to death, anger and blood, which is portrayed with the characters holding guns and the reference to crime.

Get Out (2017)-  DVD Cover German/English Version

The genre of the film is reflected by the lack of colours in the DVD cover, it also uses black and white as a contextual factor as the film links back to racial values and stereotypes. It portrays the main character in the film as terrified due to his facial expression and posture, it links to the genre of horror/mystery by using these connotations and language to represent a scary, eerie and uncomfortable atmosphere. It depicts the main character as torn between the colour black and white, showing an outside social factor and context to the film. The font of ‘Get Out’ appears serious due to the capital font. The white colours in the poster are not entirely one colour, there is a use of dirty/torn effect to the white hues possibly highlighting corruption. The genre is also reflected in the colour palette of the movie scenes due to its lack of strong bright colours. The use of positioning places the main character in the centre of the cover to symbolise importance and significance to the film as he challenges these views of other people. On the back of the cover, it depicts the main character as falling from a height. This use of grey tones instead of straight black and white colours represents the characters decisions and thought processes, underlining the contexts which surrounds it.

Genre powerpoint

Captain Marvel

The website is set up to mimic a 90s style website as the film goes back in time to reflect this. It is created with an amateur-style and is targeted to create nostalgia to audiences that remember this form of website. It contains links to a mini-game and a trailer for the film. It introduces audiences to different characters in the film with pictures of them in various scenes. This is done to create more excitement for the film as the film makers appear to be teasing the audience with sneak peaks at the film. The space background and star décor shows to the audience that is a sci-fi film. One of the page sections introduces the audiences to ‘Skrulls’, they have appeared in American comic books published by Marvel.

Detective Pikachu

The website is laid out that the audience is first introduced with the trailer for the film. After the trailer has played, a photo of the official film poster is displayed. The film company used detective conventions to make the audience look for hidden Pokémon’s within the film poster using a virtual magnifying glass (the conventions with detectives). Once they have found all the Pokémon’s, a full picture of the film poster comes up and is available to share on social media. This therefore shares and promotes the film to more audiences.  The city style with the background static noises reflects the films setting, the film is based off of Japanese cities and is set in fictional Ryme City. In the video section, it contains 2 trailers, one which focuses on the character of Pikachu and the other which focuses on the character of Tim Goodman.

John Wick

The website shows various main characters throughout the film as well as the phrase “#1 movie in the world” to catch the audiences attention. There is also the #JohnWick3 social media hashtag to let people respond to the film and their reactions. The home screen also contains critic reviews of the film as well as a competition to design a John-Wick inspired snapchat lens. This would therefore be promoting the film further, with the prize being an item from the John Wick 3 film. The ‘Explore the continental lobby’ feature introduces all the main characters in the film with dramatic fast-paced music in the background. The ‘trailer’ section of the website includes behind the scenes footage of the training that the actors had to partake in. All the scenes shown, John Wick is represented as powerful due to the use of weapons and having the film named after his character. The various scenes The ‘story’ section contains a brief description of the plot of the film as well as a section dedicated to all the posters to promote the film and the franchise. The gallery section contains teasers from scenes within the film for the audience to view and produce hype.

Working Title: Killer Country

Outline: In the middle of the British countryside, a female ex-MI5 agent finds out top secret documents regarding climate change which she plans to release to the public . Donna is completely unaware of her dangerous situation and the severity of what she is doing, whilst she is relentlessly stalked on her daily dog walk. News reports later emerge of a young woman’s suspicious death in the middle of the forest, as a seemingly innocent Police investigator gets assigned to the case. Through many twists and turns of the story it transpires that the police officer investigating her death might not be entirely innocent all along. Meanwhile Bill Ackley, the police investigator finds himself uncovering more secrets that get him into further trouble with higher authorities. At the end of the film, it shows that Bill Ackley is totally innocent, and that what he was saying the entire time was completely true. The scenes of crime team were entirely corrupt by the government, co-ordinated by Jennette Banks, the senior CSI detective who helped plant false DNA evidence on Ackley.

Location: London & some of the British countryside

Character breakdown: Main character(s) –

Bill Ackley. 49 years old, white. He has recently been promoted to a police detective in London. He moved to the UK from the US as a child, and joined the Navy where he was nearly killed in a bombing. Afterwards, he decided to join the police force. Ackley is looking to retire soon and plans for the investigation into Donnas death to be his last. It is implied and shown throughout the film that Ackley and Kensington knew each other from years ago and the investigation is put at risk because it is implied that he could have had something to do with it. However, it is revealed at the end of the film that he was set up by the corrupt scenes of crime that planted vital DNA evidence to frame him.

Donna Kensington. Around 42 years old. White. It transpires that Bill knew Donna all along and may have been involved in her death. She discovered top secret information regarding the government covering up climate change by mistake whilst on holiday in the countryside, she then plans to release the information to the public. Whilst on a innocent dog walk, she is murdered. But by who?

Jennette Banks– An experienced scenes of crime officer, yet she appears to have an increased interest in Donnas death. Yet she is a highly though-of individual who has a clean record. Perhaps she could have something to do with the murder and cover up?

Genre: Thriller/Mystery

Target Audience: “mainstream audience of 30-49 year olds”, the characters reflect the target audience

Films/TV Influences: Killing Eve, Skyfall,

Actors/Directors:

Actors: Frances McDormand, Kevin Bacon, Viola Davis

Directors: Shannon Murphy