Characters and Casting

After we had constructed the basic narrative that we would have in the film, we then worked on characters that would help to shape the story we wanted to show. We thought about the people we had available and willing to film. We used ourselves as the main characters mainly due to the fact that we knew we would always be available for filming and we also had a clear idea of what we wanted our characters to be like.

Main Cast & Characters:

Michael Lockwood- 

We wanted each group to have two leader figures, a male and female leader. We chose Daniel to be the 'hero' figure of the film and the leader of the good group. Due to his septum piercing he is an unlikely hero (based off aesthetics). There was some debate as to whether myself or Daniel should play the villain/bad-leader. But, we decided to opt for a more clean-cut/sophisticated psychopath villain. Which left us with Daniel as the leader of the Good group. We liked the idea of breaking convention in terms of the hero archetype- in Tomorrow When the War Began (one of our trailer influences), the rebellious boy steps up to become the leader. We used the name Michael, due to the symbolic links to the arch-angel Michelangelo. Who defeated a dragon with a flaming sword (symbolic of good overcoming evil). Lockwood is a combination of security and nature, this makes for a positive sounding name. 

Eve Formstone- 

We chose Lizzie to play the Matriarch figure of the good group. This is due to her angelic appearance: blonde hair and blue eyes. Being a similar height to Daniel also meant that they would match each other very well (particularly in two-shots). Lizzie came up with the idea that the characters Eve and Michael could have hints of romance, so we made the character of Eve more dependent on Michael and also have her trust him more. We used the name Eve (also biblical) due to the links with the first woman. But, also we had the idea of Eve betraying Michael to save her brother, thus incorporating the ideas of original sin. This also links in with our production company: Eden Pictures.

Haden Godfrey- 

I was chosen as the villain and leader of the bad group. My features are angular which can be useful for making myself look particularly cruel and aggressive. I am also slightly taller than Daniel which makes me look more threatening- which is needed to be taken seriously as a villain. I felt that I was more suited to play the sophisticated and dangerous villain. Due to being from the South my accent is also slightly more well-spoken and adds to the archetype of the British villain. We used the name Haden as it is reminiscent of Hades, God of the Underworld in Greek mythology. This links to the ideas that Hayden brings about the death of the character of Fiona. The surname Godfrey would seemingly contradict the malevolence of the character but it portrays the power of the villain or rather the thirst for power.  

Selene Blanchett- 

Clare has the dark hair and pale skin that a conventional Hollywood villainess has. She is also nearly as tall as me, which means we match well in shots where we are together. Clare is taller than Daniel and this would mean we would have to frame shots with him higher than her (if she were to be the heroine, or he the villain). In The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, actor Josh Hutcherson is shorter than Jennifer Lawrence- so they usually find ways of filming that make him look taller or at least the same height. But, we felt that Clare and I both suited the civilised villain-role well. The name Selene is symbolic of the Goddess of the Moon in Roman mythology (linking to ideas of darkness). Blanchett is a French name in origin and is symbolic of the aristocracy that was there. 

Supporting Characters:

Matthew - Alfie Formstone

We wanted to give the good group something they needed to protect, so we came up with the idea of Eve having a younger brother who needs protecting. We cast Lizzie's real brother Matthew. This meant he bore a resemblance to Lizzie and in the trailer could easily be identified as her brother.

Fiona- Fiona Grey

We knew we wanted to include the death of a good character. This was to symbolise the innocence lost. We cast Fiona in this role, due to her height and appearance she looks sweet and vulnerable. We decided to keep her real name (only changing the surname) because Fiona means "fair" and so we agreed that this fitted her character rather well. 

Hannah- Lana Moore

We needed other group members to fill out the "good" group. So we came up with the character of Lana who would replace Fiona in terms of the film's plot. So she would be present at the climax of the film. Even though Hannah does not go to our college she was still available to attend filming shoots. She also has mousy-brown hair and blue eyes- these features are commonly associated with purity and goodness.

 Sam- Luke Goldwyn

We needed to balance out the genders somewhat between the good and bad groups and so we came up with the character of Luke- who would serve as Michael's right hand man.

Dan- Jake Fletcher

We knew that Haden would need some henchmen to do his bidding so we asked around for people available for filming. Dan was available to film and he is also very tall and this adds to the intimidation and henchmen-like quality.

Kieran- Kieran Stockholm

Another of Haden's henchmen, Kieran fits the bill for bad guy in terms of his dark hair and blue eyes, these features are often sought after when casting evil characters.

Alex- Evan Campbell

Alex was to be the third henchmen of Haden. Like Dan, Alex is also very tall and this adds to the idea of strength and threat. Alex also did not go to our college but he was available for filming.
 

Planning Our Narrative

Having already decided to create a Teen post-apocalypse film, we decided to use Lord of the Flies (by William Golding) as an idea to work from. We wanted to create an environment that would enable the rapid breakdown of social structure. But, we did not want to be cliché and use the desert island and we certainly did not want to simply remake Lord of the Flies. So we came up with an idea of all the people over a certain age disappearing.

We began thinking of a reason why this would happen and we toyed with ideas such as disease, but this could have led down a zombie-apocalypse path- somewhere we did not want to go. We wanted our film to have a sense of realism. We thought about films such as The Hunger Games, where the government runs the lives of all the people, this gave us the idea that we could have it part of some government conspiracy. In order to create a more elite race of humans, we the teenagers would have to fight until on the strongest remained- survival of the fittest/natural selection. Another personal inspiration was the graphic novel and anime series: Battle Royale which is a similar concept to The Hunger Games only more brutal.

Although we liked the idea, we thought that having it be an accident would be a lot more interesting, there is no encouragement to fight, but there is no discouragement. This meant it was a lot more critical of society's structure and ideas of authority. Like in Lord of the Flies we envisaged the rivalry of two groups, but we wanted to introduce some sort of object that would heighten the conflict.

We came up with the idea of a folder that would hold the key to what had happened and possibly how to fix it. Just like in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone- the good and bad characters are scrabbling to attain an object it gives a sense of physicality to the journey the characters will go on.  But, we had to have a reason that the characters knew about the folder, so we developed the idea that one of the main character's parents was involved with the government project and so they knew the folder would help them understand what had happened.

From this we decided that the age which people would disappear would be 17, this was a year younger than us, but this meant the characters were not yet adults and that we would be able to be more logical but also more violent. The idea that the characters would also disappear at 17 meant there was an urgency to the plot and we thought this would come in useful in the trailer.

When we thought about the idea of two rival groups, we imagined having a Patriarch and Matriarch for each group. This meant that they could both reflect and contrast each other and this could be useful in the distribution and marketing such as posters.

Influences for Magazine cover

Most post-apocalyptic films feature one main character so when it comes to the magazine covers that promote the film- there is usually only one person on the cover. However, our post-apocalypse film featured at least four main characters, so when it came to looking for ideas of the magazine cover we had to look more broadly in terms of action/thriller/adventure films (to which post-apocalypse is a sub-genre).

 Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This cover features a bare minimum colour scheme. The majority of the cover is in varying shades of black and grey, the only other colours being red and blue, this is to get across the fact that it is a new Captain America film (red and blue being colours on the American flag). The colours are muted and dark, because although this is a comic-book/superhero movie it is trying to give off a more sinister and serious feeling. The only bright colour on the front cover is the red of the Masthead "EMPIRE". The main character (Captain America) gives the audience direct address to make them feel more immersed and gives the hero an assertive quality. However, Black Widow (on the right) has her back to the audience and is looking at Captain America. This suggests she is on hid side and is watching his back against any enemies, however her posture could also be attributed to the Male Gaze- a common feature of comic books and superhero films. The men (main audience members) are attracted to the film due to the attractive women with in it. The magazine cover advertises that Black Widow is in this film. The man on the left is the villain of the film (can be seen on the trailer). He gives the audience direct address as well- he too is assertive. Where Captain America holds the shield in front of him it suggests that he is a protector, the villain is holding his gun out which suggests his violence and threat. The villains head is also at the same height as Captain America (whereas Black Widow's is not) this suggests that they are evenly matched in their battle.

Django Unchained

All of the characters are giving direct address. But the camera seems to be at a slightly lower angle which makes the characters seem even more powerful and superior. The colour scheme matches the genre of western. The greens, greys and sandy colours. But there is a smear of blood effect under the anchorage text which suggests that this will be a lot more violent and gory than usual western films, along with the drops of blood visible in the background. The blood effect is complimented by the masthead and some of the strapline. Despite the violent look of the cover, the character in the centre has his gun raised so he can shoot easily but he does not want to, this is reaffirmed by his outstretched hand which suggests he wants to pull the audience into the film. There are no puffs or inset images on this cover so the audience is immediately drawn to the three characters, it means that the main image can be more tightly framed without the fear of puffs covering the characters at the sides.

Watchmen

This is another super-hero comic book film. We wanted to look at covers with groups on and as related to the Thriller/action/sci-fi genre that encompasses our teen apocalypse. We liked that this is much more sinister looking for a super-hero cover, the characters are wearing very dark colours and holding unconventional weapons such as guns. The use of the gritty purple wall in the background contrasts well with the clean-cut yellow on the skyline and anchorage text (and some text in sell-lines and puffs). But the bloodstain on the anchorage text again reminds the audience this is not going to be a super-hero film aimed at children. It's hard to tell who is villain and who is a hero by the appearances of the characters, this relates to the film, the lines between are blurred, so in that way the cover works well to compliment the film. But on our own cover we wanted to make it clear to the audience who the heroes and the villains are to match our trailer. I feel that this cover has too many bright colours featuring in it, it makes the characters seem darker but at the same time the yellow skyline is hard to read with the peeling purple wall in the background, the blue is unnecessary and takes away from the contrasting colours as well.

X-Men: First Class

This magazine cover has a limited colour scheme of grey/blue and a contrasting orange for the inset images, skyline and anchorage text. The characters are all giving direct address to the readers of the magazine but it is a slightly lower angle suggesting they are more superior or powerful (possibly due to their powers).  The main character Charles is at the very front, slightly overlapped is Raven behind him, Eric is at the back in between Charles and Raven which suggests he will come between them. Emma is coming out on the right at the back, she looks very different to the others on the front, she is wearing all white and due to also having blonde hair makes her look like she doesn't belong with them. This is fitting because Emma is a villain from start to end whereas Eric and Raven start off on the side of the X-Men but join forces with Emma at the end of the film, this is probably why she is also on the cover. I like that the cover tightly frames the characters together but I think that the anchorage text should be lower down as it covers quite a lot of the main image. Due to it being tightly framed the background is a simple grey colour with the beginnings of an 'X' for X-men visible at the top, if we were going to have less tightly-framed main image then we would have to have an interesting backdrop for our main image.

Sucker Punch

The main image ties in very closely with the posters that were made to distribute the film. The main character is very obvious as she is a the forefront of the and the rest of the characters are staggered backwards, they are all giving direct address, following the convention. The characters are mainly wearing dark greys and black and the background is some sci-fi war landscape with a colour scheme of green and orange suggesting fire and explosion, this coupled with the title suggests it is a very action based film, but although it features sci-fi and action these are actually part of an elaborate plot of a psychological thriller. The way the characters are dressed could be partly to do with the male gaze but also suggest a link with one of the fantasies in the film, that the girls are trapped into working in a brothel. I like the straight inset images in the strapline but I dislike how the sell lines are below the strapline, it makes it strange seeing just the feet in the main image at the bottom.

What is a Magazine Cover?

Codes and Conventions

In order to produce our own Magazine cover, we had to first explore what elements make up a magazine cover. I have recorded our research and listed them along with an explanation and purpose on the cover.

Mast Head:

The Mast Head is the title of the magazine and takes up a considerable area of the cover. Although the font, placement and size remains near constant, the colour can change from issue to issue depending on the colour scheme. The main image can be overlapped by the main image to add a 3D effect. The magazine's name is usual associated with films, such as : Total Film and Premiere. 

Direct Address:

The subjects of the main image usually looks straight at the audience, or directly. This makes the audience feel more immersed in the image and more likely to buy the magazine promoting the film. 

Puff:

Is a sticker-like shape usually an eye catching colour that will alert the readers of the magazine what else may be inside the magazine such as a poster or a competition. 

Skyline/Strap-line:

The skyline of the magazine is usually a banner above the Masthead which either promotes the magazine or gives more information about the magazine's contents. The strap-line is lower down the cover and usually contains inset images, advertising the other films or articles inside the magazine.

Skyline:

Strapline:

 

Sell Lines:

This is text usually around the edges of the cover, that try to sell the magazine by telling potential buyers what else they can expect to appear inside the magazine.

Iconography:

This can usually only be used when promoting the main article film that is part of a series or well-known franchise. It will include imagery associated with previous films made. For example after Avengers Assemble (dir. Joss Whedon 2012) and Thor (dir. Kenneth Branagh & Joss Whedon 2011) Loki's costume was easily recognizable with the green in particular. This serves as part of the iconography of the character and film.

Main image:

The main image will usually feature the main characters/actors from the main article film in the magazine. Or sometimes with anniversary or special edition issues the characters from various films are present in the main image. The people in the main image will usually be directly addressing the audience/reader. This makes the audience feel more connected and drawn to the character.

Inset Image:
An inset image is not the main image you will see on the magazine cover. They are smaller images displaying the contents of the magazine.

Anchorage text:

This is text that will state the title of the main article film and also give audience a hint as to what the article will be focussing on about the film.

Date, Issue number, Price:

This is basic information so collectors or fans of the magazine can see when they came out and what issue number it has. The price is there so the people know how much this product will cost them.

Barcode:

Used to catalogue the magazines and manage the transaction easier when purchased.

-There are usually two different covers for each issue. The regular that can be bought in the shops and the subscriber's cover. The subscriber cover usually only features the main image, the masthead and possibly the title of the main article film.

Retail/regular Cover:

Subscriber cover:

Poster Influences

After having already decided on a genre of Film that we were going to be making a Trailer, Poster and Magazine cover for. We wanted to look at influences for the poster, from films of a similar genre and similar demographic.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

We liked the teaser posters of the Harry Potter Characters. They are recognisable but they look beaten and worn- this is the final battle. The colour scheme of the film posters has always been a green or blue, but this time red is included because the readers of the books will know that the final battle will be in this film. Red also holds connotations of blood, death and love. The iconic characters and colour scheme are enough to alert the audience that the last Harry Potter film is going to be released "IT ALL ENDS" 

We liked the Harry vs Voldemort poster the most because it showed the opposition of the two characters and the closeness made it feel more intense. The Elder Wand is placed between the two which suggests that the wand is the prize of the battle. The colour scheme ties in with existing posters and the film trailer. It is again rugged looking and Harry is close enough to see stubble this shows how much Harry has grown since the start but also shows the coarseness to the final film. "IT ALL ENDS" is used here again as the tagline along with the release date, website and institution logo. But, because there was so much hype and anticipation surrounding the film it did not need to follow poster convention as much. In our case we would need the conventional amount of information on our film poster. 

Tomorrow When the War Began

This poster is a lot more conventional than the posters we are taking influence from, it includes institution credits. It also includes links to the Facebook and Twitter for the film, along with the release date, this is something we would be looking to include in our own film poster (due to the importance of viral marketing in the electronic age). The poster has a tagline and also states that the film is "based on the bestselling novel by John Marsden" this is to encourage readers of the book to see the film and to tie in with the film trailer (synergy). The colour schemes shows the danger and war elements to the plot. This shows the audience and also the genre- people can expect what age certificate the film will have by the marketing (poster etc). 

The Road

The poster compliments the other forms of distribution of the film (including the teaser posters****). It includes the credits of the main cast, other institution and production credits and the title. There is no tag line on this poster but it states the film is "based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Cormac McCarthy" this would lead fans of the book to go and see the film- also people who wanted to read the book would also be more likely to go see it because watching a film is quicker than reading a book. 

Although this poster features a different colour scheme from the rest of the films marketing it stands out more and also includes a release date whereas the other posters did not. The certificate of the film is also included in this poster, this lets people know who the intended audience for the film is, this is also built on by the genre portrayed by the poster. This poster includes the tag line "In a moment, the world changed forever". This further shows the genre and adds a catchy ring to the film so it becomes more memorable. 

I am Legend 

This poster has a golden colour scheme, it suggests pollution or a staleness to the film but it could also relate to sunset- the ending of humanity. This is to show the audience that this is the last man. But, as the tag line states "the last man is not alone" this can sound very sinister so it will intrigue audiences as to what it means, making them want to go and see the film. The title of the film is relatively small along with all other text- this is to make it seem more empty- to reflect the film's contents. Behind the main character (Will Smith) there is a ruined Brooklyn Bridge- this again shows the end of humanity. New York is bustling with life and in this poster it is totally empty apart from the man and his dog. 

The Hunger Games

We liked the dramatic look of the posters, focusing on the characters. It features basic information, such as the character's name, the title of the film and the release date. Th main image is a close-up of each of the main characters of the film. The images are dark so the shadows are increased, this leads the audience to think the film contains some darker elements.