Although these films are different era's, and feature an entirely different cast and crew, they all feature a common theme of isolation, romance, finding ones identity and the way 0society and your peers perceive each teenager. It is obvious from all the all the posters that the films are going to be character-driven.
In this trailer there is a narrator, specifically the lead character 'Oliver Tate'. This allows the audience to emotionally connect to him more, and feel much more empathy. In the below trailer for 'the Breakfast Club' there is also narration, not by one of the characters but about the experience they share. This is something I would like to include in my own trailer, as it is quite a fixture of teen drama films and I want the audience to associate it with my genre. The conventions are often having a lead who is part of a slightly large group who are all teenagers. In some social realist films there is narration such as 'Trainspotting' however usually they are usually presented as almost 'fly-on-the-wall'. Although I do want to include elements of both genres in my trailer, I do want to have a teenage narrator to guide through the narrative.
Examples of films in the social realism genre I am taking influence from include 'ill manors', 'Trainspotting', 'This is England' and 'Shifty'. These are all extremely focused within the UK as Social Realism is quite a British genre. This is dissimilar to other genres such as action films, thriller and superhero films which usually feature an American cast.
A film that is extremely interesting as it features elements of social realism (gang-violence, drug use) mixed with another genre (sci-fi through the use of aliens, large amounts of CGI and explosions) is 'Attack The Block' I enjoy the way the film combines two entirely different genres and fuses them in an extremely intelligent fashion. Using the setting of an East London council estate, featuring primarily unknown actors was a huge step up from the expectation of other science fiction films, usually being set in space and in the future. A good example is 'Attack the Block' being released in the same month as 'Thor' which featured a mainly alien setting. The film also incorporates elements of comedy through the actors dialouge and horror. Media theologist Steve Neale described cinema and the audiences taste as "difference in repetition", something that "Attack the Block" practices to a huge extent, and something I would like to include in my film trailer.
The combination of social realism and teen-drama that I would like my film to be doesn't have to end their as I may add elements of comedy (or comic relief) to contrast with the rest of the trailer. This would make my trailer interesting for the audience and not just a carbon copy of every other film in the genre's I have selected.
Idea 1 - Teen drama meets social realism
My first idea is to have a teenage drama film, with one lead character in love but with a twist. As even though many teen dramas feature some mature topics such as drug use, mental health issues and bereavement, they are mainly much more comfortable than social realist films. This is where my film adjusts the formula and expectations to become more unique.
The film will be led by the main protagonist (and according to Vladmir Propp the hero) Terry Meade, who is an 18 year old boy who has problems being sociable and speaking to his peers. As this is teenage drama, it will be extremely character led. He often feels isolated and trapped due to him not being listened to.
His social problems seem to almost disappear once he meets Vivian Pierce, a girl who takes a huge interest in him. Even though she does understand his emotional turmoil, sometimes she can seem cold and distant. Although there are feelings between them, Vivian is often controlling and will stand Terry up a lot of the time. The films equilibrium is his almost confused relationship with her, and the problems he faces every day.
This is when the film becomes almost social realism - due to the confused nature of their relationship, Terry thinks nothing of Vivian not meeting with him to go to the cinema. He goes in to watch the film on his own, and naturally turns his phone off for the duration of the film. When he leaves the cinema, he finds he has missed many calls from Vivian's home phone, which he construes as her giving reason to why she did not meet with him. However, when he listens to the voice mails he has received, he learns that Vivian has not been home for 24 hours.
He immediately calls her and she does not answer, he tries her phone many times and goes to her parents house to discuss what to do with them. The disequilibrium begins with the time (days, weeks) that she is not home and not answering. Suddenly, late one night Terry gets a call from her, reassuring him that she is safe and that she will call him soon, before he can protest, she hangs up and does not answer his calls.
Terry has begun frequently visiting Vivian's parents and through the visits to their house he actually works out where she is. He finds out that she is almost trapped with a gang who verbally and physically abuse her constantly. He finds the desolate life she has begun to lead but faces many moral dilemma's due to the things she says to him if he tells her parents or the police.
The new equilibrium is Terry's life after he finally sorts out the situation, and what his relationship with Viv is like after his decision.
Setting:
Cinema - either 'Empire Cinema Sutton Coldfield' or the 'Electric' in Birmingham City Centre.
Park - either Sutton Park or Rookery Park. The natural lighting that this will create will mirror the positive tone at the beginning of the trailer. The natural imagery creates positive mise-en-scene to set the lighter beginning mood.
Bedrooms and various houses, if I use a variety of houses from people I know it will give more of a realistic image to the trailer.
Idea 1 - Teen drama meets social realism
My first idea is to have a teenage drama film, with one lead character in love but with a twist. As even though many teen dramas feature some mature topics such as drug use, mental health issues and bereavement, they are mainly much more comfortable than social realist films. This is where my film adjusts the formula and expectations to become more unique.
The film will be led by the main protagonist (and according to Vladmir Propp the hero) Terry Meade, who is an 18 year old boy who has problems being sociable and speaking to his peers. As this is teenage drama, it will be extremely character led. He often feels isolated and trapped due to him not being listened to.
His social problems seem to almost disappear once he meets Vivian Pierce, a girl who takes a huge interest in him. Even though she does understand his emotional turmoil, sometimes she can seem cold and distant. Although there are feelings between them, Vivian is often controlling and will stand Terry up a lot of the time. The films equilibrium is his almost confused relationship with her, and the problems he faces every day.
This is when the film becomes almost social realism - due to the confused nature of their relationship, Terry thinks nothing of Vivian not meeting with him to go to the cinema. He goes in to watch the film on his own, and naturally turns his phone off for the duration of the film. When he leaves the cinema, he finds he has missed many calls from Vivian's home phone, which he construes as her giving reason to why she did not meet with him. However, when he listens to the voice mails he has received, he learns that Vivian has not been home for 24 hours.
He immediately calls her and she does not answer, he tries her phone many times and goes to her parents house to discuss what to do with them. The disequilibrium begins with the time (days, weeks) that she is not home and not answering. Suddenly, late one night Terry gets a call from her, reassuring him that she is safe and that she will call him soon, before he can protest, she hangs up and does not answer his calls.
Terry has begun frequently visiting Vivian's parents and through the visits to their house he actually works out where she is. He finds out that she is almost trapped with a gang who verbally and physically abuse her constantly. He finds the desolate life she has begun to lead but faces many moral dilemma's due to the things she says to him if he tells her parents or the police.
The new equilibrium is Terry's life after he finally sorts out the situation, and what his relationship with Viv is like after his decision.
Setting:
Cinema - either 'Empire Cinema Sutton Coldfield' or the 'Electric' in Birmingham City Centre.
Park - either Sutton Park or Rookery Park. The natural lighting that this will create will mirror the positive tone at the beginning of the trailer. The natural imagery creates positive mise-en-scene to set the lighter beginning mood.
Bedrooms and various houses, if I use a variety of houses from people I know it will give more of a realistic image to the trailer.
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