Magazine Cover

I have had a look at several magazine covers that feature films similar to mine, mainly from 'Empire' magazine. I wish to incorporate different elements from each of the front covers into my final product to create something original.

The first magazine cover I have chosen as inspiration features Marlon Brando in character as Don Vito Corleone. The use of a close-up on Brando's face, greyscale effect, and the fact that Brando is the main focal point of the cover (being the only image present, with the exception of the magazine title and the caption at the bottom) really emphasise his importance not only in 'The Godfather' but in the entirety of the film industry, being described by the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture as "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema". The use of gold for the magazine title and 'The Godfather' in the caption reminisce the title and theatrical posters for 'The Godfather'. This may be done as a nod to such a great film.

The second magazine cover I looked at was another one from 'Empire'. It features Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb in the film 'Inception'. For the magazine cover they have used the same longshot of a city that is used on all of the promotional releases for 'Inception'. The title of the magazine, like the previous one, has a different coloured font to the usual 'Empire' title, in this case they have used a much more intense red, again reminiscing the promotional work of the film.

Target Audience

The target audience for my Media project would probably be fans of such films as 'Goodfellas', 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels', and 'Snatch'.

The people who would view my film would be from a range of different social backgrounds/classes. Because of this it would appeal to people from social classes A all the way down to E. An example of a job in the A category would be Bank Manager and in the E category would be unemployement.

The education of the audience would also be varied as films like 'Goodfellas' and 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' appeal to both the highly educated and not so educated. So, again, this would draw in a larger range of potential audience.

Fans of 'The Sopranos' may also enjoy the film, especially if they liked the mix of Tony's personal and business life (an aspect that I will be incorporating into my project). The fact that his family life was included in the series helped the audience, including myself, relate to the character in some form as it shows that he is only human and is no different to them.

Trailer Inspirations

The first trailer is for Martin Scorsese's 1990 film 'Goodfellas'. The reason I have chose this particular trailer is because it shows many aspects of his life: his buisness, his social life, and his family life (to an extent). The many quick cuts that are in the trailer, accompanied by the song 'Rags to Riches' by Tony Bennet, is an aspect I'd like to put into my own trailer. Rather than have the music play throughout the entire scene, though, it would only be playing during the parts where the main character is at home, getting ready to go out. At 1:57-1:58 in the trailer, there are 3 extreme close ups of the hammer, trigger, and barrel of what appears to be a snub-nosed revolver. I wish to have a similar close-up of an item (either a gun or a knife) in my trailer, along with other close-ups of various items e.g. coffee mug.

The second trailer I have chosen is for Guy Ritchie's 1998 film 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'. This, like the trailer for 'Goodfellas', also shows many aspects the characters' lives: business and personal.
The personal side of the trailer is similar to what I want to do, which is to have both lives side by side, but rather than having my main character drinking and having fun, he would be having breakfast with close-ups of his hand picking up a cup of tea and a beagal, accompanied by a mid-shot of him reading the paper. Another part of this trailer that I like is the title screen at the end. The reason for this is because it is very plain and simple and is made to look as if it was typed on a typewriter. The black background and white lettering makes the film's title stand out more, making it more eye-catching to potential audiences.

Poster Inspirations

The first poster is for "Eastern Promises" which was meantioned in my Media Pitch. The second and third posters are for "The Boondock Saints". I like the second of the two posters because it shows the brothers' rosary beads (the characters being Roman Catholic) giving them morals etc. It also shows the closeness of the two brothers as one has Veritas (Truth) tattooed on his hand and the other having Aequitas (Justice) tattooed on their hand. It is also similar to the "Eastern Promises" poster as it only shows the hands (again creating mystery about the two brothers) of the brothers, along with their tattoos. The difference, though, is that the brothers are holding guns, a direct link to some sort of criminal activity, whereas in the "Eastern Promises" poster, despite it being a crime film, has no link to crime whatsoever. The last one is a promotional poster for "The Sopranos". Although it isn't a film, I like the idea that both Tony's blood family and his extended family are in the background and that it shows how his loyalty is split. The fact that he is sat at the front of the two groups not only shows that he is the head of his blood family and the head of his crime family but also shows that he is alienated from the two groups (e.g. he sees a psychiatrist).

For my poster I would like to create the same sense of "mystery" as the posters for "The Boondock Saints" and "Eastern Promises". The only difference would be that the whole of the main character would be shown rather than just his hands. Another idea I want to incorporate into the poster is the religious iconography shown in the poster for "The Boondock Saints". Whether that would be a latin phrase or a pysichal religious object is undecided as of yet.

Media Pitch

Overview
For my A2 Media coursework, I have decided to do a film trailer, a theatrical poster, and a magazine cover featuring the said film. I have decided to do the trailer in the style of a conventional British crime drama, taking inspiration from films such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (Dir. Guy Ritchie, 1998) and, Snatch (Dir. Guy Ritchie, 2000).

 

Plot

The basic plot of the trailer would follow a man who works for the local organised crime syndicate. It would show him preparing for a kill, cutting from him to his victim several times throughout. During the scenes with the killer, I plan on having a low-angle shot, with the camera being slightly tilted upwards to show his superiority. With the victim I plan on having a high-angle shot, slightly tilted down to show that the current situation is out of his control.

 

 Film Poster

 I have looked at several posters that I have drawn my influence from. The first poster I have looked at is from ‘Eastern Promises’. It shows the hands of Viggo Mortensen’s character Nikolai, covered in tattoos. The poster gives an awe of mystery about the character and raises questions about who he is and what the tattoos signify. The tagline of the poster also hints towards the fact that the tattoos play a, somewhat, role in the film. The idea that ‘every sin leaves a mark’ is a direct link to the traditions of the Russian Mafia as every criminal act they perform gets recorded on their body.

 

Character Outlines

 For the costumes of the characters I have taken inspiration from several films/texts of this genre e.g. “Get Carter”, “The Long Good Friday”, and “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”. I also like how most of the characters in the HBO show “The Sopranos” wear expensive tracksuits (so even when they’re dressed casual, they’re still ‘flaunting’ the fact that they have a lot of money)

For the main character I want him to be dressed as a conventional gangster, wearing things such as a smart suit, smart shoes etc. Like many other gangster films, I’d like him to be wearing religious iconography, implying that he has some sort of moral grounds.

For the other character(s) in the trailer, I want them to be dressed less ‘glamorise’ than the main character, to highlight his importance and wealth. Their costumes would probably be unkempt and have a mix of dark and light colours.

 

Magazine Cover

For the magazine cover I have looked at several film magazines (namely “Empire” and “Total Film”) that I think are enjoyable.

The centre image of the magazine cover would be the main character of the trailer with the title of the film layered over the top, across his chest. I’d want the colour of the tie to be intensified so that it’s the main focal point of the cover.

 

Reflection on AS Media

After doing Media for a year now, I have picked up valuable skills that are now helping me in my second year. Although I came into a lot of difficulties in AS, I managed to finish the year with an overall C grade.

Feedback

Media Moodboard