Audience Research

We wanted to focus on the female gender as our main target audience. This is because women tend to feel more emotion than men and because most of them are interested in love stories that could relate to their own personal life. Here is a video that Connie filmed to further help with what we want to achieve after producing this film:

Titling - Learning curve

The Notebook Analysed Titling

Just like every other film it begins with the production/ distribution companies and then it lists the actors/ actresses names of the main characters. In the next couple of shots the sun is rising, and in the sixth shot the title of the film comes up on the left just like the previous titles. The opening sequence has no dialogue and the colour theme is mainly red and orange. These colours represent love, warmth and happiness. These codes help the audience predict what kind of movie it could be without knowing the plot.

 After the first two shots above, the titles are now placed in little paragraphs. In the fourth shot the title moves to the right side of the frame and then it lists the names responsible for casting, costume design and music. The titling sequence is all in white and this is very common in romantic/drama movies. It symbolises innocence and hope and purity but it also stands out in the frame if the background is dark.



These last few shots show the audience images of nature and of a woman admiring it from a distance but in the sixth shot the mid shot shows the audience her facial expression. She looks sad/ worried about something, this could be the actual start of the plot. Just like the other movie 'The Last Song' the title tells the audience that the movie is based on a book by Nichols Sparks. The titling in these shots name producers and directors.

Love Actually Analysed Titling

The first six shots of titling includes the production/ distribution companies. It then repeats the title but in a different format without the logo and is placed on top of people hugging. The fifth title states that 'love actually is all around' and then the sixth shot shows the audience the title of the film. This title has a black background making the audience focus on the title and the red colour on love. This red colour symbolizes love and passion whilst the white colour on the word 'actually' suggest innocence and hope. 

The next six shots include the names of those acting in this film and each beginning letter of the name is red whilst the rest is white. The representation of these colours are the same as the title but because only one letter is red this shows that they're no one in the movie has a main part and that they all have equal screen time. These titles are placed on top of a guy in the recording studio, although we don't know what type of character he is playing, the mise-en-scene suggest that maybe he's someone famous and adored. 

The last six shots in the titling sequence lists more actors/ actresses and who created the movie e.g. casting, music, producers. The first shot shows the audience a Christmas tree and the title says 5 weeks to Christmas, this clearly states what time of year it is. It then moves onto establishing, close-ups and mid shots. They are placed on screen during a dialogue scene too. 

The Titanic Analysed Titling

The titling sequence for The Titanic is simple and only consists of four shots. Unlike other movies they don't include the actors/ actresses names or those who worked with this film but they do include the distribution/ production companies. As you can see, they use old photos of The Titanic docked in Ireland. The titling sequence doesn't explain anything but it just shows the audience that its historical and that it could be based on a true story. When the main title of the film comes up, its written in capital letters and this could suggest that its relevant and probably an important event that has happened which marked history. The background is the sea and this clearly suggests where the movie could be set.

500 Days of Summer Analysed Titling

During this titling sequence, there are a lot of numbers which signify the days that they spent together. It begins with production/ distribution companies and then it moves to home videos of when the two main characters when they were little. Throughout the titling sequence, they both slowly grow up and the titling font and white colour stays the same. This could connote that although they have the same features when they're young, they start to develop their personalities making them who they are. 

The names of the actors/ actresses come up on the screen whilst a variety of different scenes are shown in the background. Most of these shots are halved, On the left is the main hero of the film and on the right is the main heroine, but for two of the six shots shown above have black backgrounds. These shots are a representation of age and gender. It then moves on to name costume design and music. 

These last shots lists names that helped make the movie. This includes film directors, production designers, director of photography and written and directed by. The titling sequence ends with the number of the day the couple spent together. This is when the movie officially starts and explains to the audience what is going on. 

500 Days of Summer Analysed Opening Sequence

The film starts with a variety of two shots and f the couple sitting on a park bench. It then cuts to the couple’s hands which are placed on top of each another with the woman wearing a wedding ring. During this shot, there is a voice over, stating that it is a story of “boy meets girl”. The ring and hands could suggest that they're happy and engaged. An illustration is then played, with numbers that flick down from 488 to 1, suggesting that we are starting from the beginning, flashing back to the first day. A long shot of the main character is presenting, slowly zooming in on him. The audience now knows that he is the main character as the voice over continues, which then introduces him as “the boy”, and telling the audience his side and his back story. This then leads to a flashback of “the boy”, allowing the audience to connect to him more, as they see into his past. “The girl” is then introduced, and her past in presented to the audience also; here we get a view of her side too making the audience feel like they're both equal. The narration continues through these shots, and before the titling begins, a voice over admits to the audience that despite it is about a boy meeting a girl, it is “not a love story”. This statement leads the audience to believe that the film is not going to end happily, or at least there will be difficulties within the relationship throughout the film. After this statement, the titles begin, and the music changes from gentle flute music to more upbeat pop music. Whilst the titles play, videos play, showing the audience the childhoods of the two characters who are going to be followed throughout the rest of the film.