Possible Names For My Film

1) Incompatible/Incompatibility- This name does link to the typical romantic comedy story line, but I feel it has to many syllables.

2) Three Is A Crowd- Although this is a good title for a romantic comedy, it implies that the obstacle is somebody else when that is not the focus of my story line.

3) The Dating Game- I think this title might work as a central part of my storyline is the central protagonists going on dates.

4) Perfectly Suited- This name does imply the conventions of the genre but it's too obvious

5) The Opposite Sex- This is good because it implies a relationship between a man and women. Also the word opposite suggests that the two central protagonists may not get on initially.

6) Day and Night- Instantly implies the two main characters are opposite to each other, which is often a convention of a romantic comedy.

7) Sweet and Sour- Again it implies that the character are opposites, however this title is not as good as 'Day and Night".

8) A Different Beat- This is good in terms of suggest the characters are opposite to each other, however it sounds like a musical film.

9) Poles Apart- Implies that the characters are opposite but the name makes it sound like a nature documentary.

10) Off-Key- This again suggests that the characters are opposite but it also implies a musical film rather than a romantic comedy.

11) Out of Step- As above it suggests the characters are opposite but the name implies a dance film.

12) The Way Love Goes- This title appears cringy, however many films from the genre include the word love- it implies to have obstacles is typical of love.

13) What is Love?- Again this title includes the word love which instantly suggests the genre. It also implies that the characters are confused.

14) Must be Love- This title is cringy.

15) Lost and Found- This title could work if the storyline suggests that the characters have come out of bad relationships- it sounds like its more suitable for a romantic drama (a more serious film).

Results Of My Teaser Trailer Questionnaire

When asking the audience the question regarding what type of music they expected to hear on a romantic comedy teaser trailer, almost everyone said they thought upbeat and happy music would be most appropriate. This would highlight the light heartedness of the genre. This was in agreement with what I found when looking at real media texts in regards to music.

In regards to my second question, the audience felt that the two central protagonists should be distant in the beginning of the trailer and become more and more close throughout. This would be to show that there was an obstacle initially keeping them apart (like in most romantic comedy films) and then how they slowly overcome it. However, a small portion of the audience said they would have expected the characters to be close throughout the whole trailer.

They thought that I should have the same font in my trailer as on my poster to make it clear that they are representing the same film. The majority also said yes to the questions 'would you expect to see the names of the actors in my teaser trailer' and 'would you expect to see a tagline in the teaser trailer'.

I will again take this feedback into consideration when making my teaser trailer, as well as what I found when looking at existing teaser trailers.

Questionnaire For My Teaser Trailer

Below is my questionnaire asking my target audience about what they will expect to see in a romantic comedy teaser trailer. I will distribute my questionnaire only to fans of the Romantic Comedy genre (I will ask them if they have seen films from the genre such as "The Ugly Truth and "The Back-up Plan" before asking them to fill out the questionnaire).

The information I gather from this primary research will be incorporated with the conventions I have noticed form analysing teaser trailers from the genre, before I add these conventions to the teaser trailer I will create.

1) What kind of music will you expect to hear in the trailer?

- Slow and sad
- Upbeat and happy 
- Scary and tense 

2) How do you think the two central protagonists relationship should be portrayed throughout the trailer?

- Close throughout the entire trailer
- Close at the beginning of the trailer and get less close throughout 
- Start distant in the trailer and as the trailer progresses they get closer 

3) Would you expect to see a tagline in a teaser trailer?

- Yes
- No
- Don't know

4) Would you expect to see the names of the actors in my teaser trailer?

- Yes
- No
- Don't know

5)  Would you expect to see the same font as on my poster in my trailer? 

- Yes
- No
- Don't know 

Results Of My Magazine Questionnaire

Most of the results are from my questionnaire regarding my magazine confirmed what I had found from close textual analysis of existing mainstream magazine front covers. As expected, the majority of people felt that the most appropriate place for the masthead would be the top of the magazine front cover as when displayed on the shelves in a shop it would be able to be seen. 

They also said that they would expect to see a mainstream Hollywood actor on the cover, as that is a way of associating the cover with the film. However, some did say that as the director of my film is fairly well known that he could also have been on the cover. I on the other hand felt that this was more appropriate for an indie magazine following the style of Sight and Sound, and so I think I will use one or both of my central protagonists. 

Many said that they thought the cover lines should reference big budget films and well known actors to emphasise what kind of magazine it is. In addition, some also said that the directors name may feature as well in regards to one of the well known films. Lastly, a lot of people said that the font on my magazine should be quite square and bold, again showing that it is a mainstream magazine that talks about big budget films and well regarded actors. 


I will consider all the feedback I was given from my audience when creating my magazine front cover, but I will also use the information I found when looking into real media texts.

Questionnaire For My Magazine Front Cover

In order to gain more knowledge on what audiences's expectations of mainstream magazines are, I've decided to make a questionnaire, looking at their expectations in terms of layout, design and content and what would persuade them to buy the magazine. I have compiled several questions which I thought would give me the greatest insight into the expectations of the audience. 
The questions are as followed: 

1) Where would you expect the name of the magazine to be? 

- Top of the page
- Middle of the page
- Bottom of the page 

2) Who would you expect to be on the magazine cover? 

- A director
- A mainstream Hollywood actor
- A character from an upcoming Hollywood film

3) What would you expect the colours to be like? 

- Muted
- Bright and colour
- Pastel colours

4) Would you expect to see a large amount of text? 

- Yes
- No
- Not sure 

5) What would you expect the cover lines to be referencing? (can pick more than one)

- Big budget films 
- Well known actors
- Indie films
- Directors
- Producers 

6) What kind of font would you expect to be used on the front cover of a mainstream magazine?

- Rounded and soft 
- Bold and square

Results of My Poster Questionnaire

Most of the results are from my questionnaire regarding my poster confirmed what I had found from close textual analysis of existing posters for films from the romantic comedy genre. As expected, the majority of people (over 90%) felt that the most appropriate image that would be found on the poster would be of a couple with something between them. The point of this is to show that for the majority of the film there is an obstacle that is keeping the two central protagonists from being together. 

I had noticed during my secondary research into posters that that the colour scheme on the poster was often soft pastels to represent the light heartedness of the genre, or red to represent romance. The is more appropriate for the genre than a dark and muted colour scheme (which is a common colour scheme on posters from the thriller genre). Whilst some of those questioned opted for a bright and colourful colour scheme, the majority said they expected to see soft pastel colours or red which would reflect the genre and the theme of love.

Almost all of the posters I analysed did not include a setting behind the characters. Often the majority of the poster was plain white or a soft subtle colour. However, the font on the poster and the characters costumes were normally coloured to contrast with the background. The results of my questionnaire agreed with my analysis of real media products. 

I have already conducted considerable research into the certificates of romantic comedies and have found that, with the odd exception, films from this genre tend to receive a 12A or 15 certificate at the cinema. Quite a high number of responses thought that a 15 certificate as many romantic comedies can often not fit the guidelines of 12A depending on the humour and the sexual scenes included. Despite this, I decided to give my film the 12A certificate so that it could have a wider target audience.

When I asked a question regarding whether the font for the name of my film should be lower case or upper case, I had a mixed response. This did tally with what I had found when analysing existing posters from the genre, with some such as The Ugly Truth having lower case and other such as You've Got Mail and Life As We Know it included upper case. I think I will use lower case font on my poster as I feel it more appropriately reflects the genre.

The majority of people I questioned regarding release dates thought that films from the romantic comedy genre would be released in Winter. Many of the films whose posters I analysed were released in February so I think I will target Valentines Day as my release date as it definitely reflects the genre.

With regards to questions I asked about names of stars and tag lines appearing on the poster, almost everybody questioned thought that they should. I have already written my tagline and will include it on my poster. I will also include the names of my  two lead actors.

The final question I asked was regarding reviews. Roughly half of the respondents thought reviews should be included on a poster, whereas the other half suggested not. I have decided to include reviews on my poster for a number of reasons. Firstly, I feel quite strongly that reviews help sell a film to audiences. Secondly, as my teaser trailer will come from the beginning of the films marketing campaign, I think that it will be appropriate (in terms of showing my understanding of how a films marketing campaign works) that my poster should come towards the end of the campaign - it will therefore be more likely to include reviews. Thirdly, including reviews will give me another opportunity to show my understanding of audience, as I will choose publications that will be most appropriate for my chosen demographic. However, I will need to see if there is room for them on my poster. I do not want to add them on if it makes it clustered, as many posters I analysed were quite spacious and simple. 

Questionnaire For My Poster

Having gathered lots of secondary research ahead of creating my poster, I thought it would be useful to do some primary research to find out first hand what audiences would expect to find on a poster for a film from the Romantic Comedy genre.

Below is my question questionnaire, which attempts to gather information about the type of image, colour scheme, setting, certificate and even type of font and release date that audiences would accept for my kind of film. I will distribute my questionnaire only to fans of the Romantic Comedy genre (I will ask them if they have seen films from the genre such as "The Ugly Truth and "The Back-up Plan" before asking them to fill out the questionnaire).

The information I gather from this primary research will be incorporated with the conventions I have noticed form analysing posters from the genre, before I add these conventions to the poster I create.

What do you except the main image in a Romantic Comedy poster to be?

- An individual male?

- An individual female?

- A couple kissing/embracing?

- A couple with something keeping them apart? 

- No people?

What do you expect the colour scheme to be?

- Dark and muted?

- Soft pastel or colours that signify romance?

- Bright and colourful?

What background would you expect to see on the poster?

- No background
- A landscape
- A residential are

What would you expect the certificate of a Romantic Comedy film to be?

- PG
- 12A
- 15

What font case would you expect the poster to have?

- Upper case
- Lower case

What season would you expect a Romantic Comedy film to be released?

- Autumn
- Winter
- Spring
- Summer

Would you expect the names of the actors to be on the poster?
-Yes
- No
- Don't know

Would you expect to see tag lines to be on the poster -
-Yes
- No
- Don't know

Would you expect to see reviews on the poster?
-Yes
- No
- Don't know

My Films Certificate

I have decided to give my film the certificate 12A. I decided this was appropriate as I believe the audience for my film can range from the age of 12 to young adults.

In addition, I think my film will fit the criteria. Although there is likely to be some sexual behaviour and strong language, it will be brief and not inappropriate for 12 year olds.

Although it may make me more restricted when filming, I think it allows a wider target audience and will benefit the film.

BBFC Research- Certificate for my film

I have done research into two certificates on the BBFC website to see if 12A or 15 is more appropriate for my film.

Below is a link to the website that I did my researching on: 

BBFC Website

For my research I will select a certificate for my film, this will give me the guidelines i need when deciding on suitable content at that level. 

The guidelines for 12A films:

The BBFC's Guidelines state that strong language (e.g. 'f***') may be passed at 12 or 12A, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency and any special contextual justification. Aggressive uses of strong language may result in a film being placed at the 15 category. There is some allowance for puns on strong language at this category. 

 Aggressive discriminatory language (for example homophobic or racist terms) is unlikely to be passed at 12A or 12 unless it is clearly condemned. 

Sex may be briefly and discreetly portrayed at 12A or 12. Verbal sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenager. Comedy may lessen he impact of some moderate sex references or innuendo but frequent crude sex references are unlikely to be accepted at this category. There may be nudity in 12A films but nudity in a sexual context should only be brief and discreet. 

At 12A, moderate violence is allowed but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if they can be justified by their context. Sexual violence, such as scenes of rape or assault, may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated at 12A and 12. Such scenes must also have strong contextual justification. 

Dangerous behaviour (for example hanging and suicide) may be present in 12A or 12 works but will not dwell on detail which could be copied or present those activities in a manner that children are likely to copy. Anti-social behaviour should not be endorsed. There may be infrequent sight of drugs misuse in a 12A or a 12 but the portrayal should not be glamorised or provide instructional detail.

The guidelines for a 15 film: 

At 15 there is no upper limit on the number of uses of strong language. Occasionally there may be uses of the strongest terms, depending on the manner in which they are used, who is using the language, its frequency and any special contextual justification. However, continued or aggressive use will not normally be passed 15. 

There may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory language, and the work could explore themes relating to this. However, at 15 the work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour. 

At 15 sexual activity can be portrayed, but usually without strong detail. Some sex scenes can be quite long at this category. Though nudity may be allowed in a sexual context there will usually be no strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context. There can be strong references to sex and sexual behaviour, but especially strong or crude references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context.

There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal depiction of sexual violence must be discreet and justified by context.

At 15 drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances like aerosols or solvents is unlikely to be acceptable at 15.

My Billing

After looking into billings for a few real movie posters I made my own billing for my film. From the research I did I knew what staff members names to include in the billing and I knew what order they should be in. Using the names of the staff members I decided where appropriate for my film I created the following billing: 

Potential Crew For My Billing

In order to create my billing/credits I needed to compile a list of the crew who would work on the production of my film. I used IMDB to research various people, for example, Editors, Producers and Casting Directors, to find some who had previously worked on many romantic comedy films - I want to use the names of real people for my crew to give the poster and teaser trailer an extra layer of verisimilitude. 

Director and Producer: Nora Ephron-Nora Ephron was an American journalist, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, novelist, producer, director, and blogger. She is best known for her romantic comedies and was nominated for many awards. She directed and produced many romantic comedy films such as "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless In Seattle". Although I feel Nora Ephron would have been the best person to direct and produce my film I can't use her as she is no longer alive. 

 Director: Robert Luketic- Robert Luketic is an Australian film director who has directed romantic comedy films such as "Monster in Law" and "The Ugly Truth"

 Producer: Karen McCullah Lutz-  Karen McCullah Lutz is an American screenwriter and novelist. She has produced many romantic comedy films such as "How To Loose A Guy In Ten Days", "The House Bunny", "She's The Man" and "The Ugly Truth." 

Cinematographer: Russel Carpenter- Russel Carpenter is an American cinematographer. He is most widely known for his collaborations with director James Cameron, working on films such as "Titanic" and "Avatar". He has also been the cinematographer for well known romantic comedies such as "Monster-In-Law" and "The Ugly Truth". 

Casting: Deborah Aquila- Deborah Aquila has been the casting director for many well known films including the romantic comedies "The Ugly Truth", "Valentines Day" and "You, Me And Dupree". 

Music Composer: Aaron Zigman- Aaron Zigman is an American composer, producer, arranger, songwriter, and musician for several recent films. He has composed music for well known films such as "The Notebook", "The Last Song" and romantic comedies including "The Ugly Truth" and "What's Your Number".

Costume designer: Betsy Heimann- Besty Heimann is a well known costume designer. She has worked on romantic comedies such as "The Ugly Truth". 

Editor: Lisa Zeno Churgin- Lisa Zeno Churgin is a film editor known for working on romantic comedy films such as "Pitch Perfect", "The Ugly Truth" and "In Her Shoes". 

Billing Analysis

I am going to be looking at three billings/credits from the films "The Ugly Truth", "50 First Dates" and "You've Got Mail" so that I know how romantic comedy billings are structured so that when making my movie poster it will look authentic.

After looking at these billings I have discovered that they all include the same information mostly in the same order. The information included and the order is as follows:

1. The production company or companies 
2. Name of director 
3. Name of the film
4. Name of the main actors 
5. The names of the other important crew members including who the music is by, the editor, production designer, director of photography, who the screenplay is by and perhaps more
6. The name of writers 
7. Director's name again

The order may be slight different in different billings but at least now I will know what needs to be mentioned in my billing. 

Potential Production Companies

Like all the teaser trailers I have looked at, mine needs to have a production company logo at the beginning (and also production company logos at the bottom of my poster), and in order to do this I need to choose a possible company (or companies) which may produce my film. I have looked at different Romantic Comedy films and compiled a list of companies who could potentially distribute and produce my film.

Potential Large production companies: 

1) Universal Studios 

Universal studios is an American film studio, owned by Comcast through its wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal, and is one of Hollywood's "Big Six" film studio's. It has produced romantic comedies including "This is 40" and "About Time". 

2) Columbia Pictures 

Columbia Pictures Industries is an American film production and distribution studio of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group,  It is one of the leading film studios in the world, a member of the so-called Big Six. It was one of the so-called Little Three among the eight major film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. It has produced other romantic comedies such as "The Ugly Truth" and "Just Go With It". 

3) Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is a film studio, television production company and motion picture distributor, consistently ranked as one of the "Big Six" studio of Hollywood. It has produced romantic comedies such as "Failure To Launch". 

4) Warner Bros 

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. is an American producer of film, television, and music entertainment. One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warne. Warner Bros. has several subsidiary companies, including Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Interactive entertainment. It has produced romantic comedies such as "We're The Millers". 

5) Village Roadshow Pictures 

Village Roadshow Pictures is a leading Australian co-producer and co-financier of major Hollywood motion pictures, having released over 70 films since its establishment in 1997, including the romantic comedies "17 Again" and "Life As We Know It". 

6) Sony Pictures Entertainment 

Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (SPE) is the American entertainment subsidiary of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony. It has produced romantic comedies such as "Sleepless In Seattle" and "The Bounty Hunter". 

Romantic Comedy Trailer Analysis Conclusion

After looking at some romantic comedy trailers I have discovered the following conventions that I want to include in my trailer to make it authentic:

• The music is usually uptempo and happy
• The trailer will include comic elements possible in the form of jokes or the behaviour of the protagonists 
• The two protagonists will often be shown at separate sides of the frame or even in separate shots at the beginning of the trailer and then gradually get closer together as the trailer progresses
• There is often a shot showing advice being given from friends 
• Impact sounds or a change in music could be used to highlight the obstacle 
• It is often hinted that the characters eventually overcome to the obstacle  
• Romantic gestures may be shown 
• The names of the main actors are shown at the end of the trailer often in a pastel or soft colour to reflect the genre
• Often the two characters are shown to be not suited for each other but then towards the end of the trailer the audience are led to believe otherwise

Romantic Comedy Trailer Analysis 3

Below is the trailer for the film "Life As We Know It":

• Again the trailer begins with an uptempo track
• Immediately the male protagonist is shown as being completely unromantic and wrong for the female lead and the female lead makes it clear she wants nothing to do with him
• The obstacle is then made clear- the orphaned baby brings the two together
• At this point the music becomes slower and more sad sounding 
• The music becomes more uptempo again 
• Comical elements are involved in the trailer
• Several shots show that the two clearly don't get along 
• At the beginning of the trailer the two are shown as separate sides of the frame or even in separate shots
• Again shots show the two protagonists fighting and struggling with the baby
• The music then changes again- although it is still uptempo it has more of a romantic sound rather than a comical sound
• Slowly the characters are shown closer and closer together and they are also show to be getting along and laughing together
• The two start to get along and it is beginning to become clear that the obstacle (the baby) is actually what will bring them together
• A montage of shots shows them getting along and acting as a family
• The trailer then shows them actually being romantically involved, hinting that they eventually do end up together and they overcome the obstacle

Romantic Comedy Trailer Analysis 2

Below is the trailer for the film "Friends With Kids":

• The trailer begins with uptempo music 
• Unlike the trailer for Playing It Cool the two main characters are actually close together in the shots to show that they are friends 
• However it is made clear that they are not romantically involved in the beginning
• Comic elements are involved in the trailer
• At first the arrangement made by the two characters works perfectly and this is actually what is shown to be one of the obstacle later on as it is only supposed to be an 'arrangement'
• In addition both the male and female protagonist start seeing other people which is again another obstacle preventing them from seeing they are right for each other
• Some jealousy starts to become apparent when seeing the other with another person
• While characters are seeing other people they tend to be shown on separate sides of the screen or even in separate shots to show that they are drifting apart because of the obstacles
• Scenes showing advice being given from their friends
• Towards the end of the trailer the characters are shown closer together implying that they do eventually get together 
• Names of actors are shown at the end of the trailer in white and a pastel yellow

Romantic Comedy Trailer Analysis 1

Below is the teaser trailer for the movie "Playing It Cool" which was previously titles "A Many Splintered Thing":

• The very beginning of the trailer introduces the male lead and immediately establishes aspects of his personality. For example that he doesn't believe in romance and he's a stereotypical man who see's women as sex objects
• The purpose of this is to set up something that needs changing- one of the obstacles that needs to be overcome is his attitude to love and romance

• Music- uptempo and lighthearted suggesting even though there may be obstacles there may be a positive outcome
• Scenes where either male or female protagonist talk to their best friends to get romantic advice- the best friends are usually slight quirky snd not necessarily the most obvious people to ask for advice but they always end up offering brilliant advice

• Wipes are used to to get from one shot to another giving the film a light hearted funny feel
• Wipes are also used for the tagline
• Further scenes follow showing male characters feelings about romance (negative). The trailer works hard at establishing him as somebody who is unlikely to fall in love
• After establishing his unsuitability as a romantic lead we are introduced to the girl who is going to change his attitude 

• An impact sound is used to imply the profound effect she will have on him and a change in the direction of the story
• At least one of the main characters and often both are attractive to look at 
• Two shots of the potential couple- at the beginning of the trailer they may be at different sides of the frame with distance between them whereas later in the trailer they may be seen closer together

• New music track- not quite so uptempo but a happier and more romantic song- the music reflects the characters feelings at that moment in the trailer
• Instant attraction between the two characters- showing they have something in common and that they are getting along
• Main obstacle is revealed- her boyfriend

• Impact sound highlighting the obstacle
• There are comic elements apparent in the trailer in forms of jokes
• Wipes seem to dominate in terms of editing transitions
• More music that is uptempo and happy
• Characters are even in separate shots to imply they are both aware that they can't be together

• Two shot- separate parts of the frame and ones in the background and the other is in the foreground again reflecting that they can't be together

• Another advice scene with strange friend
• Further two shots of characters at two different sides of the frame but they are holding hands which implies that they are getting closer

• Shots of characters glancing at each other- connection between them
• Shots of male protagonist looking glum
• Daft advice from friend
• A more uptempo piece of music begins
• A few shots of the characters actually getting together

• Confrontation scene between the two characters where they confront the obstacle 

• This is followed by a series of romantic gestures- for example he confesses his love for her and then he runs after her 

• Shots of them close together and laughing together

• Individual shots of each of the main characters with their names appearing on screen- soft pastel colours 

• Montage of shots of them together
• His voiceover shows his attitude towards romance has completely changed
• shot of the two leads kissing

Romantic Comedy Teaser Trailer Analysis Introduction

Now that I have found the conventions of teaser trailers I am going to be looking at romantic comedy teaser trailers or normal trailer to see if I can find the conventions of romantic comedy trailers. Once I know what the conventions are I will know what to include in my teaser trailer and so it will be more authentic. I am going to be analysing one of the trailers in a lot of detail and then I will look at the others more briefly to see if they share similar conventions.