Budget & Box Office

Qusetionnaire

   1. Do you enjoy watching Zombie films?[ ] Yes
[ ] No
[ ] Depends on the plot/content


2. What kind of main character(s) do you like to see?
[ ] Male
[ ] Female
[ ] Group of mixed
[ ] Group of male
[ ] Group of female


3. What sub-genre do you like seeing within a zombie film?
[ ] Action
[ ] Comedy
[ ] Romance


4. When would you prefer to have a zombie film set?
[ ] In the past
[ ] Present
[ ] A few years into the future
[ ] Around 15 years into the future


5. Would you prefer to see a zombie film with the protagonist closer to your age?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No


6. What would you want a zombie film trailer to show?
[ ] Death
[ ] Hints of plot
[ ] Characters
[ ] All of the above


7. What about zombie films appeals to you?
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Target audience

 

Our target audience was young adults age 18 and above; as the film would be rated an 18, but we were aiming to attract an audience of between 18 and 30 year old's.

The film would be rated an 18 because of the violence and some of the content and themes of the film

The type of person that would go and see a movie of a similar style to our film or even our film is in an era where the media over glorifies blood and violence, so therefor adding lots of graphic content and violence would help to attract our target audience. I also feel the our film would attract a slightly older audience maybe even up to 50 or 60 years old, that's still a good thing even though the film was aimed at a slightly younger audience.

Audience Profile - I Am Legend

I Am Legend

From this table we can see that I am Legend was mostly seen by males aged 15-34. But still attracted a lot of attention from the female audience as well, this could have been because of the emotional connection between Robert Neville (Will Smith) and his dog Sammy. The connection between Robert and Sammy struck the audience strait to the heart. Weather it's because Sammy was Robert's last connection to his family who died during the evacuation, or because he is Roberts only companion in a world where he is the last man. Either way the scene in which Robert has to kill Sammy effected the whole of the audience.

Audience Profile - 28 Days Later

28 Days Later

As seen from the statistics from when Dawn of the Dead what in cinemas, the film attracted mostly an mid-teens to mid-thirty's audience. Meaning that the themes of zombies has an attraction to the generation that are seen as the more lively and energetic. Zombie films are normally packed with high anticipated moments that keep the audience on the edge of their seats as they wonder if their favorite character is going to survive, win the heart of their love or find the cure for the zombie infection. Also featuring jump scare moments, where the scene seems calm but is suddenly disrupted by a sudden event such as being found by the zombies or being attacked by a rival gang, ect.

This hints that with the fear used of the dead coming back to life/people becoming infected and eating the people they love, means that the film is not going to appeal to the younger generation who are more susceptible to the ideas given off by films bringing them into a form of Mean World Syndrome theory as given by George Gerbner. As they will begin to believe what they see within the film and begin to believe that this is going to happen some time soon. Leading to fears such as Nyctophobia (Fear of the dark) and Necrophobia (Fear of the dead).

Although attracting little, but some attention from the older generation towards the film from 35 to 45+ means that although very little, there is still some audiences that can be reached that you wouldn't think would. The idea of survival is a highly enjoyed subject within films as it allows those high adrenalin moments, watching the bonds between people being forged and broken and the slow intense moments of realisation or heart break.

Results show that although predominantly male the film still attracted an almost equal attraction between males and female. Stereo-typically the males are there for the action, from the gin fights, chase scenes and of course the slaughtering of the zombies, while the females are there to watch the relationships of the characters and how they come together in moments of need, but also fall apart and move away from the group as they fear for their own or the others safety. But both of these factors apply to both of the sexs although more than the other they still matter. Both men and women will share in the moment of at least a near tear when a few minuets from the end of the film, when all was though to be okay, the main characters best friend or love interest is killed suddenly, leaving the protagonist alone with the choice to escape and start a new life with the memory of their loved ones or to take end their own life so that all the pain, suffereing and misery can end.

Mood Board

1- This image shows a zombie. We have chosen this image because we are wanting to set our film in a post-apocalyptic world that have been over run with an outbreak or a virus, causing all infected to loose all memory, become cannibalistic and increasing the rate in which the body decays.

2- Here we see a gun. This was chosen as we want the audience to feel that the surviving humans have abandoned all hope in searching for a cure as the outbreak has accelerated at an incredible rate. The humans have realised it is either fight or die in this world that they once knew as home.

3- We have chosen Weybridge Gravel Pit as a location for our film. This is because the location has been abandoned and gives an eery atmosphere. Also from the look of the location it seems the prime place to set up a base for the surviving group to 'set up camp'. If not for this reason we found that this location would be great to set some infected up in the background show off that the infected have over run the world and can be found in nearly every location.

4- This image shows a character from the hit TV series The Walking Dead. We chose this kind of character as we feel that the film would need a range of ages throughout, one of which being the old man who blurts out wise and pointless speeches on how they survived the war and such nonsense as that. But also for the idea that he will bring that wise and kick-ass character into the group.

5- Here we see a lone man and a dog walking down an empty road. This image was chosen more for the shot that has been used, we want a shot that sets up the idea of isolation but also gives the character that idea of hope that they continue their journey because they hope that it will all fine in the end.

6- Ruben Fleischer, Director of Zombieland. I chose him because he came around a good way for showing some good zombie shots and the destruction that they have caused on the world. He can make the audience feel like the characters are completely isolated. This is a key feature that makes a post-apocalyptic film, the feeling of isolation. Although Zombieland is a comedy there were many scenes with zombies which felt like an action.

7- Woody Harrelson is an actor who played one of the lead characters within the film Zombieland, Tallahassee. The character that he brought into the film was the 'bad-ass', enjoying the fact he gets to kill zombies, character. This character would be able to bring a comedic side to a serious film and a prime character for the audience to 'relate to'.

8- This image shows a duster coat, commonly seen within western films. Used when riding horses to stop the dust damaging their clothes and guns. We chose this as a piece of costume as it allows the wearer to conceal on themselves. Also this allows for a recognizable piece of costume that will allow the audience to identify the character wearing it in any situation.

9- This image shows a black and white image of zombies occupying a field. We felt that this was a good clip to replicate, minus the black and white, because it shows the extent of the infection outbreak. Even places that you viewed as isolated have been over run.

10- This image shows a lone man, wearing a doctors uniform, walking through an empty street that has been abandoned from effects of the out-break. We chose this image as it is a shot that we would like to recreate. It gives the idea that even though the world has been plunged into this empty and dangerous world they still have to try and make life as normal as they can. Such as finding supplies and moving them around.

11- Here we see the sun setting, this was chosen to give the audience that no matter what time of day it is within this world there is always a strong feel of danger. This image was chosen to give a sense of time for the audience.

12- Finally we see a group of infected in a forest at the dead of night. This was chosen as a use of inspiration for possible scenes that we could try to create. The night shows once again that there is danger at all times, also playing off a fear of the dark. (The fear of dark is highly misconstrued, people don't have a fear of the dark. They have a fear of what is in the dark, more commonly referred to as 'fear of the unknown/unseen) We have taken this fear and are now giving them something to fear.

Pre-Production: Story

With any film it is important to question everything that you wish do although this is a difficult with many different questions you must ask about the story:

Do you choose a single sex cast or a mix cast?
What sort of ages will the cast be all one age or mixed age?
What relationship do each of the characters have with each other?
Is the plot one that is part of a series or just a single film?
If the film is developed from a book if so how accurate to said book do you want the film to be?
What genre is your idea? considered changing it slightly?



For all the questions above not only must we answer but we must research the evidence to cover the questions before we make any decisions that would affect our film. The research must be good quality as if we were to pitch our film for funding:

Do you choose a single sex cast or mix cast?

With any story there must be decisions as to the gender of the characters. In many incidents it is possible to have either gender perform either character if a manly female plays a character it is likely that a male could also play that part if you adjust the slightest bit. It is our intention to have both male and female actors within our piece. Have had experience with working on a all male cast and the final production although good I felt that the piece was missing the balance needed. however the initial idea of a apocalyptic wasteland could work for either a single sex cast or mixed.

What sort of ages will the cast be all one age or mixed age?

The ages of characters in films often change the aspect that the film has to follow. For example on the whole you would not expect an 80 year old man free running with a gun chasing down a 22 year old man on the top of a roof top (unless maybe in a comedy). The age of characters does not necessarily restrict the film as the story could include different ages but would have to compensate the physicality of any actions and justify the actions and characterisation. i would like to have a mixture of aged actors. the story would revolve around a mid to late 20's character and have various ages acting of him. however limited availability to actors that are of a good quality means that i will use local drama group and friends that i know have done acting qualifications. This saves me money in the fact that i do not have to pay them for the service they are helping me out with but it means that the film will be early 20's characterisation. If we had the budget and time to cast a professional cast we would definitely write a story including several ages within it. The cast would be something similar to the cast of AMC's The Walking Dead with the main difference being the entire group would have known people from before the events that caused the apocalypse.

What relationship do each of the characters have with each other?

The main thing that we wish for our film to be about is the relationships and state of humanity when all is gone. It has been inspired by I Am Legend featuring Will Smith and how his emotions of being alone in the world apart from a canine companion and calling out for companionship on the radio. it is this emotion that if you look at my box office research post you will see that is why we believe the film done so well. the characters within the film would have various different relationships. I have seen many apocalyptic films in which people meet after the event however not that many show a group that already knew each other and that is what I intend to show within this film. there will be a far more detailed character post which shall show the relationships in detail with reasons behind each decision.

Is the plot one that is part of a series or just a single film? 

The intention with our film is for it to be a single film with no reference to any prequel or sequel in the future. This is not to say that if the film was a success and we found in the future that we have a clear idea of the story progressing we would not follow it up. What is becoming more and more common is when a film is derived from a book such as Harry Potter and The Hobbit that more than one film is required for an adjusted solution by making two or more films. Our film however will be written with the intention of it being a film therefore it negates any issues like the transfer of a book to a film.

If the film is developed from a book if so how accurate to said book do you want the film to be?

This is a irrelevant question due to the film not being derived from a  book  and is answered within the previous question.

What is your general idea? considered changing it slightly? 

Our idea is simple in the fact that it is a post apocalyptic film. The twist of the plot is the format of the film. With inspiration from films such as 'The book of Eli' and 'I am Legend' we intend to have the film focus upon humanity of the event but I don't want to give to much away.

What age is your target audience?

Our target audience is late teenagers and early 20's so from 15-22. We feel that this is the most appropriate age for a film of our style and that we can create a film for a audience based amongst our own age.

How do you intend upon marketing the film?

Our intentions upon marketing and promoting our film would be the use of social networking and conventional methods such as posters, trailers and magazines such as Empire and TotalFilm.