Further Institutional Research: Who would produce our film?

Written by Emma Taylor

A production company provides the physical grounds to build on in the form of media entertainment such as films and television programmes. Production companies are usually responsible for sourcing the funds to produce the production, it is also responsible for budgeting, scheduling, the supply with talent and resources, the organisation of staff, the post production side such as editing and distribution and the actual marketing of the production.

British Film Institute

The film distributor is the company or individual solely responsible for the marketing of a film. The distributor may set the release date of the film and the way which the film is made available for viewing e.g., directly to the public through either through cinema viewing or directly to DVD. A distributor may do this directly, if the distributor owns the theatres or film distribution networks, or through exhibitors and other sub-distributors. A limited distributor may only deal with particular products such as DVD’s or Blu-Ray, or may act only in a particular country or market.

Broken Coal Productions - Owned by Emma Taylor

Rotted Grade Productions - Owned by Director Tommy O'Connor

For a low budget film like ours the funding would most likely come from a government grant from the British Film institute. The BFI have a lottery funding system for film producers in the UK who are emerging or world class and are capable of creating distinctive and entertaining work.

The BFI would provide us with 'seed' money to help get the planning process underway and involve large production companies such as Film4 to get involved. As Film4 are eager to engage with young, new British film making talent, I think that Film4 would be a good choice as a large production company, and also because they have a target audience similar to ours (16-30) and show programmes which are of an 'alternative' and risky nature, which is a suitable description of our film. Other, smaller production companies would also be involved, such as my own production company 'Broken Coal Productions' and my friend's production company 'Rotted Grape' owned by Tommy O'Connor (Editor and Director at the BBC). Including these small, local production companies would mean that there would be solid relationships between the cast and crew as they have mostly all worked together before, and therefore improve the structure and development of the film in question. The feature film would also aid the development of the production companies as it would help raise their profile and help them obtain more work in the future.


Many sources of money will have to be found in order to develop the film (BFI Funding, Rotted Grape, Broken Coal and Film4) as this will help spread the immense costs of production - even though this is only a low budget film, the money is hard to gain back in the industry due to the dominance of American production company in Hollywood.

I believe that our film fits suitably into this category and would benefit from this type of funding.  I believe our film particularly would be initially distributed through small film festivals across the country such as the commonwealth film festival in Manchester and the East End film festival in London to raise awareness of the production, not to mention travelling to the world famous Cannes Film Festival to try and get noticed as a company, or even as an individual director so funding for the next film after 'Fallen Grace' can be easier to find, and also to promote it abroad.

Commonwealth Film Festival logo

When the film had received some more interest and possibly further funding it could go on to be shown in smaller, independent cinemas such as the corner house in Manchester.

Cornerhouse, Manchester

Films that would be released in a similar way would be other low budget British films such as 'Monsters' written and directed by Gareth Edwards.  

The logo of the real production company we used in our production was 'Spyglass Entertainment', we felt as though this would be a suitable choice as from what we had observed through our research of thriller conventions we noticed that many of the thrillers such as ‘The Sixth Sense' were either produced or co-produced by Spyglass.  The name of our own production company is 'Broken Coal Productions' which is a company I have been running for over a year. The black background connotes dark thrillers, and is exactly the type of film we are producing. The binary oppositions of black and white also make the logo look professional.

Choice of Actors

Written by Emma Taylor

We have decided to use actors from the local stage school 'Valley Academy', as the actors have plenty of experience on stage and on screen. The 'Fallen Grace' production team think that it will give our film trailer a more professional look as it will be acted well. Many of the actors here I have worked with on my own films (music videos and short films) so I know they are reliable and work well on set. The actors also know each other well, meaning that this relationship will convey well on the screen.

Grace - Clare Fletcher

Clare Fletcher - Actress

Clare Performing

We have cast Clare Fletcher as our lead role to play the character of Grace. Clare has brilliant stage presence and works well on set, having previously worked with her on a music video. I think she has a great look of innocence about her, which will display well on the screen. Clare is currently performing the lead role of 'Audrey' in the musical 'Little Shop of Horrors' and is studying 'Performance' at the prestigious Pendleton acting college in Salford.

 Zara - Sophie Wooding 

Sophie performing

Sophie Wooding - Actress

 We have cast Sophie Wooding to play the part of Zara in our production as Sophie has played similar roles to Zara on stage productions, such as 'We Will Rock You'. Sophie is a talented and dedicated performer and Tom Bailey (AD) and I really think she'll rise to the challenge. She has performed well on set before playing an emotional teenager in a short film we made over the summer. Sophie is studying Drama and Dance at Sixth Form College and she has been acting since the age of 13. Sophie also won best actress at the VADAs this year.



Charlie - Sam Newsham


Sam Performing as Joseph

Samuel Newsham - Actor

We have cast the role of Charlie to Samuel Newsham, a brilliant young actor who is studying musical theatre at Accross College. Sam performed in our AS Level coursework last year, playing the part of 'Joe' who committed suicide, and we were all impressed with his professional performance. He's been acting from a young age on stage, and hopes to have a career in acting. Sam recently played the part of Joseph in 'Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat' and bowed to a standing ovation most nights. Sam won 'Best Actor' at the VADAs and has LAMDA qualifications.

Mr Eastwood

Grant Bromley - Actor

Grant playing the 'Beast'

Grant Bromley will be playing the part of Mr Eastwood in this production. I have worked with Grant since the age of 11 on both stage and screen. He has a BA (Hons) in Acting and set up his own stage school 5 years ago. He takes part in both amateur and professional shows, including the role of 'Tony' in West Side Story at the Palace Theatre, Manchester. He has also played the part of the 'Beast' in Beauty and the Beast at many professional venues.

Positions and Roles of the Crew

Written by Emma Taylor
(information taken from the Creative Skillset)

Director - Emma Taylor

Assistant Director – Tom Bailey
Director of Photography - Abi Ford

Sound Production and Designer - Tom Bailey
Arts Director and Production Design – Saquib Younis

Editor - Emma Taylor        

Makeup and hair - Abi Ford

Story board and animatics - Tom Bailey

Script – Saqib Younis

On set; the roles explained - What's in the Job?

Director

The director is the creative driving force in the production of the film and is the crucial link between the production, technical and creative teams. It's the director's job to successfully translate the script into motion pictures on the screen. Directors make the crucial decisions; selecting the cast, crew and location of the film. They direct rehearsals both off and on set throughout the film's production. They also manage all the technical sides of production; camera, sound, lighting, design and special effects. The director also works closely with the editor in post production. The director is the driving force for the cast and crew and is responsible for motivating the team, and they must incorportate the needs of the film's producers. Directors must have exceptional artistic vision and creative skills to develop an engaging film.

Assistant Director

The first assistant director is the director's right hand person, taking responsibility for a number of important practices so that the director is free to concentrate on the creative process. First ADs' main duties are assisting the Director, co-ordinating all production activity, and supervising the cast and crew.  They are also in charge of a department of other Assistant Directors and Runners.  Overall, they provide the key link between the Director, the cast and the crew, whilst also liaising with the production office, and providing regular progress reports about the shoot. Before the shoot, the Firsts' main task is to create the filming schedule, working in careful consultation with the Director in order to fulfil his or her creative ambitions.  When drawing up the shooting schedule, First ADs must also be aware of budgetary constraints, cast availability and script coverage.  Preparing the storyboard, overseeing the hiring of locations, props and equipment, and checking weather reports, are all key pre-production duties for Firsts.  During production, they must ensure that everyone is on standby and ready for the Director's cue for action.

Director of Photography

Directors of Photography (DoPs) are key Heads of Department on film productions, and theirs is one of the major creative roles. They are requested by the Director, and must be approved by the financiers, studio and/or completion bond company. DoPs work closely with the Director and Production Designer to give a film its visual signature. Lighting is one of the fundamental elements in filmmaking; the way in which light falls on an actor's face, reveals an interior space, or illuminates a landscape, can create mood, drama and excitement for the audience. The ability of cinema to entertain and emotionally move an audience is the result of a highly collaborative process which encompasses performance, editing and music. The role of the Director of Photography or Cinematographer is to provide a film with its unique visual identity, or look. Most DoPs work on commercials and promos as well as on feature films. Although the hours are long, and some foreign travel may be required, involving long periods spent away from base, the work is highly creative and very rewarding.

Sound Production and Designer

Usually the Sound producer and designer are two different people, however, due to constraints in the crew we have, their roles have been combined. Ensuring that the dialogue recorded during film shoots is suitably clear is a complex job; most film sets are challenging for the Sound Department as there are often unwanted noises to deal with, or the desired camera shots hamper the placing of microphones. 

Arts Director and Production Design
Art Directors act as project managers for the biggest department on any film – the Art Department. They facilitate the Production Designer's creative vision for all the locations and sets that eventually give the film its unique visual identity. Art Directors are responsible for the Art Department budget and schedule of work, and help the Production Designer to maximise the money allocated to the department. Art Directors are usually requested by the Production Designer, and are responsible for the Assistant Art Director, the Draughtsman* (as many as 20 Draughtsmen may be employed on big budget films), the Art Department Assistant(s) and all Construction personnel. As Art Directors must find practical solutions to creative problems while simultaneously monitoring the budget, this is highly skilled work.

Production Designers are major heads of department on film crews, and are responsible for the entire Art Department. They play a crucial role in helping Directors to achieve the film's visual requirements, and in providing Producers with carefully calculated schedules which offer viable ways of making films within agreed budgets and specified periods of time. Filming locations may range from an orderly Victorian parlour, to a late-night café, to the interior of an alien space ship. The look of a set or location is vital in drawing the audience into the story, and is an essential element in making a film convincing and evocative. A great deal of work and imagination goes into constructing an appropriate backdrop to any story, and into selecting or constructing appropriate locations and/or sets.

Editor

Editors work closely with the Director before shooting begins, deciding how to maximise the potential of the screenplay. On the first day of principal photography, Editors begin work in the cutting room (sometimes on location), looking at the previous day's rushes which are developed overnight at the Film Lab and synced-up (synchronised, the alignment of sound and image) by the Assistant Editor.

Synposis of the Feature Film

Written by Emma Taylor

  Three teenagers, Charlie, Grace and Zara,  are getting ready for the day, they go to school where Grace discovers she has tele-kinetic supernatural powers, where she can move objects without touching them. Her teacher sees this, and whist Grace is at home, the teacher spies on her whilst there is a party at Grace's house. Charlie and Grace have an argument which results in Grace going outside for ‘some air’, where she is kidnapped by the teacher. She is then taken in a van to a secret location where she finds out that she has been born and brought up by a adopted family and needs to work in capturing crime in the UK. However the teacher, is actually a double agent, a terrorist threatening to bring down the government who wants Grace for his own operations (to use against the British Government using her supernatural powers). Charlie and Zara find out what has happened after going on a journey to find Grace, and the bring her home to safety. The struggles see twists, thrills and the deaths of several main characters at the close of the film.

Initial Ideas

Written by Emma Taylor

As a group, we wanted to focus more on a coming of age film with a combination of genres (hybrid genre) which are thriller and sci-fi. Excellent films such as ‘I am Number 4’ and ‘Abduction’ follow these themes, and work really well on screen.

We also explored the thriller genre with a theme of schizophrenia and having a distressed girl at the heart of our story. We thought it would be a really interesting thriller to make, with it being (sort of) true to life, however, we felt that this mental health issue was similar to our AS thriller production we made last year, which was based on suicide and revenge. We also wanted to keep to the theme of a serious and mature plot lines.

There is a professional band named ‘Cryus Rose’ who, when I was on set with them for their music video, said that we could have the rights to their music to use for this purpose, which would be really good if we went ahead with our ‘coming of age, hybrid genre ideas.

Another idea we had was to do a pure coming of age film, like seen in ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ and ‘Submarine’ as we could easily replicate this easily because we easily have access to settings and actors of this age. However, to make this more interesting and serious, we have decided to combine this with sci-fi and thriller themes.

A mind map of initial ideas by the group - Mind Map made by Abi Ford

In our initial ideas we explored many genres including drama, romance and thrillers. We looked into the conventions and common themes in these productions and tried to combine the extracts from these projects to create our own narrative in a hybrid genre. 

We have decided to make a coming of age, supernatural thriller genre film and to include the key concepts in each genre. We have decided on this genre as there are aspects which all of the team will enjoy to make, and it is appropriate for our target audience, as many young people enjoy these films, shown in the examples of 'Harry Potter', 'Matilda', 'Carrie' and 'The Hunger Games'.    

 

Evidence of Time Management and Organisation

Written by Emma Taylor

I have set up a group on Facebook where all four pupils in the A Level media group could get instant updates on how the production is coming along, as we're all doing different aspects of the production. Here we can share pictures, ideas and work quickly and instantly on a media related device. As many teenagers use Facebook very regularly, we find this method easy to use and saves us emailing each other individually, as many of us don't use the email service very regularly. This enables us to discuss production issues outside of the lesson with modern use of technology. This method helps us organise our production because we can see what we need to do to make our production a success and in what time frame we need to achieve it by.  We used this technique last year very effectively and we found it very useful to communicate to each other in a method where we can have conversations and ideas bounced back and forth between all members instantly outside of the class room. 

We will use Facebook as a medium to create events online to promote extras for our film shoots, and the closed group will be for the crew only to discuss situations regarding the production, as the capacity for photographs ect. is larger on the social networking website, Facebook.

'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' Close Trailer Analysis

To view the the trailer click here -The Perks of Being a Wallflower

As we plan for our trailer to be a mix of genres - coming of age, action and thriller, I wanted to look closely at a coming of age story with a twist; - where the main character has a psychological problem and is an outcast, to see how this is reflected through the features in the trailers. I thought this trailer was filmed brilliantly, working with a low budget to create a very relatable story line. Whilst our own trailer will not have the same level of 'reality',our trailer will hint at impossible psychic skills, I do want to portray our characters as true to life individuals and have looked at this movie for much of my inspiration for the 'coming of age' element of our trailer.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

We fade in from the green 'Motion Pictures of America' rating, standard on all American film trailers, to a long establishing tracking shot, lasting only two seconds. This shot informs the audience of the fact that this trailer is mainly based in a busy city due to the atmosphere created in the setting. This shot is joined by the introduction of a soundtrack; a jolly, upbeat current 'alternative' song written by the popular 'indie' band 'Imagine Dragons'. This displays the ideal world of a young and upbeat teenage life, however as we move further into the trailer, we see the contrast between this and Charlie's life.

The voice over of Charlie, combined with the first his first appearence in the trailer denotes to the audience that he is our hero (according to Proppian theories). It is interesting that the Director, Stephen Chbosky has decided to use a mid-close up reflection shot of Charlie in a window, for instance, we see a reflection of Charlie, from behind his back which connotes that we're not seeing the 'true' Charlie, that he's hidden. Perhaps his presentation of himself isn't real and that he hides himself away, not letting anyone see his true self. Using depth of field, the camera has focused on Charlie's reflection rather than the white wooden cross on the window, but we gain a sense of Charlie being trapped in this particular shot and as we track backwards in this shot, perhaps the true identity of Charlie is becoming more hidden, creating enigmas in the trailer. 

Already we are obtaining an image of Charlie and the kind of character he is, but the use of artistic design in this shot is interesting. Rather than the 'director of arts' giving Charlie an interesting choice of clothing, they have given him a plain white t-shirt, perhaps to connote that Charlie is just a 'regular' teenage kid. The title plate 'Charlie never stood out' anchors this idea and suggests that this is key to the plot line. I think it's also key to the reaction in the audience too emphasising the fact that there are many everyday teenagers like Charlie who need help, and that this film, is very much based on real life experiences. His non-diegetic voice over 'dear friend' immediately establishes a connection between the audience and our hero in the trailer, and displays that we will see the world through Charlie's eyes. However, the fact that Charlie uses the singular of 'friend' may denote that he only has one friend; us, and this makes us empashise with Charlie and creates mystery into why he has no friends.

We fade quickly into the next scene where we see another two tracking shots of Charlie and his siblings around a bed playing cards.

The balloons in the background of 'get well soon' showing that Charlie has not been well and, as he is not physically ill, we assume that he must have a mental issue which has made him so ill that he's had to be admitted into hospital care. The sound bridge of the voice over follows nicely with 'I've not talked to anyone outside of my family all Summer', makes our thoughts from the previous shot concrete, but this creates further enigmas as we want to know 'why?'. We return to the original tracking shot in Charlie's bedroom where he has his back to the camera, again connoting that he's hiding something from the audience. Although at this stage, we do realise that he's writing a letter to the to his 'friend'; the audience, and that the words from the voice over are those punctuating sound effects on the pages of his paper. As he lifts the pencil up from the paper, there is a 'ching' in the soundtrack, symbolising the end of this 'introduction' section of the trailer.

We have gathered the basic introductions to the film via the voice over and he says 'tomorrow is my first day' so we are not surprised when we cut to a shot of school. We also know that he is feeling vulerable and nervous at this point, making a deeper, emotional connection to the audience, knowing that we have all felt this way before a 'first day' before. The fact that Charlie is in his room by himself and not out with friends denotes his introvert personality, which many of teenagers - the target audience for this film, will recognise and relate to, so will become interested in the trailer, and hopefully watch the film. The use of a 'fade to black' is used effectively at the start of this trailer, with just the voice of Charlie being heard. This not only make us focus on what he's saying 'I really want to turn things around this year', but also helps the audience digest the information given to them up to this point. The black on the screen could possibly display the 'night' before the next shot displaying the 'day'. The use of a title plate is first put to effect to promote the producers of the film 'Summit' which is joined by a sound bridge sound effect of the school bell ringing, leading us smoothly and neatly into an establishing tracking crane shot of a typical American high school, denoted by the sound bridge of the bell, and of the famous yellow American school bus.

This is followed by another tracking shot of Charlie sat on his own at lunch time, while everyone else in the canteen seems to be happily enjoying their lunch with friends, but Charlie is on his own, again, and we hope that things pick up for him, establishing a audience - character relationship with Charlie, making our emotions fit into the world of the film and seeing Charlie's perspective.

The sound bridge of the diegetic dialogue of the teacher leads us into the next mid shot where Charlie's English teacher is already showing concern for him. He simply states 'You know, they say if you make one friend on your first day, you're doing ok' however this is contrasted by the next over the shoulder shot of another student ripping up his book, just because he's a freshman. The choice of prop the director - Stephen Chbosky has made where the bully rips up Charlie's book denotes that books are Charlie's prized possession, and that him ripping it up, is a symbol of a unknown person ripping up Charlie's life by bulling him, and that Charlie just watches both his life and his book fall to pieces right in front of him. This makes us think that Charlie hasn't made one friend, so perhaps, he's not doing 'ok' and this forebodes the future of Charlie's life in the film. Bullying seems mandatory in many American high school feature films, however, Charlie  starts to develop a close teacher - student relationship, which is not usually denoted in these types of films. Perhaps this is because his teacher has already seen his talent and flare for writing, and sees himself in his student.

In the next part of the editing montage of the school shots we see Charlie keeping his head bowed with his books close to his chest, these non verbal codes display him being self conscious and not wanting to be noticed. Perhaps the symbolism of the books being on his chest display that his work is close to his heart. This shot follows into the returning shot from a previous scene with Charlie's reply 'If my English teacher is the only friend I make today, that would be sort of depressing.' Whilst this is a comedy line, it is both true and a saddening fact for Charlie in this part of his journey. It will also strike a relateable chord for teenagers as sometimes, teachers do seem like they are the only friends who want to help you, even if it is a working 'teacher - student' relationship.

The title plate reiterates the idea that Charlie feels like he just falls into the background and that nobody notices or cares for him. The words snap onto the screen on the beat of the non-deigetic sound of a type writer, with the font also on screen of an American type writer, which is a recurring theme throughout both the trailer and the film.

As the sound track increases tempo, we see a tracking crane shot with Charlie being central in the frame.

Perhaps this suggests that Charlie is beginning to be the centre of attention and make big leaps in his personal development at the homecoming ball. The next shot of the character Sam (played by Emma Watson), is vital to establishing a connection between Charlie and Sam. As Sam seems like she's looking directly into the camera, it seems that she's looking straight at Charlie, inviting him to join in. It seems to give Charlie the courage to finally step out of his shell and talk to some people at homecoming. Charlie starts to step forward slowly, with fade transitions imbertween all three of the walking shots distorting the audience's view. I think the fades have been for practical reasons because if there was just straight cuts, cutting the crane shot, then it would look like a mistake in the editing process, so the editor has added fades in order for this not to happen. The change in shot goes from a close-mid shot to a close up, to directly display Charlie's non verbal codes on his face of him being nervous. His new friends welcome him immediately but we still see Charlie looking uncomfortable and shy, which connotes that whilst he's made the first leap in finding his friends, he still has a long way to go to build up his confidence and his friendship group. The title plate following this shot is the same design and uses the same type writing effects so continuity is maintained.

A montage edit of Charlie being introduced to parties and new friends follows this, and we see Charlie smile for the first time in the trailer. He seems happy to have found a group of friends who've let him in and have given him a chance to be himself. An interesting quote of Sam saying 'Welcome to the island of misfit toys' is a famous quote from both the Perks of Being a Wallflower book and film and one which sums up Charlie's new friendship group. The quote explains how all of the group feel like misfits and outcasts to the usual life of teenagers and are vulnerable because of it; but together, they are strong and they can help and understand Charlie. The next few titles plates aim to introduce each of the key characters and really shows how this new friendship group are really a bunch of people who never fitted in. This shows Charlie that he's not on his own and that there are other 'outcasts' who feel just like him. An example of this is shown in the next scene where Patrick is asked in a medium two shot if he likes football, connoting that Charlie is making an effort to get to know his new friends. Patrick definitely makes no excuses for being the 'black sheep' and is a very extroverted character as we see when he says 'be aggressive, passive aggressive' as his chant. This is an unusual thing to chant in any situation not alone a football match, but Charlie's non-verbal codes of him looking around to see if anyone is noticing Patrick's individuality, shows that even when with somebody he knows, he's still insecure and feels judged by those around him.

Next to be introduced is Sam who shows her individuality. Her montage consists of a graphic match where she puts her arms up in the tunnel and this is matched by exactly the same movement as the shot on the outside of the tunnel. As the audience we find comfort in that Charlie has found friends that he can relate and talk to, something that we don't think has happened to him before.

The colour grading in post production in the harsh harsh blue of the sky creates a lovely transition into the next shot which is silhouetted with the same harsh blue surrounding it. Within semiotics, the colour blue connotes the idea of depression which may in these shots, display the feelings of these young individuals and the restraint of them to be themselves amongst their peers and society in fear of being judged.

'A Beautiful Mind' Feature Film Analysis

Written by Emma Taylor
To view the trailer, click here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268978/?ref_=nv_sr_1

The trailer for 'A Beautiful Mind' opens with the promotional logo of 'Universal Studios', the main producers of the film, along with 'Dreamworks', which has the non diegetic sound bridge entering the first scene of the trailer, the sound bridge builds up the tension within the sound track and also allows the different scenes to flow smoothly. A screen full of numbers acts as a diegetic wipe as we see a tracking shot breaking the 180 degree rule as the hand-held steadicam shot makes a 360 degree loop along the main character, John Nash. As this shot breaks this key film making rule, the viewer becomes disorientated, connoting that there may possibly be a problem which we may expect, as he's the main character. This could also display that John Nash is a complex man, and that we need to see him from all angles.

An overlap of numbers displayed on the screen has also been added onto the timeline for this shot in post-production editing so we can half see what's in John's mind, making the viewer feel further disorientation. Meaning is anchored by the non diegetic voice over, with a montage sequence, forwarded in the mix over the soundtrack, stating that 'John Nash, was one of the most brilliant minds of his generation', which symbolises that this film will be for an older, more intellectual and educated target audience, where they will have to understand the plot in detail. 

As we do not automatically start with an establishing shot, this connotes that John is enclosed within his own mind, following the theme of the film - psychological disorders, more specifically, schizophrenia. A white transition is then used to show a long establishing shot of Princeton University, symbolising John's academic acomplishments as the mise-en-scene is showing prestigious authority; the setting is grand with its archaic structure and John's costume is formal showing his maturity. The long shot is very formal and symmetrical signifying order with traditional authority, so we see straight down the tunnel of the University, almost like the establishing shot is inviting us in. This shot may have also been colour graded in the editing suite, as the edges of shot is black, creating a vignette, perhaps hinting that John will transfer from a dark place, typically connoting ideas of death and misery to a happier place as he transfers through University. 

A cross dissolve is used with a series of slow tracking mid-shots introducing John's classmates and key characters to the plot line, and uses the diegetic voice of the professor to provide some narrative exposition, leading us into the film. The professor is old, and wears a suit connoting his prestige and authority, he also stands up, symbolising the evident difference in knowledge and intelligence. This diegetic dialogue explains the story in terms of  TzvetanTodorov's equilibrium theory here there is a beginning, a disturbance and then a resolution, but as this is a trailer, there is no ending. The diegetic dialogue from John Nash, turns into a voice over as we now see the long shot of John standing on his own connoting isolation and vulnerability. There are two cut aways used within the trailer to convey his attention to detail. Following these shots within the montage edit, we see John Nash in a low shot connoting his determination, however, in the next shot, we see his colleagues laughing at him, which displays to the viewer, quite directly that John is an outcast and this story could have a theme of isolation and loneliness. Following on from this idea, the next close up shot not only symbolises that John is trapped due to the two bars placed on his window, but also adheres to the rule of thirds, creating good composition for the shot. The fact that within this shot, it has a shallow depth of field, this denotes that John focuses on his work, rather than his surroundings (the men playing football outside). As John is inside the building the other men at the university are outside this symbolises connotes further that he is almost always alone, however, the audience are now starting to realise that this may be because he wants to be, not because he was made to be a social outcast, looking more in depth at this idea, we start to see the underlying hints of psychological issues or traumas.

 A montage of other close up follows this, displaying that the only part of the world John can see is mathematics, which displays his evident passion and ability for the subject.

We see the quick progression of John Nash as he achieves the 'achievement of a lifetime' which enables him to eventually win the nobel Prize in 1994, we also see him smile for the first time meaning that things are now looking up for him. 

The title plates track forwards onto the screen along with the voice over giving us a brief narrative throughout the trailer giving key detail such as the producer and the director (Ron Howard) and gives a unique selling point. Title plates are typical conventions of trailers and help to sell the film effectively. 

When John gets asked to dinner by his wife-to-be, she is higher up in the frame and we see a series of shot-reverse-shots displaying the dialogue between the two characters. The mid shot on the woman, and the bright coloured clothes symbolises that she is 'the light at the end of the tunnel' for John and will provide him with some security. She is higher in the frame and his high angle shot suggests his vulnerablility and lack of confidence through this. there is a focus on the ideal of love being the most important thing and seeing her love is vital to him.

John, however looks anxious and as there is a high shot looking down on him we see him looking out of his comfort zone. The shot that follows also follows the story of the couple as they're pointing up to the sky showing each other the stars, symbolising that only the sky is the limit for their relationship. This could further connote that love is 'infinite' like the universe itself (as it is believed by many people).

The soundtrack as the relationship gets more romantic and passionate, suddenly drops slightly when we see the establishing shot of buildings in the university at night and has pathetic fallacy connoting secrecy, and the chiaroscuro lighting displays the 'darkness' in John's psych. The internal shots of 'men in the white coats' could symbolise the doctors which John hallucinates, but in this instance where the viewer thinks these hallucinations are happening in John's life, denote scientists working for the government in highly secure bases. The white lab coats connotes prestige and authority, and John Nash still wears black, this contrast of 'black and white' could connote reality, or lack of reality in this case, but could also display the difference in knowledge between them. This particular section of the trailer gets very stereotypical of thriller here, with shadowy images created by the use of chiarascuro lighting, and government agencies seem to be using John, this is typical of a thriller story line. As we are seeing the world from John's point of view, we do not know if this is in his mind, or if it's real, as John is an 'unreliable narrator' creating enigma in the trailer. Tension is clearly created here and uses Barthes' theory of enigma codes.

 Both diegetic and non diegetic dialogue leads us to understand that John is now working for the department of defence and shows that John is truly 'one of a kind'. However, the story starts to become sour, and as the editing pace speeds up, John becomes more desperate and leads to relationship problems for John. His wife states 'what's wrong with you' in lighting resembling bars across her face, perhaps implying that she, herself feels tapped due to John's psychotic state. The colour grading has clearly changed from strongly saturated colours to dark ones displaying depression. 

John tries to run a away, not only denoted in the following shot but also metaphorically as he 'runs away' from his wife trying to help him, as he just falls to the floor in a psychotic state, displaying his fall into depression and madness, even though his wife is still trying to help him by asking him 'John, tell me what's happened?' According to Barthes enigma and action codes theory, here the action is that John Nash is sinking to the floor in a psychotic state, and the enigma created here builds u the tension because the audience doesn't know why - and is not displayed in the trailer. In trailers, only the original equilibrium, and the disruption is seen, and not the end resolution (Tzvetan Todorv's Equilibrium theory), and this explains why the audience never find out what's 'wrong' with John in the trailer.

The editing pace of the montage continues to get faster and shows destruction throughout this section of the montage, including shouting screaming, throwing of glass with a selection of close ups to show a tense atmosphere and full frame long shots to display the loneliness and isolation of the characters. The montage continues to build momentum and the sound tack grows until the screen fades to black and the music slowly dies down. His wife's voice can be heard over the blackened screen connoting that in times of despair, the only person John listens to is his wife who will help him through. But no 'resolution' is found as even more heart breaking clips are shown but at a slower editing pace. The trailer cannot show the resolution other wise nobody would see the film, so continues to show  the destruction of the characters to make the audience wonder how the story could end.

Interestingly, these shots of despair are followed by more 'happy' scenes of John and his wife getting married, providing a resolution for the trailer, but not the one which will appear in he film. The voice over provides sound bridges for a montage of both 'happy' and 'sad' clips followed by other title plates trying to conventionally selling the film on the actors involved; Russell Crowe, Ed Harris and Jennifer Connelly by stating their names. The film is also sold on the prestige of its actors, where they are academy award winning actors. We are then left with a quote coming from the book the film was based on also called 'A Beautiful Mind' which is based on the true life events of Professor John Forbes Nash to give it more weight and dramatic impact.