Props

This post will look at some of the props I could potentially use in my trailer. These props will have to be easy enough for me to get hold of and representative of the genre or the narrative. Also, these props should appeal to the target audience in some way by allowing them to anticipate more about the film or by exciting them by hinting at the narrative slightly.


 Flowers

Flowers are one of, if not the most, common prop used in films of the romance genre. They give connotations of beauty and love which are both stereotyped with romance. Giving flowers as a gift is perceived as romantic and it is almost always the male love interest who gives the flowers to the female love interest as a sign of his love for her and to show him to be gentlemanly and caring. I will most likely include flowers in my trailer at some point or other because they are a well known icon of the romance genre and so will therefore reinforce the genre of the film and hopefully attract a large target audience.

Alcohol and Drugs

Alcohol and drugs aren't necessarily props that are always associated with or iconic of the romance genre. However, they are included in some of them, especially romance films where the stock characters are teenagers. The stock characters in my film will be teenagers who are quite rebellious and like to go out and party with their friends, this is why I am considering including alcohol and drugs as props. Alcohol and drugs are props stereotyped with the teenage/young adult lifestyle and my target audience are also teenagers and young adults therefore including these may attract the target audience to the film because they can relate to the characters.

In terms of health and safety and legality, I will not use any real alcohol or drugs. I won't use any real alcohol as the actors are below the age of 18 and therefore it would be illegal for them to be drinking as they are under the age limit, also drugs such as cocaine and cannabis are illegal in the UK so I will not actually use these but I will use substitutes. For example I could use sugar instead of cocaine, as long as I make sure it is realistic by not showing it that clearly or close up on camera. I could do this in a number of ways such as, using a long shot instead of a close up, making sure there is only low key lighting in the shots including the drug or putting a blurred effect on the camera lens. In terms or alcohol I could use water as a substitute. For example I could use water instead of vodka as both of them are clear.