25/10 - Group meeting

Yesterday, our group met and we discussed out plans for this project and assigned tasks.
Our general conclusions were:

• as a group, we must watch more films in this genre to understand better the conventions of plot and technical codes of westerns
• as we know many people who would be willing to play parts in our production, casting should not be a problem
• in terms of props, as we cannot produce explosions or gunshot special effects, we could use toy guns for comedic effect - for example, the classic gag of 'BANG!' guns, cap guns or other toy guns that could be painted to look more authentic. Similarly with elements of the mise-en-scene such as horses, toys could be used for comedic effect. 
• we need to build a clearer picture of our target audience and reader profile before beginning filming etc - we must put together a questionnaire, and use the results to form this profile
• to help us decide how to film our production, we should gather ideas of locations, props, plots, actors and what we classically associate with westerns - music, mise-en-scene, type of language etc and use these to decide what to include in our trailer

From this, we assigned tasks for each member of the group:
Megan - to create and distribute the questionnaire and use the results to assemble a reader profile
Bhawana - to create a 'mood board' of ideas, conventions and symbols of the genre
Georgie - to begin further research into the genre and scout for locations in which we could film

We also decided that each of us should watch some western films so we are all watching 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' because it considered one of the most classic westerns and then meeting and discussing what we have drawn from it which could be applied to our own work. Additionally, we are each watching a different type of western and choosing a film to analyse so we get a varied and complete feel for the genre and what is associated with it.
The films we are individually watching are as follows:
Megan - 3:10 to Yuma (modern western)
Bhawana - Blazing Saddles (spoof/comedy)
Georgie - Once Upon a Time in the West (traditional)

After watching these films, we plan to post our own analysis of the chosen scene and talk about how it applies/deviates with the conventions of the genre, any significant elements of the codes, similar plot lines and themes between the three films and how all of this could apply to our own work. From this point, we shall decide out plot, story board and begin filming.