This year, as our A2 media coursework, we decided on producing a film teaser trailer. To begin with, we researched existing film teaser trailers to get an idea of what a teaser trailer was and what we thought would make a entertaining and convincing trailer. Despite liking the majority of the teaser trailers from the action films and sci-fi genre we had to choose a more realistic genre and one that we could recreate ourselves. With this in mind we ruled out the possibility of producing an action, sci-fi or fantasy genre film and went with a horror/thriller genre as our choice. Despite choosing a very common genre we thought that we should make it as different to the existing films as possible whilst still being recognisable within the horror genre. We research a large number of horror genre teaser trailers to see what techniques we thought proved successful but were not used heavily throughout the genre and decided to use a “hand-held” style when shooting the trailer . It was clear that it was a very unusual and uncommon way to approach the horror genre but of the films we encountered during our research, the ones that had used this approach were very entertaining.
After deciding on the “hand-held” approach we decided to study these trailers to see the techniques used. We made notes on the different types of camera shots used, the music/score that went with the trailer, how the storyline of the film was portrayed and the recognisable horror conventions that you would associate with these type of films. We discovered that the music/score that went accompanied the trailers all had the same recognisable traits and that our own piece shouldn't be too hard to recreate. Another thing we noted that was although some of the trailers showed the antagonist or destructive force within the film, the trailers that we found more effective and enticing where the ones that only showed glimpses or no sign of antagonist or destructive force at all. This was a great way of building the suspense within the film and making people go to see the full movie just so they could discover it for themselves after already being drawn in by the trailer. When it came to researching the conventions of these films, we found it very easy to pick out key recognisable attributes that we would include in our own project.
Even though we have seen these conventions tried and tested and we know they help create a successful horror film, we decided we wanted not to stick to traditional conventions and use conventions that were seen less in popular film but were still affective. This meant we could create something that was typically from the horror genre, but also something that hadn't been seen often. With all this in mind we decided we still needed some of the main conventions used in horror films as they were key in producing our desired trailer.
Now after all the research had been completed, we had a very clear image of what we wanted to do with our project, we wanted to create a clear horror teaser trailer, but using unusual methods and less common conventions. Following this we started do piece together a plot for our trailer and began drawing up draft storyboards. We began with what would be included within each scene and what camera shots would be needed. To better understand which shots would be most effective, after deciding what happened within the scene we drew out a number of different ways of shooting the scenes and decided on which we liked most. If we still couldn't decide which shots to use we often filmed each scene a number of times from the different desired positions and then decided on the final shot when it came to editing. When we had the draw storyboards completely finished we went on to make a photo storyboard which we shot on location with the desired camera shots.
Now that all the planning was completed, we wanted to test the equipment we had before filming the final footage to see if we could get the desired effect we wanted to achieve, so we took the cameras to our filming location and tried and tested different light conditions and shot types to see if we could achieve our idea. After taking all the test footage we needed we tried some test editing to see if we could get closer to what we had imagined and through the use of the editing software available to us we were able to do so. We were now able to film our final trailer, but first needed to create a schedule of when we could get all of the people involved on location at the same time which was a struggle with people living I different towns with different commitments. We found that the most suitable time to film would be during free periods throughout the week and also a couple of nights straight after school. To begin with we started filming during the day in the free periods designated to get the opening scenes for the trailer but we soon found out that when we were filming at night the location had a much better feeling and was more suitable for what we wanted to achieve. This presented us with another problem as the location we were filming was in complete darkness at night so finding actors willing to help was an issue. We managed to overcome this problem by filming scenes with less people needed in them whenever people were unavailable and getting the larger scenes with more actors needed when we could get everyone together. This hindered us a lot when it came to editing as due to the filming stage taking so long we had less time to edit so were unable to re-film some important scenes due to actors letting us down.
When all the filming was finished we got all the footage we had filmed and began editing it together. We started by trimming all of the footage down and removing anything we did not need so we were left with all usable clips. We made sure that we had collected as much usable footage as possible as we had encountered problems in the past of not having enough footage which meant we had to use scenes we would have either re-filmed or not included where as this time we had more then enough footage, we collected around 20 minutes of usable clips for a 2 minute trailer. To begin with we created a draft of our trailer so we could get feedback from the rest of our class to see what we could improve and to see if we had achieved what we aimed for. The feedback we received about the trailer was very positive an although we hadn't yet created the music/score to go with the sequences it was still quite affective. After this we went straight on to creating our soundtrack/score for the trailer and due to our vast research of horror trailers we had a clear picture of what we needed to produce to enhance our trailer. When we had finished creating the soundtrack and added it to the finished footage we were happy that it did exactly what it was meant to, built suspense where needed and the tempo followed the film perfectly. We then asked our class for feedback again now that the trailer was complete and the feedback was even better now that the music had been added.
Now that the trailer was complete we started on the ancillary tasks. Having all 3 members of our team taking Art and Design as well as technology we felt very confident with this task as we were familiar with the technology we would use and have done tasks like this in the past. We mainly used a program called G.I.M.P(generated image manipulation program) which we all had past experience with and started on the Website homepage. We used a picture from our test footage which we then manipulated and created animated links for the website as well as an animated header. We also had to create a poster which we again used G.I.M.P. To manipulate a picture we took ourselves especially for the poster and created out own logo to appear on it as well.
Once all of the tasks were completed, both main and ancillary we had to produce the work to the class and receive feedback. The feedback we received was very positive indeed with only a few minor criticisms, our ancillary work in particular was very popular. There were only a few criticisms overall, one being the continuity of actors as some change throughout the trailer which as I explained earlier was something that was out of our control and the second was our overall acting ability which wasn't as good as it could of been.
Overall I think the class agreed that we had achieved what we had set out to do and at a very high standard so all of the extra time and work we put into the tasks was worth it. Despite the minor flaws within the final trailer I believe we created a very successful horror genre film with different techniques and conventions but still just as effective.
Thursday, 13 May 2010
Ancillary Tasks
Poster-
For our first ancillary task we decided to create a poster to promote our film. We researched many film posters and found what we liked and what needs to be included to make the poster successful. The first and most obvious thing we noticed was that the poster would need a key image recognisable to the film to make it stand out and be appealing. We decided that we would go and take our own image to use on the front of our poster and were very happy with what we came up with. Despite being limited to using a phone camera we managed to capture an effective image that was recognisable to out film.
We then added the film title on to our poster being sure to use the same font as was seen in the trailer itself so that the poster was again recognisable to the film. We also added our production company logo which we created ourselves as well as reviews of the film. We wanted to make the poster look professional so added the credits of the film onto the bottom of the poster just as other film posters do. When we piece all of this together we were very happy with the results as we produced what we think is a professional and recognisable poster.
Website-
For our Website ancillary task we tried to make it as professional looking as possible just as we had done with the poster. We researched many film websites to see what we though was good about them and what we thought could have been improved. We decided that the layout should be quite simple so it was easy to navigate but needed something to make it stand out. We decided that one way to achieve this would be to animate the links within the website as well as the website header.
We tried a few different variations of each and decided that a slow fade would be the most suitable as our film was entitled “In the shadows” and would feel as if the links were coming out of the black background. We decided to keep the same font that we used on the poster as well as the trailer to keep a common theme between all three so they were clearly recognisable to each other.
We also kept the same font with the Website header and had the same animation effect to keep the page balance rather than overcomplicating it. We decided that having the header change for the title of the film to “coming soon” would also be quite effective and was something we had seen a lot on other film websites.
We went on to add a border to the website which we created ourselves from a picture of a plain brick wall which makes the page look much more professional and stand out. We also added an age certificate which we again edited to suit the theme of the page as well as few quotes and reviews of the film. When all of this was pieced together the outcome is quite impressive and something we were very happy with.
The full effect can be seen much clearer by clicking on the image below.
For our first ancillary task we decided to create a poster to promote our film. We researched many film posters and found what we liked and what needs to be included to make the poster successful. The first and most obvious thing we noticed was that the poster would need a key image recognisable to the film to make it stand out and be appealing. We decided that we would go and take our own image to use on the front of our poster and were very happy with what we came up with. Despite being limited to using a phone camera we managed to capture an effective image that was recognisable to out film.
We then added the film title on to our poster being sure to use the same font as was seen in the trailer itself so that the poster was again recognisable to the film. We also added our production company logo which we created ourselves as well as reviews of the film. We wanted to make the poster look professional so added the credits of the film onto the bottom of the poster just as other film posters do. When we piece all of this together we were very happy with the results as we produced what we think is a professional and recognisable poster.
Website-
For our Website ancillary task we tried to make it as professional looking as possible just as we had done with the poster. We researched many film websites to see what we though was good about them and what we thought could have been improved. We decided that the layout should be quite simple so it was easy to navigate but needed something to make it stand out. We decided that one way to achieve this would be to animate the links within the website as well as the website header.
We tried a few different variations of each and decided that a slow fade would be the most suitable as our film was entitled “In the shadows” and would feel as if the links were coming out of the black background. We decided to keep the same font that we used on the poster as well as the trailer to keep a common theme between all three so they were clearly recognisable to each other.
We also kept the same font with the Website header and had the same animation effect to keep the page balance rather than overcomplicating it. We decided that having the header change for the title of the film to “coming soon” would also be quite effective and was something we had seen a lot on other film websites.
We went on to add a border to the website which we created ourselves from a picture of a plain brick wall which makes the page look much more professional and stand out. We also added an age certificate which we again edited to suit the theme of the page as well as few quotes and reviews of the film. When all of this was pieced together the outcome is quite impressive and something we were very happy with.
The full effect can be seen much clearer by clicking on the image below.
4. Planning
4.1 Storyboard-
(cannot upload)
4.2 Storyboard Animatic-
(needs to be embeded)
This was our drawn storyboard animatic which shows how the trailer will be constructed and what shots will be used.
4.3 Photo Animatic-
(needs to be embeded)
This is our photo animatic that was taken on location using a digital camera showing what will happen within the trailer and what shots will be used.
4.4 Script/Outline-
There is only a short peice of speach within our trailer which only takes place in one scene.
-close up of both actors facing the camera-
actor 1 (shouts) "hello"
actor 2 (shouts) "hello"
actor 1 (shouts) "hello"
actor 2 (shouts) "is anyone there?
4.5 Preporation-
Location:
We had a good idea straight away where we wanted to film, it was a place all of our group knew and though it would be a great place to film a horror trailer. The place we decided on was located in the Western Heights area of Dover. The place itself is the north centre bastion which is an old abandoned napoleonic war armory. The reason we thought this location was ideal was due to it's dark setting and long winding tunnels that would produce some great shots. We decided to take some pictures to see the kind of areas we could use.
This picture shows how the place is darkly lit, the only light source is from the camera and the shadows produced are quite affective.
Other locations:
Other locations that we considered where the Warren in Folkestone and the Dover castle war tunnels. We decided against these other locations due to the Warren being to open so that we couldn't acheive the right light conditions there and even though the tunnels at Dover castle would be another suitable location, visitors are unable to get in there at night and we needed to shoot the trailer at night for the dark shots. We did think of using the editing software to make the footage appear as if it was shot at night but it was decided that the north centre bastion would be much easier.
Lighting:
Lighting is a real issue where are filming. The location we have chosen is pitch blach at night so we had to find a was of brightening the setting up. We tried a few different methods such as large torches but the spotlight was visible in scene and ruined the affect we were after. We also tried using just the night time mode on the camera but only close objects were visible so we would be limited to what shots we could use. We tried a few more methods and came up with a solution. By using the night time mode on the camera aswell as small torches pointed off screen so the spotlight wasn't visible we were able to have the desired affect we were after. On camera it still looked dark and eery but we were able to film longer shots and had a much clearer image.
Test shots:
We tried a number of different test shorts before filming the real thing and came up with a few ideas that we hadn't originally put on our storyboards. We found that shooting shots out of the building itself, through the trees was very effective and something we wanted to include. We also tested how the camera would work moving in and out of the dark environments and whether it would loose focus or not and we were lucky that were able to acheive averything we wanted too.
Costumes:
For costumes we decided to go with traditional wear that you would see if people were going to explore and old fort so something comfortable and practical such as jeans and a hoody or jacket. I think the costumes used fit in well with the feel of the film.
Actors:
Ashdon Morgan
Andy Reet
Beth Sterling
Brad Champion
Georgia Bell
Luke Birrell
Tom Cock
We wanted to have a mix of actors both male and female as it is a common convention within horror films to have a diverse group rather than just all male or all female. We chose people who get to the filming location regularly and would be best for the roles.
Sounds:
We had to create alot of the diegetic sound within the film ourselves to make it sounds more convincing. Noises such as doors slamming and feet shuffling we had to recreate. In one scene a metal door has to slam behind the actors further down the tunnel but the door was too quite to hear so recreated to noise buy dropping a large lump of concrete onto some old scrap metal and the result was much better than the original.
(cannot upload)
4.2 Storyboard Animatic-
(needs to be embeded)
This was our drawn storyboard animatic which shows how the trailer will be constructed and what shots will be used.
4.3 Photo Animatic-
(needs to be embeded)
This is our photo animatic that was taken on location using a digital camera showing what will happen within the trailer and what shots will be used.
4.4 Script/Outline-
There is only a short peice of speach within our trailer which only takes place in one scene.
-close up of both actors facing the camera-
actor 1 (shouts) "hello"
actor 2 (shouts) "hello"
actor 1 (shouts) "hello"
actor 2 (shouts) "is anyone there?
4.5 Preporation-
Location:
We had a good idea straight away where we wanted to film, it was a place all of our group knew and though it would be a great place to film a horror trailer. The place we decided on was located in the Western Heights area of Dover. The place itself is the north centre bastion which is an old abandoned napoleonic war armory. The reason we thought this location was ideal was due to it's dark setting and long winding tunnels that would produce some great shots. We decided to take some pictures to see the kind of areas we could use.
This picture shows how the place is darkly lit, the only light source is from the camera and the shadows produced are quite affective.
Other locations:
Other locations that we considered where the Warren in Folkestone and the Dover castle war tunnels. We decided against these other locations due to the Warren being to open so that we couldn't acheive the right light conditions there and even though the tunnels at Dover castle would be another suitable location, visitors are unable to get in there at night and we needed to shoot the trailer at night for the dark shots. We did think of using the editing software to make the footage appear as if it was shot at night but it was decided that the north centre bastion would be much easier.
Lighting:
Lighting is a real issue where are filming. The location we have chosen is pitch blach at night so we had to find a was of brightening the setting up. We tried a few different methods such as large torches but the spotlight was visible in scene and ruined the affect we were after. We also tried using just the night time mode on the camera but only close objects were visible so we would be limited to what shots we could use. We tried a few more methods and came up with a solution. By using the night time mode on the camera aswell as small torches pointed off screen so the spotlight wasn't visible we were able to have the desired affect we were after. On camera it still looked dark and eery but we were able to film longer shots and had a much clearer image.
Test shots:
We tried a number of different test shorts before filming the real thing and came up with a few ideas that we hadn't originally put on our storyboards. We found that shooting shots out of the building itself, through the trees was very effective and something we wanted to include. We also tested how the camera would work moving in and out of the dark environments and whether it would loose focus or not and we were lucky that were able to acheive averything we wanted too.
Costumes:
For costumes we decided to go with traditional wear that you would see if people were going to explore and old fort so something comfortable and practical such as jeans and a hoody or jacket. I think the costumes used fit in well with the feel of the film.
Actors:
Ashdon Morgan
Andy Reet
Beth Sterling
Brad Champion
Georgia Bell
Luke Birrell
Tom Cock
We wanted to have a mix of actors both male and female as it is a common convention within horror films to have a diverse group rather than just all male or all female. We chose people who get to the filming location regularly and would be best for the roles.
Sounds:
We had to create alot of the diegetic sound within the film ourselves to make it sounds more convincing. Noises such as doors slamming and feet shuffling we had to recreate. In one scene a metal door has to slam behind the actors further down the tunnel but the door was too quite to hear so recreated to noise buy dropping a large lump of concrete onto some old scrap metal and the result was much better than the original.
3. The Pitch
3.1 Initial Ideas-
The Brief we have chosen is to produce a teaser trailer for a new film. We believed this would be our best option as we all have some experience in short film making and would be able to put what we have learnt into good use. We all also have a keen interest in films and it would be something we would be interested in and also enjoy doing.
We aimed to produce a horror genre film trailer thats set in some kind of underground location. We want to try and be different in our approach to how we construct the trailer and the techniques used. We want it to be a "hand-held" horror trailer so the majority of the shots will be filmed by the actors themselve. We decided on this route as it's something that is not seen very often but can be very affective when done correctly. We also don't want to be too traditional in the way we use conventions within the trailer, of course we will need to use some of the main conventions such as the a destructive antagonist and a dark location but we also want to use some of the less common conventions.
To start off we will draw up storyboards of the plot of the trailer and what shots will be used. We will also show what needs to be within the scene and what transitions will be used. We will then use a computer to turn these storyboards into an animatic showing the exact order of the scenes, the transitions of the scenes and how long each scene will last.
After this we need do decide on a location so will go to various suitable sites and take some photos so we can decide which would be the most suitable and produce the best footage.
when a site is chosen we will go and take photos of the shots we will need and take these photos and turn them into a photo animatic showing exactly what will take place. After this we will carry out some test footage to see if we can achieve exactly what we are aiming to and once all of that is complete we will be able to start filming. Once all the footage has been taken we will edit it all together and create a soundtrack/score so the trailer is finished.
The trailer will meet all the expectations of a horror genre film whilst also trying to do new things for the enjoyment of the audience.
3.2 Pitch- Presentation
As part of the pitch for our production we presented our ideas to our Media Class.
The Brief we have chosen is to produce a teaser trailer for a new film. We believed this would be our best option as we all have some experience in short film making and would be able to put what we have learnt into good use. We all also have a keen interest in films and it would be something we would be interested in and also enjoy doing.
We aimed to produce a horror genre film trailer thats set in some kind of underground location. We want to try and be different in our approach to how we construct the trailer and the techniques used. We want it to be a "hand-held" horror trailer so the majority of the shots will be filmed by the actors themselve. We decided on this route as it's something that is not seen very often but can be very affective when done correctly. We also don't want to be too traditional in the way we use conventions within the trailer, of course we will need to use some of the main conventions such as the a destructive antagonist and a dark location but we also want to use some of the less common conventions.
To start off we will draw up storyboards of the plot of the trailer and what shots will be used. We will also show what needs to be within the scene and what transitions will be used. We will then use a computer to turn these storyboards into an animatic showing the exact order of the scenes, the transitions of the scenes and how long each scene will last.
After this we need do decide on a location so will go to various suitable sites and take some photos so we can decide which would be the most suitable and produce the best footage.
when a site is chosen we will go and take photos of the shots we will need and take these photos and turn them into a photo animatic showing exactly what will take place. After this we will carry out some test footage to see if we can achieve exactly what we are aiming to and once all of that is complete we will be able to start filming. Once all the footage has been taken we will edit it all together and create a soundtrack/score so the trailer is finished.
The trailer will meet all the expectations of a horror genre film whilst also trying to do new things for the enjoyment of the audience.
3.2 Pitch- Presentation
As part of the pitch for our production we presented our ideas to our Media Class.
This involved explaining the following points:
- Which brief we have chosen and why
- Choice of genre and why
- The basic story line
- Next stage of planning to be carried out
- Lessons to be learnt - objectives
- Experiences
2. Production Company
2.1 Production Company Background
The production company is responsible for both the development and physical production of new media, performing arts, film, radio or television program.
For that reason the logo's of these production companys are usually very recognisable at the begining or end of a film or film trailer. Just as the film industry has devolped over ther years, so have the logos of the recognisable companys.
Paramount Pictures
The distinctively pyramidal Paramount mountain has been the company's logo since its inception and is the oldest surviving Hollywood film logo. The motion picture logo has gone through many changes over the years, it began as a somewhat indistinct charcoal rendering of the mountain ringed with superimposed stars. The logo originally had twenty-four stars, as a tribute to the then current system of contracts for actors, since Paramount had twenty-four stars signed at the time.
For Paramount's 90th Anniversary in 2002, a new, completely computer-generated logo was created, with the south col peak of Mount Everest as the basis for the mountain.A newer variation of this logo debuted in 2010, with the Viacom byline in the "New Viacom" font
20th Century Fox Film Corporation
The distinctive Art Deco 20th Century Fox logo, designed by famed landscape artist Emil Kosa, Jr., originated as the 20th Century Pictures logo, with the name "Fox" substituted for "Pictures, Inc." in 1935. The logo was originally created as a painting on several layers of glass and animated frame-by-frame. It had very little animation—just a sideline view of the tower with searchlights, some moving and some non-moving. Over the years the logo was modified several times. In 1953, Rocky Longo, an artist at Pacific Title, was hired to recreate the original design for the new CinemaScope process. In order to give the rather static design the required "width", Longo tilted the "0" in 20th—an idiosyncratic element which became part of the design for more than two decades.
In 1994 the CGI logo was introduced an was also the first time that Twentieth Century Fox was recognized as "A News Corporation Company" in the logo, although it had already been owned by News Corp. for eight years. In 2009, an updated version was used to coincide with 20th Century Fox's 75th anniversary and made its official debut with Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.
2.2 Production Company Logo Design
For our Logo design we wanted to something simple and related to our film. That meant making some quite eery or distaughted. We decided to go with DGSB productions to keep things simple but it was also something we could work with. We decided to adapt the existing DGSB logo to suit our needs. We used G.I.M.P to manipulate the image, we distorted it slightly and changed the colours to give it a more horror themed look. This is what we came up with.
The production company is responsible for both the development and physical production of new media, performing arts, film, radio or television program.
For that reason the logo's of these production companys are usually very recognisable at the begining or end of a film or film trailer. Just as the film industry has devolped over ther years, so have the logos of the recognisable companys.
Paramount Pictures
The distinctively pyramidal Paramount mountain has been the company's logo since its inception and is the oldest surviving Hollywood film logo. The motion picture logo has gone through many changes over the years, it began as a somewhat indistinct charcoal rendering of the mountain ringed with superimposed stars. The logo originally had twenty-four stars, as a tribute to the then current system of contracts for actors, since Paramount had twenty-four stars signed at the time.
For Paramount's 90th Anniversary in 2002, a new, completely computer-generated logo was created, with the south col peak of Mount Everest as the basis for the mountain.A newer variation of this logo debuted in 2010, with the Viacom byline in the "New Viacom" font
20th Century Fox Film Corporation
The distinctive Art Deco 20th Century Fox logo, designed by famed landscape artist Emil Kosa, Jr., originated as the 20th Century Pictures logo, with the name "Fox" substituted for "Pictures, Inc." in 1935. The logo was originally created as a painting on several layers of glass and animated frame-by-frame. It had very little animation—just a sideline view of the tower with searchlights, some moving and some non-moving. Over the years the logo was modified several times. In 1953, Rocky Longo, an artist at Pacific Title, was hired to recreate the original design for the new CinemaScope process. In order to give the rather static design the required "width", Longo tilted the "0" in 20th—an idiosyncratic element which became part of the design for more than two decades.
In 1994 the CGI logo was introduced an was also the first time that Twentieth Century Fox was recognized as "A News Corporation Company" in the logo, although it had already been owned by News Corp. for eight years. In 2009, an updated version was used to coincide with 20th Century Fox's 75th anniversary and made its official debut with Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.
2.2 Production Company Logo Design
For our Logo design we wanted to something simple and related to our film. That meant making some quite eery or distaughted. We decided to go with DGSB productions to keep things simple but it was also something we could work with. We decided to adapt the existing DGSB logo to suit our needs. We used G.I.M.P to manipulate the image, we distorted it slightly and changed the colours to give it a more horror themed look. This is what we came up with.
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