14/12/2011 - Sound

As we have had some issues with filming due to weather and members of the group and our actresses having exams we have been unable to film consistently in the past few weeks. In the meantime, we have focused on researching the sound and music that we will use in our film trailer. We used the microphone to record the sounds that we created by connecting it into the camera to save these noises. We used the dead cat to enhance the sound picked up by the microphone and an extendable holder so we can change the distance of the microphone from what it was picking up.

Firstly, we recreated the sound of footsteps for our main character, Lily, as she is initially walking back at a regular pace and then speeds up to a rapid movement as she is running away from her attacker. In the video, you will notice that we recorded one of the members of our group walking along a bed of leaves and grass which really brings out the crunchiness of the leaves and produces natural footstep noises. However, when recording the sound of the microphone being tapped can be heard therefore we cannot use this sound clip.
                                               
            

 Video Clip 1: Attempt at recording footsteps on grass and leaves.  As mentioned previously, we found this clip to be unsuccessful because of the sound of the microphone knocking which would distract the audience listening to the trailer.

Video Clip 2: Second attempt to recreate footsteps, closer up and pace of walking picks up. We found that this re-recording of the sound that we were trying to create was more successful but did not create enough of a realistic impact that we wanted.

Video Clip 3: Picking up leaving and crumpling them.

Our final attempt was the most successful as we were able to control the speed of the crumpling sound being made. It was easier and more efficient to use this method.

The YouTube video that I have included shows a similar sound to the noise of footsteps on leaves that we created by crumpling them. When researching how to make realistic sound effects we found this video and decided that this would be the appropriate method to produce natural sounding footsteps.

05/12/2011 - Adding Text to the Trailer

When watching the trailer to a film you will notice that text often appears throughout it e.g. the title of the film, what critics say or clues about the movie. As this is only a rough edit and we have no fully researched what kind of text is used in a film trailer we decided to include stars (rating) and the phrase 'A Modern Cat and Mouse Game' to entice the audience. The purpose of using text is to break up the clips and speed up the trailer without it seeming rushed but also remaining relevant. 

We wanted to show a star rating in the middle of the trailer to give the appearance of it being a 'must-see' at the cinema but we had issues trying to find the appropriate stars to use. To overcome this we used an image of the correct stars and cropped it suit our trailer. However, another problem arose when Photoshop would not allow us to insert this image into MoviePlus. To overcome this situation we attempted to see if their was a star symbol from a Word Document that we could use instead but there was not. As a result we just used the '*' on the keyboard and when we resized it, it looked professional and will be ideal to use.

For the text in our trailer we used an effect to make the writing glow before it fully appears in the trailer. The effect of using this makes the text seem eery and and uncertain which will hopefully create tension for the audience. It is relevant to the genre of film that we are making, a thriller, but we are still in the process of researching how other film trailers use text in theirs. 

12/12/2011 - Third Shots - Editing trial clips

Here is the intial attempt at editing our existing clips for our film trailer. We are aware that there is no sound for the film as of yet because we want to focus on perfecting the filming and especially the use of light in the opening scene. We used large torches to shine in directions surrounding our actress however, at some points it is evident of our unnatural source of light so we will reshoot this scene.

02/12/2011 - Film Title

Below is the mind map that we have produced containing many film titles that we have suggested for the film trailer that we are making. It shows the process in which we came up with the names as we drew them directly from the centre and they are mainly single titles with some branching to more than one word. As a group, we would prefer to use one word to name the film as we feel that it would give more of an effect as it is simple and would be much more memorable; without giving too much away.

To find some of these words we used an online thesaurus and typed in relevant words to our film trailer which is a thriller about someone being taken. So we looked up synonyms for these words and added them to our mind map so that we built up a bank of potential film titles to choose from.

We are yet to decide on a name for our film title but I feel that creating a mind map has helped us to think about the perfect name for our film trailer. We will hopefully ask for other peoples' opinions on which title they prefer and feel is the most effective.

06/12/2011

As a group we narrowed down the choices of titles from the mind map and decided on 6 titles that we liked by picking two each. From this we crossed out two which we felt were irrelevant and not effective enough to use as the film title. With the final 4, we asked 20 people of a similar age group to us which word they liked the best and thought would be appropriate for our film trailer. The simple tally chart method proved that 'Seized' was the most popular, so we settled for this film title as it has a sharp sound to the word and because it would be memorable.

03/02/2012 - Film Poster Research

The second part of our ancillary task is to produce a poster for our film 'Seized'. The poster for a film is an important aspect in promoting it to a wide audience and selling the film as a 'must see'. Below is three different posters which were produced for the action-thriller film 'Taken'. Throughout the production of making our film trailer we have focused upon the creation of the film 'Taken' and have therefore decided to look at the posters for the film. One of the posters is a French poster which has the words 'Il a 4 jours pour retrouver sa fille...' which translated into english means 'He has four days to find his daughter' giving the observer of this poster a clue as to the storyline in the film. Although the film is in English, it is set in France so therefore the producers of this film have chosen to make a poster which will appeal to a french audience. This poster shows the main male character running through the streets of Paris where his daughter has been abducted. He is shown to be running and to the left of this image is a faded image of his daughter to remind us what the film centers around. In bold, red text, the title of the film 'Taken' is written vertically to the left of the poster which immediately grabs the attention of the person reading it. I like this poster but I feel that it would be difficult to produce a poster similar to it as ours is less action packed, however I do like the use of another faded image layered on top of the existing image.

Another poster which was made for the film 'Taken' shows the protagonist male character as the focal point and image of the poster. He is seen holding a gun and dressed smartly in a suit with a look of determination to find his daughter. I am not fond of this poster as it looks rather dull and the colour scheme is mainly greyish washed out colours. I feel that it does not attract my attention and if anything it perhaps puts me off wanted to watch the film because I would suspect that it is a film which requires a lot of my attention and thought or could be a male type film purely about action and not a lot about a story line. I do like the similar use of placing the title of the film vertically to the left of the poster and the title written in bold letters.

The last poster included in the gif is significantly different in design to the other two. Although it is darkly coloured; the background is black, the text is grey and the image of the main character used is also darkly lit. This poster is my favourite of the three because the image of a familar character in the film is used and a phrase from the film is layered over this picture to tell the reader about something that happens in the film and to make them stop for a second and read "I don't know who you are but if you don't let my daughter go I will find you and I will kill you". Not only do I like the use of speech from the film, I also like the positioning and design of the title of the film which is located at the bottom of thesised in orange/red text in stark contrast to the dark colour scheme of the entire poste

The posters for the film 'The Shining' differentiate in style and the aspect of the film that they focus on and illustrate. I have made a gif demonstrating three of the most famous posters for the film. Each poster is quite different; one shows the face of the main character with a menacing and frightening pose. The other includes an image of the lifts being flooded which is a key event in the film and the final poster shows the iconic image of the 'Here's Johnny!' moment where he appears through a hole in the wall to his wife.

After looking at the text used in each poster it is clear that the same font and colour is used for the words 'The Shining'. By using the same text and making the font red, is makes the name of the film more memorable for the audience when they see it advertised in other places and the red connotates the danger in the film. My favourite poster of the three would be the one which is simple and focuses on just an image of the main character's face. I like it because it isn't a complicated poster and allows the audience to focus on the title of the film and the face that is see almost growling at them! The colours are dark and allow for the text which is in red and white to stand out. The director of the film is mentioned above the title and the names of the two main actors in the film are shown below the image.

15/11/2012 - Conventions of a Film Magazine Front Cover

I am going to focus on this magazine front cover as I feel that it will be relevant to the process in making our very own cover. I think that this is an appropriate front cover as the person on the magazine is Johnny Depp but in the character of Sweeney Todd from the film. The magazine is evidently about his character hence why he is in costume for the image. For our magazine front cover we have decided that we will dress our model in the same clothes that she wears when playing Lily in the our film trailer. This is because, it will continue to target our audience and they will be able to easily recognise and want to read this magazine.

The title of the magazine and a phrase underneath is located at the top of the magazine so that it is noticeable but does not take up too much room on the cover. The text is big and the white and blue colours are bold on a dark background.

The magazine cover also uses few words but ensures that they are significant and grab the readers attention!

I have also noticed that there is no bar code or pricing on this magazine so perhaps in our own magazine we won't include these two conventions as the design if simple and effective without them.

In contrast, this magazine cover has much more writing which I personally do not like as I think it detracts the reader away from the main figure in the centre of the cover. I have noticed that there is a barcode located in the bottom right hand corner and perhaps this suggests after further research that we should also include a bar code to make the magazine appear more legitimate and realistic.

14/11/2011 - Ancillary Tasks - Film magazine cover - Research

During the process of filming, we have reached certain points where we cannot film, for example, not having the appropriate equipment available to use. In the mean time, we have decided to begin our ancilliary tasks and I have independently chosen to research the film magazine covers which we will be making as well as a film poster. 

I like this magazine cover as it shows Johnny Depp in character as Sweeny Todd from the film so that it is recognizable to the reader. However, the cover demonstrates that the feature will be an interview with Johnny Depp, most likely about the film. The colour scheme is mainly pale colours like white and blue. They are cold and help reinforce the angry look on the actor's face. The title of the magazine is bold and other titles are also in a huge size font to draw attention to them. The layout of the text surrounds his face as it is the main feature of the cover. It is composed to have the image central and the main focus of attention and then text at the top and bottom about the contents of the magazine. It is simple and effective as it is not too much for the reader to observe and clearly illustrates what the main topic of the magazine will be.

The concept of this magazine cover is quite impressive and full of fantasy. The colour scheme is not too complicated or distracting and the red titles are bold and compel the reader immediately. The image used looks like one from the film so we instantly recognise that the main feature will be about the film Inception rather than just the actor himself. Empire is a renound film magazine so readers will most likely be inclined to read it anyway but the layout is tightly structured around the image.

I really like the title for 'Empire' magazine as I think it is memorable and clearly enables the reader to know that they are a big film company and the red immediately attracts attention.

Out of the three examples of film magazine covers, this is my least favourite. I think that the colours used do not compliment each other very well and and the bight yellow boxes are a distraction from the central image. The background is plain and has a picture of a skull which i'm not quite sure how it is relelvant. However, I do like the picture of film director, Quentin Tarantino used. I like the use of light on his face and the pose. I think that the rest of the cover is untidy and shows no clear layout.                                                                              

08/11/2011 - Editing the second set of clips

 For the second set of shots that we took we mainly focused on filming all of Lily's parts in the film trailer and then worked a small amount on shooting the other characters, Chelsea and Shannon, in the trailer. We filmed during daylight hours to allow us to just practise shooting these shots and to get a feel for the location. However, filming in daylight created shadows which we were unable to edit out and although we tried to use dark settings it is unrealistic and does not appear like a night time scene. Despite this, it has shown us that filming in daylight is not of use to us and we can improve our techniques by filming when it is darker and using other sources of light to create the right look.                                                                                                                                                                    

04/11/2011 - Trial Clips from 2nd Shooting

Here are just a few short clips from the second trial shooting that we filmed for our trailer. The issues that we had during the filming of these shots were that it was too light and there were unnecessary shadows that we could not hide when we edited the clips to create a night time effect.

21/10/2011 - Weather for filming

Before we filmed our first complete shots for our film trailer on the 24th October, we decided to look up the weather for this day. As it shows here on the BBC weather website, it says that it would be raining and on the day of shooting the weather was sunny and warm. We found that during filming there was shadows created by the trees on the ground, so when we were editing the film in a darker colour the shadows counteracted the idea of darkness. Next time we film, we will make sure that the weather is suitable and choose a later time of day where it is naturally darker.

18/10/2011 - Initial Filming of 'The Friends'

Here are the first trial shots of the other characters in our film trailer, Lily's friends. We filmed this clips on the 9th of October over the space of a few hours as you will notice the difference in lightness of the day. This is relevant because, Lily's friends are returning home after the night before and during this pivotal moment in the trailer they find her phone and soon find themselves involved in the game. 
Problems:
We had some issues with film due to our camera not being charged we have to film on Charmaine's phone as we did not want to waste a day of filming. The quality was not as good as using a camera but we decided to continue our filming as these are only trial shots for the trailer and it is important to progress. Another issue that we had was with the cast and one of our actresses can no longer play the part of the 'Accepting Friend' so Kate has stepped into her role to allow us to keep filming. The weather was another issues during filming as it was windy and made it difficult to hear what each other was saying. Our final issue was that a dog kept appearing in our shots as the location in which are filming is a well-known dog walking spot so next time we will move to another area of the field where we won't be interrupted. Below our the shots that we have taken so far:

07/10/2011 - Reaction Shots from relevant film trailers

Reaction Shots
A reaction shot is the person's response to an event or something said by someone. Often used in motion pictures to convey the emotions of a character.

Here, are three screen shots from the film 'Taken'. We can see from the reactions shown on these characters' faces that one is in pain, one is in shock and the other is frightened. They seem very natural and the camera often focuses on them at a mid-close up shot of their faces. In the first shot we can see the physical pain on this man's face as it looks as if he is shouting. The woman in the second shot seems surprised and stares with disbelief. The final shot shows a girl on the phone distressed as she is recieving this phone call.

During our second complete trial shots for our film, we attempted to create a shot where our main character, Lily, is being grabbed by the abductor. Although it is not great, I think that it is a reaction shot as she knew that she was going to be grabbed but did not know when. Her reaction is shocked and she moves backwards and screams.

07/10/2011 - Character Research...Continued

Lily - Main Character. Vulnerable. Innocent. Abducted and central to the film.

The film trailer will focus predominantly on Lily's two friends who discover that she is missing and take it into their own hands to search for her as they become involved in her abductor's games.

The two girls involved appear to be quite similar to Lily but as the stress of her disappearance, a strain is put on their friendship and the audience sees the conflicting personalities. One of the girls from the very start takes the situation seriously and cannot rest until she has found Lily and brought the abductor to justice. The other girl initially seems unconerned that Lily is missing and does not believe it to be fatal. She refuses to believe that there is a game being played and later in the trailer she does not believe that they will ever find Lily. This causes distress as the girls do not explain the seriousness of this case until higher intervention is needed. Without the support of the other girl, girl 1 is decides to seek the abductor and find Lily mostly by herself. The other girl is worried that that girl 1 is obsessed and does not believe that they can find Lily without greater help.

So far, we have our actress who will play Lily (noted in previous blog entries). We have found another teenage girl to play girl 1 who will be obsessed and determined to find Lily and bring the abductor to justice. Girl 2 is still in progress as we need to find an actress who will be able to take this role seriously and committ to filming (even though she may not feature in the film trailer as much).

30/09/2011 - Filming Equipment

 

During the trial filming of our trailer, we used various pieces of equipment to catch the movement of our actress. As demonstrated in the image to the left, we used a video camera to capture our film and a tripod to hold the camera still.

27/09/2011 - Time Line for the Trailer (Part 1-3)

26/09/2011 - Character Research

The name of the protagonist character in the film is perhaps the most important. As a group we believed that it was important to choose a fitting name to the girl and one which incited innocence and vulnerability. We decided on a few names: Emily, Lily, Alice, Isabel and Kate. We researched each name and it's meaning and found that they all implied innocence and purity. Above, I have included a screen shot of the meaning of the name Lily. The name Lily reminds me of the flower which is white and pure. It is usually a significant flower related to death. Although this is a morbid link to make, it could be relevant as it suggests danger for Lily in the trailer.

Lily is about 17 and a regular teenager girl who enjoys socialising with her friends at parties. As the viewer, we are not told that she has been to a party but it is implied by the sometimes canted camera angles used and her attire. She is dressed in light coloured clothing to make her appear pure like in the darkness of the night and make her look vulnerable. She is wearing heels which makes it difficult for her to walk and when she is being chased we see her determination to escape through her attempts to run in her shoes. The first minute of the trailer focuses on Lily and her walk home. The viewer does not see Lily in person again as the trailer centres around the two friends who work to find her.

This is a picture of our actress, Georgi, who will be playing the character of Lily. This image shows what she was wearing when we filmed our trial shots for Lily's role in the trailer. As you can see, she is wearing a dress and a denim jacket which are both lightly coloured. For the actual filming of the trailer we will dress her in bold block colours, perhaps a little darker, to create emphasis on her.

20/09/2011 - Trial Shots

The initial filming of our film trailer has begun! On Thursday 15th September, we collected the equipment and travelled to the location researched in the previous post. The setting that we have chosen is an open field which backs onto a row of houses. This is perfect for our filming as we have plenty of room for equipment and movement. During our filming, we were not disturbed and were able to film in different areas without being interrupted.

Here is a gif of compiled photographs of the location from different angles.

There was three of us filming various shots and using the equipment. We took it in turns to film particular shots as a means to practise using the equipment and familarising ourselves with the different shots. During the filming, we realised that the lighting was an issue in such an open space and although we were filming at around 5pm and it was beginning to get dark, it was still too light to film. Here is a short clip of our actress running past the camera; as you can see it was far too bright to film.

Although, it is not ideal that we could not film this shot clearly it has allowed us to reconsider our lighting issues e.g perhaps filming later in the day when it is actually dark. We intend to keep her clothes bright blue and white colours as it will symbolise her innocence and vulnerability as well as making her stand out.

12/09/2011 - Researching Locations

The locations that we have been looking at involve large fields with houses surrounding them. We are still in the process of finding suitable settings but have decided that the location must include houses as she is returning home when she is attacked and is vulnerable in an open field which she soon distances away from the houses. Below are two print screens of possible locations in which we can film. They are near to each other and there is a lot of open space to film.

07/09/2011 - Research into types of shots

Over the summer Kate and I decided to film some initial shots which are unrelated to our film trailer and would allow us to experiment with different shots. These will be useful as later on into our research for our film trailer we will be able to use these shots to remind us of the different types of shots that are available and will help to create tension and suspense! I was unable to upload the videos on to my own blog so I have included a link that directs to Kate blog post about the shots:

http://katelongley2.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/not-finished-types-of-shots.html

06/09/2011 - Using Premiere to edit video clips

Using Adobe Premiere Elements, I was able to practise and learn how to use the programme in order to help me edit my future filming for my trailer.

At first, I found it difficult to use the programme and manipulate the clips. I began to select three clips and cut them to suitable lengths and to pinnacle points. I changed the colour of the clips to a clinical blue shade to create tension and unease for the viewer. From this I added effects to the layers and made the first clip distorted and the next clip kept to a normal speed and frame. The final clip in the sequence focuses on the hand open the door handle close up and the effect added to it is distorted. I am still learning how to use premiere and how to link each clip to make a short film.

02/08/2011 - Relevant Film Trailers

02/08/2011 - More research into film genres

During my research into film trailers, I decided to look at the types of films that are made. Above I have created a mind map to illustrate just some of the genres of films that I might use to make my film trailer and what I associate with each of them.

As a group we have chosen to produce a Thriller film which will build suspense and be a mystery to the audience. This type of genre of film is typically used to create tension and excitement for the audience. There are also sub genres such as psychological thrillers, political thrillers and paranoid thrillers. A thriller often operates by manipulating the mood of the viewer to anticipate the very next action of a character or an event in the film. The viewer's expectation is usually heightened beyond normality, anxiety and uncertainty about what will happen and terror is also experienced during the film. Film makers of this genre usually use 'red herrings' or cliff hangers to create twists or tension for the audience. Scenes involving fighting and chasing can also be used to allude to what may happen next or to conceal certain information from the viewer.

Taken
I have chosen to research the 2008 action thriller 'Taken' as I believe that it is a film which keeps the audience guessing, fills them with terror and maintains suspense throughout. The plot of the film focuses on Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), a former Central Intelligence Agency SAD who searches for his daughter who travels to France but is kidnapped during her holiday by Albanian Sex Traders.

20/07/2011 - Basic Plan and Storyboard

Below, I have scanned the initial storyboard and synopsis of the film trailer. As a group we had a few ideas but all of them started with a girl returning from a night out and going missing. The story board explains quite briefly how we aim to construct the trailer and of course we need to spend more time on certain aspects and the camera angles that we will use. We have decided to keep the amount of characters in the film trailer to a maximum of three and that our film trailer will be a thriller. The synposis also gives a brief indication of what the audience can expect from the trailer and we have also discussed the colours, clothes and setting of the trailer as well.

18/07/2011 - Film Trailer - Presentation

As part of the A2 Media course, we were given the opportunity to choose from a variety of briefs on what we could make. I chose to research and give a presentation on film trailers; how they are constructed and the purpose of them. Below and I have made my presentation into a moving Gif to demonstrate just this.