14/03/2012 - Music for the soundtrack

Charmaine introduced a composer called 'Hans Zimmer' to the group when we were discussing the type of music that we need to use in order to increase the tension for our film trailer. However, after listening to this piece of music as a group, we felt that it gave the dramatic feel that we wanted but was not appropriate for a thrilller film trailer but perhaps more an action adventure film.



We wanted a track that could played throughout the trailer and would remain relevant at each point. Our teacher introduced us to the composer Penderecki who had previously considered for his piece called the 'Concerto Grosso No.1 in c minor' but it was unsuitable and did not fit the film trailer. With this piece of music called 'The Threnody for the victims of Hiroshima' we felt that it was perfect and throughout the track there are quieter moments and more dramatic points which will be great for key events such as the abductor walking up the stairs.

13/03/2012 - In the process of finishing the final cut

Here is a picture of Kate and Charmaine editing the film and taking on the different roles of adding text and transitions to the trailer and the cutting and the organisation of the sound. I felt that it was key to document us doing this as it is perhaps the most signifcant part of the process!

13/03/2012 - Recording sound for final scene

During the recording of our last set of shots featuring Lily in the cupboard, we thought it was appropriate to record her sound as it plays a major role in the trailer. As we were using a different camera to capture the movement, we also used the school camera and sound equipment which we had previously been using to record Lily's breathing and screaming. I have included two of the sound clips: 

Here is the camera that we have decided to use to record our trailer with as it produces significantly clearer and better quality shots.

13/03/2012 - Transitions/Storyboard for final cut

13/03/2012 - Rough Plan for the Poster

I have drawn a rough plan of our ideas for our film poster in pencil. It is perhaps difficult to see but we scanned it in to photoshop and tried to make it darker so that it can be viewed better.

12/03/2012 - Seventh Set of Shots

12/03/2012 - Editing for the Film Poster

The screen shot below shows how I opened the chosen image up in Adobe Photoshop CS4 and began to alter the photograph for our film poster. I adjusted the brightness and contrast to make the image seem darker and to keep the figure dark and the background orange. I then tried to darken edge at the bottom of the image but found that this was unsuccessful in creating the look that I wanted.

Here is the image that we will be using to manipulate the design of our film poster. We have decided that we want the waist down of our abductor in the film seen standing at the doorway, positioned in front of the stair case for the poster. We have taken inspiration from the poster for the film 'The Sixth Sense' as it is simple yet effective. In the poster shown below, there is a figure of a child and an orange glow around him. The person looking at the poster is instantly drawn in to the focal point in the centre and an ominous mood is set by the poster.

For the film poster, I feel that it is necessary to retake the image but use a tripod to position the camera still so that the photograph being taken is not blurry or shaken. We will also make sure that the window to the right of the figure is not present and that the image is more structured.

06/03/2012 - Initial Poster Ideas & Photographs

Here is a collection of shots of the abductor's legs standing at the door way in front of the stair case that he is seen creeping up in the trailer. The pictures above are perhaps too light and we have decided that we want to keep the idea of his legs for the poster but have them dark and create an orangey glow in the background.

We did discuss the idea of using an image of the abductor walking up the stairs from a low angle but we feel that it does not have the effect that we were hoping for and would not work well for a poster.

This image is slightly better but it is too light and does not have a significant appeal for the use in a poster to advertise a thriller film.

05/03/2012 - Lighting of the Trailer

During the filming of the closet scene we used this torch as well as the light already existent in the room that we were filming. We also used this torch amongst other similar hand held ones when we have filmed the outside scene where Lily is returning home. We are limited on what lighting equipment we can use outside as obviously we have no access to electricty on an open field, so by using multiple torches we are able to instruct and easily move with the actress when lighting is needed in the dark. Using a hand held torch, especially this one, is effective as you can shine the light exactly where you need it and this one quite strong.

Here is an image of the lighting equipment that we will have been borrowing from school to light some of the inside scenes and for taking photographs for our ancillary tasks. However, we have an issue as we cannot use it outside when filming on an open field as we have no source of electricity to connect it to. Therefore it is more beneficial to use for lighting the scenes inside and for when we take photographs of our characters. For the opening scene where Lily is walking home we want it to be in the dark as she returning home from a party so we tried filming first in daylight but shadows appeared and even editing could not disguise the fact that it was daytime. We finally decided to use torches to film in the dark and as explained above they have proved to work as we can move them easily and we can decide where the light needs to be quickly without having to move lots of equipment.

Here is a picture of the lighting equipment being set up to film the closet and stair case scene inside Kate's house.

05/03/2012 - Feedback

During the production of my A2 Media products; film trailer and ancillary tasks, it is important to gain feedback as to how I am progressing. I decided to look at the stats on Blogger for my blog and to see how many views I have gained. Although there is no specific feedback, I feel that it helps and gives a visual idea of how many people have seen my work and how many times it has been viewed. In the future, when I have finished my products, I am going to use social networking sites such as Facebook to gain proper feedback such as how many people 'Like' or comment on my work. We will also have class critique sessions and feedback from our teacher as well as our peers to help with improvements.

Recent Feedback on our Trailer

This is the post that I put on my Twitter so that my followers would be able to open the link and watch the video and give me feedback.

Kate then uploaded the video onto Facebook where we recieved perhaps the most feedback. Within an hour of posting the video we recieved likes and comments about what people thought of our video.

Charmaine used a blogging website called Tumblr . People were able to post comments, like the post and reblog it for other users to watch. It obtained 12 notes and this allowed us to see what people liked and disliked about our trailer.

Below is a print screen of the amount of views that we gained on our video on YouTube within the same time span of posting it on the other social networking sites. We gained 90 views within the space of an hour! We also recieved critiques from our teacher and classmates who seemed scared by the remaining few seconds when Lily is hiding in the cupboard!