Drafting and planning

This is some more raw footage which features the two props described in this blog: https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3664132413503481447#editor/target=post;postID=2279293500394794311;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=4;src=postname
Both are move-in close ups which helps emphasize their importance in the trailer

The first video features two of the same shot with the knives but with different lighting, the first is more clear and visible but the second is more dark and ominous so im leaning towards the second shot at the moment so it fits the atmosphere of my trailer.

Meanwhile the second video is well lit however i think straight cutting to a close up of the picture would be ideal because its not completely clear what is in the picture that is of importance, the red mark.
This shot occurs after the first part of the trailer when the protagonist finds his granddad, as it ominously hints at a murder

Organisation

The monthly blog trackers such as this one have helped me organise my blogging as it highlights my areas of strengths and weaknesses quantify-ably, allowing me to target specific areas to work on in order to achieve a more balanced blog.

Although i would like the amount of blogs in general to be higher i am pleased with the balance of my blogs and feel as though  quantiuty will come in time if i continue to work at this rate.

I am very pleased with the amount of target audience blogs as i am joint highest with 9 and i feel this is as a result of qualitative research, social media, video interviews etc. are all new and effective ways to target an audience and feel as though i have utilized them well so far

To improve drafting and organisation, i think continuing to film and upload raw footage and maybe roughly edited footage would be a good way to raise this number and highlight the development of my coursework and this will definitely be the target for the coming weeks

Target audience

Organisation

Props


I will be using two main props for my trailer which will feature in multiple shots and have some bearing on the plot.

The first is an old black and white school photograph in an old wooden frame with one of the student's heads marked with a red 'X'. This is first seen in the hands of the dead granddad and the he is the boy with the red X, suggesting that it was a murder and his death had been pre-determined by someone linked with the protagonist's family and their had been prior history between them.

It will then be seen in two close up shots shortly after in the hands of the protagonist representing his realisation that there is something more behind the death of his family members, which leads to his suspicion of a killer and potentially his insanity.

The second is more basic, a large silver kitchen knife which the protagonist arms himself with in his first confrontation with the antagonist which occurs at the climax of my trailer. I will first be seen in a close up however it will be held during multiple shots when the protagonist approaches the antagonist in his home

Research into similar products

I like the use of sound in the trailer for the drama 'Suffragette' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=056FI2Pq9RY

This is because it uses loud but brief sound effects to climax a moment of action or key significance to the film and end with the 'cut to black' editing convention. These occur at the start of the trailer to act as 'mini-climaxes' which helps set a serious and consistent tone throughout but also brings about cohesiveness by combining well with the final climax at the end of the trailer.

I could also use sound effects in a similar manner to try and separate the stages of my trailer by creating 'mini climaxes'. For example i could build up to a mini-climax through fast paced editing and then use an intense sound effect when the protagonist sees his dead granddad, to signify the importance and the drama of the moment in the film

Drafting and planning

Here is some raw footage i recorded which is from a scene that will occur about half way through my trailer.
I practised editing this footage together, using fairly average editing pace but overlapping the last line of dialogue with a different shot.

 Although i may use music during this section of my final trailer i still think it conveys a sense of drama/ conflict between the two characters, the protagonist and the Auntie The first shot can be either be a pan or a mid shot but both help present the Auntie character well an set the scene for the argument.

 A glass of red wine is also fitted into the shot to possibly connote that she will be of danger to him, a secondary antagonist possibly, although this is only a small prop attempting to create a sense of realism and atmosphere in the scene.

 Subsequent shots include an over the shoulder shot, a mid shot of the protagonist and a close up of the auntie which helps create variation in a brief space of time, something which is achieved well in normal theatrical trailers

Organisation

This is the hardware and practical equipment i will be using whilst shooting footage for my trailer.

This consists of:

•  A basic Tri-pod which is small but ideal for transportation and can extend to twice its size

• A Lumix camera , which is light and pocket size but still records in HD. This i have been using and will continue to use for shots which take place in distant location because of how its easy and convenient to transport and carry around

• A Nikon camera, which is much bigger and bulkier, more for shots around the home. It records in the same quality but has better zooming mechanics, picks up light better, ideal for darker shots as well as a second look-through screen for live viewing of the footage.

• A light transportable and flexible lamp ideal for providing light in closed environments like shots in the home and has multiple brightness levels to tailor each shot

Research into similar products

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2GsZRTW6XE The trailer for the drama film concussion uses fade to black, especially building up to climactic/ important moments which builds up tension towards something serious and meaningful in the trailer like a character which is climaxed by cut to black, which emphasises the drama surrounding that character or event.

I was thinking of just using straight cuts through most of my trailer and cut to black to cap a scene and emphasise its drama although i definitely want to use fade to black towards my trailer's climax to add an extra level of seriousness especially as the pace of the editing quickens which happens at the end of most trailers to evoke excitement from the audience, for example the star wars tv trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6OapTkx7R4

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Drafting and planning

I listed all the shots i plan to use in order after referencing back to my storyboards. There are 23 shots in total but i'll try and record more than needed in case i want to add in  more shots.

There is an equal amount of close and mid shots which i think is a good even mix as well as a variety of other shots to keep my trailer fresh and interesting.

 I especially hope to achieve a variety in the build up to the climax which will try and build suspense and summarise the content of my trailer so i think a variety is important. I think is evident in the last shots of my list.

Research into similar products

film titles

Quite a few drama films use short and if anything, basic title names but they are still quite effective.
For example 'truth' is a drama film where the title summaries the main underlying theme throughout the trailer and indeed the film itself (give evidence from trailer here)

Meanwhile the drama film 'burnt' also has a short and basic title which relates to the main theme of cooking food. However it is quite a sharp adjective which could act as a metaphor for the 'burnt' feelings of the main protagonist and his fiery aggressive emotions which the title helps represent as it connotes fire and passion, emphasizing the drama surrounding the protagonist and the lives of chefs in general

film title ideas:

• Curtains
• The Inquisition

Both of these names are short and help symbolize death however 'the inqusition' suggests a longer more drawn out process (of the murders) . Both of these names like truth and burnt, help symbolize one of the main running themes thorughout the trailer whilst also being unique and easy to remember. I will seek my final choice through my target audience, gaining the opinion of both my teenage and adult demographic and seeing if both of those would share a similar preference of film title

Target audience

I took to Twitter to try and better target part of my audience through my trailer, asking my followers most of whom are aged 16+ about what they would expect to see in a drama trailer and which of the two titles i came up with they preferred.


3 out of 4 favoured 'the inquisition' because to them, it sounded more attractive but also has relevance as all of them saw my presentation and can see that there is a murderer who, in a long drawn out process poses questions or should i say major threats, to the protagonist's family members one by one, so its like a metaphor for multiple attacks and murders.




Meanwhile, a climax, voice overs and some character development among other things were pointed about by a few in this demographic as what theydexpect to see which is good because i was planning to use all of these elements, especially after my research. This confirms to me that partially targeting a teenage demographic would be a good move because all of them seem to be open to the drama genre and have appropriate expectations

Organisation

Costume

after researching into how costume is used effectively as a convention in drama trailers https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3664132413503481447#editor/target=post;postID=5996287915998270189;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=4;src=postname
i have decided upon casual clothing such as this to represent the normality of the main protagonist and how he is just a part of everyday life when he experienced these events, emphasizing its drama and realism. However the colours are not bright and is instead quite a dark red possibly connoting blood, family blood thats running through his veins which makes him a target.

Meanwhile it also helps create a contrast with the dark, black and more serious costume of the antagonist, connoting danger and death
However as i also found out in my research a change of costume can go a long way in symbolising development and change within a character and so, later in the trailer i my inlcude shots form a scene where the protagonist is in a suit after a formal event, symbolising his new maturity whilst also showing he is taking matters with the killer into his own hands by being more serious and formal, like he means business

Target audience

Focus group feedback

In our last media lesson we presented a brief pitch of our projects and each received feedback from the other members of the focus group

It was helpful as it allowed me to take on board the views of the teenage demographic who alongside the adult demographics complete the target audience for my trailer. 

• Everyone was intrigued and interested with my plot line and its themes like family and death as well as features like character development

• There was also appraisal for my storyboards for containing a range of shot types

• However some feedback i got on this was that i should clarify in my shot listing exactly what shot it is, and how im going to achieve it, for example the shot of me through the second floor window of ,my house. Ideally i would like this to be a close up, but this feedback has helped me realise ill have to consider a long shot as well.

• Another idea suggested was that in the same scene i could add a flashback when the protagonist sees the ghostly figures of his parents in the road, or use visual effects to add a sense of the supernatural so i can clarify that they aren't really there and that he is envisaging this as part of his emotional development. Therefore this would also help me target the teenage demographic because this piece of feedback which was put forward by quite a few suggests they would be more entertained if i included a slight technical twist in my presentation of this scene in the trailer.

• Meanwhile i was also queried about where dialogue would be heard in my trailer and although i was planning on using narration, i have yet to specify where. Therefore i think i should include a small preliminary part to my trailer before the part i labelled 'the beginning' which features a brief line of dialogue or a monologue from the protagonist which will help set the scene, introduce the protagonist and give my audience an insight into his thoughts and feelings. In the intermediate part i will also use dialogue, particularly from other characters like the sister and auntie and use a one loner from the antagonist for the climax of the trailer.