Comparison... How have my idea's changed? - Part 1 Evaluation

How do things compare?

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Storyboard Animatic.

This is the storyboard animatic I created about 2 months ago. I would have posted earlier but I was having some problems publishing the movie to upload to vimeo/youtube and I was still deciding on the soundtracks to use.

This animatic included some scenes I would like to see in my trailer and some I will maybe change when the time comes to edit. The music heard is the soundtrack's I will use in my actual trailer although I may also edit them so that they fit with what is happening in my trailer.

Yahoo Article...

When checking my emails and waiting for my storyboard animatic to upload I came across and article about movie trailers and how they can sometimes be misleading when comparing it to an actual film. Now, although I am not making an full film I have to create the illusion that I have so that the audience knows what is going on and can fill in the blanks and sort of understand what is going on.

http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/blog/article/92187/most-misleading-movie-trailers.html

The article talks about how people complain that all the good stuff is put in the trailer like explosions or seeing someone get shot but none of the boring walking about and talking scenes. But as the article rightly suggests how else would the companies that have created the trailer sell the film to its audience. Noone wants to sit there at the end of a movie trailer and think "What the hell have I just watched?" after seeing a full 2 minutes of a person walking around or just talking to someone. The audience want to be left asking good questions like "What happens!?".

Although you might be thinking "Well that's all that is in her current trailer (Referring to my current rough cut) just some guy walking around looking a bit lost. Where's all the action?". Well fear not because as I have pointed out the current version of the trailer is only a rough cut and nothing is set in stone. I will be making some improvements with the editing and action scene's will be in the trailer.

Trailer Length...

Looking back at some older post's that I did way back when I was still unsure as to what was going to happen in my trailer and which genre it was going to be I researched and analysed some movie trailer's in the genre's I was interested in exploring more. I chose to research horror/thriller trailers and began to expand on that idea.

Some trailer's I have looked at are:

As you can see the average length of the trailers that I have looked at is 01:52. I am going to aim for 02:30 as I feel this would be long enough to keep people interested in the trailer and what the film is about. As my latest version of the trailer up to this date (Rough Cut 2.1) is 01:48 I feel it that the other 00:50 of my trailer could contain more of the action scenes that I wish to see in it.

Creating the Mock Up's...

For my Magazine Cover, Movie Poster and DVD Cover (View them here) I have had to use a different piece of software.  I decided that I would use Photoshop Elements 8.

The first thing I had to do was create the font that would feature on the three products.  I did this by installing a custom brush that had been made previously (the blood splatter).  This gave the text a more original feel to it and also linked it in with the trailer.  The font was called 'IMPACT' which is a pre-loaded font. 

This is my movie poster compared to the 'Sweeney Todd' poster.  As you can see instead of having a main image at the moment I just have the name of the film.  In the future I will change this on my actual product.  Like the Sweeney Todd poster I will also have a main image.  Unlike the 'ST' poster I have added critic comments and ratings which I find works well.

Through out all my products I have used the same font.  Although I have used the same picture on the magazine cover as I have on the DVD cover. 

 This is the image I am currently using on my DVD and Magazine Cover.  I plan to recreated this image.  I like it because the person in the picture is mysterious and extremely dark.  This type of character will work well with the main character that is shown in my trailer.

What's been involved so far?

The software I have decided to use to produce my trailer is Pinnacle Studio 12.  I decided to use this because although it is extremely good for editing videos with the various effects and transitions that are available it is very easy to use. 

All the tools I need for editing my trailer are on the bar at the side.  

1. My footage

2. Transitions

3. Effects

4. Text for Trailer

5. Still pictures

6. Menu's (DVD only)

7. Sound Effects

8. Soundtrack

Before any editing though I had to transfer the footage I had filmed from the camera to the computer and into Pinnacle.  Luckily, again Pinnacle made this easy for me as Pinnacle can do this for you.

Pinnacle then detects the scenes from the camera and splits the footage from the camera into those scenes which again helps me to save time as I can use/find the individual scenes easily instead of having to cut the scenes out of the whole video and edit them together. 

I them transfered individual scenes onto the time line in the order I want to create my trailer.  One issue I did find when doing this was finding out how to have to soundtrack playing while the sound from the original video was playing over it.  On the party scenes I have sounds from the party as well as the sound track playing at the same time.  To solve this issue I muted the sound in the original scenes, added sound effects onto the time line using the sound effects bar (on the time line 4th line down on picture to right) and had the sound track on the music bar.  I then adjusted the volumes of both so that they could be heard. 

Trailer - Rough Cut 2.1 (Sound Effects Added)

Naomi Hall - Degrees of Freedom Rough Cut 2.1 (Added sound effects) from Naomi Hall on Vimeo.

Also on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S4zY5mkRNc

This is the same as the second rough cut but with added sound effects on the party scenes.

Trailer - Rough Cut 2

Naomi Hall - Degrees of Freedom - Rough Cut 2 from Naomi Hall on Vimeo.

This is the second draft of my trailer.  A sample soundtrack has been added and edited to (roughly) fit in with the music.  Transitions and video effects have been slightly improved from the first cut but more is needed to perfect it.  Title screens have been added.  Action scene's still need to be added and alternative soundtrack will be used.

Trailer - Rough Cut 1 (Extreme Rough Cut)

Naomi Hall - Degrees of Freedom (EXTREME Rough Cut) from Naomi Hall on Vimeo.

This is a first draft of my trailer and the basic layout of what I would like to see happen in it.  Action scenes are still yet to be added as well as the music.  Scene transitions and video effects also need to improved/added to the trailer.  Title screens with the Production company name, film certificate and film title as well as text in the trailer also needs to be added. 

Move Magazine Mock Up 1

This is the layout I plan to use for my final magazine cover.

Movie Mock Up's

Revised Plot

A close group of friends are soon proved too good to be true when one of their own commits the worst crimes.

As Jack is found murdered and Hamish finds the body the blame is put onto him but what the other friends fail to realise is it is the one person they least suspected; Chris.

Will Hamish be able to prove his innocence and gain his freedom before it’s too late?

Filming Diary

On Friday 5th November I completed the filming for the flashback scenes in my trailer. These show a group of people seemingly having fun at a camping trip. As I used night mode on the camera I found this worked well when I watched it back. I also used the camera hand held instead of using the tripod which gave the feeling of the scene actually being memory.

Idea's for Soundtrack

London Music Works – Requiem For A Tower

ES Posthumus - Pompeii

E.S. Posthumus- ARISE

These are idea for how I would like my soundtrack to sound when the action builds in the trailer. As you can hear with both of these the music has upbeat parts and parts where it is calmer. This could represent the action and what is on the screen in the trailer.

I think that the third one would suit my trailer the most as the music builds more and more as it goes through like the action in my trailer. I like the dramatic feel these soundtracks have which would work with the genre of my trailer as it is thriller.

Start and End of Trailer - Idea's

Start of Trailer

As I pointed out in my previous post most movie trailers have production companies and distributor screens at the beginning of the trailer/ film. This can sometime boost the reputation of the film as if the company is associated with a previous popular film then people might be more inclined to watch the new one. I have made my own screen for the beginning of my trailer. This is only an idea and for my actual copy I will improve the quality and make it look better as a whole.

End of Trailer

I have based this idea on my story board. I talked about how i want a black screen to appear then the audience hear a gun shot. I have decided to link this in with how my film title appears. The audience will see the two people with the gun before a black screen appears and a gun cocking will be heard which will be the trigger for just the title of the film. Then the audience will hear a gun shot and the blood will appear. This adds to the tension of the trailer and the audience will be left wondering what has happened and be more inclined to watch the film.

Production company Idea

Company Logo:

Screen for beginning of Trailer:

I used the paramount and the Universal logos as inspiration for my own production company. Although the screen/logo I have produced has no relation to the fiolm I feel it will work out fine for my trailer. the dark background will relate to the dark theme of the trailer.

The start of my Trailer...

This green screen is shown at the beginning of most trailers. It is like a license to say that the trailer is appropriate and has been approved to be shown for the audience stated on the card. I am only using this as an example and I will make my own for the start of my trailer to make it look more realistic.


These are examples of production and distribution companies that have helped with the film. These screens are shown at the beginning of a film but can also be shown at the beginning of a trailer to shown who have helped with the film .





Universal and paramount are two of the main companies I used as example.

They both have animated screens that play at the beginning of the film or movie trailer. i have also chosen these two to base mine on and use as examples because they are associated with alot of thriller/action films.

Text Ideas for Movie Title

This was my first idea for the text design for my movie. After asking peers and thinking about my movie trailer and what it involves I think they font is good for a thriller movie but not the back ground.

The feedback I have had for this font is that people like the idea but it is a bit hard to read for some people.







I like this font as it looks more serious and appropiate for a thriller film.






My peers have chosen this as the best font for my movie trailer. the red on the text relates back to the last scene of my triler with the gunshot that is heard. I have though about this and I might have the blood appearing on the text when the gun shot is heard at the end of the trailer.

Information about my Trailer

Title: Degrees of Freedom

Genre: Thriller

A camping trip between 5 friends was meant to be fun but soon turns horribly wrong for Mark. When collecting wood for the fire Chris is tragically killed. When blame is put on the other Mark he has nothing to do but run and hide.Year’s later revenge comes crashing down on him. At first the gang seem like they are out to seek revenge on Mark, but later the audience come to find out the truth and he has to fight to prove his innocence and identify who really committed the crime.Mark must prove his innocence he must prove to his friends that he didn’t kill the Chris. Mark has no idea who to trust as nobody trusts him. Events past and present finally catch up with him which ends with a fight to the death.

TBC

Setting - Location's

I am aiming to film my trailer in four main and completely different locations. I want the contrast between the two main lcoations to represent the different type's or action and feelings related to the main character.

The first of the locations will be a ordinary housing estate. This I choose to represent how the main character has moved on from the events of the past. It will show how normal his life has become and how ordinary his life has been. I plan to show the main character walking out of the house and down to the local town. Although before he goes anywhere I plan for a flash back to be shown when he the main character reaches the end of the gate. When the flash back ends he will still be standing still and this will lead to the second location.

My second location will be the town centre. Two scenes in the trailer will be set in the town centre. One of which will be in the day and one will be at night. It will show the main character thinking about the flash back he had and looking upset. the audience will still be wondering about the flash back and what it meant. Another flash back will also hapen in the location and will show more of why he is upset.

The second time this location will be used is at night. The whole trailer will turn and at first it was rather calm but the action will all kick in and it will show the group of people seemingly attacking the main character. But this again makes the audience question over why the group of men are interested in the main character.

The third location will feature the flashbacks to the night where the whole trailer film is based on. It will show a group of people camping in a forest and it will also feature the murder which happened in the flash backs.

It will show a contrast to how serious everthing was in the other locations and how much fun the friends are having here. It will also show a contrast in the main character and how happy he is with his friends but how much his life has chaged in the years after the events of the third location.

The fourth location will be a dark room when the audience will get some clue to why the group of people want the main character and what happened for them to need him.

Other scenes will be shot in these locations. For example when the main character has escaped from the room he will be seen running to and from some of the locations.

Storyboard

Storyboard

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Structure Idea for my Trailer

I chose this trailer to show the structure of how I want my trailer to be. I like how all locations are shown in the trailer and flash backs are shown in black and white. When the action is on the soundtrack plays which makes the action seem even more intense. But then we see him walking across a desert and the sound track calms down.

Lebanon Trailer

Lebanon -

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Movie Magazine Analysis - Entertainment Weekly

Like the previous magazine the image takes up most of the page and although the images is dark and used the same colours as the elements that make up the rest of the page such as the text. Like the other magazine its uses dark colours like the blacks and reds that make the magazine like the other horror magazine that I analysed.

TBC

Movie Magazine Analysis...

SFX

This is my first example of a movie magazine cover I have chosen to analse. SFX magazine is one of the most popular movie magazines that you can buy. They also have a subscription service that allows you to recieve the magazines monthly and recive specials. Although the magazine bases its self around Sci-Fi films the magazine also has smaller articles on other genres of films. One reason I also chose SFX was that they do special editions and one of the editions recently was dedicated to horror films.

As you can see the main colours used on the page are red and black. These colours are quite representative of the horror genre. Also the majourity of the page is taken up by the main image of the three horror villians with medium close-ups which would be representative of the horror films with them being the main characters. The theme through out the page is kept to the colours of the image which means that aswell as the picture standing out it isnt clashing with the page and t does look like it belongs there.

On the page bloodsplats are also used as well as wounds that keep to the theme and make the magazine look more dark than the one posted above.

The Sixth Sense

I chose this trailer because it has a well know phrase that people know in the movie world and that is 'I see dead people'. i like how only that line makes people think of this film and how its the little boy that say it that makes the line even scarier.

The trailer focuses on this troubled boy who seems to be the main focus of the film. Even with the length of the trailer and the scenes with the boy the trailer leaves people wondering just what the film is about and whats going on.

One element of the trailer I did find interesting was how the balloon floated up the middle of the stair case then cuts to the boy going up the same stair case.

The Unborn

I chose to analyse this film because again the trailer leaves people wondering what the film has in store. i like the fact that when more action is happening in the trailer there is no sound even though we can see her screaming. this gives the effect that something isnt right. I also like it when the boy is there one minute but then in the same shot isnt there after something passes the camera.
When something bad is happeing in the trailer the camera zooms in on the thnigs/monster which gives the effect that they are dangerous and that they are after something/ or someone.
Towards the end of the trailer the opposite happens because as more action is on the screen the beat of the soundtrack gets harder and faster. I like how the sound changes through out the trailer which creates more suspense and leaves people wanting to see the film.

Saw VI

The next film trailer I have chosen to analyse is the Saw 6 Trailer. I chose this to analyse becuse as well as a trailer the film had a series of other elements to promote. A dedicate website for the trailer and numourous other teaser trailer were created to be shown over various different media platforms such as Internet, TV, Cinema and extras for the DVD.



This is the main trailer used to promote the film. I like this tailer because the trailer doersnt show much of the film so audiences still question what the film is about but at the same time can get a basic grasp of the film. I also like the idea that the trailer quickly skips between scenes to increasde audience suspense and again make them want to see more of the film.
A variety of camera angles are used and the camera looks very busy which gives the effect of things not being right in the film and this can also mess with the audiences head creating suspense.
The music in the trailer also build as the action in the trailer build which again is a way of build tension and keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.



This is a teaser trailer that was released before the full trailer which helped to lel the audience know that the film was coming. I like this because of the sweeping of the camera and how short the trailer is meaning that the audience are left wondering what is going to happen in the film. Again the music slowly builds as the action and the movement builds which means more people might be interested in watching the film.

Paranormal Activity - Trailer and DVD Case

This is the first trailer released for the film Paranormal activity. I chose this trailer because it is extremly unconventional as it is filmed and made to look like it is filmed with a hand held camera. The genre of the film is horror/thriller and having the genre requires the trailer to create tention and suspense while making the audience want to see more.

The trailer also doesnt have a soundtrack but uses scary non diagetic sounds and diagetic sounds from the house such as doors creaking and the people talking to each other. This would be again another way to get the ausiences attention as the trailer is completely different than most trailers of the same genre.

Camera angles are used such as the camera tilting but again it gives the effect that the camera is hand held and the person is not a professional when handling the cameras. Also the camera is very rarely a the right angle, it is always tilted in someway.

This is the second trailer that was shown on the Paranormal Activity website and in this trailer it actually shows the audiences reaction. This could help create more suspense for other people thinking of going to see the film . The camera focuses on certain people who react the most to the film meaning that more of a atmosphere is created. Although this technique might ruin the film as some people might not react that way and therefore be dissapointed with the film.

This is the thrid trailer related to the movie. As you can see the trailer is almost like a documentary of the couples life. Again no soundtrack is used and the camera is very rarely not at an angle.

I chose these trailers to analyse because I thought they were different to most other horror/thriller trailer. The only thing I dont like is the length of them. I would prefer a trailer like this to be shorter or use shorter shorter clips. Although I do like the idea of not having a soundtrack and only using sound effects.

DVD Cover

This is the DVD cover for Paranormal Activity.

My Decision...

After researching film genre's into more depth I have decided I am going to create a movie Trailer with the genre of a horror/thriller. I believe that it is easier to grab the audiences attention and make them want to find out more information about the film and make them want to see more of the film.

I will continue to conduct more research into the genre and watch film trailers of the same film genre that I will create and report back with any inspiration I have gained from watching the trailer. I will concentrate on feelings the trailer creates and camera angles used. Looking at the timing of the clips and soundtrack used on the trailers will also help with the creation of my final product.

Movie Trailer Research - Film Genre's

Movie Trailer Research

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First Post....

I am Naomi Hall and attend Biddulph High School. For my A2 Media coursework I plan to create a film trailer.

Research deadline: 24rd July 2010