Call sheet

Ancillary product research

One of the ancillary products we must create to accompany our final product is a film poster. I have been doing my research on posters from films created by independent film houses, as I would like to do my poster in a similar style. This posters seems to have a more artistic element to them. Standard film posters created by huge hollywood conglomerate are usually stills from the film, however these posters frequently use drawings or specifically designed grafics for their posters. I have come across a web page, titled "40 Exquisite independent film posters" which I think will help me alot throughout my research.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/11/19/40-exquisite-independent-film-posters/

From looking at the posters featured on this website, I have gained a little insight into typical conventions of film posters of films that are produced by independent film houses. These include;

-Title of the film is generally the largest bit of text featured on the poster

-They feature a credit block, in the same particular font

-They don't always feature the characters

-The images used are quite minimalistic

-They are usually thought through in an artistic way

-They follow a particular colour scheme

Filming

I managed to get the same character from my test footage again in order to film the footage to go into my final product, and spent friday afternoon filming it. I had been previously worrying about the weather as it has snowed recently, however it wasn't too sunny, there was no snow and the weather was generally gloomy which was perfect for my filming. When filming, I came up with several ideas for my ancillary products which I will outline in other posts.

Actor issues

When filming my test footage, the actor I used I only intended to use the once due to it being test footage for my original idea and had yet to look at actors. However, due to my change in idea the actor seemed like the perfect actor for my new trailer. We planned to film at the weekend, however he became unavailable and I'm unsure whether I am able to book him to film again.

Fish tank

This is the trailer for the film Fish Tank, directed by Andrea Arnold. It is about a 15 year old girl who lives on a rough, british council estate. The main character, 15 year old Mia, is very isolated from society and doesn't have many people to turn to. I have decided to analyse this trailer as it has won many independent film awards and it has a similar backdrop to my own storlyine.

An analysis of the ‘fish tank’

View more presentations from Georgia Grant

Harry Brown - Trailer

The film Harry Brown, directed by Daniel Barber, is a British drama which falls within the Social Realism genre. The plot follows a pensioner who lives on a English housing estate that is "descending into youth crime". After my change in genre, my new storyline has taken a new turn. It now consists of themes relating to modern day British society, and how it is effecting the younger generation. After watching the trailer, it is evident that this has similar themes.

Helpful site

I have found a site which I think we help my extremely during my new research into social realism and films done by independent films houses.

http://www.empireonline.com/features/50greatestindependent/50-41.asp#50independent

This Is England Analysis

This Is England is another Social Realist film, again produced by Shane Meadows. I decided to look further into Meadow's work as I like the style he uses when filming and I think he is very successful within the Social Realism genre. It is based in the 80's and gives and insight into the 'skinhead' culture of the time in England. It is a very emotional and hard-hitting story, which is typical of Social Realism films.

Again, I have taken several screen shots of the trailer which I think portray typical conventions of the genre.

The inter-titles in a trailer are extremely important, especially in those of films of this particular genre, as they help establish some sort of narrative along with the footage. Due to the minimal nature of some of the footage featured within some Social Realism films, the inter-titles used are vital in creating interest within the audience. In this particular trailer, similarly to the trailer for Somers Town, they are trying to create interest within the audience by including good reviews of the film. The text used is simple, placed over artistic location shots. This is seen in a lot of trailers with small budgets, like Social Realism films.

This screenshot is of a particular part of the trailer where the footage has been slowed down, so the characters are almost in slow motion. Due to the low budget nature of films like This Is England, there are not a lot of post editing which is found in Hollywood movies. However, in order to create variety and create a trailer that interests audience, some postproduction editing is done. As well as the usual transitions between shots, some effects like this are used in order to add an artistic effect to the trailer.

Again, this part of the trailer involved some post-production editing which is simple, yet effective. Two clips have been simply layed over each other to create a montage effect. Social Realism films rarely rely on elaborate editing within their trailers, however artistic editing like this is sometimes found.

As well as the inter-titles which present some of the positive reviews of the film, Meadows has alos included independent film awards that the film has been nominated for. This is another selling point commonly featured within trailers of Social Realism films.

Somers Town Analysis

This is a trailer for the film "Somers Town" directed by Shane Meadows. Meadows' films tend to all belong to the genre 'Social Realism' which is now my chosen genre. The film Somers Town seems to contain similar themes to my own storyline, so I've decided to analyse

the trailer for typical codes and conventions for this genre so that I can apply them in my own work.

I have taken several screen shots of from the trailer so that I can analyse the conventions.

This is one of the first shots shown in the trailer. Usually, films that belong to the social realism genre are shot by independent companies due to minimal budgets needed and they are never expected to feature well known actors/actresses. Trailers for films of this particular genre and budget aren't usually fast paced, action-packed like those of Hollywood films, therefore quite a lot of the time the trailers include awards that the film has been nominated for, or positive reviews of the film, in order to create interest.

Another element used within most trailers is the use of filters over the footage. The use of filters helps to create a particular mood to the trailer. Throughout the entirety of the trailer, there is a black and white filter over the footage which was most likely added during post-production. This filter creates a individual, original edge to the trailer as most films are colour.
I took a screenshot of this particular shot as I like the framing of it, with the character in the middle of the shot whilst people walked past (out of focus). The shots that Meadows produces are always well thought through, taking into consideration the framing, focus and composition of the shots. Within my own work, I will rely on the framing on my shots in order to create an artistic edge to my work, meaning it will follow the typical conventions of the social realism genre.
I took a screen shot of this particular shot because of yet again the brilliant framing of the character, and also the natural lighting used within it. Because of the small budgets used, natural lighting is almost always used in films of a social realism genre.

Shane Meadows - Director

These trailers are for some of Shane Meadows', an English director and screen director, more well known films. Meadows tends to focus more of social realism films, and his inspiration usually comes from his own experiences from his youth. I like Meadows' work due to his style of filming, and hope to adopt a similar style of filming when taking my own footage. Meadows tends to take simple shots, but in an artistic way. Since I've changed the direction I'm going in, I would like to take some more shots as well as use some of the shots I've already taken to create an artistic edge to my own work.

Change of plan!

After filming some test footage, I have realised that the shots I planned do not achieve what I wanted and do not clearly portray my original story-line. Therefore, I have decided to change the genre and my general story-line. There are some shots in my test footage that have inspired me to take my trailer down the route of social realism films, with a more gritty story-line about a teenage boy who has lost his way and how society lets this happen to a large percentage of teens in this country. The shots that I like from my my test footage are those that are atmospheric, depressing and where the character is looking moody. I will look at work by director Ken Loach, as he has directed films in a similar genre. I will plan some new shots, and refilm in order to follor my new brief. Here are some of the shots from my test footage;

After this change in direction, I came up with a few ideas for shots to use within my trailer. Here are a few sketches, accompanied with notes, of ideas for my new footage which I may combine with some of the footage I already had. (click on the image to enlarge)

Issue found with filming

Whilst doing some test shots, I have found a problem with the time of day I want to do my filming. I did some test footage at around 1 in the afternoon, however when taking one of the shots, I couldn't achieve the effect I wanted because of the sunlight creating glare on the window. Therefore, I will need to film later at about 3-4 however it starts to get dark around this time, which needs I must be careful about the time and lighting.

Classification

After looking through the classifications of the British Board of Film Classification website (bbfc), I have come to the conclusion that my film will be a 12 due to it's mature themes.

Here are parts of the definition that have triggered my choice in classification;

"Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers."

"Moderate violence is allowed but should not dwell on detail."

"Moderate physical and psychological threat may be permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not frequent or sustained."

Target audience

'What and who is a "target audience"? Target audiences are unique groups or segments of customers for your product or service. When marketing your business you can advertise and promote your product or service most effectively by clearly defining your target audiences.'

http://www.ehow.com/how_5084025_define-target-audience.html

A vague audience demographic for a generic horror film would be young adults aged 18-28, both male and female, predominantly male. However, there are many sub-genres under the thriller genre which all appeal to different audiences. There are those triller films which are also slightly horror films, which would appeal to younger teen audiences. Also, genres such as disaster thrillers and supernatural thrillers that have elements of fiction within the story lines are aimed at the same audience. Other sub-genres such as psychological thrillers and legal thrillers are aimed at more mature audiences, for example middle aged men.

My film is yet another sub-genre of thriller, it is a mystery thriller. I think my film trailer will appeal to both male and females 25+, however I will do some market research to back up my decision.

Storyboard

Here is a story board I roughly composed to show the different shots I would like to shoot in order to create my trailer. They are rougly in order, to show how the trailer would play out.

Story line 2

After brainstorming with ideas, I have come up with a theme which means I now have an ending to my trailer. Now my story-line is as follows;

The main character will be shot awaking in an unknown place, for example in a forest or a field, with no sign of buildings or life. The character will be filmed looking confused, weary and unsure of what is going on. This will leave the audience in a similar state. We will then follow the character as he/she tries to find more about their whereabouts and what had happened to them before falling unconscious. The character will eventually reach a house or building that they recognise, where they will approach. Through a window they will see them-self in a family situation, living their life. The main idea of the film will be that this character has had her identity stolen, but the audience will be left wondering why this character has had their identity stolen, who by and what will happen? Thus, satisfying the brief of a mystery thriller.

Moodboard

Here is a mood board I created, consisting of a few images I found which I would like my film to relate to. I like the idea my trailer beginning in a murky forest at dawn or dusk, maybe when it's misty. And as the trailer progresses, I'd like to change the location to a deserted house, street or building. I like the idea of the main character being followed by an unknown, dark, shady figure. However, these are all just ideas as of yet.

Analysis 2 - The Island

Although, The Island is an action/sci-fi thriller which vaguely links to the genre of my own film, however I thought I'd analyse it as I think it works well as a teaser trailer. At the beginning of this trailer, the genre of the film is portrayed as a fantasy with vast location shots. At this point, the ambient sounds are changed to deep drones, and the text that appears from the screen saying "The Perfect Life" changes with the change in sound to "The Perfect Lie". The trailer then establishes the real genre for the film through the rest of the trailer. This is typical of a trailer, as they normally present the audience with an untainted situation, and as the trailer progresses order is disrupted thus leaving the audience wondering whether order is restored which is a tactic used to influence people to see the film. The genre is also backed up with the use of iconography used, such as the needles and medial instruments used in some shots, and the shots of large explosions and chases/running. There is near to no spoken dialogue used in this trailer which I find extremely effective as it keeps audience focus on what they are seeing. The only spoken dialogue is said after all other sounds (soundtrack, diegetic sounds), and the character says, "The life that you think you had, never happened". This helps the audience get some sort of understanding of the general plot, however still leaving them with unanswered questions. There are a wide variety of transitions from different shots and bits of footage, as well as bits of footage sped up and slowed down, which means the trailer is kept interesting and diverse.

Story line 1

Initially the general plot for my film trailer would be based around a single main character which would be the first character to be introduced. They would awake in an unknown location, maybe in a forest or field, feeling confused and unsure of what happened to them before they fell unconscious. The trailer will follow the main character trying to figure out their whereabouts and what is going on. After traveling through deserted streets, with no signs of other people about, they come to a familiar building, maybe a house. I don't know how to resolve the trailer as of yet, so I need to brainstorm for possible solutions.

Analysis 1 - Inception

Inception isn't specifically a thriller in genre, however I think this trailer is one of the best I have seen so far this year. I'm going to analyse it shot by shot in order to pick out the aspects of the trailer I think that is makes it, in my opinion, so effective as a teaser trailer.

These two shots are a prime example of branding within this specific trailer. The shot to the left is the first thing seen in this teaser trailer. Normally at the beginning of any kind of trailer the producers logo will appear. The usual logo used to represent Warner Brothers has been edited to follow to fit in with the rest of the trailer. The shot to the left shows the altered logo, and you can see with the shot to the left how it fits in with the theme used in Inception. This is a key example of iconography used in this trailer.

These five shot are freeze-frames of the text used throughout the trailer. The use of text is extremely significant within teaser trailers as usually no dialogue is used, meaning the text used are the only clues to what the plot is. However, the text is still limited to capture the audience's attention. Another aspect of this trailer that is effective is the sound used. Again, no diegetic sound is used leaving just the soundtrack which I think is extremely successful in this teaser trailer.

These three shots are three bits of footage from different points throughout the trailer. From just watching the teaser alone, you have no idea how the objects included are related to the film which means the audience are left trying to figure out the puzzle of what the film is about. The mystery is furthered by the fact there is no narrative to explain what is going on. This is an extremely effective technique in creating a hype about the film, leaving potential audience anticipating the release of the film.

This collection of freeze frames from the trailer are all of the footage included in the film. Again, they do not run in narrative order, and the order they appear in the film has been changed in order to build up suspense throughout the trailer. 4/6 pieces of footage including characters featured the same character (played by Leo DiCaprio) which means the audience are introduced to him as one of the main characters within the film.

Exhibition of a trailer

The internet has become an important tool when it comes to viewing a trailer, and has a considerable effect on the ways in which people find film trailers. Websites such as; The Internet Movie Database (IMBD), Apple Movie Trailers, and other websites specifically created for particular films and their upcoming release. The use of internet has also introduced the idea of consumers becoming prosumers, where the audience can comment on trailers, join online forums, and share links through blogging and social networking sites. Obviously, viral marketing is heavily relied on within the contemporary film industry, especially in regards to teaser trailer.

Although the internet is the newest way to exhibit a teaser trailer and to create the wanted hype, the exhibitor will use their knowledge to select trailers aimed at a particular audience to that of the main film in order to direct audiences towards specific films. This then encourages cinema-goers to return, and the process is then repeated. There are two main themes considered when this process happens, being classification of the film or genre of the film.

Sub genres

I have chosen to further my research within the thriller option as my initial ideas revolve around that genre. I have had a look at the sub-genres that fall within the genre and have chosen a few that I want my idea to follow. They include;

• Mystery thriller: Suspense films where characters attempt solving, or involved in, a mystery.
• Psychological thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical.

Structure of a trailer

Normally, a trailer is structured around the most appealing aspect of the film it's advertising without taking the narrative order into consideration. For example, it may include a sequence of clips from different parts of the film to attract to a wide audience.

A basic structure for a normal trailer is as follows;

• Opening: establishes seeting and introduces and character
• Build-up: relationships established/development of characters and their world
• Problem: a dilemma or series of complications: characters faces with an obstacle to overcome.
• Events: a series of events as characters try to overcome obstacles and solve problems, further complications may arise

A more brief outline of a trailer's structure is;

• Beginning: order is established
• Middle: order is disrupted
• End: order is restored

For a teaser trailer, the structure isn't as developed as a theatrical trailer. This is due to the fact that a teaser only lasts from 30-90 seconds, whereas there is more time for a plot develop in a theatrical trailer which lasts up to 2/3 minutes.

Trailer conventions

In order to ensure my teaser trailer is as close to the real thing as possible, I must first study the typical conventions so that I can incorporate them into my research and eventually my own work.

Below is a list of the most recognisable conventions found at http://www.filmeducation.org/teachingtrailers/secondary/downloads.html;

• voiceovers are used to tell the story and give information about the film
• the stars of the film are showcased
• key points are sometimes conveyed through titles (words on the screen)
• conversations between characters often consist of one-liners, normally kept to a minimum
• dramatic camera angles may be used to show certain aspects of the film (events/characters)
• film footage is normally interspersed with actor or director credits
• music helps with building up an atmosphere
• the films title is normally shown towards the end of the trailer
• the trailer ends on a climax
• a montage (different point of the films edited together) is usually used in order to highlight the genre of the film
• usually lasts from 30-90 seconds
• the pace increases throughout the trailer

Genres

In order to achieve more focused and relevant research, I must decide on a genre for my own teaser trailer. There are many genres to choose from, the main ones being; Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Epics, Horror, Musicals, Science fiction, War and Westerns. Within this genres, there are hundred of sub genres. I have chose three genres that are closely linked in which I shall base my research around.

Crime : developed around the sinister actions of criminals (e.g bankrobbers, underworld figures, murderers). Often classed as "film noir" or "detective mysetery" because of similarities. Oftern includes "serial killer" films.

Drama : serious, plot driven, realistic characters/settings/situation. Usually not focused on special effects/comedy/action. Include many subsets.

Horror : designed to frighten and invoke our hidden worst fears. Usually ends with a shocking finale. Often combined with Science Fiction. There are many sub-genres; slasher, teen terror, serial killers, satanic, zombies.

What is a teaser trailer and why are they important?

What is a teaser trailer?

• A teaser trailer is unlike a theatrical trailer in the sense that they are normally a lot shorter, normally lasting 30-60 seconds on average. Although it doesn't show as much footage from the film, they are both used for an upcoming film, television programme or game.
• The reason for the name "teaser" is because they are usually brought out up to a year before the film is released in order to create hype.
• The purpose of a teaser trailer is to tell the audience about the films content, create an interest amongst the public for the film and to let them know the film is coming up.
• Teaser trailers are often produced before even filming starts or during editing, which means some scenes that appear in them may not be featured in the final film. Some have scenes made exclusively for the teaser trailer only. (E.g Pixar)
• Teaser trailers heavily rely on internet downloading and viral popularity. This means that YouTube is an important site when it comes to teaser trailers.

Why are they important?

• It is a powerful weapon in the marketing campaign.
• Unlike a poster, they are able to they can convey emotion, excitement and the atmosphere of a film.
• Especially when they are viewed inside a cinema auditorium, they can be a very exciting experience.

A2 Media

For our A2 media coursework we get the choice to either do; a music video, a teaser trailer or a short film. I will use this blog in order to record my progress throughout different areas such as research, production and editing.