Text in a trailer helps to break up video clips so that it can maintain the audiences attention. After watching several trailers, we noticed that many of them include text that show the star ratings from various magazines and newspapers, as well as short sentences or phrases that are related to the movie. "A MODERN CAT AND MOUSE GAME" and a star rating were two things we wanted to include in our own trailer, and so we decided to play around with the programme so that we could understand how to achieve this. The text referring to the chase in the film trailer being like "a modern cat and mouse game" was used to break up two different clips. One showed our main character 'Lily' alone, looking slightly intoxicated as she stumbled along in a field. The second clip was of her picking up speed and starting to run in the field, as it is made clear that she is being chased. If these clips were just placed next to each other, then it would be harder for the audience to understand that she now feels like she's being watched, and we wanted to use something apart from a quick cut to black to break apart certain clips.
A common feature on film trailers, is to include the star rating a certain publication gave the film, which is why we thought it would be appropriate to include this on our own trailer. Unfortunately, after searching for a while, we discovered that the symbol we were looking for could not be copied over into the programme. In an attempt to overcome this small issue, we decided to find an image of stars on a plain black background and crop it down, but again we realised that we could not copy the image over into the programme.
After our attempts proved unsuccessful, we decided to just use the "*" symbol on the keyboard instead, and discovered that it still looked fairly professional. We also added in the name of our thriller film, choosing to make the text big and bold, as well as adding an effect that made the word glow white, providing an eery feel.
We have decided to change the font we used, as the one we originally used was quite rounded, and we felt something that looked slightly jagged may be better suited to a thriller trailer. The font Weathered SF is the new font we have chosen to use, which we have applied the same glowing effect on.
At the beginning of film trailers, there is usually a green screen that shows the copyright information, showing who the movie is suitable for, while also displaying the companies that had a role in completing the film. On the left, is an image of the information that would be shown at the beginning at the beginning of a film. We have recreated a similar image that we placed at the beginning of our own trailer.
This is the one we created for our very own trailer.
Until now, creating a film title has not been at the forefront of our minds, and so we thought that it would be smart to think about possible names. As our film trailer is for a thriller trailer that features a girl being kidnapped as her friends search for her, we incorporated this idea into all of the possible names. Below is a mindmap that we drew, featuring the names we have to choose from:
When thinking of possible names, we thought about basic words like 'taken' and 'missing' to get our thought process going, using an online thesaurus to find other words.
Each of us chose two possible titles that we preferred, and these are the six names that we considered using from the mind map. We asked some of our friends who fit the target audience for our film which name they preferred, and created a tally chart to show the results.
I made this results table after entering the data from the tally chart into Microsoft Excel, as I felt displaying it in a bar graph would show the information in a clear and easily understandable way. Contained and The Blame Game were twonames that we eliminated after we decided they didn't really fit our movie, and were two of our least favourites. After looking at the results, we decided that we all agreed, along with the participants, that Seized was the name that best suited our thriller film trailer.
As we have been encountering a few problems with filming, we decided that we should start our research for the ancillary tasks: a movie poster and a front cover to a magazine.
I decided to contribute to the groups research, and indepently chose four film posters to analyse, so that I could then show them the research as well. As all three of us have previously looked at the film trailer for Taken, I thought it would be a good idea to include a film we all vaguely knew. I also chose to look at the film posters for, Source Code, I Am Number Four, and Eagle Eye. All of these films seem to feature many of the same components, which can also be seen in similar posters.
Taken: The trailer features an image of the main character in the background, with the light highlighting certain features, like his expressionless face and the gun in his hand. The main information is bold, jumping out at the reader. The title of the film is in bright orange and a block font, as is his name at the top. The two main colours used on this poster are black and orange, and this allows us to understand who is involved in the film and what it's called, without us having to stop and search for the information. If the information is presented in a clear and concise way, then the reader is much more likely to remember it. The use of the quote that is placed over the image gives us a sense of what the movie will involve - a man who has lost his daughter to kidnappers.The poster is fairly simple in that the image is simple and effective, while the text is presented in a clear and bright way, allowing us to gain the main information quickly.
Source Code: This poster uses many of the same elements as the previous one, as the title and a quote related to the movie are presented in a bold and clear way. The colour scheme is also fairly similar, as there are really only two main colours used - grey and red. Although there are a few tiny splashes of other colours like blue and orange, they are pale and seem to almost blend into the background. The main character is presented as important to the movie, as they are in the centre of the poster while images possibly relating to his life fly around him. This feature is used on the ground as well, as photographs that may relate to his life are scattered around. The use of the photographs scattered around him in a random fashion help to convey the confusion and chaos his life contains, and grabs your attention as you wonder why they are important. The names of the actors involved within the film are presented in a clear font above the title of the movie, giving the information to the audience quickly.
I Am Number Four: The poster uses an effect that is similar to the one used on the 'Taken' poster. The main character is framed by black, while the other main colours used are yellow and blue, with white highlighting the date of its release on the black background. Using only a few colours means that certain bits of information become more prominent, allowing us to see the valuable information immediately. The title of the movie is in a bright and bold font, in block letters. Putting this over a black background makes it eye-catching. The main characters hands are glowing with a bright blue light, drawing attention to the fact that this thriller movie may involve fantasy powers. The use of the yellow and orange behind him reminds me of a fire, which could possibly be an important element of the story. Out of all of the posters, I feel like this one is the most effective. It is not covered in different colours, while the colours that are used enhance the features that are already there. The information is presented in a clear fashion, and the use of the image shows us who is an important person within the movie.
Eagle Eye: This poster also sticks to using few colours, choosing to use black, white and red. Text on the poster does not seem to be an important feature on this, like it is for 'Taken'. The name of the poster is also presented in a clear and bold font like the others, while a quote relating to the move has been placed above the names of the actors. Using the pale red colour allows the white text to be broken up, as if all of it was white you may be less likely to read it because it would seem like a big clump of information. Pictures are used on this poster to get across the nature of the film. The images depict two people who appear to have shocked and worried expressions on their faces, while another image shows one of them running and looking cautious. Using these specific images could make the audience wonder why they are running, creating interest. All of the images overlap each other, as an effect has allowed them to almost fade into the background so that you can still see all off them.
Main features used:
A bold, sometimes colourful title, which is usually shown on a black background. If a colour is used on the title, then it usually has a link with an image or another part of the poster.
A quote that relates to the movie in some way. For example, the 'Taken' poster featured a quote that the father says downt the phone to the kidnapper at the beginning of the movie. Quotes are also usually in white or a colour that does not distract from the rest of the poster, and tend to link to something the main character has to deal with within the film.
The images used on the posters seem to show the main characters from the side, rather than straight on. Although this does not apply entirely to the poster for 'Source Code', the poster shows the main character running, rather than standing head on. Additionally, the images tend to show a mid-long shot of the character, except for 'Eagle Eye', which features a close up of their faces.
The names of the actors are also included on the poster. They are usually in a clear font, so that finding out what celebrities are featured in it. If they are coloured, the colour used is usually incorporated on the poster somewhere else, creating a link.
Information regarding the release date and who was involved in making the film is placed at the bottom of the poster. It also usually tells us what company sponsored the making of the film, and information regarding copyright.
When creating our own film poster, these are some of the features that we will consider using ourselves.
For our third set of shots, we changed the time in which we filmed it. Instead of filming the clips in broad daylight and then editing them so that it would look darker, we just filmed at night, but tried to add small amounts of light by using various torches. Unfortunately, we faced many problems when filming during this time and month:
As it is late in the year, the fields were extremely wet and muddy, which meant that our actress was restricted when it came to running scenes. To try and fix the issue, we made sure that all shots involving her running were only mid/long shots, so that her feet would not be seen.
The camera that we usually use to film was not available, so we borrowed Kate's instead as it still produces the same quality clips. When trying to use the camera to film, we found that it had trouble focusing on our actress in the dark, which meant that a few clips were slightly blurry. This can be seen on the shot of our character Lily's eyes, where the camera can clearly be seen focusing halfway through the clip. As a result of using a different camera, when it came to uploading the video clips onto Adobe Premiere Elements, the form the clips were in was not compatible with the programme. We then had to begin using another editing programme called MoviePlus. As neither our teacher or ourselves were familiar with the programme, we had to teach ourselves how to use it, using the helpful guides given as support.
We are aware that there is no sound, as we wanted to focus entirely on the camera angles and shots we used, and then on the sound later on in the production process.
Before properly beginning our filming for the first complete shots, we felt that it would be a good idea to research the weather in preparation for the day. Knowing the weather throughout the day would benefit us greatly, as we would know when it would be appropriate to film without the distraction of having to cover equipment from rain, for example.
Despite the website suggesting miserable weather, the complete opposite happened, which actually caused more problems with filming. It was incredibly sunny when we filmed, and so as we needed it to be a little darker when we filmed, it meant that our shots did not work completely. Shadows could be seen in our shots when the scene was supposed to be taking place in the dark, which is something we will take into consideration when filming again.
A definition of a reaction shot: Reaction shot is a term used in motion pictureproduction and cinematography referring to a basic unit of film grammar. It is a shot which cuts away from the main scene in order to show the reaction of a character to it.
A reaction shot usually implies the display of some sort of emotion on the face of the actor being shown, and is thus most commonly a close-up shot (although a group of actors may be shown reacting together). A reaction shot is also generally bereft of dialogue, though this is not an absolute rule. Its main purpose is to show an emotional response to the immediately preceding action or words of another character in the scene, or to an event in the immediately preceding scene which may or may not involve another actor (e.g., an explosion, monster, empty room, etc.)
As we have begun to really immerse ourselves into filming various parts of our film trailer, I thought it would be useful to do some research into different reaction shots. This would provide us with tips that we could provide our actors with, when directing the video. I decided to evaluate different film trailers from the ones that I used for my research into the techniques used in thriller trailers, as I felt evaluating different films would help me with recognising various techniques. I chose to look at three films - Unknown, Limitless, and Hanna, which are all popular thriller films released in 2011.
A man awakens from a coma, only to discover that someone has taken on his identity and that no one, (not even his wife), believes him. With the help of a young woman, he sets out to prove who he is.
A biochemist and his dishy wife arrive in Berlin for a conference at which a scientist and his controversial Arab funder will announce breakthrough research. While his wife checks into the hotel, he grabs a cab to return to the airport for his briefcase, left at the curb. En route, an auto accident puts him in a coma, from which he awakes four days later without identification and with gaps in his memory. He goes to the hotel: his wife refuses to recognize him and another man has claimed his identity. With help from a nurse, the cab driver, a retired Stasi agent, and an academic friend, he tries to unravel what's going on. Is the answer in the briefcase?
A writer discovers a top-secret drug which bestows him with super human abilities.
An action-thriller about a writer who takes an experimental drug that allows him to use 100 percent of his mind. As one man evolves into the perfect version of himself, forces more corrupt than he can imagine mark him for assassination. Out-of-work writer Eddie Morra's (Cooper) rejection by girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish) confirms his belief that he has zero future. That all vanishes the day an old friend introduces Eddie to NZT, a designer pharmaceutical that makes him laser focused and more confident than any man alive. Now on an NZT-fueled odyssey, everything Eddie's read, heard or seen is instantly organized and available to him. As the former nobody rises to the top of the financial world, he draws the attention of business mogul Carl Van Loon (De Niro), who sees this enhanced version of Eddie as the tool to make billions. But brutal side effects jeopardize his meteoric ascent...
A 16-year-old who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives. Hanna (Ronan) is a teenage girl. Uniquely, she has the strength, the stamina, and the smarts of a soldier; these come from being raised by her father (Bana), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland. Living a life unlike any other teenager, her upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Ms. Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.
Below is a gif of many reaction shots from these three movies, where an emotion can be seen clearly. Shock, surprise, anger, happiness are some of the emotions that can be seen, which are obvious choices for ones to be shown in our own trailer. Using this research into different reaction shots, hopefully we will be able to direct our actors in a way that will help them to create a certain expression, as it will have to look as realistic as possible.
We decided to try and film various other clips that could be added to our trailer, but we encountered many problems. Upon arriving at our destination, we discovered that one group member had forgotten to charge the camera's battery. This meant that we could not film any video clips with a professional camera, and so because we felt like we should still try and film something, we used my phone, (HTC Wildfire) which has a resolution of 5M (2592 x 1952). We used my phone to film video clips that we could use for testing certain parts of the trailer. The first clip was the only one filmed on the video camera. Shannon, the girl wearing the scarf is another actress that will feature in our trailer. Kate had to stand in for our other actress, as at this particular stage of filming we have not chosen who will play her role.
We tried to film our actors walking down the length of the field for a few seconds, to allow the audience to establish where they are. When filming our final clips for the trailer, we would probably only film them walking for 20-25 seconds. This clip would develop the trailer, as it shows the moment when the two friends of Lily find her abandoned phone in the field, leading them to question her whereabouts. It will probably contain no dialogue that the audience can hear.
We decided that a clip of the phone just before the kidnapper rang the two friends would add to the feeling of suspense. We thought that the number appearing as 'unknown' would also add to the tension we hope to create, as it becomes clear the caller is not an aquaintance. When we actually film this clip, we will use the camera's ability to zoom into a steady shot, allowing us to get a clear image of the phone's screen.
Filming them finding the phone was also another idea we had, as we felt that it would explain the situation, and why they have found the phone. When filming the final shot of this, we will most likely keep the same length, but use the camera's features like zoom, and the tripod, to create a clear image. We may also film it in a way that allows the audience to see their faces and reactions, as well as giving them more instructions during filming. For example, we could ask them to stand in such a way that one of them is not hidden by the other.
A five second clip of one of the friends picking up the phone, is another idea that we could. Instead of the previous clip, this could be used as a replacement. It also allows the audience to understand how the friends came to find the phone. Furthermore, we could film it using a close up of the phone, and then her reaction, to allow a clearer image.
A close up of one of the friends on the phone is also a shot that we thought would be useful, as it would allow the audience to see their reaction to finding the phone. When filming it, the clip would obviously not be rotated the wrong way, as the tripod would ensure it would be steady and standing upright.
Despite trying to film anything that would help with our research, we did encounter many problems. For example:
The camera not being fully charged meant that we could not film clips with professional equipment. Furthermore, it meant actually filming caused many problems, as the phone's camera did not produce the best clips.
A dog that was owned by one of my partners kept finding its way into the shot, which is something that we will have to prevent in the future.
One of our actresses was not decided upon, which meant that we could not film too many shots.
Due to the windy weather, the actresses in the clips had trouble acting without it interfering. For example, it caused problems with their hair, as their faces could rarely be seen.
The next time we film, we will take into account the issues we had with filming, and address them so that we may overcome them.
This is the beginning of our trailer, which we have edited so that it looks like the filming takes place at night:
The clips have had a dark tint applied to them so that it appears to be night, but when we re-shoot, we will try and film when it is a little darker, as you can still clearly see the shadows made by the sunlight hitting the trees. As a result of adding the blue/grey tint, the shots began to look blurry, which is an issue we will need to address. Another issue we will need to address is that the person walking behind 'Lily' is clearly a woman, and so we will need to use someone else that looks more manly (e.g. a parent), or bulk up the clothing. We will need to also discuss the clothing of both 'Chelsea' and 'Shannon', who are the two girls we see walking in the clip. Different coloured clothing will help us understand the difference in their personalities. For example, the girl who becomes obsessed with finding Lily could be wearing white or bright colours, while the other girl who is not affected by Lily's disappearance as much could be seen wearing plain colours, like dark green with blue jeans.
Before filming more clips for our trailer, we decided that it would be beneficial to create a timeline of events. This would help us greatly, as when we continue with our filming, we will have a clearer idea of what shots and events we will use, and how long they will be. Below I have placed the different sheets of paper that we scanned into the computer, showing our timeline. During filming, we may choose to change certain elements, but drawing it now helps us to bring all of our ideas together, and give us a clearer idea of how we want to film our trailer.
These three parts show our completed rough outline of the timeline, which shows the different shots and ideas that we thought could go into our film trailer. What we have planned so far would roughly translate into 2 minutes 30, which would be the maximum length we could have, as we have to follow the official time limit for film trailers set by the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) which is 2 minutes 30. Following our timeline will allow us to clearly think about what clips we need to film, and the direction we want to take with our film trailer. Having our ideas planned out clearly means that we will have a clear idea of what will happen next.
The first character that we decided on was one of the main characters. We chose our friend Georgi to play the role of the girl that goes missing (Lily), as we felt she could easily play a vulnerable, quiet person.
Below are some photographs of her during filming, and her costume. We decided that as in the film she's coming home from a party, that she should be wearing an outfit that suggested that. That is why she's wearing a girly dress with a small denim jacket, and heels. We mainly used pastel and pale colours, which would compliment her small figure and blonde hair, adding to her 'innocent' and 'fragile' image. Even if we do not continue to film her in this costume, we may still use the same colour scheme. Using my research into costumes will help me to think about what else she could possibly wear.
Our other characters include:
Shannon: She is the character that becomes obsessed with finding her missing friend, and so her behaviour and costume should reflect this in some way. An idea we had was that her outfit could either be quite plain, and we will use colours like white to highlight the simplicity, and the fact that she isn't too bothered about her clothing because she's searching for her friend. We might try and incorporate the colours of Lily's clothing into Shannon's, so that there is a link that shows their closeness and how much they may mean to each other.
Chelsea: Her appearance will affect her attitude towards Lily's disappearance. As she does not appear worried for her friend, her appearance would show that she has put some effort into looking nice. She will probably have her hair up in a nice ponytail, and will wear casual clothes with nice shoes to show how she can continue her everyday tasks despite losing her friend. We will probably use colours like dark green, blue and brown, as earth tone colours tend to suggest a more relaxed nature, which reflects her personality.
When thinking about our film trailer, we decided that our characters needed names so that not only could we identify each one, but so that the audience would be able to as well. We originally thought that our main girl who goes missing would need a name that suited her personality. As we had agreed that she would need to appear quite innocent and vulnerable, we researched into names that are commonly associated with those traits.
Below are a few names that we thought would be quite suitable, and their meanings:
Emily -Meaning: rival. Having already discussed the fact that this character would appear to be innocent and quiet, we feel that this name wouldn't quite suit her characteristics.
Alice - Meaning: of a noble kin/noble. The meaning for this name also fails to describe our character, despite the name sounding as though it belongs to a shy and harmless person.
Isabel - Meaning: God's promise/My God is a vow. This name is incredibly spiritual, and having researched into its meaning, we feel that it would not really stick in the mind of the audience as a name for someone who is very gentle and almost powerless, having no control over what happens to her.
Kate - Meaning: pure/blessed. As our characters is kidnapped, we feel a name that means 'blessed' would not suit someone who experiences something that makes her seem the complete opposite, almost as if she is cursed.
Lily - Meaning: innocence/purity/beauty. This is the name that we decided truly represented the character that we wanted to present to our audience. When we first began thinking about her characters characteristics, we imagined a girl who could be viewed as innocent and vulnerable.
Below I have included a printscreen of the webpage that provided us with the information concerning the meaning of the name 'Lily'. Doing this research really allowed us to gain a clearer image of how we wanted our actress to act, and what we thought her character should act like.
Lily (played by our friend Georgi) is the films protagonist, and is also the girl that disappears at the very beginning. She's an ordinary 17 year old girl, who enjoys meeting her friends regularly at social events, such as parties. When we are first introduced to her at the beginning of the trailer, although the audience has not been given a description, it is clear that she is walking home from a party. She is seen walking down a trail in a secluded, forest area, away from the houses and street lights. She is still in her outfit, meaning that her shoes are hard for her to walk in down the bumpy trail. Additionally, her outfit, which is a dress and a small jacket fail to keep her warm at night, resulting in her looking considerably more vulnerable, as she hugs herself to keep her warm.
I thought that it would be helpful to research into costumes that vulnerable characters and those greatly involved in the movie have worn in other films, to give me a better idea of what would be suitable for our characters to wear. I will look at various images from different 'thriller' movies, and note important things about their clothing. I decided to look at two films that were released within the last 10 years, which feature a girl being kidnapped.
The two films I chose were:
Taken Taken is a 2008actionthriller film.A former spy relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been forced into the slave trade. After reluctantly agreeing to let his 17-year-old daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), go to France with her best friend, Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is horrified to hear that she is kidnapped by an Albanian gang whose specialty is prostitution rings. With only 96 hours to go before he'll never find her again, Bryan rushes to France to save her. As a former CIA agent, he has all the skills necessary to rescue her - if he can only find her.
Man On Fire Man on Fire is a 2004 American thriller film. In Mexico City, the former CIA assassin and presently an alcoholic decadent man John Creasy (Denzel Washington) is hired by the industrialist Samuel Ramos, with the recommendation of his old friend Rayburn, to be the bodyguard of his young daughter Pita and his wife Lisa. Pita changes the behavior of the cold Creasy, making him live and smile again, and he feels a great affection for her. When the girl is kidnapped Creasy swears to kill each one responsible for the abduction.
TakenWhen looking at this particular film, I focused on the character Kim, as she is the main character that becomes vulnerable and defenceless when she is kidnapped. She is the same situation as our main character in our own thriller trailer, as she seems quiet because of her seemingly sheltered life. When she is finally granted permission to travel to France with her close friend, her guarded life comes to end, unfortunately leading to tragedy.
Here she can be seen wearing a fairly plain dress with a small print, and a pastel coloured jumper. She is also wearing an Alice Band, which we tend to associate with younger girls. Additionally, she is only wearing a few accessories, one being the headband, and the other being the small necklace.
These two pictures show her wearing a small denim jacket with plain white jeans and a blue top. Her entire outfit features fairly pale colours, with no outrageous patterns or bold colours. Her style seems to reflect her sheltered upbringing, as her outfit would not be one we would associate with 17 year olds in this modern society. Clothes usually allow modern teenagers to express themselves, resulting in whacky styles and trends, while Kim's is rather plain and safe.
Here we can see Kim wearing no makeup, which also reinforces her fairly quiet and reserved personality. Furthermore, her hair always appears to be down, requiring no styling, which is something that we would probably use in our own trailer. Kim's clothing really represents her vulnerable personality, as the clothing is what you would associate with a younger girl.
Man On Fire
Although the main character that is eventually kidnapped is younger than our own character, I felt that she would still have the same characteristics of someone who is vulnerable and helpless. Pita is the daughter of a wealthy family that requires a bodyguard to keep her safe.
Like the main character (Kim) in Taken, Pita (Dakota Fanning) can be seen wearing very little makeup. While some would have been required, her appearance has been kept very plain, to represent her innocent and young personality. Her hair, like Kim's, has not been styled, and has been left to fall down naturally to frame her face. The same technique was used in Taken.
Her jacket is a simple denim one, which matches her bag. Her entire outfit has been kept fairly basic, which emphasises her vulnerability during this particular moment. Her hair remaining down allows it to blow in the wind as she runs from danger, adding to the sense of tension and suspense. This is something that we could consider doing with our own actress.
Her dress is plain white, with a simple pattern printed on it. All of the colours used for her outfit are dull and plain, which could put emphasis on the fact that despite her family being well-known and in danger, she is just a normal girl. As our own actress will be in a similar situation, we could try and reproduce the same elements with her appearance.
Both characters, despite the difference in their ages, wear similar outfits that show their quiet, and innocent personalities. As both characters are subjected to being kidnapped, they experience the same traumatic situation, resulting in those they love becoming involved in finding them.
When creating a costume for our character that is kidnapped, (Lily, played by Georgi) I will take into consideration my research. For example, we could:
Keep the clothing light in colour, and possibly use pastel colours to imply innocence. Other colours like red and black could also be used, to imply danger.
Ensure that the amount of components to the outfit itself are kept to a minimum.
Apply little or no makeup to the actress, and keep the hairstyle simple.
Before we started filming, we were introduced to the equipment that we would be using during the process of filming our 'thriller' film trailer. Using this equipment while filming our trial shots allowed us to become familiar with the different effects, and various features on the camera. I have decided to show the equipment we have used, with some information about them. I feel that researching the equipment could help me to understand how we could use it all to the best of our advantage.
The first piece of equipment that we were shown was the camera we would be using. The Canon Legria FS306 is the lightest, smallest digital camcorder that Canon has ever made. It had a small screen attached to it, where you could watch a preview of your video clips directly after you had shot them. Furthermore, the settings and effects were easy to use, as everything was clear with text that explained what certain features did. Additionally, despite how long we were filming for, the battery's level didn't decrease a significant amount, as you can shoot for a maximum of 3.5 hours on a single charge. The battery displays the remaining charge in minutes, giving you time to finish off shooting, and budget in time for remaining shots. When using the camcorder we made sure to use a standard tripod for the majority of shots, to ensure that the clips were clear, rather than shaky.
Along with the camcorder, we were given a unidirectional microphone along with a dead cat to record sound. A unidirectional microphone is designed to be sensitive to sound from particular directions only. Even though a unidirectional dynamic microphone can pick sound from sides, such sound does not come out too clearly. For this reason, a unidirectional microphone is extremely useful where background noise needs to be eliminated. Although we did not actually use the microphone, I thought it was important to do some research on it to understand what it could do, so that when we use it in the future, we will have a better understanding of its abilities.
These are some of the photographs that we took of each other using the filming equipment. To enable us all to feel capable of using the camera fairly easily, we all took equal turns filming various shots and directing Georgi. Doing these practise shots allowed us to really understand the different elements that go into filming, and meant that many of our ideas could be tried and tested to see if they could work.
As our actress ran past the camera, it became clear that lighting would become an issue. We were shooting during the daytime, and so the natural lighting provided by the sun resulted in the video clip being too light. We understood that this was an issue, and so we thought of ways in which we could avoid this problem.
After thinking of ways that we could overcome the lighting problem, we decided to use one of the effects provided on the camera. It added a light blue tint onto video clip, giving the impression that it was filmed later on in the evening. Despite it adding a nightime effect which we would like to recreate ourselves, it did not solve the issue of her appearing almost ghostly because of the amount of light.
We decided to film her walking along a trail in our chosen location, hoping that we would be able to direct her to look defenceless while on her own. She huddled in on herself, wrapping her arms around her sides so that she would appear cold, also adding to the sense of vulnerability.
Again, we filmed her walking along the trail, but instead of walking towards and past the camera, we shot her from behind as she walked away. We thought that this could be a good clip to use during the trailer, to show her journey home from the party. When we come to the editing stage, we would reduce the length of the clip, as we feel 10 seconds may be too long.
Deciding to change her situation from walking home to running, we filmed her looking behind her as her speed increased. We had hoped that this would create suspense, prompting the audience to wonder why she suddenly feels as though she is being watched or followed. Her shoes prevented her from running quickly, but we felt that we liked that it hindered her, as it reinforced the idea of her being weak.
We thought about filming her from below her chin while she pretended to walk along, using a close up to show her facial expressions clearly. As we were filming her, we asked her to appear as though she was bored and unaware of her surroundings.
Filming a close up of her shoes as she walked was something we thought of after watching a few film trailers ourselves. It was a shot we saw used often, to show a passing of time on a journey. We decided to film her for a fairly long time, so that we could select the part of the clip that we could use in the trailer, rather than the entire 10 seconds.
When we had finished all of the filming of our actress Georgi, we decided that it would be beneficial to film an establishing shot of our location. We thought that it could possibly be used as the opening clip to our trailer, but we would slightly reduce the length of time it was shown for.
Before filming our trial shots, I decided that it would be helpful to do some research into our location, as it would allow us to thoroughly plan how we would use our setting. We chose to film in a field nearby Kate's house, which was only around a five minute walk away. It's always avaliable to the public, so we can easily access it, but it also meant that we would have to pause filming a few times, to ensure we did not have people in the background of our shots. The field also has a forest directly next to it, which would also offer another setting to film in. There is also a row of houses at the back of the field, which is perfect for us, as they can be used in our film.
Below I have a gif showing some of the photographs we took while we visited our location:
In two of the photographs you can see the sun setting, which proved to be a slight problem when we were filming. It made many of our shots overly bright, which resulted in a picture that wasn't very clear. As a result, we have decided to try filming at a later time to reduce the effect the sun has on our shots.
I have decided to research into various different trailers that have been placed within the 'thriller' genre. The information I collect could then be used for ideas when we create our own film trailer. The movies that I have chosen to look at are fairly recent, having been released in 2010, and underneath the film title, I have included a brief summary of each film.
The films are:
The American Alone among assassins, Jack is a master craftsman. When a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, he vows to his contact Pavel that his next assignment will be his last. Jack reports to the Italian countryside, where he holes up in a small town and relishes being away from death for a spell. The assignment, as specified by a Belgian woman, Mathilde, is in the offing as a weapon is constructed. Surprising himself, Jack seeks out the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto and pursues romance with local woman Clara. But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate.
Abandoned Mary Walsh delivers boyfriend Kevin to a hospital for routine outpatient surgery. But when Mary returns to take him home, he's mysteriously vanished. An administrator can find no record of him, and a police search turns up nothing. Increasingly frantic, Mary's taken to staff psychiatrist Dr. Bensley, who pronounces her unstable. Now she must not only find her missing boyfriend, but prove her own sanity as well. When a stranger informs her he knows Kevin's whereabouts and demands a $10 million ransom, she has one hour to comply... and her boyfriend's life hangs in the balance. Forced to embezzle the money from the bank where she works, Mary soon discovers the shocking truth behind the disappearance. Now time is running out and she must take matters into her own hands to save herself.
Buried Waking groggy in pitch darkness, Paul Conroy, an American truck driver working in Iraq in 2006, slowly realizes he is trapped inside a wooden coffin, buried alive. With his cigarette lighter, he can see the trap he is in, and he quickly realizes that there's not enough air for him to live long. He finds within the coffin a working cellphone, which allows him contact with the outside world. But the outside world proves not to be very helpful at finding a man buried in a box in the middle of the Iraqi desert. Paul must rely on his best resource--himself.
The American
The trailer uses many different tactics to ensure that tension and suspense is created. The sound is loud, increasing in volume throughout. The clips are of various lengths, but towards the end of the trailer, shorter video clips are shown to add to the tension.
Another thing the trailer does is use light and shadows to its advantage, as within the first few seconds of the trailer, you can only see the silhouette of the man in the car, as the light at the end of the tunnel becomes incredibly bright.
Additionally, the trailer uses a colour filter on a few of the clips to indicate the change in atmosphere. Here we can see a red filter that adds to the feeling of passion and urgency shown in the clip. The blue filter is used when the actor suddenly realises that someone outside is watching him, to show a hostile atmosphere.
There are a range of shots that are also used, as we are given many long shots, as well as close ups. The long shots create a sense of time passing, reinforced by the lack of sound, while the close ups signify an urgency.
Abandoned
Like the previous trailer, sound is used a lot here to create suspense and tension, which would ensure the watchers interest.
Throughout the trailer, effects like a quick cut into black are used. Many different camera angles are used, which becomes very noticeable as during one shot, the camera will move to a different place a few times before the next clip is shown. Close ups are also used here to indicate a sense of urgency.
At one particular moment in the trailer, the same medium long shot is used, but the situation changes. The people around the main woman begin to move quickly around her, as she stays in the same position. This continues until she is left on her own, showing the passing of time, ending when the clip blurs into the next one.
The colours used are mostly dark and dull, except for when bright lights are used, creating a contrast between the hospital and the outside world. The hospital wards are quiet and empty, highlighting her isolation, while the outside world is busy and full of life.
Shadows are also used here, as you can see her outline as she stands in front of a wall, and the shadow created from someone holding a gun up. The use of shadows adds to the tension and suspense created in the clip.
Buried
Unlike the other trailers, the sound does not escalate throughout the movie, but is used in a subtle way. Most of the sound is created by the actor - his breathing, him moving around frantically inside the coffin - but there is also a sound like a quiet bell, ringing in the background of the entire trailer. Short clips create suspense and tension because they cut to a black screen immediately, and all you can hear are his screams.
Throughout the clip, the screen shows bits of text, explaining the actors situation, and gaining the attention of the viewer, who becomes eager to understand what he is experiencing. The unusual predicament that he has found himself in ensures we stay interested.
The camera uses many different shots, never staying on one particular shot for a long period of time. Close ups, mid shots and long shots are used, and a long shot can be seen when the camera moves up away from the coffin, so that we get a clear shot of the amount space he has.
Lighting is used effectively, as darkness surrounds him, while his face is often lit up, exposing his wounds and bloodied face. The colours used are very dark, adding to the trailer, as it adds to the sense of danger, as well as adding to the feeling that there isn't much room in the coffin, and that the actor truly is buried six feet underground.
All three of these trailers use very useful tactics to ensure that the watcher is interested in the film, and that suspense and tension is created so that the likelihood of someone going to pay to see the film is more of a possibility. It is clear that a lot of planning has gone into all of them, and so when creating our own film trailer, it would be a good idea to use different aspects from certain 'thriller' trailers.
For example:
The cuts are often quick, with sound effects accompanying them, building suspense.
Black screens are used frequently as well, leaving the audience anticipating something dangerous or scary as the audio continues to play in the background.
Text is often used to provide the audience with valuable information, such as what the situation in the film is, or reviews from magazines and websites.
Except for the natural light provided from outside, the trailers have a dark colour scheme, using dismal colours and shadows created from artificial light to make scenes seem sinister, or characters appear menacing.
The cuts are usually straight into another clip or onto a black screen. Occasionally fades or a blurring effect are used to show confusion or lack of energy.
Sound can add to the feeling of danger and suspense, if used effectively. In the first two trailers for 'The American' and 'Abandoned', the sound grew in volume into the trailer reached the point when what was being shown was incredibly significant. For example, in another trailer this could be when someone was being kidnapped or shot. In 'Buried', the sound was almost non-existant, but the sound of a quiet bell playing constantly added a sinister element to the trailer.
At the beginning of film trailers, there is usually a green screen that shows the copyright information, showing who the movie is suitable for, while also displaying the companies that had a role in completing the film. On the left, is an image of the information that would be shown at the beginning at the beginning of a film. We have recreated a similar image that we placed at the beginning of our own trailer.
