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.
