21/10/11 - Weather

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.

13/10/11 - Reaction shots

A definition of a reaction shot:
Reaction shot is a term used in motion picture production 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?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-lDfKb2SBA

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...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THE_hhk1Gzc

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.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugireeCoYyU

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.

10/10/11 - Second set of shots

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.