Storyboard Version 2

Font Planning to Use for Credits

I have chosen to get the font styles from dafont.com in which I narrowed down the fonts by selecting the horror filter then looked to find which style suited our film trailer the best.

In the image to the left I liked the font 'OCTOBER CROW', however when later researching I came across the 'I STILL KNOW' font which I think works better with our film trailer. I like this font because it represents the thriller genre whilst not being to 'gory' which would suggest that the film trailer is a horror. However as we do not have aspects of blood and slasher. I like the patchy-ness in the writing as it can represent as if it has been scratched which would link together with the female character trying to escape. 

Film Trailer Credits

In our film trailer we have decided to have these credits incorporated into it. We created these credits on powerpoint which were then imported into iMovie as photos but we applied a transition to them to make them zoom in slowly to create an eerie atmosphere, the photos are in the order of which they are on the film trailer. We decided to have a black background with white font as it looks more contrasting whilst representing the type of genre the film trailer is. When creating the final credit image, some of the words were enhanced by making them larger than others to make them stand out more to the audience. We added '#THERUNAROUND' as it allows the target audience to view information about it on twitter and follow any updates if the film was to get produced.

Make Up Tutorial

This video shows how we applied the female characters make up before filming her 'escaping' scenes. We applied mascara below her eyes to make it look like she had been crying or her eyes had been rubbed in distress. After this video we also applied red blush powder to her nose, under eyes and her face to also enhance that she is distressed. We wanted to make her appear to look distressed in order to create tension as well as match the atmosphere of the film trailer.

First Draft Screening Feedback Questionnaires

 

In terms of gaining feedback, we had very positive feedback. As our target audience is teenagers aged 15-17, the question asking who they think the target audience is, gained multiple responses of 'teens' which suggests that we have included correct themes and representations to attract our target audience. Also, the first question was mainly answered thriller, which also suggests that we have included the appropriate mise-en-scene and themes to show this. The rest of the questions were just to get a general idea of what teenagers though of our film trailer so far. As the trailer was shown to year 12 and year 13 students we were able to use the correct target audience age to respond.

A key change to be made was to adjust the beginning footage of the female shopping as many responses suggested that it was too long. Also many people liked the running scene so we could also try to emphasise the footage a bit more.

Transition Editing

Within the trailer we have decided to use the Fade to Black, Fade to White, Cross Dissolve and Cross Blur. We have used the fade to black at the beginning of the trailer as the pace is slow and the fade to black enhancing to slow pace as well as the switching between scenes. When the pace begins to increase we have used fade to white transitions as it creates immediate tension whilst providing the element of thriller and would make the audience engage more with the trailer due to the short scenes and jump cuts, the fade to white enhances this.

We have also added a dissolve cut with the shots of the girl on the swing and the award nomination credit. It creates an eerie atmosphere as we have edited the sound of the screetching swing to carry on during the footage of the award nomination credit. The dissolve transition also blends the nomination credit with the empty swing scene as well.

Black and White VS Colour Frames

Within the editing process, we have decided to use the scenes of the female character in black and white to enhance the idea that these scenes are in the past, whereas the present scenes are in colour. We have decided to do this as we feel that is has more of an effect on the audience by enhancing the female characters emotions by setting the theme. The colour scenes of the male kidnapper also enhance his costume as he is wearing all black in order to connote that he is a 'baddie' and to keep his identity hidden.

THE RUNAROUND - Our First Cut

The video above shows our first edit of the film trailer. This trailer edit was used in our Media Screening on the 7th February 2014, which was then evaluated by the other Year 12 and 13 Media Studies group. The Evaluation has been incorporated and analysed in another post.

Once the final film trailer has been produced we would like to compare the first edit to the final edit to see how much we have improved and progressed during the project. This first edit has been completed through the use of free periods and media lessons.

My Own Evaluation of the First Edit:

So far my favourite shot within the trailer is the first scene of the film trailer of the actress in a dark boot with the enhanced sound of her panicking in distress. This is my favourite scene because it quickly sets tension and forces the audience to engage immediately with the trailer.

I also like once the climax has happened, the slow motion shot of the actress's perspective as I feel it works well with the music as the music has an eerie high pitched sound which also causes the audience to experience the tension and also puts the audience in  the actress's point of view.

Evaluation of the first edit: Ellie

I am extremely happy with the progress we have made so far, despite the obstacles we have faced. A lot of our original ideas have been changed, adapted or left out due to either not working as effectively as we would have liked or through us coming up with a better idea or method. 

I'm happy with the way we build up towards the climax at the end, as this is my favourite aspect of the trailer. The fast paced quick cuts really build up tension and excitement, as well as adding confusion for the audience. This reflects the confusion of our main character who has been kidnapped yet doesn't know why by, where she is or why. 

We will add more shots of her trying to escape, long and short, in order to improve the build up at the begin and add more dynamic to the climax sequence. 

Research into Film Trailer Credits - The Dark Knight Rises

Finding Film Trailer Sounds on YouTubbe

As we decided to use sounds from YouTube, we had to ensure they were Copyright free. The images below show the steps we followed in order to find the audio files.

In order to get the YouTube files able to be imported to iMovie to be edited to the film trailer, I had to convert the files to an MP3 first and then into iTunes on the iMacs which can then be accessed from iMovie. 

I also researched sounds on Royalty Free Music but there were some issues with this website. The first issue was that in order to access the sounds legally, we would have to create an account which required payment, and as we are a low budget production company we could not afford this. The other issue was that we did not particularly find sounds that we liked and though that could relate to our film trailer themes. 

We also got the background sound to our film trailer from the iMovie software itself as it provides basic sound effects. However we edited the sound on garage band to make it sound darker and more eerie. 

The chosen sounds that we decided to use in our film trailer are linked through SOUNDCLOUD on the another post. (Click here for link to post)

Film Trailer Sounds - SOUNDCLOUD Full Audio Files

The sounds in our film trailer are diegetic and non-diegetic, the non-diegetic sounds are shown on this post through SOUNDCLOUD, however the diegetic sounds included in the film trailer consist of Emily screaming at the beginning and then heavy breathing at the end whilst banging in the boot trying to escape.

I created a SOUNDCLOUD account in which to upload the sounds from YouTube and to publish them onto our blog. The sounds shown have been edited and cut and allocate to specific shots in our film trailer. For example, the SUSPENSE SOUND EFFECTS audio file has been cut into specific parts, the 2nd shot of The Apollo Productions text, the combined 'bang' has been used from this audio file.

I found these audio files from YouTube, we made sure that these were copyright free by using the Creative Commons filter on YouTube.

Below is the link to the post about how we found our sounds and ensured they were copyright free. (Click here for the link to the post)

Storyboard Version 1

Character Name Planning

These three names were the agreed names of which we would name the female victim character in our film trailer. The images show the basic meanings behind each name which we can use when deciding on which name to have for the female character. I am also going to create a questionnaire with the three names and hand them out to females aged 15-17, the questionnaire will have a basic narrative plot and then the three names, in which the testers can circle which name they think works best with our narrative and their reasoning.

Below is a link to the blog post with the questionnaire results:

################################

Conference Analysis

On Thursday 23rd January we travelled to the BFI to participate in a 'We Media' and Democracy lecture day. It was hosted by Matthew Hall, Head of Film and Media Studies at Seven Kings High School and author of the BFI's 'Teaching Men and Film'. We were also able to contribute to interviews with Rosa Weber and Malcolm Smith.

A brief outline of the day was listed on the BFI website as:

"‘We-Media’ and democracy in the pre-digital and on-line age. What is ‘We-Media’? How does it differ from more traditional forms? Can digital media promote social democracy? This Study Day is particularly relevant to those studying OCR’s AS Media ‘Audiences and Institutions’ unit and A2 ‘We-Media’ and ‘Media in the On-Line Age’. Students will be able to hear and put questions to a range of speakers representing different perspectives on the debates surrounding ‘We-Media’."

We discussed our opinions on topics such as;

-Should social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter be classified as 'media'?

-Does 'social media' depend on the internet and digital technology?

-Can YouTube be classified as 'media'?

WeMedia was the key focus of the day, and we were exploring its meaning and purpose. The key points we took from the day included that We Media is created by a community who happily share their opinions for fun, often poor quality, consumed only by friends and posted on YouTube, Flikr and other social networking sites. It includes texts that have creative value, produced by people with creative talent but who aren't employed as a media professional, therefore lacking professional training.

Civic Value are media texts created in order to give a voice to the participants and to spread information with the overall aim of helping society, e.g. Citizen Journalism. 

Some of the case studies we looked into included Demotix, a site where citizen journalists can post pictures of their own accounts of current issues/topics, creating discussions and raising awareness. 

-Institution independent

-Open source, anyone can contribute

-Communal value, sharing with other photojournalists

-Creative value, talented news photographers, but with no formal training or direct institution employment 

-Civic value, spread information worldwide, raise awareness, allows witnessing of events maybe not accessible by professional journalists (restrictions, planning, etc), provides training and practice for amateur photographers, non-hierarchial structure

-Cross media synergy, symbiotic relationship with media institutions offering quality photojournalism

Pre-internet subcultures were a topic we discussed and we compared their development with the progress of modern subcultures with the assistance of the internet. These subcultures included Punk, HipHop, Skater culture, Trekkies/Trekkers and Ravers. 

Key Quotes/Comments taken from the day:

- Mass production for mass consumption

-We think therefore we are

-In the past, 'you are what you owned', now in present times, 'you are what you share'

-One Pound Fish original videp generated 12.6m YouTube views, is that 'We-Media'?

-TAZ (temporary autonomous zones), free spaces where normal mainstream rules don't apply, you're not    judged as you're surrounded by similar people, forming own community 

Initial Film Title Ideas

Possible Effects

Whilst watching the current television serious 'Hostages', I noticed that during flashback shots there is a soft, blurred edge.

This is really effective in enhancing nostalgia as well as being a device to distinguish between current and past story lines. 

We experimented with this blurred edge on our own footage, and it worked well to contrast the varying emotions we want to portray as well as change the mood. However, due to our footage being shot as if from a handheld camera, or on the kidnappers phone, this effect would not be a realistic editing style. The dream-like look this gives the footage wasn't appropriate for our narrative, yet we will still consider using it on the poster or another aspect of our project.