Annotated trailer

voice over for trailer

AS reflection task

Certain technologies we used were the iPhone camera, we also used adobe premier elements to bring our film clips together to we also had to use YouTube to find our music for our trailer and also to upload it. The pros of the iPhone camera is that it films in 1080p and is easy to convert the files into playable on adobe and also to change those files into 720p, another advantage is that it was easily accessible and wasn’t hard to use therefore we could use it in any part of London to capture footage, but this shows we learnt from our AS film project where instead of using the first footage we tried again till we got best picture and quality for our trailer. One drawback to using the iPhone is the filming process isn’t as professional as a normal camera and shaking hands were sometimes a problem causing re-shoots of scenes, we didn’t have this problem as we used a tripod for the iPhone and it didn’t become shaky. The software we used were adobe premiere elements which was good as it was easy to use and it helped the trailer seem more professional and add effects we wouldn’t be able to add. With adobe premiere elements the sound can sometimes be lost, and in our AS project nothing that was said was able to hear and then we were able to overcome this in A2 as we re-recorded the narration needed and then it was able to hear and also using a different voice created a different element. The other bit of software we used is YouTube we used this to share our film as it can show films in 720p, with our AS we put it on to YouTube but because the software was trying to adapt all the editing features we had like different fades and different credits this caused problems as YouTube couldn’t format all the edits in, in our A2 we were able to fix this as we added less fades and credits so that YouTube didn’t have as much animation it didn’t recognize to edit. In AS we filmed an opening to horror as we knew the types of conventions of the genre, but we realised that without the right lighting we couldn’t create the right setting and mood and so in our A2 we changed the genre so that lighting didn’t have as much of a key role in our film. We also changed other things from our AS like the location of our filming, in our AS production we filmed in a woody area to add to a spooky element to the opening of our film, and this added a true spooky side to our opening, however when we changed the genre we would be focusing changed we decided that with a thriller we couldn’t use this same effect and we also thought that using a recognisable background like the London city centre created dramatic element. Using Adobe Premier Elements we were able to add the zooms in on certain elements therefore adding drama and this is a key convention of thriller as it emphasises the importance of that character and the drama that character could bring also. In AS when researching for a horror we could see that certain conventions needed to be used these in our opening, the main research we used was analysing the opening of horror films and we fund things we could use, another form of research we used was looking at critic responses of horror films and how they could avoid the things which were seen as bad in the criticised films. We made sure we kept all this research on our blog pages so that we could come back to it when filming. Both these forms of research helped the production as we stayed away from recurring things in horror which were seen as bad or cliché and therefore trying to stand out. However we also used an audience questionnaire in the research to see what people liked about horror films and also give us examples and a template for what we should use, in the research we had a script we were going to use but then there were acting problems so it didn’t get used and also the story board was good but included scenes we initially thought were good but then when filming them left them out completely. In A2 we developed on these by again reading reviews of trailers for our chosen genre which changed therefore it became a lot easier to create a storyline to the genre, we also analysed a whole film and its trailer to then see what types of scenes were used in the trailer and what would have had a bigger effect if they had used them in the trailer. The research helped the production as we could see what was used and wasn’t really liked and therefore were able to add and take away things which we thought either should or should not add. We again used an audience questionnaire to find out which things they liked about our genre of film and who were their favourite actor and director to see if we draw anything from their performances.  In our A2 we used a storyboard to completely plan out what scenes we used and then filmed them we used a shot list to see what would be effective, and we made a script for our narrator as it added something different to the film.  From the audience feedback we got one main point we got back from our AS production was that we needed to use sound to amplify the tension in the opening of the horror film, we also could have re-recorded the dialogue just to make it clearer, this improved our whole production as we were able to make these changes. In our A2 we improved on these by using a narrator for dialogue and adding music to add tension and action to the trailer and therefore it was more like a action thriller and adhered to the common convention of the thriller genre to have music that builds up and then leaves you on a cliff hanger.  In most horror film openings we saw that one convention was for a young woman to die in the opening and therefore set up the rest of the film we decided to experiment with this convention and have a young man die in the beginning therefore challenging the stereotype that women are the victims in the film and that men are superior but we also used it as a way to show the strength of the young man as it was a harder kill therefore conforming to the convention in horrors that men are harder to kill and therefore take more effort from the killer. In our A2 production we conformed to many stereotypes as we believed experimenting could make the actual genre of the film vague and untenable when asked about one convention we stuck top was keeping the antagonist faceless and shrouded in mystery overall this worked well as it created an enigma code which would help with attracting audiences. In our AS we didn’t watch any specific directors’ horror work as we studied codes and conventions and thought we could do a good job without it. However in our A2 we looked at Martin Scorsese’s work and tried to emulate that with quick fast paced trailer with a hint of tension  to add to the thriller element.

This year we made a action thriller trailer which was a choice we came to after not enjoying doing a horror opening last year, we made this choice at the very beginning of the project as we thought last years film wasn't good and this year we needed to find something we enjoyed and something we had a prior interest in like the action thriller drama. when editing our trailer this year we mainly stuck to one transition which was a fade to black this helped add drama as it adds a mysterious element to the scene it followed.it  also conforms to the codes and conventions of a thriller. The effect this has on the trailer overall is that it adds consistency and helps the audience move on and know something new is happening.  In comparison to last year where to transition from one scene to another we used different edits therefore it took away from all the drama and tension in the scenes it came after and before. The effect overall made the trailer seem fast paced and exciting therefore grabbing the attention of the target audience which is 18-30 year old men more than women. This shows the progression of skills as in our AS  project we didn't know the types of audiences would watch a horror therefore didn't add things that would attract that audience.One of the other things we did was to add a black and white effect to an image and then we used a blend transition to bring it into color we did this because we thought that it would show the darkness of the scene which subliminally says that a character in the scene either has a dark past or is a dark/evil character, it also is a memorable scene which people will look for in other trailers and will want to see how it effects the film overall.

We made lots of clever choices in order to make our trailer as conventional as we could this year.  One of the ways that did this was through our use of sound.  We used a narrative voice-over to tell the story and introduce our protagonist.  We were careful with the use of our audio levels and used fade and cut audio to make sure it worked in a dynamic way and didn't affect continuity.  One of the things that we got wrong was sound in  our G321 project because we couldn't hear the dialogue between the characters therefore part of the story was lost, to overcome this we should have re-recorded the dialogue afterwards ,and edited it in.

Our use of titles was a strength we created our own original production credits based on our own fiction production company we used this at the beginning with a fade in bright colors to juxtapose the darkness of the trailer. We added slides down transition so that they would be noticed with establishing shots and we didn't add any transitions when we used titles to introduce characters as they are key parts of the film. We also added some titles during scenes as a way to make those names memorable. 

screen grabs

Evaluation Feedback

Make sure the work you've been completing is uploaded - I can't give you any targets to improve without the evidence to refer to online.

Make sure the following things are evidenced:

1.) Screengrab nine shots and comment on the following things:

The title of the film
Setting/location
Costumes and props
Camerawork and editing
Title font and style
Story and how the trailer sets it up
Genre and how the trailer suggests it
How characters are introduced
Special effects

Remember to discuss narrative/genre/representation/media language/audience in your evaluation

 

2.) Do a voiceover to your trailer - record you both talking and put the audio over the trailer then post the video.

 

3.) Upload audience feedback and write a post about what you found out and were surprised by.

 

4.) Write a post about your choices made in your trailer and compare them to last year, making sure you answer the questions below:


What did you do? Explain a transition or effect you opted for in the editing process.  What effect did you achieve?  Explain how the choice you made was intended to make the target audience think or feel.  How does this show progression in your use of skills? Explain how this is better than your AS production's outcomes by linking to what you did in your portfolio last year.

These choices are really important for you to reflect on to show you fully understand how you have developed your skills - and make sure you evaluate the comments made by the test audience (the class) using specialist terminology.

5.) Use the YouTube annotation tools to analyse how you have appealed to target audience and have been conventional.

6.)  Upload outstanding responses from Mrs Martin.

We do not have long until the deadline for this final stage of your portfolio - so make sure you are pushing yourself and achieving the marks your efforts this year deserve!

our film talk

our audience feedback

The first comment about the build up is valid as we needed to add more tension to the scene and therefore make it seem more dramatic and therefore bends more to the conventions of a action thriller. We can also see that throughout the audience feedback a problem with hearing the narration was a problem therefore we could use this as a way to build tension and help the story line be explained more and then get more people intrigued with what the film is going to be like. Another point which was made in the audience feedback was the use of fast paced editing could have been better and therefore could have created a better emphasis on the action in the trailer. Another point made which was made was the clear point that it did have a action side to the film. The audience feedback shows that the use of titles was good and could also be improved depending on how we wanted the trailer to come out. Overall from the feedback we can see that  the target audience of young people can then be interested but we could use more conventional improvements to be more engaging like improving the narration.