Costume and Props Research

Here I have selected some images from the internet to implicate the type of costume I wish for my main character to wear. It mainly consists of dark clothing but in a stylish and fashionable manor, I think by doing this it will show a sense of depression and implicate that he going to a cemetery, however you will be unable to identify where he will be going until he actually arrives at the destination.

The props which will be used are filming equipment including: a camera, a tripod, a still camera for photos of progress and to contribute to the magazine and poster, I may also use a boom to record sound during some scenes. I will be using a car which will be an old Fiat Panda, this is able to imply the hard times this character has been through and endured.

Level Analysis

I am currently hovering around level 2 and 3 at roughly a 12/20.

What I aim to do is work hard on my blog over the Christmas holidays trying to distribute my time between my other subjects evenly as well. Hopefully I will be able to get another analysis of my work after Christmas and I am to be in the level 3/4 band.

I need to complete analysis of music and student trailers, also my actors and props, I will also wish to do some practice footage while driving along seeing what camera angles and shots I am able to achieve in the confined space.

Location Pictures

I went out in my car with my younger brother to get these pictures for my location shots. I wish to shoot footage of me and my friends driving in the car acting as a normal day, so I shot these photos while we were driving along so that you are able to tell the kind of footage I wish to have. It will be rough and hand held for the majority of the footage to give you more sense of the friendly banter which goes on in someone’s car.

I think this will be affective if I am able to apply this technique correctly however I also believe it will be a challenge to make, therefore it will look even better if I am able to achieve what I wish to.

Dairy

Today I have explored ivipid.com and have created my own personalized institution opening. I have also uploaded my own photographs of my location I wish to film my trailer. I plan to organise my animation in the next lesson on Monday, I also hope to sort out the type of music I will be using.

Institution Creation

Here I have experimented with institutions and I was able to create my own version of one by using ivipid.com this has been helpful because I am now able to incorporate my own institution interpretation.

The institution outline I have used is of Lucasfilm an old institution, which is helpful because has now been closed down therefore making it seem as though my opening for my institution looks more unique for it also includes my own institution title.

Student Trailer Analysis

The way in which this student trailer starts is with a nice screen effect which looks like the static you would get off of a TV and over the top of that it has the inter titles fading in and out over the top. It then cuts into the action having a close up on an eye which then cuts to footage of a character approaching a house in a sadistic manor. It then cuts to a shot from inside the house where it implies a victim to the sadistic figure shown earlier, it quickly flashes back to that scary character and you see that he is carrying a knife and is still heading towards the house, from the constant cut changes between the two characters you believe that they are connected in the footage somehow and in this case one is a murderer and the other is the victim and with these cuts you are able to define this connection. The camera then cuts to another shot of the victim and in the background you are able to see the murderer entering the house without any suspicion from the victim. Cautiously entering the house the murderer then follows his victim and makes his way around the house. It then has a significant head shot of the victim showing us that he has acknowledged a noise and tries to find out the source of the noise. however is then jumped upon by the murderer concluding with a cut out into the title of the film being 'Breeze' on a TV static background, like the inter titles. It also includes a final footage clip which shows us a camera shot of just the legs of our characters, which implicates that the murderer got his victim, however it is not truly confirmed leaving its audience with some questions.

The way in which this piece is edited together has been thought through and the transactions between shots help indicate it genre and what the piece will be about. It is also presented in a black and white frame throughout giving it a sense of mystery and caution.

The non-diegetic music which they have applied to the piece consists of the plucking of violin strings, a constant note and what sounds to be a similar sound to a shower running. This is played throughout all of the footage, and at the end the music cuts out and you are able to hear the laughter of a young girl as well as the sound of footsteps which then fall in line with the footage at the very end where you are only able to see the characters legs making it diegetic sound. 

Overall I think that this student made trailer has been constructed rather well and I chose to look at it because I thought it held a couple of interesting shots that I may think about applying to my piece, such as the shot where they are both seen with the victim in the foreground and the murderer in the background.

Student Footage Analysis

This is student footage which I found on youtube which has been designed in the style of a music video. I chose to look at this particular piece because I found the different techniques used intriguing, and I like the different camera angles and the colour frame, for all of these things amount up to a well developed piece.

The footage used is clever for throughout you notice how the character always seems to have a cigarette lit slowly getting shorter as the clip goes on, also the constant confusion of where he is and what he is doing there, as if he shouldn’t be. It is all presented in a black and white frame to add a sense of confusion. The use of an old film reel flicking in and out at times also adds to the confusion, and another is when you see flashes of him in an unstable mood of emotion hiding in a corner of a small room topless. The use of all this adds to the clip giving it more emotion and making its audience question what’s happening.

The costume, scenery and props all contribute to making its audience think that this video clip is set in a different time era similar to Steve McQueen in his films in the 60’s, plus the black and white frame also makes the piece seem older than it is.

The non-diegetic music is quite upbeat and sounds as if it may have came from the 60’s as well fitting with the footage very well.

Overall I think this piece has been thought through, prepared and presented very well to create a piece which makes its audience think about the characters actions and it edges us towards the assumption that he wishes to commit suicide and it then ends with him climbing up on the railings of a bridge over a road. By doing this they are able to let our imaginations think what they want making our own assumptions that he is going to jump.

Trailer Analysis

The Pursuit of Happiness trailer starts with an opening scene of Will Smith, playing Chris Gardener and his son, played by Jaden Smith, who are playing basketball in a playground court as a father and son activity. It then shows images of Chris Gardener walking the street with a smile and trying to get on a train about to leave getting stuck in the door. This brings light-heartedness to the piece and a slight comedic part; however the role of Chris Gardener is one which you sympathise for.

The amount of times he is put down while doing his job and throughout his life being unable to provide just the simple things in life for himself and his son, he still is able to pursue and move on to another client with optimism and hope in his heart. He then decides to go and get a new job to have a better future for him and his son, and he dedicates his life to make sure he makes something of himself.

Throughout the whole trailer it shows us the struggles Chris Gardner faces throughout his life to make it a better one. It also shows that no matter what you may endure throughout life you have to persevere not only for yourself but for those around and who is a part of your life.

The non-diegetic music used is a contrast to the events that happen throughout, for the music is upbeat and happy whereas the events that happen are heartbreaking and makes its audience feel for the characters. There is also a voice over which presents us with more information about the film and what it entails. The trailer also includes some dialogue from the film telling us what is involved and the plot of the film; however it doesn’t give away the full plot leaving you with some speculation as to what will happen. The trailer ends with it telling us that this film is based on a true story giving it more of an impact on the audience.

The fact that this film is based on a true story and holds Will Smith as the main character they are unique selling point helping promote and make a bigger profit in the box office.

Trailer Analysis

The first thing that immediately stands out with this trailer is the sound. They have deliberately split the sound between the two speakers. They have the non-diegetic music on one side and the dialogue on the other. This is very effective because you are unable to really connect with the action because of the distortion; however it provides more of an emotional impact because you are able to hear the importance and emotion involved in the dialogue. The non-diegetic music sounds heroic at the same time as sounding otherworldly as though there is an alternative motive to his actions. The music becomes beaty nearer the end implying the importance of that area of action, it then declines to one held note to hold the tension of the action. The way in which they have applied the music to this trailer is effective for they imply the intensity of the action and when the most sensitive parts are with the hype of the music.

The trailer starts with the main character, Ben (played my Will Smith), swimming through the sea and referencing the bible and how God created the world in seven days and then compares that to his own life and he says “And in seven seconds I shattered mine”. It then cuts to a split screen of a close up of the profile of his face with an image of him jogging in the rain down a road, as though he is drowning his sorrows and guilt.

It then cuts to a black screen and subtitles fade in and out saying ‘Ben Thomas has a secret’ and these subtitles appear throughout the trailer for the next one which appears says ‘Seven strangers he must choose’, this subtitle makes us think for what reason would he choose seven strangers? And why seven? This makes the audience question what the story is about and makes them want to watch more. ‘Seven lives he must change’ this also makes us think about why he should change these people’s lives? He then refers that he is giving these people gifts which they deserve as though he is a hero and rewarding those who are heroes within themselves. ‘Seven acts…that lead…to one truth’ this now makes us think what this truth may be and intrigues its audience. It then cuts into a more cut together collection of action which builds up the tension and emotion and then has more black screens which says ‘One man’, ‘One chance’, ‘No turning back’, these three collective words imply to us that he is willing to do a heroic act which he may not be able to recover from and this makes us wonder what will happen to him that will conclude with this. The trailer then ends with Will Smiths name and then cuts to the trailer tile ‘Seven Pounds’ giving the piece more impact and making its audience want to watch it.

Will Smith is considered a unique selling point for the film and trailer because he is a well known actor appreciated in the film industry also another unique selling point is this film is the directed by the same person who did the pursuit of happiness also, starring Will Smith. These will help sell the film because ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’ is a film which had a huge impact upon its audience and did well in the worldwide gross of the film with $304,850,102.

Music Analysis

I think that this music is the type of music that I will apply to my trailer because of composition and the melodic piano which mixes with violins, cellos and an acoustic guitar. It holds a sense of meaning and power throughout the piece, the pace of the song is good because it start off slow then builds up but still hold the emotion.

The lyrics of the song are meaningful and suit the plot of my trailer, for it talks about loving somebody and how they will always love the other person, because of this relationship between the two people being mentioned in the song it can relate to the relationship I wish for my characters to hold.

It holds hope and happiness, however still portrays a sense of loss and sadness. To create my own piece of music which will hold this much emotion I will keep it simple and only have an acoustic guitar to give more of an impact of loss and sadness. I will have my dad record the music, for he is a musician and knows how to make a good recording and I am able to get him to do the song around my schedule, and if I wanted anything changed then I will be able to access him quickly.

Institutions

Touchstone Pictures

Touchstone is a very versatile film institution for their focus of genres isn’t specified too any particular genre, therefore making it a good production company to apply to my trailer. Touchstone is also well known throughout the industry making the audience believe that it will be a successful and interesting film.


Touchstone is well known for films such as ‘Pearl Harbour’, Die Hard with a Vengeance’, ‘Calendar Girls’, ‘The Proposal’, and most recently ‘War Horse’.

I think to make my film look professional and as though it will be a good film, using Touchstone Pictures will help me achieve a part of this. Touchstone was founded in 1984 and is still successfully promoting and funding hits in the box office.

Focus Features

Focus Features is a successful institution company which was founded in 2001, but started in 1992 when it was called Gramercy Pictures and then it changed to USA Films, concluding with what we know today.

Focus Features is well known for a collection of films including: ‘Billy Elliot’, ‘Ned Kelly’, ‘Vanity Fair’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’, ‘Brokeback Mountain’, ‘Atonement’, ‘In Bruges’, ‘Jane Eyre’, and most recently ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’.

I think that this production company would be good for my trailer because it seems to be known quite well for its collection of dramatic films which will be useful for my trailer, also because it is quite a well-known company it will help promote my trailer further, making the audience want to go and see the film.

Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production/distribution company, founded in 1912, and it is America’s oldest existing film studio.

Paramount have an assortment of films which have been very successful throughout the years such as: ‘The Crucible’, ‘Madame Butterfly’, ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘Snow White’, ‘Cinderella’, ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’, ‘Peter Pan’, ’Scrooge’, ‘Sunset Boulevard’, ‘White Christmas’, and more recently ‘Shutter Island’, ‘How To Train Your Dragon’, ‘The Adventures of Tintin’, and ‘Paranormal Activities’. However there are many more in-between and to come including: ‘Star Trek 2’ and ‘How To Train Your Dragon 2’.

This production company would help a lot with promoting my trailer because it is a long running company which many people know. Paramount is also consistently ranked as one of the largest top-grossing movie studios.

Main Characters and Actors

Here I am looking into the types of characters I would like to include in my piece, by this I mean the personality of the characters, as well as considering the actors in which I wish my characters to look like.

I wish that my Final piece will be able to portray a similar sincerity and emotion as this clip shows us. It shows us the good fun times the two have had as well as the death and emotional time of the funeral giving us a contrast in the emotional reflection shown. However I wish my actor to look more like Adam Brody (below).

However I am not entirely sure whether or not my main character will be male or female so I have looked into a female actress as well as a male to compare the emotion and emphasis on the power of the actors will be able to put across.

I have come to the conclusion that having a male character as the lead will have more of an impact because males are considered the stronger gender and therefore when a man is effected by an event making him upset and able to cry over the matter it then makes the audience uncomfortable to watch and they sympathise for the character.

Trailer Analysis

I have noticed when researching and analysing trailers that the official trailers always have a green screen beforehand saying that the clip has approval from the motion picture association of America to be viewed on youtube.

From researching this I wish to include a green screen before my trailer appropriately so that it will make my trailer look and feel more professional.

It also ends with the title of the film plus other titles including: the productions, who the film is created by (and in this case with ‘War Horse’ it is a Steven Spielberg film), who created the music, the editor, the producers, Director and whether or not it is based on anything (e.g. a novel or a true story). It also includes the institution logo at the end, informing who the people are funding the production of the film.

Diary

Today I have been able to complete the results from my questionnaire and I hope to progress with my media work in more of a fluid manor helping me produce an effective blog.

Questionnaire Results

These results will help contribute to my final piece helping me choose specific characters, music and a main theme for my piece. It’s also helpful to know what type of things my audience will enjoy, for I asked the majority of my friends as well as some adults concluding in twenty people answering my questionnaire, giving me a variety of my target audience.

Type of Drama Genre

Drama Films are serious presentations or stories with settings or life situations that portray realistic characters in conflict with either themselves, others, or forces of nature. A dramatic film shows us human beings at their best, their worst, and everything in-between. Each of the types of subject-matter themes have various kinds of dramatic plots. Dramatic films are probably the largest film genre because they include a broad spectrum of films.

Social Problem dramas: ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ (1940), ‘American Beauty’ (1999), ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976).

Metal Illness: ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ (1975), ‘I Never Promised You a Rose Garden’ (1977).

And there are many other types of dramas including: alcoholism, racial relations and civil rights, courtroom, political, media-related, World War home front, history related, religious, show business, literature related, and many more.

The one I wish to focus on is in relation to metal illness drama for the main character will be traumatised from an accident and is unable to relieve the guilt and grief, and has to have some type of therapeutic action to make things better for themselves.

PLOT

The story for my film is about a person reflecting upon their past. It will involve an incident which my main character will have trouble supressing in to their subconscious, but by the end of the piece they would have found some type of sanctuary to relieve their pain and suffering. This may be achieved through a person entering their lives and them falling in love interlinking the romantic genre with the drama, or it may be through spiritual reference or some type of accomplishment by the main character which will subdue their emotions.

What I wish to include in my trailer:

·         The accident

·         A portrayal of grief

·         Hope of a brighter future

·         Peaceful and heart-warming music (self-created)

·         Insight on what the film is about and the genre in which it belongs

·         Emotion

·         A clip of the sanctuary

·         A good well scripted piece of dialogue

·         Good editing reflecting the genre

·         Good use of location and lighting

Questionnaire

1. In a film with a drama genre, what would you most likely want included?

[ ] Car Crash

[ ] Murder

[ ] Mental Stability

[ ] Romance

[ ] Mystery

[ ] Other (Please Specify)

___________________________________________________

2. Which actor would you most prefer to see on screen?

[ ] Johnny Depp

[ ] Leonardo Decaprio

[ ] Nicholas Cage

[ ] Gerald Butler

[ ] Will Smith

[ ] Other (Please Specify)

____________________________________________________

3. Which actress would you prefer to see on screen?

[ ] Angelina Jolie

[ ] Kate Winslet

[ ] Halle Berry

[ ] Mila KunisMila Kunis Mila Kunis

[ ] Julianne Hough

[ ] Other (Please Specify)

____________________________________________________

4. What type of music do you prefer to hear in relation to a dramatic film?

[ ] Classical

[ ] Jazz

[ ] Rap

[ ] Rock

[ ] Pop

[ ] Electro

[ ] Punk

[ ] R&B

[ ] Country

[ ] Other (Please Specify)

______________________________________________________

Audience Profiling

Age: 13+

Gender: Female Skewed, but may attract a partial male audience.

Race: Any, however it may appeal to a more British/ American audience.

Education: Whether or not they will be able to grasp the concept of the film.

Occupation: They may be able to relate to the characters and there line of work. It also means I need to research the type of work my characters have to make sure it represents the people who actually have that job in a respectable manor.

Current Lifestyle/ Aspirational or desired Lifestyle: They may be able to relate to the emotional rollercoaster involved.

Media Interests: The audience members would probably be interested in similar media’s which are linked to my plot line of the film. So they would be interested in watching things which include drama and makes them feel for the characters as though they are partially responsible.

The reason why I think this about my target audience because I looked into the type of audience ‘Charlie St. Cloud’ brought in – ‘Charlie St. Cloud is a wholesome movie that will appeal mainly to the 10-20 year old female market, but will charm older viewers as well.’ I also looked into the target audience for ‘War Horse’, which seems to be more of a widely ranged target audience but seems to be lenient towards the older generation for they are able to relate to the war references.

Atonement Analysis

I chose to look at ‘Atonement’ because it is situated with the drama genre as well as includes a reference towards the war which is something that I was considering to apply to my piece. ‘Atonement’ is also a film which includes romance and because of this it is a film which is considered to have the majority of females for its target audience. Things which promote this film more towards females are things like having an attractive male main character as well as having a plot which looks at the emotional issues with social class, love and war. It also carries a slight mystery with it making you guess what’s happening to keep you gripped with the story. This piece may lean towards a female audience as well as towards more of the older generation, for they can relate to the having let the ones they loved leave and risk their lives in the war. However it may bring in an older male audience as well because they are also able to relate towards the war and the sacrifices they made, as well as attracting a young adult male audience from the attraction of war and the respect and courage they admire to.

The ‘Atonement’ trailer starts with referencing to the social circles the two main characters are in, telling us that we know they should not fall in love because it is look down upon for ‘He’ is working class and ‘She’ is upper middle class. However it pushes the idea into our heads that we know by the end of the film they will fall in love even though others may not approve. However it then leads into a scene where the woman emerges from the fountain soaking wet and she and the main male character share a look that implies their relationship and pokes you in the correct direction.

The forbidden love is then over seen by the woman’s younger sister, Briony, who mistakes their love for one another as an act of rape and him taking her vulnerability for granted resulting in the male character, Robbie, being arrested for accusation of rape. For the imagination of Briony’s childish mind made everything spin in the wrong direction, making her accuse an innocent man. The attraction of all of this dramatic action makes a person want to look into the real truth behind the story and to understand what happens from the false accusation.

The trailer carries on to reveal Robbie heading into war with thousands of other troops, for he took his choice to be in the war than rot in a jail cell doing nothing. This makes the piece an emotional reverting trailer drawing your attention to the attraction of our past and the war. It also shows the growing love Robbie and Cecilia have for one another even though they were ripped apart by the actions of Brinoy.

Briony then, in her later years during the war and working as a nurse, writes a novel on her life story, as though she is trying to relieve herself of the guilt she has for her past actions and wishes to change it.

It then ends with a type of slow paced collage of shots which seem to sum up the heart wrenching moments in less detail than the film gives. This tells us that this is a film which holds a lot of emotion beneath it portrayed through the dialogue and the music.

All of this helps to bring in its target audience because it includes a huge amount of information which can be overpowering in the 2 minutes 31, therefore leading its audience to want to watch the film to really understand what all of the action is for.

The music is one that provokes emotion from the beginning, for it starts with a piece of calm light-hearted music with the main instrument being a piano. It then leads in to a piece which seems more daring and lustful, ending in a dramatic stop to the music to hear Robbie shout “Briony!”. Turning into a more fast paced upbeat piece implying intensity and a moment of being scared and frightened, yet it is controlled as though there is a sense of arrogance which ends again with a sudden stopping beat and changes into a soft, loving, and sincere score of music, implying his innocence. It then leads on to a more heroic piece of music while the war is referenced, with beating drums and violins as though already we are respecting the dead and all those who sacrificed their lives for our future. It builds to a crescendo ending in a piece which holds the emotion from the characters and the action that lies within the trailer.

As part of the sound included throughout the trailer there are things such as the dialogue, giving us the information about the plot of the story. It also has things like the sound of the type writer included intermittently through the beginning implicating the whole story is just that a story; it is also used for a beat in one of the pieces of music. There is also a voice over included at the end of the trailer telling us the actors involved in the film to promote it further as well as telling us the name of the film.

The unique selling points of this trailer are the actors involved who include: Keira Knightly and James McAvoy, both of which are famous actors who’ve appeared in many well known feature films such as Keira Knightly has appeared in the world famous Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean and James McAvoy has featured in X-Men first class and the series Band of Brothers. The war is also considered as a unique selling point because everyone is interested in the war, wanting to know what it’s like and the connection to our wars we’ve experienced as a country up to this date.