PLANNING: RECCE LIBRARY LOCATION 2

After a struggle to get the public library in Esher to work for us, we decided that we should look for an alternative option to film in and so we decided to use the library we have on site at school, as we found it would be more convenient and we would have more freedom using this new location. It works well for us as it is true to the mise en scene we would like. Also the library is laid out in a way that we can use tracking shots and pans. This works well for us when we show the protagonist female following a "trail" of sticky notes around the library. Another positive for using this library is that we can provide our own lights in order to ensure we have the best quality footage possible and everything is clearly visible to an audience.

PLANNING: UPDATING MY TRELLO

Today I updated my Trello by moving across what I needed to do into the doing column and what I was doing into the Done column.

RESEARCH:JOINING FUTURE LEARN (COURSE ON SHORT FILM)

Today I joined the short course, 'future learn'. By joining future learn, this meant that I could gain a deeper and broader look into short films and the professional short film industry. The course gives examples of actual current short films and analyses them. Because the course is open to anyone there is a lot of information coming from all different perspectives and opinions.

RESEARCH: SNAPCHAT CASEY NEISTAT

I have made a SLIDESHARE to display my research on Casey Neistat and Snapchat. 

RESEARCH: RADIO TRAILERS SUPERMAN

The radio trailer opens with, 'Sooner than you think you'll believe a man can fly'- which is the tag line of the film itself, mixed with the introduction of recognisable theme tune from Superman. 

The trailer then entices the audience in by building up tension and expectation for what they will say next, "nothing you have ever seen, heard or imagined, will ever prepare you for this reality, Superman..."

The music fits with narration as when narration pauses the soundtrack is amplified. 

The narrator then addresses a target audience directly, 'Superman is now the film' this attracts a fan base that already have a liking for Superman through the comics. As well as addressing a large audience of young people interested in comics and superheroes. 

The idea of a modern look and a spectacle is suggested through, 'awesome technology of modern film' this makes it sound new and exciting.  As well as it would intrigue an audience thats interested in the effects and visual amazes. 

The trailer draws to a close with the Directional information, familiarising the audience with the creators of the film: 'Alexander Salcon presents a Richard Donner production'.  

The last information the audience hear is the vital information they need to actually view the film. The narrator says, 'certificate A, now at six west end and selected suburban cinemas'. This leaves the audience with the information they need and is a good marketing technique. 

See the trailer here

RESEARCH: STAR WARS RADIO TRAILER

• This radio trailer opens with sci fi sound effects of light sabers. This instantly sets the theme and genre of the film as sic-fi fantasy. 

• 7 seconds in the narration starts introducing the name of the film, "Star wars", the voice is made dramatic and distorted in order to convey the genre, sic-fi. 

•  "is great family entertainment", sets a target audience and indicates early on who the film is appropriate for. 

• "still showing on the giant screen at the dominion, Tottenham court road", indicates to an audience that the film has already been showing for a while, suggesting it is good enough to still be showing to audiences. It also gives clear indication as to where it is being shown, in order for audience to go and see it. 

• In the closing of the trailer, the narrator gives the information of, "certificate U", this provides the audience with all the information required to see the film.

• The trailer finishes with the films tag line: "May the force be with you", the final selling point of the film.  

• To subside the radio trailer, an alien/robot sound effect plays out, this sound is from the actual film, giving the audience a taster, showing off new technologies from the film.

See the trailer here

RESEARCH: JAWS 2 RADIO TRAILER

The trailer open with the recognizable theme tune of Jaws, as this film is a sequel it all ready had a market audience, who will relate to the tune as soon as first heard. This helps to signify genre as the music builds starting off quiet and slow and then building until finally reaching a crescendo. This sets the genre as action and adventure, instantly telling the audience what to expect from the rest of the trailer and film.

 The first section of narrating comes in almost instantaneously with, 'The legend continues'. This tells to the listener that the film is obviously a sequel, it also conveys a genre and theme of action and adventure as the word 'legend' is normally associated with people going on adventures.  The introduction of dialogue taken from the actual film begins around 3 seconds into the trailer, with "That's a shark", this gives the listener a taste of what to expect from the actual film, as well as giving away a few memorable or important moments from the film that would entice an audience in.

The trailer finishes with the narrator telling all the vital information about the film such as where and when it is being shown, 'in the west end and all over London NOW' and the rating it has been appointed, 'certificate A'.

See the trailer here

RESEARCH: RADIO TRAILERS

Today we looked into radio trailers for films using the 1970s radio adverts for cult movies. This is a very rich resource which displays many radio adverts. Most have a clear formulaic structure:

Introductory soundtrack with key sound codes that not only signal genre but also can be a recognisable sound that signify a particular film.

Followed by sound and dialogue from the actual film, this hints to the plot and provides a taster for the audience. This section usually contains dialogue which does not need visuals to back them up. It is usually fairly simple and only 15 seconds long.

Finally the trailer concludes with information about when the film is released, where it will be screening and what rating the film has been awarded. This leaves the listener with the important information required to go and see the film and is usually delivered within the last 8 seconds of the trailer.

RESEARCH: TARGET AUDIENCE RESEARCH

I have made a picktochart to display the information I acquired about target audience.

RESEARCH: FILM POSTERS

To illustrate my research on both blockbuster film posters and short film posters, I have created a Visme.

RESEARCH: SHORT FILM POSTER COLD

Today we researched short film posters for the short films we had previously researched.

• The short film Cold, It was developed by Ryerson University Media Department.

• I found was released straight to Vimeo and so I assumed it did not have a print film poster. After searching for the film poster, I came across the film's twitter page, in which their profile picture seemed to resemble that of a film poster.

• On the films website they have posted a teaser trailer, which gives a quick snippet of the film. It gives a incite into the genre and the style of the film. 

• The poster uses dark blue and green colours, to suggest a sad or dramatic genre and plot. The image is of a city scape, Toronto, where the film is set. The image is not crisp and clear as you would except instead it is foggy and dismal. It appears to have water droplets over it, in order to suggest rain or snow thus reinforcing the title of Cold. The title itself is fairly bold and plain and does not seem to invite the viewer in, this is cleverly done in order to convey the theme and idea of the film. After viewing this poster the viewer is left feeling frosty and ominous.  

RESEARCH: HIGH MAINTENANCE FILM POSTER

This film poster has many useful and interesting qualities. They used a screenshot from the actual film which shows an extreme close up of the leading females face. By using actual footage from the film this allows the audience a taste of the film and could entice them to want to se it. 

The lighting used in the poster highlights her face and makes her seem glowing, and beautiful. The extreme close up gives the viewer a clear and insightful look into her thoughts and intentions as you can clearly see her facial expression, she looks somewhat upset, torn and menacing. 

This is done deliberately to attract both a male and female audience as women could relate to the women and see that she is one of the main focuses of the film. The male audience would be drawn in by the woman beauty and be intrigued to find out more about what she's doing. 

RESEARCH: FILM POSTER FOR THE CRUSH

The crush did not seem to have a film poster, although I found this screenshot which displays a scene from the actual film as well as the title of the film. The shot displays the main concept of the film, the young boy gazing lovingly at his teacher. The lighting in this shot is dream like and loving by being bright. This is done deliberately to position the child as innocent and naive. The poster is effective in portraying the genre of the film, as it has a soft look and uses neutral colours. The title itself is effective as it is as if a child has written it with a piece of chalk.

RESEARCH: FILM POSTER FOR FILL ME IN

The Fill Me In print poster, conveys the genre of the film as well as an idea into the plot line. It is a fairly simple design which highlights the three main characters of the film. The text itself is cleverly designed to look as if it had been filled in with colour, linking it too the title,"fill me in". The poster also incorporates a slogan, "Would you give him a second chance?", the tag line signifies the plot well as it tells the viewer that something is going to go wrong.  By having a central male character with two females either side of him suggests a sense of conflict or unfaithfulness. The target audience is young adults, this is made apparent by the young actors and their costumes, as they are wearing modern day 

RESEARCH: TARGET AUDIENCE PROFILE

We decided to make a Target Audience profile to ensure that we know exactly the type of audience we are hoping to attract with our short film. We thought about possible ancillary products our target audience would use or be interested in, ranging from electronics to books an other movies.

RESEARCH:RECCE FINDING A RESTAURANT LOCATION

Today we went in search of a possible location to set our restaurant scene we wanted somewhere that would allow enough space to film but still have the mise en scene of a restaurant. We chose to select the round bench like tables, found outside the dining hall at our school. We decided that we could dress the tables up to look a lot fancier and more convincing, we could do this with table cloths, candles and cutlery. 

This shot shows a close up of the table we will be using.

This is a shot taken from a window above the table, it shows a possible camera angles we could use. 

This shot shows a possible camera angle which encompasses two tables, reinforcing the idea of a restaurant.

RESEARCH: RECCE FINDING A LIBRARY

Today I went down into Esher to explore possible venues to stage our library in. I inquired about possibly using the local library to film in.

The reason I liked this library was because it was well lit, whereas our school library is fairly dark and we would have to use artificial lighting in order to get a decent shot. The layout of the library was also highly effective as we wanted to have shots whereby you see the "nice guy", hiding around corners and watching the girl. The library was laid out with a somewhat open plan flooring which would work well for establishing shots and setting the mise en scene. It also had a selection of little carrels and cut off sections which we could film the more quiet and intimate moments.

The inside of the library showing the front desk.

The layout of the shelves, showing possibilities for a selection of camera shots. 

The outside of the library in Esher, showing the signposts and car park.