Trailer Youtube link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vETR5_y0dxU&safe=active

Editing of the poster

Editing process

• We had a variety of ideas for our film poster.
• In order to choose the best one, we decided to produce our ideas as a poster individually to see which one would have the biggest impact.
• Our first idea was very simplistic, which involved the use of a main image of all protagonists in the middle of a plain black background.
• We achieved this idea by using Adobe Photoshop and an online photo editor called 'iPiccy.com'.
• Using Adobe Photoshop, we cut around each individual protagonist and layered each cut image onto one large white background.
• We then changed the britghtness, contrast and colour by using 'iPiccy.com'. We also 'vignette' this photo so that it faded into the black background behind the image.

• Our second idea was to further cut the individual character images into close up shots so that we can only see their facial expressions, which we thought would build tension amogst the audience.
• We then places the cut images onto a landscae black background.
• We took inspiration from an 'X-Men' film poster, shown below.
• Again, we used the online photo editor 'iPiccy.com' in order to place the images onto the black background.

 

• We then came across another idea, in which we used Adobe Photoshop again to produce.  This time, we wanted to see what our poster would be like if it was at the same format as the X-Men poster itself. 
• We used blue light beams to separate each individual character close up while slightly altering the typography to match the theme. 
• However, we came to the conclusion that the theme gave a futuristic feel and did not suit our action-thriller genre, therefore, we did not use this idea as our final piece.

X-Men film poster

• Our final decision was made when we decided to remove the blue light beams, and stuck to simplicity as we have noticed simplicity in many other action-thriller film posters. 
• We continued with the dark background which suits our film genre. 

Final film poster

Typography

I have been looking at different posters to see which typography is best suited for our Akeldama. I have been looking at exiting posters for similar themed films to see how they have continued the theme in the typography and have tried using similar fonts to them.

The writing on the poster for The experiment' is based on army stencilling. 'Death Race' uses a font more based on that found in racing video games but still has be worn away to resemble an old stencilled sign. 

 This is a solid stencilled font. 

The bottom font it more directly based on army stencilling.

This is also a solid font that we were first considering, as it looks gritty and distorted. However, this is more suitable for a horror/sci-fi genre rather than a thriller, therefore, we are not going to be using this font.

Tagline

• For our tagline, we wanted something that stands out and involves the audience. 
• To do this, we may involve a question directed at the audience. 
• This is to get the audience thinking about what they would do in the situation if they were in the film themselves.
• Our final decision for the tagline is:  1 million viewers, 24 hours, 5 players, 1 survivor. 

• We thought this tagline was appropriate for our genre and storyline, as we have noticed a few other taglines within the same genre that are similar.

• We also wanted to add text at the beginning of our trailer to give the audience a clear idea of what the film is about. In the film trailer 'Arena' (2011), the first thing that is heard is diagetic dialogue saying 'Going live in 3,2,1...'. 
• We took inspiration from this, but other than as a voice recording, we put it into text as we were already using a voice-over further on in the trailer. 

Poster information

Conventions of a film poster:

• Title (to tell audience what the film is called i.e Akeldama)
• Tagline (appropriate for genre and film)
• Keep in genre (to let audience know what type of film it is, and to attract the target audience)
• Same typography (as the website and teaser trailer)
• Ratings (such as 5*, 4* etc.)
• Release date (to tell the audience when the film is going to be shown in cinemas)
• Main starring actors (to attract 'fans' attention and increase film popularity)
• Pictures relate to film (appropriate images)
• Golden rule (to allow the audiece to move their eyes aruond the whole poster to take in all info)
• Focal picture (to firstly attract the audiences attention. Eye-level)
• Info on production companies (to tell the audience who produced the film, and to increase popularity)
• Accurate use of language (approprate to the genre and film, and to allow all ages to be able to understand)
• Images are clear (so that audience can easily see the images, and relate to the film)

Potential photos to add to poster

 

• These are pictures we may add to our poster including all four extreme close ups of each other the characters eyes. This gives a sense of mystery and enigma towards the audience which is what we want to portray.

Our final actors

We have made a final decision on our main actors in our film.

The following shows the profiles of our actors and their descriptions: 

1. Debby Voshart

Age: 25

From: London

Experience: Actor, Dancer, Musician 

About: Debby has had a wide range of experience from appearing in professional music videos to being a 'living statue'. 

Character: Nyla

2. Shen-Chien Tsai

Age: 28

From: London

Experience: Model, Actor

About: Shen-Chien has had a wide range of experience including participating in the London Olympics, the stage show 'Othello' and 'Romeo and Juliet', and starring in the film 'Hummingbird'. 

Character: Malory 

3. Farah Speer

Age: 18

From: London

About: Student

Character: Della

4. Curtis Stewart

Age: 17

From: London

About: Student

Character: Jesse

Filming: Day 1

Day: 1
Date: 18-11-12

Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm

Group Members Present: Danielle, Summer, Farah

No. of Actors Present: 1/6 actors

On the first day of filming, following our shooting script, we knew which scenes we wanted to film this day. Although, we were limited to one actor that day, which also limited our choice of scenes.

Filming

• We filmed many shots of the actor including one where he is being chased and is running away, being trapped in a cellar through railings, and aiming and shooting a bow and arrow. 
• We made sure we had more than a few shots on each section so that we can choose the perfect shots for our trailer. 

 

Location/Mise en scene

• We chose to film the shots near a pub, as there were more mise en scene in the area that would be good for our storyline.
• We included large bolders from a nearby park, which were good to portray being enclosed away from the outside world, and also for the actor to run and jump up on. This adds to the action of the trailer.
• We noticed that there were many barbed wire around the tops of walls, which was a great find for us. We took this at our advantage and filmed this as it would represent the impossibility of escaping.

 

Character head-shots

• We made sure we captured enough head-shots of the actor which would be useful when producing our poster and website. 

 

Props

• We had a range of set-props we could use in the area that were naturally there, such as rocks and sticks which were used as weapons for the character.
• As it is autumn, we noticed a vast amount of leaves and foliage around the park area and pavements. We used this to our advantage by ruffling the leaves to make wispy sound. We also filmed a shot of the actors feet, while running and being chased, which would make a good shot to use for our trailer montage.

 

Makeup

• This was the first day we tried the makeup/facepaint on the actor.
• We were very pleased of the outcome, as the makeup was subtle but noticeable and has a great impact on the scenes.
• We used black and brown facepaints for dirt and scratch marks, and fake blood for cuts and wounds.
• It looked very realistic and would be a great addition to our film trailer, website and poster.

 

Sound

• We found and recorded a vast range of sound for our trailer that day. This included the rustling of leaves, screaming of the actor being chased, and clanging sounds from metal bars.
• We used a voice recorder to record individual sounds so that we can add them onto each shot while editing in the process.

 

Complications

• The majority of our set actors could not make this day of filming hence we only had one actor. Although, we worked around this issue by focusing on this character and making sure we successfully complete the filming and capture head shots for this character.
• Throughout filming, delay was caused by cars passing whilst filming scenes on the road. This interfered with the camera work and also produced unwanted excess sound. 

What to do next

• Next week, we will have more actors on the day of filming, therefore, we will be able to get more shots done.
• We will focus on the character head-shots for our website and poster, so that all characters have a profile photo.
• We will film many short shots of the characters running, chasing and interacting (fighting) with each other for the trailer.

Website layout research

Conventions of typical film websites

• Videos - we can inbed our finalised teaser trailer onto the website which would give the audience easier access to it while finding out what the film is all about in one video.
• Photo gallery - we will take multiple-angled photos whilst filming to input into the photo gallery section on our website.
• Info about the film -example, how much it is, what it’s about etc. - the 'about' section would be shown in a tab on the home page also, for easy access for the users.
• Promotion of the DVD etc. - we must state when the film would be released in selected cinemas etc.
• Distributional Links - to facebook, twitter pages. This would show that our film info would be very distributional to grab a greater potential popularity.
• Menu - to provide easy access and navigation throughout the website.

(menu from 'Fermats Room' website)

• Text - The font must be suitable and easily readable for all ages but directly aimed at our target audience of males and females 18-30.
• Title - This is essential to allow the viewers to know exactly what film's website they are looking at. It relates back to our typography in that it must be memorable and stand out for the viewer to remember and focus on it in the future.
• Theme - Includes colour schemes and the genres conventions. It must relate to our film and include dark colours such as greys, browns and blacks and also bright but dangerous colours such as red, yellow and orange (to signal fire and destruction).
• Sound - We can include sound in the background to build up tension amongst the website. This would make our film seem more professional and eye-catching. It would draw the viewer in by using the sensory system of sound aswell as the use of eyes to view the website.
• Easy to navigate - This is essential so that the viewer does not get easily confused throughout the website and knows exactly where to find what they are looking for.
• Don’t have to scroll down the page - This would be great because all the information that the viewer needs would be on the homepage in one sight, so that the viewer can monouver their eyes around the webpage without the effort of scrolling and looking for more info. This would be the first piece of info and data the viewer would see, therefore, would be best to have the most important information directly in eyes level as it would make a better impression for the viewer to find out more about the film.

Character Representation: Hunger Games

 

Katniss Everdeen - Clever, Parental figure

• For Katniss’ (the main protagonist in the film) representation, I have chosen ‘clever’ and a ‘parental figure’.
• In the film, Katniss is clever and cunning as she knows the way to survive throughout the games using water, shelter (hiding places) and warmth.
• She is portrayed as quiet, independent and fierce. This adds to the sense of cunningness and slyness that is needed to be able to claim victory in the games.
• Katniss also acts as a sister figure towards Rue (the youngest, timid character) as she says ‘reminds her of her sister’.
• She looks after Rue throughout the games, partnering up to make a team. This shows that she still has feelings and does not like the whole idea of the games and being forced to kill others.

Peeta Mellark – Wimp, peaceful and clever

• For Peeta’s representation in the film, I have chosen ‘wimp’ and ‘peaceful’ as the sub-categories.
• In the film, Peeta is a charismatic character, which helps him during the games. He is also seen as caring, which means that he doesn’t want to kill, and would just run away and hide, and also have feelings for the main protagonist, Katniss, thus, being a ‘wimp’ and a ‘coward’ and ‘peaceful’ for not contributing to the games and the cameras filming him for entertainment. 
• Although, Peeta is a smart character who uses his limited skills in art to help camouflage him to hide and survive throughout the games. 

    Rue – Wimp, peaceful and clever

• Rue’s representation in the film is similar to Peeta’s. Although, she is much younger than Peeta, she is very timid, shy and wary of others and her surroundings.
• She uses her limited skills of tree-jumping carefully and easily throughout the games and to hide from her opponents.  
• I have used the word ‘wimp’ to describe her as she hides away in the trees and just waits whilst her competitors fight to the death, which in a way, is clever itself. 
• She is also peaceful in the fact that she is not worried or scared, but just shuts herself away from her surroundings and what’s happening around her. 

     Clove - Sadistic

• For Cloves representation in the film, I have chosen ‘sadistic’. This is because, in the film, she has her eyes set on killing, and loves the idea of the Hunger Games. She loves to be centre of attention and even says ‘Let’s put on a good show for the cameras’, whilst torturing and trying to kill one of the other opponents in the games.
• Clove is described as arrogant and strong. She is skilled with weaponry, mainly knives. This gives her a sense of dangerous and non-trustworthy personality. She is known not to miss her target. 

Production Companies

I have researched different production companies which are relevant and suitable to our film genre of a thriller.

 Hammer Films productions

• Hammer films is a British film production company which produces horror, thriller, and science fiction genres.
• Produced thriller films such as ‘Straight on Till Morning’.
• Even though this production company produces some thriller films, its main genre market is horror, which may influence us in our final decision as we are looking for production companies which are relative to most thriller genre films.

        Columbia Productions

• This major film production company (one of the Big-Six) is very well known and would therefore make a good impression for our film trailer.
• This company co-produced with EON Productions which is best known for producing James Bond films which are action/thriller films. This would be relative to our film and its genre and would therefore, be ideal to use.
• This company produced ‘Salt’, ‘Skyfall’ and ‘Men In Black’, which are well-known thriller films so this would be good to use for our film, as it is relatable to the thriller genre.

        Revolver

• Produced many different genres of films, including the thriller/horror films ‘The Silent Scream’ and ‘The Limits of Control’.
• It is a well-known label that we could use effectively in the start of our film trailer.
• The company operates partly in London which means that it would be great to use as it is set in Britain. 

Gamer (2009) poster deconstruction

·         This film poster would be great inspiration for our film.

·         The background image of one man (the main protagonist) is shown which builds tension amongst the viewers.

·         The protagonist is looking directly at the audience, giving eye contact. This involves the audience and brings them into the film themselves, making them want to watch it.

·         The protagonists face is shown being distorted as the middle of his face is seen to have been smashed in the centre, forming a vertical jagged line down his face. This could represent two sides to this characters’ personality or that this character is on the verge of breaking down, or is being ‘broken’ by someone or something else. This could also indicate that the outside of his face represents one personality, whereas the small face that is ‘trying to get out’ of the black and white face is his contrasting personality. He could be trying to be someone else on the outside, whilst hiding his true personality underneath.

·         The colour scheme of the background is shown in black and white

·         The typography of the title is shown in block capitals and in the colour red. The colour red has negative connotations of blood, danger, death and destruction. This gives an ideal representation of the film itself, relating back to its genre of thriller.

·         The title is shown near the bottom of the poster, centred. This allows the audience to move their eyes around the poster, whilst also looking at other things shown on the poster, which also allows the viewer to get the image of the poster in their head, making it more memorable.

·         The tagline is shown directly underneath the title which also allows the audience to manoeuvre their eyes to find it, whilst looking closely at the whole poster.

·         The tagline is shown also in block capitals, mirroring the font of the title above. The colour is white which juxtaposes the genre of thriller to give a sense of innocence that this character and film might also represent – we have to watch it to find out how the innocence is portrayed.

·         The tagline is also shown as a question. This question is directed to the audience that is looking at the poster. It involves the audience so that they feel like they are part of the film themselves, therefore, making the audience want to watch the film.

·         At the very top of the poster, centred, is the main protagonists name shown in block capitals and also in red, which suits the scheme of the poster and relates to the thriller genre. This would also stand out and grab this actor’s fans’ attention, giving the film more popularity.

Woman In Black (2012) Poster deconstruction

• The typography is very ghostly which relates to its horror genre. It is like chalk-esque fading white font which is immediately noticeable to the eye and provides a sense of eeriness and supernatural being to it.
• The tagline asks ‘Do you believe in Ghosts?’ This gives a clear idea that the film is based on the supernatural and addresses the audience directly and makes the audience feel involved.
• Well known actors name, Daniel Radcliff, is shown on the poster contrasting to the black background which makes the text stand out and attracts the actor’s fans.
• The text has an eerie feel which suits the genre of the film. It is shown in white who is also ghostly. It is also shown in a light blue tint which insinuates negative connotations of cold and ice.
• The same colours blue and white are merged into the colours of the main protagonists eye in the poster, which insinuates that this character may have some ghostly past in him too.
• An obscure image of an eerie face is subliminally hidden and distorted in grainy monochrome colours. This adds a sense of enigma/mystery within the film. The face has dark circles in replace of eyes so we cannot see who or what this is which also adds to the enigma of the film.
• Image of Daniel Radcliff shows direct eye contact with audience making them feel involved and shows he is a dominant character in the film. 

Terminator Salvation (2009) poster deconstruction

• Plays on the conventions of the golden rule. The main image of the skull is in the middle, but upside down. This allows the audiences eyes to move and manoeuvre around the poster in order to come to grips with what the image actually is, whilst looking around at the whole poster taking in all the information such as the release date, the title and the actors in it.
• The eyes of the skull are the main focus. The colour red is illuminated and lit up which is suggesting that the skull is ‘still alive’.
• The red has negative connotations of danger, pain, death and destruction. The red contrasts to the overall background colour scheme of brown, black and cream – natural. This makes the red stand out and eye-catching to the audience, relating to the horror thriller genre.
• The background illustrates a fight, destruction scene which gives away that the film is about action.  This imagery links to tagline ‘We fight back’ which also relates back to the genre of the film.
• The typography is very metallic, robotic, futuristic and artificial. We can take this as inspiration as it would be a great look on our typography.
• We can see thick, dark grey/brown smoke emerging from the mechanical works of the skull body, which relates back to the metallic/futuristic feel and industrialisation. This adds to the action of the film relating back to its genre. 

Editing research

• The lengths of each shots/scenes in a thriller film determine the speed, pace and mood of the film. Short scenes indicate fast-paced, whereas long scenes indicate slow-paced.
• Slow editing is mainly used in action thriller films to create a dramatic effect. It can create suspense and can build tension. It shows action shots in depth and in detail to the audience to see exactly what is going on and shows how the scene is so important.
• Fast editing can also add drama and tension. Techniques such as time lapsing would speed up the continuity of the scene, insinuating time moving faster.

Pulp Fiction trailer:

• In the Pulp Fiction trailer, there are numerous jump cuts used in order to show the different scenes within the film, whilst adding to the drama of the film. 

•  Tracking shots are used to follow the footsteps of one of the characters in the film. This builds up tension and makes it look like the audience is following him, showing the he is a dominant, important character in the film. 

• As seen here, text is put onto a black background using CGI. This is shown interfering in between two shots. This adds tension to the trailer, and makes the word get stuck in the audiences head whilst watching the rest of the trailer. 

• The title shown at the end of the trailer is seen with the image flashing white when gun shots are heard. This is good to add to the effect of action and give away that the film is about guns, fighting and death. 

Editing Techniques that would be useful in our thriller trailer

• Montages would be useful in our film trailer as it is the most used editing technique in all trailers. This is because they build up tension whilst using fast-paced music to build up the climax of the title and a final 1 second image.
• Jump cuts would be useful to show the same image in a clip but from different camera angles, cutting to show different points of view.
• Shot reverse shots would be useful to watch and listen to a conversation between two characters in the film, whilst getting a close reflection of the characters emotions and expressions.

How to: Explosions

Youtube Tutorial 1:

This tutorial shows us how to make a large popper/snapper bomb. It gives us an in-depth description, giving us details of what you need to be able to make one (such as tiny toy 'snapper bombs'), and how to assemble it together.

This has influenced us into making these for our film. Although it does not make an actual explosion that we want. this would still be great to use for subliminal sound in our film. The crack and pop sounds would be good to use in fight scenes adding to the effect and tension of the scene. 

Youtube Tutorial 2:

This tutorial gave us a better understanding of how to make real fire explosions. This type of explosion is just the right size for us to use in our film, therefore, would be a great addition to our film. This video gives us a step by step guide as to how to make it using binder clip, cinder block, a tube, a funnel and a coffee creamer.

This video has defiantly influenced us into practising and using this video as a guide to explosions.

Explosions using Windows Movie Maker (CGI):

This YouTube tutorial shows us how to create virtual explosions via Windows Movie Maker. This can be our alternative idea if we cannot produce a real version of one. It would give the same effect but more an intense explosion that we may not have been able to produce for safety reasons. 

This can be our backup idea if our real explosions do not work. It can also add to the explosions that may work on the day to make the scene more dramatic and action-packed. It would make the explosions seem bigger than they actually are which is great for us to use if needed.

The ‘jiggle’ effect is how to make the camera move and jolt while the ‘explosion’ is used. This YouTube video also gives a tutorial on how to make this ‘jiggle’ effect which would be great to add to our film for extra drama and tension. 

Mise en scene Research

• Mise en scene can determine the genre of our film alone, therefore is an important aspect to look into.
• Props such as cars, guns and briefcases (see ‘Props research’ blog post) add to the sub-genre of a action-thriller film. It shows that there will be a lot of stunts and action in the film which is very important for us in reaching our target audience.

Location

• Location is very important as it affects the conventions of the thriller genre. Run-down, abandoned warehouses would be ideal for our film as it would portray a sense of eeriness and enigma and would support the thriller genre. 
• The weather is usually dark and cloudy in thriller films, also creating a sense of enigma and gives the dismal theme in the genre.

Lighting

• Lighting such as low key and high key can be used in different rooms and surroundings. 
• Low key lighting would be used to give a sense of eeriness and danger to the scene, adding to the sense of isolation.
• High key lighting would be used to show characters emotions clearly, and could indicate a bright and happy scene. 

Makeup

•  A lot of makeup is used in thriller films such as fake blood and wounds, because there would be a lot of fight and death scenes. 
• Makeup such as red lipstick would be used for one or two of the female characters to show dominance and can give a sense of romance and manipulation if used in the right shade.

Decor

• Decor is an important element to put into a scene in our film. It can be used to signify characters emotions by the use of colours (such as cold blue colours to warm red and orange colours).
• It can also indicate social class, background, and age of the character by using old or new products and the use of new technology to represent the younger generations and older technology to represent the older generations. 

Screen Space

• The use of screen space is also very important in our film.
• Limiting the camera to one small section/corner of a room or building shows how confined the space is and how isolated everything is around the victims. It gives the audience an insight into how the victims feel.
• An open spaced area shown on camera allows the audience to see how airy and free the characters in the scene are. This also allows the audience to see and feel what the victims do. 

History of the genre: Thriller

History of thriller films

• The aim of thrillers is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats.
• A thriller is a villain-driven plot, where he/she produces obstacles for the ‘victim/s’ to overcome.
• Common sub-cultures include psychological thrillers, crime thrillers and mystery thrillers.
• Homer’s Odyssey is one of the oldest stories in the Western world and is regarded as an early prototype of the thriller.
• One of the earliest thriller films was Harold Lloyd’s comic Safety Last! In 1923.
• ‘Rebecca’ is a well-known psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940.
• 'Arena' (2011) is a film we deconstructed, in which we looked for camera angles, mise en scene, sound and editing techniques that would be useful for our film e.g close up shots etc.

Conventions of a thriller

• Suspense/tension from micro elements such as sound, mise en scene, camera work etc.
• Battle against good and evil
• At the beginning, there is usually peace which is then disturbed by a particular event.
• Shadows
• Anticipation
• Terror
• ‘whodunit?’
• Danger
• Hostages/ransoms/captivities
• Mirror/reflections
• Death
• Threats
• Quests
• Stairs
• Climax
• Darkness
• Enigma
• Action

• Tracking and Pan shots are common within thriller films

• Close ups

• Long shots

• Fast paced

• Heroes are often men as they are ‘macho men’ who are familiar to danger.

• Protagonist normally seen ‘in peril’

• Screams

Conventions of a film website

• Videos
• Photo gallery
• Info about the film for example, how much it is, what it’s about etc.
• Promotion of the DVD etc.
• Trailer/links
• Menu
• Networking links
• Title
• Theme
• Sound
• Easy to navigate
• Don’t have to scroll down the page.

Conventions of a film poster:

• Title (to tell audience what the film is called i.e Akeldama)

• Tagline (appropriate for genre and film)

• Keep in genre (to let audience know what type of film it is, and to attract the target audience)

• Same typography (as the website and teaser trailer)

• Ratings (such as 5*, 4* etc.)

• Release date (to tell the audience when the film is going to be shown in cinemas)

• Main starring actors (to attract 'fans' attention and increase film popularity)

• Pictures relate to film (appropriate images)

• Golden rule (to allow the audiece to move their eyes aruond the whole poster to take in all info)

• Focal picture (to firstly attract the audiences attention. Eye-level)

• Info on production companies (to tell the audience who produced the film, and to increase popularity)

• Accurate use of language (approprate to the genre and film, and to allow all ages to be able to understand)

• Images are clear (so that audience can easily see the images, and relate to the film)