Lighting research

Camera shots can be highly important in creating an effective film trailer for example a handheld camera shot is conventionally used to create the feeling of being chased or to give a sense of being watched. Lighting is also a key element are group are looking at as effective lighting can be a key element involved in creating the feel of 'fright'- vital for a thriller, it is also important to consider lighting fro our film trailer, as the wrong lighting may make the makeup (fake blood, wounds etc. appear redundant and un-realistic).

Lighting:

For our film trailer, the lighting is incredibly important for each shot/scene. We are most interested in looking at lighting which can help create a foreboding/ominous mood. Unlike a supernatural film, we don't want to suggest other worldly events i.e. a film centring possession may use lights to create light orbs and reflections to suggest the paranormal.  To achieved the desired atmosphere i'm looking into using shadows, and the effects of using different types of lights.

Key elements to lighting:

(side lighting)

• When lighting, it is important to control the lighting direction- for example a high angle will cast shadows under the eyes- a good technique if you're trying to make a character appear weary or crazed. 
• A technique I discovered online, Is called side lighting- it consists of using a light, or (if we can find the resources using several lights) and focusing it on one side of something. This lightning technique works well with most mise em scene, but particularly on face's.
• When used on a face it, will have the appearance of creating a divide between the two half's of a persons features.
• We are thinking to use this technique on a protagonist in our film trailer, as it can imply that that character feels conflicted about something, or that there is multiple aspects to their persona.
• Side lighting is a technique used to bring out shadows, as lighting props/faces from the side creates shadows which emphasises textures.
• Shadows- conventionally create eerie, spooky atmosphere, good to show hiding scenes or to make something enigmatic.
• If we wanted to emphasise a particular part of mise en scene i.e a rock covered in face blood, side lighting would create small shadows, in the groves of the rock giving it a more dramatic look- a technique that would work well with the genre of action/thriller as bloody garments and gore are conventionally essential to creating a thrilling atmosphere.

• I also researched into how to create silhouettes- finding that back lighting is really good at achieving this. If you have someone stand in front of a bright light source, then you only see their outline, their form. It’s difficult to “see into the shadows” to see their face, or the texture of their clothing.

• Another important thing to consider whilst using lights- is the intensity or brightness. For example using a dim level of lighting- can be useful to create an impression of drunkenness or disorientation, especially when combined with a handheld camera shot, as the effect is shaky and can create confusion for the audience.
• However using dim lighting can also have it's down sides as an overly dim shot can result in loss of detail and poor quality camera shots.

                                                                    

Character representation- Father figure

Character representation - Father figure

For our character of the fatherly figure I will be analysing the character of Bryan Mills from the film 'Taken'. This is because Mill's characters holds many of the attributes that we wish to exploit and display in our father figure.

(Below is the trailer to the film Taken)

Traits of Bryan Mills' character that we could replicate:

• Strength- The father in Taken constantly is depicted demonstrating his strength throughout the trailer, he exploits the stereotypes of a modern hero, (rescuing his daughter from distress). Similarly I think our character should have elements of this valiant nature too, as it appeals to an audience to have a strong lead character and this is also in keeping with our surveys results.
• Protective - one of the key elements to the fatherly role, as is shown in the trailer above, particularly  in the mid shot where the daughter is dragged from beneath the bed, is the idea of his determination to find and protect his daughter. I think this trait identifies with an older target audience, as it relies on the audience having an understanding of responsibility and care, which is ideal because our film trailer is aimed at mid teens and above.
• Authoritative- Bryan Mills is an ex CIA agent and as such has a natural air of authority, although our character wont have the same background, he can still have a subtle authority among the other characters. Which we could show through use of levels or in the angles we use to film our characters for example if we film our father figure from a low angle, this will create the effect of making him seem physically higher than other characters and this is conventionally a sign of power and authority.
• In command- Conventionally the common media image of a father figure is a leader figure, the character looked up to by others, and this trait we definitely want to exploit in the film trailer as we need someone to play a leader role.
• Although our father figure may not actually be playing the role of an actual father he can still demonstrate these traits.

Sound/Dialogue -

• "I will find you, and i will kill you" - demonstrates the idea of power and authority.
• "I found him, he's dead." - emphasises his protective trait- he would go to the extreme of killing, to protect those he cares for.
• "I would tear down the Eiffel Tower if I had to" - shows the trait strength and conviction. Two key traits our character will have.

The father figure in Akeldama is similarly to the character of Bryan, having to kill ,and use violence in order to for fill his role as a father, making most of the traits explored in taken transferable to our character. The traits above will help us when choosing an actor to play the role, and with script writing.

Weapons research - firearms

In our trailer, we would like to include the use of firearms to stick to the conventions of our genre and to add more suspense to our end product.  Because the use of real firearms is prohibited we have to look for fake/synthetic alternatives.




The Airsoft Rifle is a commonly used imitation rifle. These can be spring, battery or gas powered and fire as an air rifle - blank rounds.  They closely resemble a real rifle, though often have the orange ring at the end of the muzzle, which would need to be covered in order to replicate a real rifle.

 

The Imitation LMG strongly resembles a real LMG (light machine gun). LMG's are machine guns but are small and light enough to be held and shot as a rifle.  They are impressive visually but an imitation could not fire blank rounds, so shots would have to be considered with this type of gun.

 The Airsoft Sniper Rifle is very similar to the airsoft rifle but has a longer sight and muzzle and resembles a sniper.  Sniper rifles are an extremely powerful precision rifles.  They were developed for the military and can shoot a target over a mile away. 

 

The BB Hand Gun very closely resembles a side arm hand gun and so is visually impressive.  It shoots BB pellets which could be used but only in a set up controlled zone.  It is most importantly visually realistic.  

 

The BB LMG is similar to an imitation LMG, except it can fire and it is more visually impressive.  However it is a very powerful gun and therefore not very practical to show it firing for safety reasons. 

Character Representation - Eris

Sadistic - Eris

For our character of the sadistic woman I will be analysing the character of The Bride from the film Kill Bill as I feel that she holds the sadistic qualities we are looking for in Eris.

The main traits we can receive from the Bride are:

• Her lack of care for the woman she inures
• Her cold heartless nature
• Her anger
• Her lack of compassion
• Her focus she holds on her victim
• Her skill in fighting
• Her cold stare

Even though she doesn't say anything, her character is very distinctive through her facial expression and movement in the scene which i think is a successful technique in showing a sadistic character.

The other sadistic character I am going to analyse is The Joker from Batman: The Dark Knight.  His performance shows that he is psychotic and enjoys making people suffer which is why I think he is relevant to our character of Eris.

 

The main traits we can receive from the Joker are:

• His enjoyment in making people suffer
• His twitchy psychotic movements
• The way he dresses up in a nurses outfit and wig - he is putting on a show
• He hums a song which shows he is crazy and enjoying what he is doing
• His lack of nerves
• The scars on his face show past suffering
• He often flicks his tongue out like a lizard - metal tendencies
• He skips from the building as it explodes behind him - surreal and disturbed

His dialogue emphasises his traits, and there are some good ideas that could be used in our trailer

• He says "Do I look like a man with a plan?" Shows he is impulsive and unpredictable
• Throughout the film he keeps repeating "Wanna know how I got these scars" which shows he is affected my his past but proud that it has made him like he is.
• His tone of voice remains always calm even when he is being attacked by batman.
• He often laughs out loud to innapropriate things like talking about killing someone - shows how deranged  he is.

I think that  the Joker's tendency to want to put on a show and his enjoyment of other people suffering along with references to his past are all very good influences for our character of Eris.

Character representation - Drake

Marksman - Drake

For our character of the marksman I will be analysing the character of Private Jackson from the film Saving Private Ryan as I feel that he holds many of the qualities that we desire to show in our character of drake.

The main traits we can receive from private Jackson are:

• His fearlessness
• His trust in his weapon
• His trust in God
• His obedience
• His speed and agility with his weapon
• His calm attitude

His dialogue emphasises his traits, and there are some good ideas that could be used in our trailer

• He speaks to his rifle when he is shooting several people at once. He says "Come on baby" which shows how much he values his sniper and personifies it to show he is putting his trust in it.
• His quotes from the bible are also very emotive and effective, the scriptures chosen are extremely relevant and that shows how he is calm because he trusts that his God is looking after him. He says "My God I trust in thee, Let me not be ashamed, Let not my enemies triumph over me," and then he takes the shot.

 These scenes with Private Jackson's dialogue are very iconic and give him very strong characterisation, which would be useful to apply to our character of Drake in our trailer.

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. 

Actor appearance - weak female victim

Weaker victim woman:

• Katie Featherston plays herself in 'Paranormal Activity' and is the victim of the demon who is haunting her house. She is the typical victim in terms of that she tries to run away from the antagonist. 
• Her appearance is typical of a victim as she is about average in weight and height. She is also average in terms of how attractive she is - the audience are meant to believe this film is a home video so it is important that the actors are not too unusual in any way. 

• Paris Hilton Plays Paige Edwards in 'House of Wax' from 2005. She is the typical girly, dumb blonde victim. 
• The audience doesn't relate her as much as the stronger female character because she is very skinny and more pretty than average.
• This character is almost a joke as it is someone who is hard to relate to and fits the stereotype of the dumb blonde getting killed - she dies early on and its because she was running away rather than putting up a fight.