Health and Safety

In order for everyone to be safe during the filming process we needed to consider the risks involved and how we could prevent them.

We used a swimming pool as our location for filming the underwater scenes, and therefore this involved people having to hold their breath for a long period of time, which could have lead to alterations in breathing patterns. We reduced the risks by taking regular breaks to ensure people were not out of breath. 

Another hazard is that for some scenes, we filmed with a tripod, meaning there was a trip hazard. In order to prevent any injuries we made sure there was warning and reminders that people should take care when near the camera. 

We also shot some scenes near a fire, which of course created a lot of dangers. We made sure that no one got too close to the fire to reduce the risks of people getting burnt or getting smoke in their eyes. 

History of Romance Genre

Filming Equipment

We used a GoPro Hero 4 Silver to film our underwater footage. It was very easy to create clear shots that we could then edit to create the dramatic scene.

The rest of our filming was shot on a Canon EOS 600D DSLR camera. The settings allowed us to change the shutter speed and alter the exposure and aperture, as well as the focus to create professional looking footage. We set the shutter speed to 50, which was around double the frames per second (24) as this is the recommended setting to create cinematic footage. 

We used a tripod to stabilise some of the footage in order to create a contrast to the handheld footage.

Behind the Scenes - Filming Underwater

Celtx

We used Celtx to put together our storyboard, as it allowed us to clearly organise the different frames chronologically, as well as select the type of shot, description of action in the frame and the length of the shot. 

Storyboard

We put together the storyboard using the software Celtx, as it enabled us to clearly order the shots and add text to describe the shots and also add a suggestion to the time limit

Mood Board/Video

Instead of creating a mood board, we decided to collect some footage and create a montage that would reflect the feeling that we want the film to create. It is likely we will use some of this footage in our final trailer, and the song used in this montage ('Magic Trick' by Jack Burns) is the song we will use in our trailer. 

Call Sheet and Shot List

Audience and Genre Theory

Talent Sourcing

When making the transition from AS to A2, we knew we had to think more carefully about who we cast. We wanted to make sure we cast people with skill in acting so that the performances were convincing. 

We cast Jack Burns as the role of Archie, as we felt he had a look that would make the audience warm to him, and that also made him look more vulnerable than the antagonist, Robbie. Jack studies Drama at A Level, so we knew he had acting experience.  

We cast one of our own group members, Jordan Winter, as she had a very convincing performance, as she was able to portray both a girl hopelessly in love, and was also convincing in showing her distress during the breakdown sequence. 

Location Scouting

We are aiming to create a very rural feel to our film trailer, so the locations we use are extremely important. To gain some research I went out and had a look around my local area and found a footpath separating two fields. The open and vast view that can be seen from the path could work extremely well for our film. 

Visionary Sheet

My Black Swan Poster

I was inspired by the four 'art deco' style posters I found and created this simple, minimilistic poster on Pixlr. 

Black Swan Poster Research

This is the poster for Black Swan that was used most frequently in the build up to its release. I think that it is effective as it is clear about the ballet theme of the film, but the red eyes make it clear that there is something quite sinister about the film.

However, I also stumbled across these posters for the film which really captured my attention. The 'art deco' style of them shows a complexity in the image, and requires the viewer to look deeper into the picture to discover the depths of it. 

 

 

Black Swan Theatrical Storyboard

My Teaser: The Editing

I turned the saturation down to 47% on all clips so that the colour was more similar to that of the film itself.

I filtered the image with iMovie's 'Grain' filter to create older, more authentic looking footage, as this was the style of footage that was used in the opening of Black Swan, where she is dancing. 

I used GarageBand to create the sound

I recorded myself humming the Black Swan Theme

I then turned up the reverb to 100

I considered enhancing the tuning but it sounded to modern and not authentic enough

Black Swan Teaser

This is my self made teaser trailer for 'Black Swan'. I filmed my friend dancing and then I found a black feather and took some shots with that as well. I then edited it together using iMovie. 

Trailer History

Trailer Analysis 4: The Martian

It's a little loud so turn your volume down a bit before you start watching!

Trailer Analysis 3: The Avengers Age of Ultron

It's a little loud so turn your volume down a bit before you start watching!

Trailer Analysis 2: Poltergeist

It's a little loud so turn your volume down a bit before you start watching!

Trailer Analysis 1: Cinderella

It's a little loud so turn your volume down a bit before you start watching!

Theatrical Vs. Teaser

Below are 20 trailers, ten teaser and ten theatrical of the same film. You can see from watching them there are some similarities but also some vast differences. 

Comedy - Dear White People - 2014

Romantic - Cinderella - 2015

Thriller - San Andreas - 2015

Horror - Poltergeist - 2015

Sci-Fi - The Martian - 2015

Fantasy - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - 2007

Drama - The Imitation Game - 2014

Western - Django Unchained - 2012

Action - Avengers: Age of Ultron - 2015

Documentary  - Camp 14: Total Control Zone - 2012

The Difference Between Teaser and Theatrical Trailers

The difference between teaser and theatrical is simple:

Teaser: A teaser doesn't give much detail about the film itself, it normally only contains a few clips. Often these clips are filmed just before the real footage is filmed. You are not in a position to be able to get an insight into the storyline of the film, just perhaps the genre and potentially the style. 

Theatrical: On the other hand, the theatrical gives the audience an insight into the storyline and gives many details as to what the audience can expect from the film. There is often a lot of dialogue and a larger chunk of the film is shown. The footage is real film footage and is normally released shortly before the release of the film. 

I grabbed all the frames from the trailer and put them together chronologically on iMovie. As you can see by this comparison of trailers from The Hunger Games, the frames used in the Theatrical are vastly different to those in the teaser. 

As you can see, the teaser consists of just one location with the main character - The footage resembles a couple of the key moments of the film and gives the audience an onsite into the character of Katniss Everdeen, but the storyline is unclear. The theatrical on the other hand has around 11 locations and is driven by dialogue. The frames are roughly chronological but stops about half way to two thirds into the film, so that the ending is not given away. 

AS to A2: Research and Planning

AS to A2: Reflection of my Learning

AS to A2: Post-Production

AS to A2: Real Media Conventions

AS to A2: Digital Technology

AS to A2: Creativity