In our production we have used few props due to the connotations raised by the use of many of them. The genre of our film generates a content that is not generally suitable for people under eighteen and as a result we have had to try a create suggestive scenes to create the image in the audiences mind rather than actually show the graphic detail.
We have however, decided to use a knife in a single shot but not with any reference as to how it is used in the films narrative. We are relying on the audiences prior knowledge to link the prop with the genre and then come to the conclusion as to what it may be used for. I play the individual who uses this prop in the film and just as a prior warning the scene may seem very intimidating but as a result the entire profile of the film is raised.
Other than this the film is largely dependant on the setting and narrative to tell the audience what is hapening on screen and as a result we have employed the use of a trained actor (Rafid Abdul Hussain) to play a role alongside myself to give a more proffesional appearence to the production.
Filming our teaser trailer has taken longer than expected though we feel the extra hours were well worth the effort as it has resulted in a much more thoroughly thought out, professional piece.
Midway through the filming process we were unfortunately inhibited by the weather as it was snowing for around a week. This would break the versimilitude of our film and wipe out the realism if one shot was dry and the very next snowy. So we felt it was a wiser decision to put in hold until the poor conditions subsided.
Another problem we found whilst filming was that the actors could not all participate on the same day. It proved bery challenging to actually find a day in which no-one was busy. However we took full advantage of these days by filming for hours on end, taking several shots on one thing and then later deciding which one to use in our teaser trailer.This tactic worked well as it meant we could experiment with different shots and not be bound to just one. On some of the shots it took a group vote to decide which one was the most effective.
Acquiring the props and renting out the camera and other equipment also took strong organizational skills. As well as this we asked a variety of people living on the estate that we were filming on to appear in our film as extras. Though they were not part of the original casting we believed they would add a strong authenticity to the film as they had a greater genuine understanding and knowledge of what life on the estates was like, through their own personal experience. Now that we are well into into the late stages of editing, we are comfortable that our piece shall be completed by the deadline set.
For our teaser trailer to reach it's full potential we had to put a lot of thought into our time management. Without this we may have fallen behind schedule or not had enough time to make changes to our production.
Christmas Holidays Ideas for teaser trailer task are thought of and noted down.
Week 1 Detailed storyboard is written including script.
Week 2 Planning for production begins.
Week 3 Finalised planning of mise-en-scene, editing, shots and narrative is completed and added to blogs.
Week 4 Filming begins.
Week 5 Filming continued.
Week 6 Filming continued.
Half Term Reflection of preliminary exercise and current project.
Week 7 Filming completed.
Week 8 Editing suite software is used to begin editing the teaser trailer.
Week 9 Voiceovers are used and added over the piece.
Week 10 Soundtrack is chosen and added to the teaser trailer.
Week 11 Editing is finished and final touches applied to our coursework.
Week 12 All post production evaluations are posted on our blog.
To use lighting in the right way is a very difficult skill but once mastered can be very effective in creating character representations. For this reason we have payed careful attention to this during production.
Most of our teaser trailer was filmed on an overcast day in the late afternoon. This gave the film a darker, grittier edge than filming in bright sunshine would have. However this meant that capturing the light in our shots at the right moments was tricker than we had hoped.
Nevertheless we were able to achieve this during the continuity editing in which Rafid and Alex attack Mat down the alley. Rafid's face is often left in shadow to giv him a far more menacing and mysterious image. The light is often shone towards Matt to show him as the good character and one looking to escape the troubled lifestyle.
Even the indoor shots use little light as we want to convey to the audience the feeling that this is a dark film which does not glorify the concepts included in the narrative.
We have gone to great measures to make this film as appealing to our target audience as possible. We have aimed our film at teenagers and young adults who can relate what life is like in urban areas where turf wars are common occurances. Giving them the right impression is a must if they are to be persuaded to eventually watch our film.
Very little dialogue is used as the teaser trailer focuses mainly on the action shots which are combined in a fast flowing montage. Shots of opposing gangs, and conflict between them are shown repeatedly to show the audience what the film is about. We are going for a niche market which would be of most interest to males, and so have decided not to include many females in the teaser trailer. Shots of the location are included and an extended scene down an alley way is used to give the audience a clearer idea on the narrative. Still shots of the characters are taken and briefly held to inform the audience of the cast, and the film name is left right until the end of to keep the audience in anticipation.
Modern gadgets such as blackberry phones are used along with young characters to show this film is marketed at teenagers. As well as this the music track used would also appeal to youths living in urban areas. The film does look rather dark from the start but we felt this would be a more effective method of conveying the philospophies of the film than to try and use too many enigmas and shifts in time and narrative.
Ensuring the characters are wearing the correct clothes to suit their personas is vital in creating a believable narrative. Therefor great care has been taken to kit them out properly, to produce the characters we envisaged.
Rafid Valenciano wears very intimidating clothing to fulfil his 'gangster' role. This includes black hoodie, silver chains, dark jeans and black bandana. Alex Cox his partner is represented in much the same way through the large white hoodie, jeans, and footwear. However their counterpart Matt Rayburn has a different style though living in the same area. He wears lighter jeans, 'abercrombie' hoodie and has a longer scruffier hairstyle to match the look. This distinguishes between the two classes and warms the audience towards Matt Rayburn's character.
This aspect of mise-en-scene is very important in identifying the characters. Despite the teaser trailer being relatively short the audience can tell just from the costume that this is an urban film which concentrates on youths and the representations they hold.
In terms of an overall production, the software and quality of technology we have used is a huge talking point. The upgrade of the editing suite for this production has enabled us to push our trailer into a much more accomplished position and has enabled us to present the footage in a way that can influence how we are trying to make the audience feel and think more effectively.
The Adobe software gives us a much broader range of tools to extend our production from a no budget filming task to a more extensively proffesional teaser trailer. We have made great use of the new technology and have by doing so managed to create some very interesting an thought provoking shot transitions and lighting effects to aid us in dictating the narrative to the audience.
We have used the time creation tools to great effect and have been able to slow down pivotal moments of the trailer with the purpose of focusing the audiences attention on these shots and sequences. This tool has also been used to make some shots more flowing such as the 360 degree angle due to the fact that they were very difficult to film at the correct pace.
I ave also this year been able to record an audio file with a voice over meaning that the soundtrack also sounds much more proffesional than in previous tasks. I have created the melody and the lyrical input meaning that the entire production is of our own creation from the resources given. The layering of other recordings also assisted me in the creation of this audio file meaning that not only does the soundtrack fit the production perfectly it also sounds as though it has been worked on for a longer time period that actually was.
In this production we also used voice overs to improve the dialog quality. In our last production this was a real issue and we have seen great improvments through this technique. It has taken a bit of time but the results have been well worth the effort.
As our planning and production have progressed and we have devloped our ideas on what to include and the techniques we should use to create the effects and audience representation we want. When we began planning we had a very basic idea of what we wanted to create and as the acyual filming of this idea began we have built upon it and managed to challenge many sterotypes and perhaps traditions which makes our production very contreversial.
We have ensured that all important areas of the narrative have been included and in some parts have repeated the filming process of these shots to gain the best results and shot effect. This has meant that the the result has been exactly as we invisaged giving our production, far greater integrity than perhaps our previous attempts in preliminary tasks.
We also used documents such as storyboards to great effect and through doing so it has made the filming and editing process much easier and quicker leaving more time to perfect the other perhaps weaker elements of our overall production.
I asked 20 random people of different ages to take part in this questionare. I sent it over facebook making it easier for them to send me the results. This is the audience feedback we recieved:
1) What aspect of a teaser trailer excites you the most?
a) The producers and directors b) The setting c) The actors d) The narrative
The highest scoring answer was c) therefor we shall include credits in our teaser trailer giving the name of the actors as it seems to have a persuasive effect on the viewer.
2) What would you rather see evidence of along with a crime drama?
a) Romantic clips b) Elements of humour and comedy c) Neither I would prefer it kept to its main genre
The highest scoring answer was c) so we shall keep the majority of scenes to violence and tension.
3) Which genre of music do you think would best suit our a film along the urban football hooligan narrative?
a) Hip Hop b) Grime c) Punk Rock d) Drum n Bass
The highest scoring answer was b). This is probably because our film is obviously english and so an english genre of music would adequately suit this.
4) In a teaser trailer do you prefer to be shown:
a) Hardly any information on the film keeping you in the dark b) A selective release of information on the film keeping you guessing c) Lots of information leaving relatively little to the imagination
The highest scoring answer was b) This was unsuprising and means we shall have to take great care in how much of the plot we expose and at the same time not wrap the film up in too many riddles.
The film was based on the 80's crime drama series Miami Vice in which the stories of cops bringing down gangsters was told. Therefor after this teaser trailer was brought out, everyone was expecting a great movie. Though the film itself was seen as a let down in many peoples eyes, I think the teaser trailer itself is effective in what it is trying to convey.
We can see it is a universal film so most likely to be on a big budget. It informs us the director of the film is Michael Mann, which are both very successful films. The big name actors Colin Farrel and 'academy award winner' Jamie Foxx are also included towards the end of the teaser. This is a great tactic in attracting the audiences interest, as they use names of companies, directors, and actors which are well established in the film industry so people trust it is going to be an enjoyable film.
Much less is given away about the narrative, maybe because fans of the series will already know more or less what to expect. The trailer begins with fast paced single shots which fade to black, increasing the enigma. Themes of the film are included through the shots of stylish cars, impressive planes, and ski jet. We can see this through the many clips of shooting, fighting and chase scenes common in crime dramas. The shot of the camera moving from under water to over water is interesting as it may represent the expected increase in popularity of the old series- as it goes from sunk to suddenly alive. Other links to the TV series can be seen when the film name is revealed at the end of the trailer, backed by blue and red police car lights, which would excite old fans of the series. The trailer ends with an extended close up shot of the two cops together, which contrasts earlier shots of them seperated. Not only is this true to the narrative of the actual film, but works in showing them united and building a bond between character and audience.
Dialogue is only used at the beginning of the teaser trailer, both are important quotes from the film. In between this the soundtrack of the song, which was very popular at that time, is played. This also works in increasing audience familiarity to the trailer. Many locations used in the film are captured in this short trailer, as this was widely reguarded as one of the greatest stengths of the film. Quick editing used throughout deifnately works in keeping the viewer guessing, and many of these typical conventions of teaser trailers shall be employed in our own piece.
This film is also a crime drama similar to our own which is why I have chosen it to analyse. The narrative follows gang violence in London and uses grime artists and their tracks on the trailer.
The trailer begins with the opening credits of the film company met by the backing track of Tempz- Next Hype, a well known song amoung fans of grime. This instantly attracts fans of the song as they are greeted by familiarity, and so are persuaded to watch the rest of the trailer.
The opening shots are interesting in how they are slow and use a reverse motion. This ties in with the plot on how society has taken a backward turn and now in 2015 things must start moving forward again. The shots are important as they include significant dialogue, a powerful backing rythm, and introduces the main characters but on the back foot. As the pace of the sound and the shots increases simultaneously, we learn more about the situation of the narrative. A character played by grime artist 'Bashy' is heavily advertised to the audience in order to increase the appeal of the film.
As the trailer progresses the characters are seen to be fighting back against their hardships. This something we wanted to incorporate in our own work. Going against the general rules of narrative, we do not start with equilibrium, but with jeorpardy, and this is fought against throughout the trailer to be left hanging in the balance. The dialogue here is extremely important in how the characters are represented to the audience. For example when Adam Deacon's character shouts 'I'm not killing anyone' we cans see he is someone moving against the violence.
Scenes of courtship, clubbing, and a live performance by Tepmz is included after one minute to add a different element of the film. Whilst the previous shots have heavily used the common denominator of males and violence, these shots including amorous activity will attract females to want to watch the film, as will the appearance of an urban celebrity.
The ending of the trailer is most effective in accurately reflecting the nature of the film. Fast montage editing is use in conjunction with the music and every shot is one of someone getting punched or beaten. The name of the film is finally revealed together with the slogan: ''If your not one of us, your a victim'' and it is wrapped up with a slightly longer shot of Bashy the most well known of the grime actors throwing a final heavy punch and then the release date immediately following on screen. The way it is shot is as though it's driving the message into you albeit in a violent manner, and the end sequence definately worked in exciting me about the film.
The technique used is something I would really like us to use in our own teaser trailer, as I feel it works so well in enforcing the message. Furthermore the mise-en-scene used improves the trailer's versimilitude. Things like red buses, grafitti, council estates tell the audience they're in London. The clothes used, especially during the shot of the all black gang really gives an imitidating feel through the use of bandanas, hats , hoodies and other ghetto clothing used. Zoom-in shots of small details such as nike tickets show the urban culture and class of the characters, and these shots also work in drawing importance on cetrtain images (for example close-up of shoes whilst the man is running). The continuity of appropriate clothing, sounds and location is something we shall certainly be checking in our own work on a regular basis.
The film 'Shank' has a big advertising campaign as the grime actor Bashy wrote and sung the theme tune for the film: 'When The Sky Falls'. As well as being a popular tune, the video uses many other grime artists such as Dot Rotten and Giggs in order to show the support and promotion popular faces like these are giving the film. Short clips of the film are also used in the music video to maximise the interest around this film amoung young fans of grime across the country.
