Equipment We Will Use

Camera

The camera that we used to film our opening two minutes is a Canon EOS 500D. It is my camera and I am also a photography student so I know how to work the camera. I also taught the others in my group how to use the filming setting so that they knew how to use it if i was not there or if i was in a scene and couldn't be behind the camera. Recording a clip is very simple as you just turn the dial on the top of the camera on the top of the camera to the movie setting and by the screen on the back of the camera is a small button that is clearly labelled as the record button.

We now have two of the Canon cameras due to another member of our group now owning one so we can record shots from two different angles at the same time.

Tripod

Another piece of equipment that I have is a Miranda 500 tripod. Its legs extend twice and the total height of the tripod with the camera on top is about 5 foot off the ground. The tripod allows the camera to capture smooth and steady shots which you can do for taking images and also video. It is not hard to understand how to use the tripod so it wasn't hard for the others to understand.

Adobe Premier Elements 10

The final piece of equipment that we used in our film was Adobe Premier Elements 10. It wasn't majorly difficult to use but we had a few complications along the way of editing our film. Billy was our chief editor. Before we edited our movie we had never used this software. Before we edited the movie we had to learn the basics of the software. Billy did a very good job of editing the movie and it looks professional even though there is a lot more that we could learn about Adobe Premier Elements for the future.

Film Log Day 3 - Dubai

For the third day of filming the main aspect of it was the eventual skydive which we two of our group did, we were able to get a prolonged shot of the two characters as the skydive company provided an additional cameraman whom filmed us on the way down. However we are unsure whether it is of high quality as we would of preferred a shot from a gopro as it would of allowed us to focus primarily on what we wanted to film instead of what the cameraman was filming. One of the main issues with this scene if it was included is the inclusion of an instructor in the film as we had to skydive with someone professional as a requirement and so this may make the shot not usable in the final film trailer.

Before we actually went skydiving we took some time to film some other skydivers in case we wanted to place a specific focus on the skydive for our film trailer. This included them on the descent down from the plane and them landing to give us options on what to use if need be. When the cameraman was filming we were asked to give an interview and constantly update which could allow us to incorporate some adventure type qualities into our trailer.

Film Log Day 2 - Dubai

After filming a large proportion of shots with the cluster of buildings, we then decided to visit the Burj Khalifa as it would give us something memorable to use during the trailer. We took various different shots of it from a car as to present the background as well as the main building. We got the building from various different angles and directions to give us a large assortment of shots which we could also possibly use in our film. With both locations for an establishing shot we may also be able to incorporate them as a short scene in our trailer as it helps highlight what the audience could expect to see in our film.

Whilst driving around in Dubai we filmed a large proportion of the scenery you would see out of a car window just to show the audience of the culture of Dubai as a whole and to help showcase the exact storyline of the film trailer in Dubai. Whilst we were doing this we managed to get some shots of when we went on the sand dunes for a Jeep Safari in which we were filmed the cars whom were positioned behind us on the sand as to possibly be used for some sort of chase scene.

Vertically panning shots were mainly used with the Burj Khalifa as we wanted to have some shots focusing on what many consider to be the symbol of Dubai as a whole and so would act to entice the audience into watching the film. The Burj Khalifa was a bit difficult at times to film as we couldn't fit all of the building in the shot when we were positioned near it but from a distance it was reasonable, we took many shots around the Khalifa and from inside it as well. We filmed from the 124th floor as to get the city skyline from a high angle to show the audience as much as possible. We took varying shots in terms of angles as we were able to get relevant shots of what it looks like looking down form the building or up from the bottom of the building.

Types Of Shots We Could Use

Aerial Shot

An exterior shot filmed from the air. Often used to establish a (usually exotic) location.

Arc Shot

A shot in which the subject is circled by the camera.

Close Up  Shot

A shot that keeps only the face full in the frame.

Crane Shot

A shot where the camera is placed on a crane or jib and moved up or down. Often used to highlight a character's loneliness or at the end of a movie, the camera moving away as if saying goodbye. 

Deep Focus Shot

A shot that keeps the foreground, middle ground and background ALL in sharp focus.

Dolly Zoom Shot

A shot that sees the camera track forward toward a subject while simultaneously zooming out creating a woozy, vertiginous effect. 

Dutch Tilt Shot

A shot where the camera is tilted on its side to create a kooky angle. Often used to suggest disorientation.

Establishing Shot

A shot, at the head of the scene, that clearly shows the locale the action is set in. Often comes after the aerial shot.

We plan to use an establishing shot we got from Dubai as well as shots from London and maybe Paris to help establish the setting of the movie, We will do this by  using shots showing major landmarks in the city, for example from the Burj Khalifa, the Shard and Eiffel tower.

Handheld Shot

A shot in which the camera operator holds the camera during motion to create a jerky, immediate feel.

High Angle

A shot looking down on a character or subject often isolating them in the frame.

Library Shot

A pre-existing shot of a location (typically a wild animal) that is pulled from a library. Aka a "stock shot", it says this film is old. Or cheap. 

Long Shot

A shot that depicts an entire character or object from head to foot. Not as long as an establishing shot. Aka a wide shot.

Low Angle

A shot looking up at a character or subject often making them look bigger in the frame. It can make everyone look heroic and/or dominant. Also good for making cities look empty.

Matte Shot

A shot that incorporates foreground action with a background, traditionally painted onto glass, now created in a computer.

Medium Shot

The shot that utilizes the most common framing in movies, shows less than a long shot, more than a close-up.

Over The Shoulder Shot

A shot where the camera is positioned behind one subject's shoulder, usually during a conversation. It implies a connection between the speakers as opposed to the single shot that suggests distance.

Panning Shot

A shot where the camera moves continuously right to left or left to right. 

POV Shot

A shot that depicts the point of view of a character so that we see exactly what they see. Often used in Horror cinema to see the world through a killer's eyes. 

Sequence Shot

A long shot that covers a scene in its entirety in one continuous sweep without editing.

Steadicam Shot

A shot from a hydraulically balanced camera that allows for a smooth, fluid movement.

Tracking Shot

A shot that follows a subject be it from behind or alongside or in front of the subject. Not as clumsy or random as a panning shot, an elegant shot for a more civilized age.

Two Shot

A medium shot that depicts two people in the frame. Used primarily when you want to establish links between characters or people who are beside rather than facing each other. 

Whip Pan Shot

A shot that is the same as a pan but is so fast that picture blurs beyond recognition. Usually accompanied by a whoosh sound.

Zoom In Shot

A shot deploying a lens with a variable focal length that allows the cinematographer to change the distance between camera and object without physically moving the camera.

Costume Research

This is what we would like the main antagonist to look like in our film, we want him to wear black because it is usually a sign of power among the elite especially when it comes political figures. He won't necessarily be involved in the action sequences rather he will be the instigator of the film who gives the secondary antagonist the plot line.

We would like the main protagonist to look like this, the colour blue is more associated with good guys in traditional thrillers especially James Bond films as they would like the main character to stick out. 

This character will have a smaller role in the film, he is wearing casual clothes because he is less involved in the plot of the film, for the moment we are thinking of only using this character in split second editing perhaps with a shotgun to help emphasize the action genre.

The last character will be the secondary antagonist in the trailer, we won't necessarily see his face all that often as many of the shots will either be long shots or shots purposely avoiding his eyes so that he is less relate-able. The grey suit helps us to realize who the character is straight away by the colour of their suit

Logo #1

The logo we are looking to use in our film will look something like this, like the logo last year there will be the name IFM studio's meaning the independent film making studios as well as keeping a forest in the background. The pictures we have chosen to use are all from the non copyright website pixabay which has 480,000 pictures which anyone can use.

 We edited the pictures in Adobe flash, Adobe fireworks and Photoshop to alter the images to the desired level. For example the titles needed to be made to look like the moon in the background was having a direct effect causing the white to black fade in. We would like to animate the picture so that when it comes up at the either the start or the end of our trailer both the moon and the wolf's eye will glow, I would also like the borders of the picture to either fade out or become darker, this will help the audience to get an idea of what type of company we are.

 Seeing we are aiming for a 15 audience we know that the logo needs to be appealing especially seeing it will probably be one of the first things they see, the effect we have created will help draw in the audience as it is something which really catches the eye not just in the foreground but the background as well as there is quite a lot of features involved to give it this sort of effect.

Film Log - Day 1 - Dubai

The first day of filming largely revolved around the filming of an establishing shot of Dubai, we were only there for a week they had to film their required footage during this short time period. We set about getting the establishing shot but were undecided on where we would want the footage to be shot, it was between a group of buildings by the beach or the Burj Khalifa which we will have to decide on which one is the better option. We started off by filming the cluster of buildings as they were located in close proximity to the hotel we were staying at and so was easily accessible to us through the public beach or through some sort of boat.

We focused on panning shots which largely used a horizontal style of panning as we deemed that this would be the best in terms of effect for our trailer. We tried to incorporate a wide range of speeds when filming the establishing shots as to allow us to have a large amount to possibly use or edit to suit the needs of the trailer we are trying to create. Most of the shots we got of the buildings were from the ocean as to give us a shot of the beach as well as the buildings to help highlight the exotic qualities of Dubai for our trailer. The panning shots varied substantially in height and speed to allow for many options when it comes down to selecting the shots we can incorporate into the trailer.

Lastly on this day we set about developing a scene in which we see one of the main characters engaging in conversation with an unknown person. This scene proved rather easy to do as we did it in the hotel room we were staying in and so we didn't have any interruptions from other people staying in the hotel. We ensured that we didn't include any labels of the hotel as to not specify the exact hotel, overall the scene we created was of decent quality but we were unsure of whether it was suited for an action trailer as it was rather long. The main feature of the scene involved the character where we set about gathering many different shots as to add to the effect of the scene. We got various shots including a match on action and over the shoulder shot to portray the plot of the scene, albeit effective the main feature of the scene was the nose down shot of the character as they engage in the conversation with the mystery person.

Location Research

In our film trailer we decided that one of the major factors we consider important in a trailer is the locations as you would assume to see some memorable landmarks in a trailer especially if the movie is an action or thriller movie. Conforming to these ideas we largely agreed to film around London as it is local and easy to get too, so in doing this we would incorporate various landmarks into our scenes, so this could include a long shot of the London Eye in a chase scene for example. We primarily thought of the idea of using Paris as another location as we understand that multiple locations are required to setup the individual qualities of the trailer and so we selected Paris as like London it is not too far away and so we would have to take a day trip. The last location we have is Dubai, which Matt and Bill were able to go to due to a familial occasion and so we can incorporate the different culture of Dubai compared to the more western styling of London and Paris and so emphasizing the landmarks shown. 

This is the Dubai skyline which we plan to use in the trailer as Matt and Bill are staying in close proximity to this beach when they go to Dubai and so this would be easy to access and thus making it effective to portray in the film. We plan to use these buildings as a symbol to the Dubai culture as well as including the Burj Khalifa as it is eye catching to the audience and it is the symbol of Dubai.

We are also planning to feature London as our prominent location in the trailer as it is the most easily accessible  to us as a group and as we know London well and so can find the ideal locations to film the relevant scenes. We are planning to incorporate features of a chase scene and maybe a fight scene to help add to the action qualities of the film. The shot of the parliament building could be interesting to use as we know that there is a bridge nearby and so given us a high angle shot on any scenes we would film around that location as to add depth and effect to the storyline being portrayed.

Paris is another option as it offers more iconic landscapes to use throughout our trailer. We would probably focus the filming around the Eiffel Tower as it has some open areas around it so that we can freedom to film what we may want from there. We found this location on Google Maps which could be an ideal location as it provides the background of the Eiffel Tower whilst also allowing us to use the stairs in a similar way to our London scenes as they could be effective at portraying a chase or fight scene to a high degree of quality.

Mood Board

This is the mood board i have created that is of the action genre. From this mood board we can see that it is mainly males that take the lead in action films as they are portrayed as strong and determined.

There is always guns featured in action film as the antagonists are always shooting at the protagonists and vice versa.

Certificate research

Universal
Universal is suitable for any audiences aged 4 and over. This age rating is for very young viewers as the film will not contain nudity, gore or bad language.







Parental Guidance
PG stands for Parental Guidance. A film is suitable for viewing but some scenes are unsuitable for young children. The content may upset a child so the age encouraged to watch the fils are eight or older.









12 Rating
12 rated movies are suitable for people aged 12 and over, however, people younger than 12 will watch a 12A which is a 12 movie accompanied by an adult.











15 Rating
15 rated works are unsuitable for anyone under the ages of 15. The film could contain scenes of explicit natures like violence, stong language and sex.
In our movie we are aiming for an age rating of 15 because we have gone with the spy/action theme or our trailer which can contain violence and bad language.

18 Rating
Movies that are rated 18 are only for adults and no younger. The movie would certainly not be suitable for children. The 18 rated movies could contain: very strong language, sex, blood and gore.

Idea for Trailer #1

possible scene in Dubai

• Establishing shot of the Dubai skyline from the beach/Burj Khalifa/busy streets etc.
• A narration needs to be present explaining the idea behind the film, for example you could talk about an international crime syndicate
• Phone rings in the hotel room, two or three rings to add a decent effect

Bill: has to pick up the phone, can change from a medium shot of the flashing button to a match on action shot of a hand picking up the phone, this shot then needs to change to show the phone going against this characters ear, we can get a proper shot from the nose down so the character is less relate able to the audience, it also creates a sort of ominous presence about him as we can only see half of his face and only hear his voice.

Conor: we can have a conversation go on between the two characters where it will be like they are talking from different sides of the world, e.g. Dubai and London, we presume his character is the main antagonist or at least the leader of the plot, he would say something along the lines of "listen to me very carefully, what you're about to do will make you rich"

Bill: the other character will then respond by saying "yeah what do I have to do" this line is symbolic of a thriller as it is almost like he has already accepted the mission at hand without finding out all the details, the shot will cut to a close up of his face where it will once again show him from the nose down to keep the character anonymous

Conor: the supposed main antagonist will respond once again with maybe a different shot, perhaps a moving shot where the character is walking around facing away from the camera so you can only see the back of his head, like the other character it will keep him anonymous,we can possibly do this from a long shot in the shard showing the streets of London below, he will then give a directive "I will only say this once so write it down, you will be robbing the whole middle east of hundreds of millions of pounds, you will do this by going to the Burj Khalifa with the card provided" we can make this speech some sort of narration with overlapping shots of the busy streets of Dubai as well as different shots of the buildings surrounding it. It will be like some sort of mission which we are being filled in by the narration giving to us by the guy on the phone, it can then cut back to show us the guy on the phone listening to his command to show his understanding on it.

Bill: the other character will then respond to the mission at hand by saying once again from a shot below the nose from the other side this time "where is the card"

Conor: The main antagonist will finish this off by saying "by the door, you don't have long, the instructions are with the card" the camera will then turn the focus of the character in the close up to whats happening in the background where the card is pushed through the door, the trailer will then conform to thriller stereotypes with an increase in pace of music as the character puts down the phone, proceeds to the front door of the hotel room picks up the card and puts it in his blazer pocket, he will then open the door, look both ways and proceed right as if he is in a rush, this can show how limited on time he truly is. There will be no match on action or change of shot in this scene rather it will end with the door shutting to which point it will then turnover into the next scene in either London or Paris where it will be the aftermath of what happened in Dubai possibly through the use of made up broadcasts or perhaps little snips of actual broadcasts.

Media Planning

Planning for our Trailer

Dubai - Burj Khalifa. The Palm. Desert.
London - Shard. Westminster. Parliament. MI6. South Bank. China Town. Lake District - Lancashire. Portsmouth.
Brighton/Dover/France - Brighton Pier. White Cliffs of Dover. Eiffel Tower. Cafe Rouge. Isle of White.


Story
Crime Syndicate - Main.
National
Illegal deals between towns - bitcoin - spreadsheet - bank account number the same on most - track to Dubai/France

Bodyguards push through crowd with PM, sniper (zoomed in camera) following him, high angle shot - hairpin scope - gunshot.

or

PM in crowd, guy pulls out gun in crowd, dont show gun, cuts to black, gunshot.

Carries on with news articles about the PM being killed by gunshot.

Start of the film
-->
Narration - basic understanding of the storyline -set the story, maybe man protagonist, someone well known we know.

Crimson Peak Poster Analysis

Crimson Peak

From just looking at the poster in a whole, I can definitely identify this film as being a horror film due to the dark colours and the font of the main title. Also, in the background there seems to be dangerous spikes coming from the structure that could be very harmful.

The thing that the viewer is immediately drawn to is the man's head as he has a light source behind his head making his face stand out against the dark background. The light is slightly tinted green which could be due to the dark green walls that the man is surrounded by. The light is coming from the window behind his head which looks like an old designed window which can show that the film is based in the past. We can also tell that the film is set in the past due to the design of the structure around the man as old houses usually have beautifully cut beams to hold the houses up.

The unique selling points of the poster is most definitely the actors name and the director as they are both very well known. Tom Hiddleston is very well known for playing Loki in the Avengers and Captain Nichols in War Horse which are both very successful and popular films. Guillermo Del Toro is well known for directing a wide range of fantasy and action films such as Pans Labyrinth and HellBoy which, even though they were released a long time ago, are still very successful films.

The slogan of the poster is a simple 'BEWARE', this represents the horror genre because they are telling you that there is something bad. It may be something good behind something bad, e.g. Tom Hiddleston's character may look good whereas he could be hiding the bad.

In the background we can see gothic patterns surrounding Hiddleston's character. This could represent the dark fantasy that the film is. It can also show that his character is sophisticated but mysterious. The patterns are also bordering the character showing that he may be secluded and isolated during the film which can make a person become evil.

Presentation

Group Analysis of The Scorch Trials

Our group analysis was of the trailer to The Scorch Trials which is the sequel to The Maze Runner. 

We analysed the Mise-en-scene,editing, sound and the editing. We showed screen shots of the trailer on a power-point throughout our presentation as we spoke about the specific scenes which were shown in the screen shots.