WELCOME MODERATOR

Callum Drewett

CANDIDATE NUMBER 1413

CLAREMONT FAN COURT SCHOOL 64680

 Welcome to my blog.

I worked with ALASTAIR SIMPSON 1452 and OLIVER ROBERTS 1449.

I took responsibility for:
Filming - Hospital scene

Directing - Green screen plane scene

Co-directing - Bunker scene

Co-directing -  The past memory shots

Co-directing and Acting - Escaping scene

I created the Intertitles for the trailer

I hope you enjoy my blog for H540 Media Studies G324 Advanced Portfolio in Media.

Brief 2:

A promotional package for a new film, to include a trailer, together with a film magazine front cover, featuring the film and a poster for the film.

Our TRAILER is immediately below. My individual FILM MAGAZINE COVER and individual POSTER are above.

All my RESEARCH and PLANNING follow below that on the main blog roll, in reverse order, starting with the latest first. To present my research and planning, I have used a wide variety of platforms and tools, including:

Emaze, Slideshare, Blogger and Infrographic.

My EVALUATION is above under four Pages. Clicking on each tab will show the research and planning that went into my responses to these questions. 

To present my responses, I have used the following platforms: 

Question 1 on Genre Conventions: iMovie with annotations/Blogger.

Question 2 on Combination of Main Production with Ancillaries: Blogger.

Question 3 on Feedback: Emaze.

Question 4 on Technologies: Infogram, Piktochart.

Here is my Film Trailer:

CONSTRUCTION --> HOSPITAL CUTAWAY SHOT

In this short clip, I am the Cameraman and Alastair Simpson is the Director. This scene consisted of a nurse in a clinic room on the phone call to her son as she is safe within the Hospital but is very concerned for her child all alone.
We set the camera to a high angle shot covering the whole room to display a clear clinical setting to the audience; This consisted of a container used for disposable equipment, basket holding sterilized utensils, chair and bed, and many more.
As she began the call and moved to an upright position, I used a tracking and pan to low angle shot which captured her movement as she feels intense. When the nurse turns around, the camera is already in position capturing her facial expressions such as terrified and severely worried.

CONSTRUCTION --> TV INTERVIEW SHOT

Life 3.0 is the book Max Tegmark created about AI which has become an issue over the last couple of years. So, in the starting sequence of our trailer we will show a reel of different news reports talking about North Korea and Artificial Intelligence (AI). We will also create our own news report where we see an interviewer, interviewing Max Tegmark the writer and author of Life 3.0, where he talks about the dangers of AI in the future and how it will change the way that the world works. In this short clip of the interview, the audience will find out how dangerous AI is concerning North Korea who have made multiple cyber attacks using this technology against their enemies such as USA. In this case, we are using Great Britain.
We also get the zooming in shot - close up to extreme close up - on the TV to show the children homing in on important news from their point of view.

CONSTRUCTION --> PLANE CONVERSATION

In this shoot, I was the Director and Alastair Simpson was the Cameraman. We used a green screen to construct the scene to get a real effect of the father on the phone to his child while on the plane coming home. Utilising the application Do Ink, we were able to project our aerial view footage of London out of a plane windows.
The live footage over London was taken on a British Airways flight this year which shows iconic London buildings such as the Tower Bridge and the hugely recognizable River Thames.
This is how we set up the green screen alongside the Ipad with a tripod so that the frame was straight whilst we filmed the scene.
Then we used our actor for this scene using his upper body in the frame and then recorded him presenting his lines. With the moving image, you can see the main backdrop moving in the windows of the plane. This meant that there were three different layers when filming this scene, the first layer being the live action actor. The second layer was the frames of the aeroplane windows and then the third layer being our own filming from the outside of an aeroplane.

PLANNING --> FILM MAGAZINE

 Captain America, patriotism shown in flag.

PLANNING --> FILM POSTER

Our film Imminent Threat falls under the genre of disaster/survival so during my research and gathering of ideas, I focused on finding effective elements of many different posters such as the focal points, background colors and more, to use on my own film poster. I used the genre of survival as a starting point because I knew that it would be a focal point of my poster.

I chose this film poster because it displays 3 adolescents (similar to the teenagers in my trailer) running away from danger. Despite the main difference between wizardry and witchcraft, and an international political attack with a missile, there are significant similarities shown in the poster alone. I like the background blur effect of the trees as it exaggerates the high intensity diversion away from danger.
The landscape orientation helps this effect which I could use when creating my poster because it shows more of the effective background. As Harry is the protagonist of the film he is sized slight bigger which I will be able to re create as one of our teenagers can be more of a leader role. Due to the action in this image, it seems to be a survival film more than disaster.

I also chose this poster as it illustrates patriotism which is a big part of our film trailer due to it being an international and political issue. The flag in the right hand side image is a bold effect as it emphasizes the main focal point of the film as well as the soldier centered in a dominant position with a strong stance.
It is very clear that this film is about the army which suggests destruction or somewhat disaster in some way. In the middle image, there is a little fire in the background which expresses survival but also reality of their serious situation - very similar to our trailer.

This poster suggests intense survival and experiencing extreme conditions as well as being a young man. With the close up on his facial expressions and the position he is physically in, there is a real struggle shown.

Survival is the main attraction of this film as it involves tense and the build up of suspense in situations. The use pf the protagonist as the focal point increases the audience's overall attraction as it may result in a connection with that specific character and wanting to find out what happens. The background image of explosions, people dying and red sparks across the poster illustrates the insane danger he is in. I could use these features on my poster as this will exaggerate the suspense and tension in my trailer.

I am intrigued by this film poster as it has the protagonist right at the front in a big format in comparison to the text. From a far you can see the main actor's name which is a great feature as the company wanted people to be attracted by him. The image which streaks across Jack O'Connell is a screenshot of a scene in the film which displays chaos and disaster that occurs in the movie.

PLANNING and CONSTRUCTION --> SHOT LIST

SCENE	SOUND/VOICEOVER	VISION	ACTORS	PROPS	NOTES
News Reporting	Soundtrack Diegetic sound	Newsroom backdrop with visual test rocket launch, via green screen Mid shot	2 different news reporters, one male, one female	None	Stationary camerawork, this is a mid-shot
Tree scene	Soundtrack and diegetic sound	Leaves blowing in the wind Close up of leaves	N/A	None	Close up shot, stationary
Flashback scene	Voiceover Soundtrack	Slow-mo effect Black and white filter Low angle tracking shot Followed by a low angle shot Followed by a tracking mid shot	All three brothers seen in past life	Rugby ball Football Table tennis table, bat and ball	Low angle, slow tracking shots Followed by a low angle shot Followed by a slow tracking mid-shot
Public Emergency Announcement	Voiceover Soundtrack	Public Emergency Announcement with informative text moving downwards	N/A	None	None
Plane scene	Plane audio Diegetic sound	Stationary mid-shot Plane interior backdrop via green screen	Father of three brothers	Mobile phone	Stationary mid-shot Green-screen
Packing bags	Diegetic sound Soundtrack	Slow, low-angle tracking shot Blurred filter	2 brothers seen packing bags	Two rucksacks Cans of tinned food Radio Two bottles of water	Slow, low angle tracking shot, cut out when actors walk past the camera
Running scene	Soundtrack Diegetic sound	Handheld camerawork, two-shot Slow-mo effect	3 brothers seen running	2 rucksacks	Handheld camerawork, two-shot
Hospital scene	Diegetic sound Soundtrack	Slow, mid shot tracking shot	Mother of three brothers	Mobile phone	Tracking, mid-shot
Shelter scene	Diegetic sound Soundtrack	Stationary shot, 3-shot, actors move towards the camera,	3 brothers	None	Stationary, 3-shot

CONSTRUCTION --> SCRIPT YOUR INTERTITLES

I decided to use the BBFC website to gain inspiration for my intertitles that I will utilise in my Film Trailer. I browsed examples on the BBFC website as well as Youtube and Working Title to research how intertitles function and to see if there are common elements which will serve as models for us to use in our own trailer.

The Jungle Book

The use of these intertitles are placed between certain cuts to engage the attention of the audience.

This provides the audience with additional information which can be helpful. For example: the use of "Director of Ironman" clearly increases the attraction for the film as the Ironman series is big film production that has been and still is very successful. This lends Prestige. As Ironman is very popular, many people will be persuaded to watch it as they will expect the Jungle Book to feature high production values such as great CGI and backstory alongside little features of the film catching the audience's attention.
Also the use of plugging motivates target audiences to watch the film as they are attracted to a certain feature of the film. In this case, the studio production has been plugged as Pirates of the Caribbean is another enormous sequel and franchise which means it is very popular resulting in a larger audience. I noticed that both Ironman and Pirates of the Caribbean intertitles used the fonts associated with their brand, reinforcing brand recognition.

Hobbit

These intertitles are used between certain scenes to create tension and a slight mystery towards the audience to grasp their attention by leaving them with a desire to find out the climactic ending. Looking at the way I have presented these images in a chronological sequence, the intertitles interlink and become one whole sentence despite being split up between snippets of scenes and montages.
A good trailer has as it's main aim, the stimulation of audience curiosity and the desire to see the film. By using terms such as 'defining' and 'legend', the audiences hunger to unpack what promises to be momentous is sharpened.

I also created an initial design of my intertitles to practice what I have learnt about them before using this feature in my A level trailer.

Regarding the legal requirement of the age rating of a film, I researched and efficiently learnt why certain films are rated higher than others.

This stands for the British Board of Film Classification. It is a huge team of people that come together as a council which controls the regulation in the Film Industry. This includes age ratings for film and other regulations for different media platforms like music videos.

What is Classification?

The classification of films such as age ratings are applied to reinforce the protection of films. Mainly films that are inappropriate for younger audiences. This could include too much violence, too many sex scenes or even too many scary scenes.

For example, 'Final Destination' is a classic film to use as evidence for a high age rating film (15) because it consists of gory, scary and thrilling scenes. However, a film like 'Despicable Me' is more suited for every audience as it contains comedy and family fun; That is why it is rated U.

This process occurs by meeting an age rating with applying the standards and criteria contained in the Classification Guidelines.

Film - Age Rating Regulation:

U    - A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. U films should also be set within a positive framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.

PG  - General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children A PG film should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older. Unaccompanied children of any age may watch, but parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger, or more sensitive, children.

12A - No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child. Could contain some nudity but not serious.

12   - Films classified 12A and video works classified 12 contain material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12

15   - No one younger than 15 may see a 15 film in a cinema. Could contain nudity, sexual scenes, gory scenes; May not encourage drugs and sex.

18   - No one younger than 18 may see an 18 film in a cinema and 18 year olds are free to choose their environments. Includes everything such as sex, drugs, crime and violence.

R18 - The R18 category is a special and legally-restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas, and video works may be supplied to adults only in licensed sex shops.

Here is my BBFC certificate:

CONSTRUCTION --> PINTEREST OF GENRE CONVENTIONS (REPRESENTATIONS)

The following image displays my Pinterest board. Our film trailer consists of many distinct social groups/genre conventions: teenagers, worldwide news, AI and more. When I did research into character development, I learned from a film blog called Film Escape that an Oscar nominated film maker named Pen Densham came up with the idea of interviewing his characters in order to flesh them out. After doing this, it aided me when creating my Pinterest moadboard regarding genres and social groups.

PINTEREST - open here

The Bunker Door - This signifies what the students/brothers are aiming for during the film. It is a crucial part of the story as it creates the tension for the audience as they won't know whether the teenagers make it to the bunker in time.
BBC World News - This image portrays the international issue which occurs from the very start to the very end. Being the BBC news reporting updates on the serious situation.
Member of Government: Representation of Max Tegmark - An international expert who strongly suggests that AI (Artificial Intelligent) has played a negative part in most countries governments around the world. Threats of disaster may turn out to occur which means everyone needs to be alert to these situations.
Baron Wasteland - Presents the setting where the teenagers travel through 
Adolescents - Represents the teenagers involved 
AI - 

PLANNING and CONSTRUCTION --> STORYBOARD

PLANNING --> CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

For our characters in the film trailer, we decided to interview them in order to develop and create a backstory for them, this provides depth to the characters.

We were inspired by an article written by Charlie Sierra about building the back story to film characters and providing depth to characters. He quoted this from Riding the Alligator written by Pen Densham, an Academy Award nominated filmmaker. In one particular chapter in the book he provides a check list of questions every writer and director should ask of themselves when they are developing their characters The purpose of this is to outline a deep understanding of your characters for both the actors and director, and as a result what motivates a character’s choices or actions. Open Source

Script for Interview: This interview is based on post event of the missile hitting the UK to find out more about Tim and Daniel.

Military Personnel, Daniel, Tim, 

Script:

Military: Are you lads ok?

Daniel: No not really

Military: Would you mind informing me why you did not travel to your local bunker?

Tim: It was too far away and we did not have enough time, we would have died if we went to that bunker. It was just too far.

Military: You should have properly timed your journey to the point at which you would have made it in time.

Daniel: We are trying to explain ourselves is all.

Military: Well would someone please give me a good enough reason to explain the reason why you did not make it to your local bunker.

Tim: We were told at 9:00 am that there is a national emergency. We got home at 10:00 but we weren't really taking the whole situation seriously.

Military: Any emergency issued by Her Majesty's Government should be taken with the up most seriousness and urgency. 

Daniel: Yea well it was a pretty new situation for us all

Military: Am I right in saying that there was three of you? May I ask where this third member is?

Tim: Benji is in hospital as a result of the events.

Military: I was unaware of that

Tim: Can we see him?

Military: I am being told that he is in quarantine and he will remain like that until he is cleared

Daniel: How long before we can see him?

Military: I am unable to disclose that information to civilians 

Tim: What is the purpose of this interview if you cannot provide any information?

Military: This interview is a post attack , psychological check up. This is for your benefit and no-one elses.

Daniel: When can we leave then?

Military: Not until you have been cleared?

Daniel: What do you mean?

Military: You will have a similar interview with a different member of medical staff every week. And when you are cleared by at least 4 of them then you may leave. Your friend Benji is another story and his status will remain classified.

MY CHARACTER INTERVIEW - open here

RESEARCH --> AUDIENCE PROFILE

Audiences are often defined by GEARS, the first one being Gender. Having looked at the BFI exit polls, of films screened to audiences of some 150 people, I noticed that 81% of the audience was male due to the warfare in Northern Ireland. They captured an audience predominately through trailers before a film as well as male and females under the age of 35.

I think that relating to my film trailer, it will be similar as a result of the huge link to warfare and the outcome of this event.
I am making a film trailer of the disaster/post-apocalyptic survivor genre in which adolescents have to survive a threat of foreign attack. My audience are likely to be teens and young adults.

Age group: 15-35 / young adults

Gender: Both

TV: They are likely to watch TV programmes such as Friends, Ballers, A League of Their Own and Geordie Shore.

FILM: They are likely to see at the cinema films like Dunkirk, '71 and Geostorm as they relate to disaster but also terror.

In their leisure time: They will visit YouTube to watch people around the world.
                                 Play video games on PC or Playstation/Xbox
                                 Download movies from internet or Netflix.
                                 Go to Costa coffee/Starbucks
                                 Eat at Pizza Express, McDonald's, Subway and Nandos.

Clothes: River Island, Top Shop, Palace, ASOS, Adidas.

Media: iPhone or any apple product as a handheld.
            Mac Book or iPad to see movies, play games, browse and shop.
            Facetime, Instagram, Snapchat for connecting to friends.

RESEARCH --> AUDIENCES