Planning and Research- Teaser Trailer.
Research.
Previous A2 Websites
At the beginning of the course, we have been introduced to a brief and the requirements which our final projects have to full-fill. In order to have a clear understanding of the course as a whole, we have decided to look at the previous A2 Weebly sites of the students whose work ranges from bad to good. This therefore enables us to acknowledge the mistakes which the other students have made as well as the excellent ideas that were developed throughout their work. An evaluation of their work will then act as a guide for our group as whole in terms of knowing which elements should be paid more attention to as well as how to avoid the mistakes of the previous students.
Viraj Vara
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Through a detailed evaluation of Viraj's weebly site, as a group we believe it exemplifies an excellent research as well as an exceptional planning which is a reflection of the overall produced teaser trailer. It is clear that Viraj's group has paid a great focus into the genre of their teaser trailer and the elements which add to its portrayal. As a result the site contains a variety of trailer research as well as the accompanying music. However, there are an additional research which they have done that showed their understanding of the project as a whole. These are the in depth research into the roles within the production process: director, actor, camera man. This evidently exemplified the groups preparation for filming as well as an excellent understanding of their personal roles within the group.One of the additional elements that Viraj's group had done which we believe contributed to the outcome of their final product are the detailed storyboards that were produced for their teaser trailer. This meant that Viraj's group were confident with their ideas and entered the production process knowing exactly how and what they needed to film. This brought our awareness to the importance of storyboards, enabling us to understand the attention which should be paid to them .Despite the not in depth analysis in terms of some of the research which Viraj's group has done, they had exemplified their learning through a variety of visual information and this had made our group acknowledge the many ways in which the research can be done.
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Cally Beckley
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This weebly site is an example of originality in terms of the overall layout of the planning and research done regarding the production of a teaser trailer. The information provided on Cally's weebly site was written in a form of a blog, exemplifying the research done each week as well as the gradual development of her group's ideas. This largely contrasts Viraj's site and for that reason alone, it enables our group to acknowledge the variety of ways in which research and planning can be done. Despite the originality, as a group we found the blog layout less effective as it produced less examples and information which in our opinion research and planning should. However the planning that was displayed on Cally's weebly site was good in terms of the visual examples provided such as the main character's costumes, location shots but also the floor plan. A floor plan is an element which our group has not considered producing, therefore an exploration of Cally's site allowed us to understand a variety of production planning that could be done. We were particularly impressed with research that was done into the genre of their teaser trailer, specifically the questionnaire that was formed for their targeted audience. The questions asked were relevant to the project and enabled them to produce excellent pie charts explaining their information which they have evidently considered during their production process.
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Sandra Makumbi
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Lastly, as a group we have decided to focus on a weebly site which is an evident contrast to sites that we have previously evaluated. It is clear that although Sandra's group has done research in terms of the genre and the location, there is a large amount of focus placed upon the costumes and makeup. The mise-en-scene plays a significant role regarding the overall realism and the effect of a way in which media is portrayed by an audience. This is clearly exemplified in Sandra's site which provides the process of the gradual exploration of the makeup and costume that her group had used in their teaser trailer. The excellent research given through visual examples, enabled us as a group to understand the importance of mise-en-scene as a whole and the attention which it has to be given.Similarly to Viraj's research, Sandra's weebly site provides information regarding the roles assigned within the production process. As a group, we were specifically impressed with the depth in which the research has been done as it provides a clear example of Sandra's group understanding of their personal roles and the requirements that each member has to meet. Since this is an aspect which both of the groups explored in detail, we believe it's a significant element that it is worth paying an incredible amount of focus to. Enabling each member of our group to understand what their exact roles are and the ways in which they are able to execute them.
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Questionnaires/ Surveys.
Although we already had a vague idea as to what our Teaser Trailer would consist of, we still needed some direction based on what audience's want. This is where the survey helped us. We asked 20 people (10 males and 10 females of a variety of age groups) different questions which we thought would help us to really shape the way in which we would make our trailer in terms of the content of it and also the style. The survey would help us to know what we needed to include and what things we should avoid in order to meet the expectations of our main target audience.
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From this question we could see that the age group we would be targeting our teaser trailer at would be 15-19 year olds. This has helped us to understand what we might show in our teaser trailer as it must be suitable for that age group. Additionally, for the rest of our surveys that we conducted, we asked people that fell into this age range as it would give us a clearer understanding as to what our specific target audience would look for in a teaser trailer and therefore what will work most effectively.
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As we can see here the two most dominant genres our surveyed group said they were interested in were Sci-Fi and Thriller. This was very lucky in itself as the two genres often go hand-in-hand with one another and therefore makes our job of constructing an idea around these genres a lot easier. The choice of these two genres has helped us to think about what direction to take in terms of storyline and what we would show on screen. This is really important as it means we now have a clear direction in what we should base our trailer on and we could now start to think about the conventions that make up those genres in order to make our trailer fit to the genres that have been chosen.
In this question we got a very strong response as to who the surveyed audience prefer to see in the main role. 75% of our surveyed audience said that they prefer to see a male in the main role, and in order to meet the conventions of most action/thriller films, we shall be using a male for the main role in our teaser trailer. There was no clear definitive answer to this question, so it seems as though we will have to take most of the options available. 7 people believed that showing a little amount of the plot was key to a teaser trailer, while 5 people believed that a voice-over made a teaser trailer successful. Also, 4 people believed that music played a big part in making a good teaser trailer. As a group we decided that we should use these three elements in our teaser trailer to make sure that we can make it as It was very clear from this that our surveyed audience believed that pace and music played a very important role in creating suspense in a teaser trailer. To make sure ours succeeds in building tension we have to do two things. 1) We have to vary our edits to make sure that the pace of the teaser trailer increases as we go along and 2) We have to make sure that not only is the music tense and suspenseful but also it must compliment the action on screen, and must build up as the action gets faster and faster in order for us to reach that suspense and tension. |
Teaser-Trailer Research.
The research done within the professional teaser trailers plays a significant role in terms of the overall final product. Through this, we are able to acknowledge the elements used in the teaser trailers and the reasons for their success. As a group , we have selected three teaser trailers which we believe relate back to our own individual ideas : Inception, Terminator Salvation, The Bourne Supremacy and I, Robot. We have carefully analysed and explored the aspects used in those teaser trailers such as the genre, narrative, audience, music, pace, special effects which as a whole helped us as group in terms of exemplifying the main elements within our idea.
Inception.
Putting aside the fact that we had seen the film Inception, we watched the teaser-trailer and gathered any information about the film that we could from the one minute and thirty seconds of footage which we as the audience were given. The trailer indicated that the film would possibly fall into the genre of 'psychological thriller'. We could tell this because of the use of titles which said 'Your mind is the scene of the crime' hinting at the idea that the way the characters think possibly affects the outcome of the film, or something similar. This combined with the short flashes of the film that we were given swayed us to believe that the film may be a thriller- abnormal scenes such as a long shot of a city street folding in on itself, and a fight scene which seemed to be happening in a hallway with zero gravity indicates themes which are out of the ordinary. The whole trailer is very successful and effectively hooks the viewer- enticing them to watch the rest of the film to answer the ready-formed questions in their minds; questions which are created through the lack of obvious narrative in the trailer. The choice of music, too, makes the trailer effective as it builds up from a slow beginning alongside less action-packed footage, to a louder and faster tempo towards the end of the trailer, accompanying the exciting clips of the film which are shown. Additionally, the credits are given with climatic blasts of music, thus adding to the overall feeling of drama towards the end of the trailer- leaving the audience wanting to see more. |
Terminator Salvation.
This trailer I think would be very close to what ours will be like in terms of the mise-en-scene and the overall feel and tone of it. From the beginning we know that this film is set in the future as the voice-over says “this is not the future I was warned about”. What this also indicates to us is that maybe not everything is right in the future and somewhere something has gone horribly wrong. This idea is reinforced by the fact that the clips we do see on screen are of things like fighting, futuristic looking robots, explosions, e.t.c which give us the sense of danger and peril. Overall the look of the film is pretty dark and this gives off a sinister tone, not least the words “The End Begins” that appear at the end of the clip, again giving a hint as to what may happen in the film. Also, anyone who may have seen the previous Terminator films may have an idea of what this film could be about and so would be very interested in wanting to know what exactly happens, and as this trailer doesn’t give away too much, it is successful in bringing in both old and new audiences. The music is very minimal and only picks up towards the latter half of the trailer. This has been very successful in making the trailer seem very sinister as we focus more on the clip and what the voice-over is saying, until we are hit with the drums at the end, which really bring together the action and what the voice-over was saying.
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The Bourne Supremacy.
Although the majority of us had already viewed Bourne Supremacy as an older release, we looked at the teaser trailer in order to gain a good idea of how a film of a similar genre and style is portrayed through a teaser trailer. The main things which stood out about this trailer is the use of narrative, music, voice-over and the pace of the trailer. The first thing you realize when watching the teaser trailer is that it starts off with a slower more sinister feel which gets the viewer on the edge of their seat. This also coincides with the pace of the trailer which is slower and focused more on dialogue at the beginning with the teasing of details about what Jason Bourne's motives for this film are. After the music reaches its crescendo the pace of the trailer picks up so the music is representative of the pace of the trailer. As expected, there is very little information released throughout the teaser trailer except a re-cap on who he actually was. I feel that from this teaser trailer it is easy to ascertain the target audience, which is followers of action/ adventure thrillers and those aged 12 up. The trailer does not utilize any major special effects throughout the trailer aside from the use of explosions. This is most likely because the film was released in 2004 when there were not as many specialized effects for action/thriller films. Finally the trailer utilized credits at the end in order to give the viewer an opportunity to know when the film is due to be released and other details such as the name of the director and the names of the main actors.
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I, Robot.
Lastly we have chosen to focus on the film 'I, Robot' based on the futuristic setting as well as the appearance of supernatural forms, Robots created by the human kind. The teaser trailer indicates a mixture of a variety of genres largely dominated by sci- fi, action and thriller. This is evident through a fairly large amount of the narrative shown within the trailer. However despite this, the audience are still left with important questions which the trailer raises such as the main reason for the existence of robots as well as their attack on humans. There are plenty of effective use of long shots in order to reflect on the number of robots as well as a variety of action shots which show the chaos and the fight scenes between the humans and the robots. These clips are intensified by voice-over of a radio segment that is used whilst the people disperse in chaos and fear ' People to stay indoors'. This therefore acts as a clear warning that indicates and at the same time foreshadows the dangers of robots. As a result the overall action presented in this teaser trailer effectively grasps the audience through the significant use of music as well as the pace. The slow and repetitive piano sequence focused on the more lower and deeper notes adds to the mystery which accompanies the beginning of the trailer. There are quick and impact-full bursts of loud and short, almost robotic-like echoed sound effects during the flashes that break apart the shots. Additionally, the pace increases with the fast cuts within the scenes which additionally increases the tempo of the music ; piano sequence developed, louder with added drums. The excitement formed by these elements is further carried into a more climatic ending of the title as well as the date of the movie's premiere. The capital letters as well as the typography has connotations which relate back to the technology used within the film itself. Additionally the metallic silver shade used in the writing reflects on the overall appearance of the robotic creatures. The fast paced title/credits end the trailer with a continuation of music which gradually appear to fade out making the audience desire to see more.
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Research into Distributors and Producers.
20th Century Fox. |
We have decided to use 20th Century Fox as our main distributor because of it's well-known reputation for working with other films which are either similar or of the same genre as ours- action/thriller. There are many obvious films which have used 20th Century Fox as their distributor, for example
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Bad Robot. |
Bad Robot was also chosen as the smaller film production company because it has also worked with films of a similar genre to our own, for example
Again, this would add a sense of reality to our trailer because of the thorough research into producers of the same genre and make it somewhat more professional as the production company has worked with similar names in the film industry. |
Planning.
Initial Brainstorm.
After receiving the brief for our project as well as exploring the previous media students weebly sites, we have decided to begin brainstorming the key elements and concept, which we are interested in including in our teaser trailer. This can of course be used as a guide and the recording of a starting ideas, which we can always come back to. We have started by splitting our initial ideas into two parts : audience and genre which are the elements that play a significant role in terms of the overall outcome of our final product.
It was a mutual decision to eliminate genres such as comedy, horror and romance which we believe have the possibility of appearing unprofessional as well as being extremely common amongst our peers. These genres have to include the right elements and be created through excellent resources in order to be successful. For this reason, as a group we have decided to focus on thriller and action, which not only are the genres that we are interested in but also we believe to possess the right resources to accomplish a successful product within that genre. When a suitable genre was chosen, as a group we have started to consider a variety of story lines which combine both action and thriller. We have considered a futuristic aspect as well as human beings created for a purpose. The main idea was to produce a story line which was original and included various of technical elements that would allow each member of the group to show off their skills. |
Storyline: Brief Ideas.
As a group, we have decided to put our previous brief ideas to the test and form two contrasting story lines which included the elements discussed above. The reoccurring theme within our ideas appeared to be time as well as an artificial creation of humans. It was important for us to form an original and innovative idea, which is in the range of the resources that are available to us and conveys the action/thriller genre exceptionally well. When deciding between the two ideas, we have decided to consider the different ways in which these story lines could be portrayed. We looked at a variety of elements, which contribute to the production and the overall effect of a teaser trailer such as the:
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Final Idea.
Through producing various brainstorms containing a variety of contrasting ideas , we were able to correct our previous mistakes and come up with a final storyline which each member of the group was satisfied with. When creating the previous brainstorms , there were reoccurring themes which instead of changing , we as a group decided to perfect. It was important to us to form an idea that challenged all of us as well as being innovative and original , which we believe we were able to accomplish through this storyline. One of the elements that we were required to change is the way in which the idea was going to be filmed , making sure we are fully using the resources possessed as well as being capable of some of the technical aspects desired within this teaser trailer. We are taking on a challenging task and therefore it was significant for this idea to be perfected , with every single detail carefully thought out making sure its possible.
Script.
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The scripts on the left are the draft and final scripts we created as soon as we had finalized our idea for our teaser trailer. After we had decided how each scene would be filmed in terms of camera angles/shots and the action that would be shown on screen, we then had to have a sort of "plan of action", where we could follow a set of rules and guidelines in order to come out with a successful end product. This is the reason we decided we would write up a draft script. The reason we wrote an initial draft script and not go straight in to making a final script was because, as is the case with all successful things, we needed to plan first. We had to make sure that the decisions we made, in terms of what scenes we would shoot and how we should shoot them (in terms of camera angles/shots, lighting, e.t.c) were suited for our film opening. Once we had put together our draft script and agreed on what it should include, we then went about creating our final script and aimed to make it look more professional. We looked around on the internet and saw examples of film scripts. Using them as a guideline we made our final script based on the draft script. It was important to create this draft script as it allowed an easier transition in creating our final script and also there was less room for error in the final one as debate had been done during the draft script stage. The final script gave us a clear and concise way to shoot our teaser trailer as it created structure for what we needed to do.
Storyboard.
Character Profile and Costume Design.
Discarded Costume Designs. |
In order for the costumes to be suitable for the protagonist of our storyline as well as the overall genre of action/thriller, we have decided to place a lot of focus on the research and the draft sketches. As a group, we envisioned and were confident that this particular character should possess a black and white costume. However at first we were unsure in the direction in which we desired to go in, such as business wear or more of an everyday look portraying a stereotypical agent appearance. In order to test both costumes, we have come up with two contrasting outfits which represented those two ideas. As a whole this allowed us to carefully reflect on our main ideas and make sure the character's costume isn't too basic and gave just enough hints for the audience to understand the character's profession. This is the main reason why the costumes on the left were discarded: the overall 'everyday' look with a basic t-shirt and trainers was simple and definitely not suitable for the appearance we are going for. On the other hand the second outfit with smart black trousers and a white shirt gives an illusion of a business profession which we did not want our protagonist to possess. |
Final chosen costume. |
Through making gradual adjustments to the sketches formed previously, we were able to fix the issues with the previous costumes which as a result allowed us to create an ideal costume that suits the character perfectly. In order to present the audience with hints such as the background of the protagonist as well as his identity, we were confident with the elements that the costume should possess.
By including these elements, we are able to successfully produce a costume for the protagonist which not only presents the audience with slight hints but still remains to reflect on the mystery of our teaser trailer. As a whole we were content with the overall outcome and the developed of our initial ideas. |
Nero Azariel- Founder of Clone Net Technology (CNT)
When deciding the name for our main villain character, we decided to use the name Nero for the first name. Reason being that the famous Roman emperor was called Nero- famous for burning down his own city and playing the fiddle while Rome burned. The implications behind this name are perfect for our character; while he has not physically burned his empire, he has allowed it to become taken over by clones which he created; implicitly 'burning' the human rule.
The name Azariel means 'he who has control over the water' this implies that this character has control over a large aspect of something which is usually free; the people that he is ruling. |
Scientist.We needed a character in the trailer that would provide some background information and allow the audience to understand how the clones came about and were created. To do this, we created this scientist character; deliberately nameless and anonymous to add a sense of mystery to the trailer.
He works for Nero Azariel and created the initial clones; speaking to Nero Azariel in the trailer and responding to 'how many can you make?' with 'how many do you need?'. This implies that he is capable of creating many clones and the link between him and the antagonist implies that he is also evil. |
Clone #1.This is the protagonist and lead role of our film/trailer. He is the original man which the clones stemmed from; and has been sent back to destroy them.
In 2012, his body was made superhuman, and Nero Azariel used this to create clones and an army. In the year 2023, a clone of him was captured by resistance forces and sent back in time to 2012 to destroy the original clone company. However, after discovering that killing himself in the past, would destroy him in the future, he had to run away from both the past and future. |
Assigning Roles.
When deciding and allocating roles to the different people in our group we carefully took into consideration who would be most suited for the individual jobs. For example; experience in the area, such as previous practice with an DSLR camera would make for a much better camera person than one without.
In addition to these individual jobs that we agreed to take on during the making of our teaser trailer, we have and will all participate in:
- Updating our individual blogs to track and record our progress and to keep a record of what different tasks, challenges and roles we have played.
- Group discussions and decision making when planning and researching.
- Ensuring that our Weebly websites are up to date and contain all current and previous work, research, planning and footage.
- Editing our footage and sound in Final Cut Pro.
In addition to these individual jobs that we agreed to take on during the making of our teaser trailer, we have and will all participate in:
- Updating our individual blogs to track and record our progress and to keep a record of what different tasks, challenges and roles we have played.
- Group discussions and decision making when planning and researching.
- Ensuring that our Weebly websites are up to date and contain all current and previous work, research, planning and footage.
- Editing our footage and sound in Final Cut Pro.
Tanzil.Director
definition: A person who is in charge of an activity, department, or organization. As the director it is Tanzil's job to: - Oversee the creative aspects of the trailer - Control the content, flow and pace of the footage - Direct the acting, lighting, camera person and manipulate these aspects to create the best possible outcome - Organize and select the locations for filming |
Caitlin.Costumier
definition: Someone who designs or supplies costumes. As the Costumier it is Caitlin's job to: - Take all responsibility for the costumes and make-up; down to the material, sizing and colours, make-up and body art (such as wounds etc.) - Work closely to the director to understand and reflect the characters through their wardrobe and make-up. Lighting definition: In charge of setting up and controlling lighting equipment. It is also Caitlin's responsibility to: - Ensure the lighting at the chosen location(s) reflects the appropriate mise-en-scene for the chosen scene. |
Nicole.Camera/ director of photography.
definition: A person whose profession involves operating a television or movie camera. It is Nicole's job to: - Work with the director to make decisions on the framing, aperture and lighting. - Produce exceptional planning and become confident with the shots suitable for the action/thriller genre - Organize and time keep - Capture the footage with the most suitable and effective camera angles and positions to produce creative and innovative clips of film. |
Romyn.Location scout
Definition: In charge of the search for and scouting of suitable locations for filming to take place. It is Romyn's job to: - Make a list of suitable locations so that there are options for different ideas - Negotiating access into these locations - Ensure that the locations meet the criteria of the scene. - Taking shots of possible locations. |
Software.
Final Cut Pro
For this project, the editing of our teaser trailer required the use of a good editing program. Using Final Cut Pro was an obvious choice, as all the group members had the opportunity to previously work and developed their skills through using it. Final Cut Pro itself enables us to produce professional quality footage which as a result helps as to achieve a higher grade for this project. As well as the capabilities of editing ,such as being able to cut and put together what we have be able to film, we are also capable of modifing the actual colouring of the footage ( brightness / contrast/ tone ). In addition, we are fortunate to be provided with this program at school, therefore it is easily accessible and allows us to take good use of it at any given time |
Locations.
Viglen House
This is Viglen House- one of our most important locations. It is where part of the 'bulk' of our teaser trailer will be filmed and therefore had to be perfect for the scene. Romyn had connections within Viglen House and therefore we were allowed inside to have a look around the offices and the basement storage units to take some pictures and see whether it would prove and effective location for our scene.
This location will be used for when the audience first see the main clone character- as the door to one of the containment unites is opened onto him inside. Additionally, this is the perfect location because of all of the repeated yellow doors, labelled with numbers and letters, therefore giving the impressing and implying that behind each of these doors is a clone corresponding to the label on the door: for example, clone F12 and clone D10.
This would overall create the sense that CNT (Clone Net Technologies) is a huge and corporate machine.
This location will be used for when the audience first see the main clone character- as the door to one of the containment unites is opened onto him inside. Additionally, this is the perfect location because of all of the repeated yellow doors, labelled with numbers and letters, therefore giving the impressing and implying that behind each of these doors is a clone corresponding to the label on the door: for example, clone F12 and clone D10.
This would overall create the sense that CNT (Clone Net Technologies) is a huge and corporate machine.
The Gherkin.
We decided to use The Gherkin in our teaser trailer because it was vital that we show an establishing shot followed by a shot of our antagonist looking out of the window at his empire. This implies to the audience that the antagonist is within this building and that it belongs to him; the Gherkin is a widely recognised and modern building, this therefore shows that he is both wealthy and powerful. Additionally, the Gherkin has a certain futuristic feel to it because of the dominant colours of blue, grey and silver- making it the perfect choice for our sci-fi teaser trailer.
The Science Lab.
One of our ideas for the teaser trailer was to present our antagonist talking to the scientist about the amount of clones that are going to be created. Therefore even though we want the scene to be extremely brief, it is important that the location and mise-en-scene is believable. For this reason, we have decided to use an actual science lab as it allows us to achieve a realistic setting, particularly with the science based objects presented behind of the characters.