Sound Test

To prepare myself for filming my production, I joined groups with the other group in my media class in order to practice using the sound equipment. This was useful as I have not used this equipment since filming a production almost a year ago.

When filming my actual production, it is vital that I am successful in capturing the sound effectively in high quality, as many of my scenes involve dialogue, therefore matching the audio with the picture successfully is essential. This practice allowed me to practice using the equipment, and allowed me to practice editing it together on final cut.

The practice allowed for me to practice with two different mikes - a directional mic and a stereo mic. The directional mic allowed for me to capture high quality sound without too much background noise in the first part of the video ^ which was done effectively seeing there were large amounts of ambient sound, however I preferred using the stereo mic as it captured sound at a broader range without having to get too close to the speaker, as I did with the directional mic as it appears in the video, and seeing as most of my shooting will be done out doors, I believe the stereo mic will be easier to use and more effective.

IDENT research

The style of ident I hope to adopt will be similar to these examples. By using a font that will capture the viewers attention and then using effects on the letters in order to make it appear like a professional ident, I should reach some success although my experience using motion and photoshop is limited. The font I will use will come from Dafont.com and the software I am likely to use will be Photoshop and Motion. I believe simplicity will be effective during the creation of my ident as I feel efforts to attempt to use the complex features of these softwares will result in an unprofessional result due to my lack of experience.

Further research into idents has brought me to the conclusion that simplicity is the most effective way of achieving a professional ident, as many low budget production companies use simple idents however it does not appear as unprofessional as it would if an effort was made to incorporate more complexities.

I enjoy the use of the spider in Black Widow productions as the image suits the title and is a relatively striking image due to the use of red on black. Obviously a low budget production company, however an element of professionalism remains due to the obvious thought that was put into collaboration of word and image. Revolver films is most effective at using simplicity, the enlarged letter R references R rated movies as the same font is used, setting the tone of the production company of that of an exclusive company. I would hope to do something similar with my own ident, incorporating an image or font which references something else where people would be aware of thus attaining their attention.

If unable to achieve a professional seeming ident, I can always use a basic font over a blank background, fading in with effects like Lights Out Production does.

Sound Plans

In order to be successful in attaining the attention of my target market, appropriate music which depicts the trailer in a professional manner will have to be used. As this music needs to be original, I have spent time searching for a musician my age who creates music in a similar genre to what I intend to use in my trailer - such as an instrumental for a hip hop / old school grime song to successfully demonstrate a typical South London setting.
Inspiration for the soundtrack comes from artists such as Sir Spyro, Jaylib, Madlib and Goomar









The trailer itself will be fast paced, therefore it seems appropriate that the music which accompanies it will also go at a fast pace, however the instruments used in grime instrumentals I am aware may sound crude to those who do not listen to that genre of music therefore in order to appeal to more audiences, I will use melodic instruments used in hip hop beats, but at a faster pace, similar to that of a grime track.

A musician has also been secured for the role, listening to the music he has made already suggests the tracks he will produce will be suited to the genre of movie.




^^^^ This movie demonstrates exactly what I hope to achieve in my production. The whole opening sequence effectively builds suspense whilst also separating the trailer into different sections allowing for developments in the story, giving us an indication of what will be in the movie. I will use a similar technique in terms of using the dramatic sounds to build suspense, but to a lesser scale as the shots used in my trailer will be less exciting. Introducing the song midway through the trailer is also what I intend to do in my own which will build the excitement during the montage of shots, I also hope to parallel the editing to the music so the music will match the shots that are used such as at (1:00)

GRAPHICS INSPIRATION

This trailer demonstrates an effective use of graphics in which I would like mimic in my own trailer, as my trailer is for a low budget indie film, it is important that I show awards in the early parts of my trailer such as even the opening shot

Doing this will retain my viewers attention and capture the attention of those who have genuine interest in film and tend to watch a film due to its good reviews. It would be assumed that the production has a low budget therefore the distribution value will be low, so will partake in multiple film festivals for the purpose of being distributed around the world at the expense of the distributer. Showing that multiple awards were won demonstrates its success.

This trailer also demonstrates a style in which I would like to adopt in terms of graphics, as the credits and titles are selected purposefully for when there is a change in dynamics in the trailer. This style would be effective in my production as it would make it clear as to when the story is developing, separating the structure into sections.

More specific title sequences like these can be used to separate my trailer into sections allowing for greater development and suspense. By using phrases such as "from Oscar Winning Director" will also allow for a sense of professionalism which is vital for the success of the product.

I dont intend on using narrative graphics as I feel as though this would make the production appear less authentic and stylised and more of an attempted hollywood blockbuster. The images used in my production will not be epic enough to go with narrative graphics and will generally not suit that type of trailer.

I enjoy the way titles and graphics are used in this trailer in order to divide it into sections. Although I plan on shown gym ident at the beginning of the trailer, I would like to do something similar in my own trailer such as at 0:34 - 'A Martin Scorsese Picture' is used to sell the product as well as used to divide the structure of the trailer into sections allowing for developments in the story line. Narrative graphics are also used to do this at 1:07, 1:16 and 1:32 - however I would not like to use narrative graphics - I would instead introduce actors names or awards received from film festivals such as at 2:07.

Structure Influences

These trailers all resemble similar structures and ideas in which I intend to mimic in my own trailer for the purpose of appearing professional. These are from real films therefore their selection of shots is huge as they can chose from any point in the movie. This is then demonstrated by showing clips from the movie cross cut with a conversation to make sense of the clips that are shown. In order to give the impression of a real movie I will have to take large number of shots that appear to be relevant to the storyline, then cross cut with conversations which give an indication towards the story.

The structure of these trailers are all done the same, begins slow with slow paced ambient music - gradually building tension giving an indication of the storyline, then music begins along with a faster paced montage giving further indications towards the storyline by showing shots of people getting attacked / killed ect. I will use this exact style in my own trailer as well as similar sounds used when shots come onto the screen for the dramatic effect which is especially achieved in the Deadpool trailer.

The Deadpool trailer is especially effective due to the way the music and sounds parallel the shots on the screen. This adds an element of satisfaction to merely viewing the trailer. If it is possible that I can do something similar to this I will, seeing as it adds a professional effect thus making it seem like less of a student production.

PROPS

Acquiring balaclavas similar to these is essential in order to demonstrate an organised gang lifestyle wear balaclavas are frequently worn to rob people and shops ect. Preferably I will acquire those with skulls on them like the one above which can be pulled up to the eyes as this ads a factor of intimidation and gives the impression of immaturity as opposed to professionalism which reflects this sort of gangster lifestyle as it involves young members who look to intimidate as opposed to purely wanting to hide their identities. It will also add a sense of drama in the film and build on the tension. I will have to purchase this from Amazon or Ebay.

A realistic gun is necessary as using an obviously fake one will appear poor and unprofessional. Already I have gone through the process of finding someone who owns a realistic looking gun, therefore I will not have to purchase this. The gun has some features and functions, therefore combined with sounds edited in I am confident I can give the illusion of a real weapon.

 Finding a knife will be easy seeing as they are frequently used, however an appropriate knife which could be used by young gang members is required as a regular knife from the kitchen could get me arrested on the streets and would not appear realistic in terms of using it to stab someone. A small knife will have to be used, preferably not real as this would be more safe, however it must appear real in order to keep with the validity of the production.

Character Choice - Gang Leader

Oscar Gunn is the ideal person to play the character of a gang leader. His natural assertive and slightly aggressive personality will be reflected in his acting and I am positive he will adopt the roll with ease.

Oscar and Emile have known each other for years, therefore the chemistry between the characters will come off as natural, which is essential due to the nature of the production. His accent will also reflect the character although he will be asked to bolster it slightly for the roll. His charisma and confidence will allow for him to speak with confidence which is essential for the voiceovers.

Oscar is the tallest actor out of the 3, therefore his appearance as the oldest will come off well as he looks older than the other actors. His short hair and clothing suits the roll, although I will instruct him to wear certain clothes and to shave his head in order to successfully portray the character. I am confident with his abilities although he has had little experience in acting, his natural confidence should allow for him to play the roll effectively.

Character Choice - Brother

Alex Holley has been chosen to play the role of the brother due to his vague resemblance to Emile and the fact that he will look slightly older, keeping with the illusion of him being his older brother concerned for his well being.

As shown in the pictures above, Alex is an experienced actor, who's acting in the Edinburgh fringe festival resulted in an agency scouting him. It makes sense that the most experienced actor should play this roll, as his conversation with the police officer needs to come off as concerned and worried - therefore it is vital that this is done well and is effective. He will have many lines to convince the audience of the characters concern. I have witnessed his ability to change into a roll and I was impressed, thus why I asked him to take part in my production which he happily agreed with.

Alex's longer hair and general appearance suggest he is not part of a gang lifestyle, supporting why he would give up his brother out of concern as he is unaware of the consequences that would follow. I will give Alex as many lines as possible as I am aware he is the best actor I have access to.

Character Choices - Main Character (Better Pictures to be uploaded soon!)

I have chosen my friend Emile to play the role of the main character due to his natural similarity to the actual character himself. Despite having little experience in acting, I feel like he will play the part well due to his natural confidence and charisma. His accent suits the portrayal of a character from South London as well as the clothes he wears and his general appearance such as his ear piercing and his close cut haircut although for the filming I will ask him to re shave his head.

Emile is also acquainted with the other actors I will be using therefore the chemistry between them will be believable that they are friends or relatives. It was essential that Emile was chosen as opposed to an older actor as I have to give the appearance that he is the young member of a gang and is looking up to Oscar who is a year older than him, who I will attempt to portray as a few years older than him, but as long as there is a noticeable difference in age, this will be demonstrated clearly.

Emile is also over 6 ft tall therefore will not give the appearance of being too small / young for a character involved in this sort of lifestyle. He also lives a few roads away from me therefore I doubt I will have any issue with him being able to take part in the filming when I ask him to. His friends will be asked to take part in the filming as background characters, who will also suit their rolls as I will instruct them on what clothes to wear when filming and seeing as they are all younger than Oscar, the age gap between them will be obvious, keeping with the illusion of Oscar being an elder in the group.

I have full confidence with Emile's ability to portray this character and I am excited to see what he is capable of.