Website Draft.

http://devcan1996.wix.com/devin-cannon-zero

Poster Draft (without image)

Poster Draft

Mrs D

You have some good shots and the structure is getting there. Remember that everything needs to be original so you need to get rid of the clip from youtube. I'm not a big fan of the use of music - it reminds me of a Tom and Jerry clip where one of them is creeping up on the other. You need to think about you use of sound and how you can punctuate and add impact to the horror of your trailer. 

Font Idea for the poster for my trailer.

Website

http://www.paranormalmovie.co.uk/

This is the Website i looked at for the film "Paranormal activity; The marked ones". At first glance it is easy to see that the website is in fact a paranormal activity website, the dark colours and fonts show the genre of the movie. The Website layout is basic but simply to use, with two options, to review the trailer or the poster. I believe this website is only a teaser site, therefor not too much is given away but the title of the film is firmly shown in the center of the page.

Draft of Trailer.

Poster

This is the poster from the film Cloverfield, Which is one of the RMAs which influenced my choice of trailer. The poster, first of all, shows of the setting of the film "New York", however NY is shown to be in destruction. This hints at the genre of film, "Horror/sci-fi". The colours are pretty much the same, the pale green and greys give of a dull look and gives the poster a feeling of coldness and emptiness. The text at the top of the poster "something has found us" lets the audience know that there is something in NY but doesnt tell them what it is, all we see is a trailer in the water, which leads to destruction in the city. This shows that the "thing" is destructive. All of this aspects help emphasis the genre of the film, all the colours, text font and titles give off an eary cold vibe, as well as making the viewer want to see more because the poster doesnt reveal too much in terms of whats happened, it only shows destruction and choas.

Draft 3 of Trailer "Zero".

What i learnt from looking at different RMAs

- The start of the trailer doesnt reveal too much about the ending (i.e just show clips from the start of the film in chronological order)
- Text is used as a narrative in most of the trailers i watched
- The music used in all the trailers sets a scene and entices the viewer
- Its key to have a structure in the trailer, even if the trailer is only 30 secs long, the viewer must have an idea of what is going on.

Draft 2 of Trailer.

Mrs D

Well done Devin - you have worked really well this week. You have some really good footage and some good ideas. You need to start to include text to punctuate and anchor the narrative and think about the ending. There are a bit too many POV shots that are sweeping - I know this is your style of trailer, but you also need to think about the criteria. I would recommend that you go back to some RMAs and explore how they structure and build their trailer.

Progress update.

I have filmed over the weekend and will add the new footage to my trailer tomorrow. I have also had some new ideas about the music i will use on the trailer. I am looking for music to set more of an atmosphere, as well as music that will appeal to the audience.

Progess update.

I have 80% of the filming done. I will be filming the rest this weekend, so on Monday i can start editing and putting the final piece together.

Draft of trailer "Zero"

Progess update.

Today, i filmed some interior scenes with characters included. I also included some exterior shots but the exterior scenes don't include any characters. i have edited and added in the latest footage i have. Tomorrow i plan to film some exterior shots with chosen characters.

Mrs D

Devin, you are behind with your project. Please keep to the timetable that I have provided for you and add to your blog with more updates of what you are doing.

What i have done so far.

i have done 60% of the filming and editing, i need to do the rest of the filming in the last location.

Skills developpement

My skills have developed in many different ways while researching and planning. For example, after analyzing three trailers, i am now able to recognize the key conventions of a Horror movie, oppose to before where i was often mixing up sci-fi and horror as the same genre. I have also put time into getting the right location and the right story line. I realized that my story line has to be creative as well as fundamentally affordable to produce. While researching, i also developed my knowledge in key areas of trailers, it is important to not reveal too much of the film with in a trailer and it is key to stick to the codes and conventions of the trailer.

Potential storyline 1

(Picture from Google, Cropped then text added)

Name of film; Zero.

Plot; After a catastrophic event, one man wakes from the horror and cant remember any of his past. He is the only survivor fighting against a horde of humans infected by nuclear fallout (radiation) He must fight his was through dark polluted woods to find a colony of human survivors. He encounter many dangers and the toxic fumes also play with his mind, giving him flashbacks and horrible visions. The jumps back and fourth from his past to present, each event and danger he encounters changes his perception in a good or bad way. For example, he could see a butterfly and flashback to a sunny day out with his family and then all of a sudden come back to reality and realize that the butterfly was only a bit of ash. As the film progresses the main character will become more physically and mentally challenged through different events. As the film comes to an end, he begins to place together the flash backs and realizes he had a family and beautiful house but...however, he starts to remember his part in the military (which would explain his unique survival skills) and realizes he was in an institution which was fabricating WMDs, which would be fired at an enemy, but it all goes wrong mid launch and the weapon lands in his own country. The film comes to an end when he is too mentally and physically challenged that he envisions himself in a field playing with his wife and kids, with warm music ( a sad scene) he then comes back to reality and is kneeling, covered in blood and ash, in front of his wife and kids who have perished. As he sees the truth the camera pans out and we see the infected humans surrounding him and the film ends...The film ends on a cliffhanger as we see the main protagonist stand up in the circle of infected humans and pick up his weapon, pull the trigger..but then the film halts to a stop. Making the audience question what happens.

Storyboard

Test shots at the location.

Mrs D

You are not meeting your deadlines Devin. Do you know what you need to do to complete these? I want to give you feedback on your storyboard asap. You have to film and edit 30% of your trailer by the end of the week.

Storyboard.

Media storyboard storyboard by: devcantheman

Mrs D

Well done on your pitch - although a bit more preparation would have been good. you have the beginnings of a good idea - you just need to think carefully on how you are going to achieve it without big budget SFX.

Pitch feedback

-Stay to the Horror genre (dont go too far down the Sci-fi route).
-Keep ideas original.
-Prevent using to much inspiration from one film.
-Intoduce myself at the start of the pitch.
-

shortlist of locations.

Potiental locations;
woods/forest (dawm/night time)

3 trailers that have influenced me.

Mood Board

This is the mood mood that i have created. It represents the surviror horror genre, the lone male/female who must survive by his/herself through a series of events. The pictures i used such as, the dark lonely forests and one man pictures really help to give an impression of the genre. For example, the dark forest shots give the impression of horror as well as lonliness and eariness. I also added a picture of the undead/zombies in the middle. The antagonists always play a major part in this genre. Zombies have always been an iconic image in the survivor genre. Combinig the dark forests and zombies can produce a very promising horror. I also added three pictures of a lone man in my mood board, this person would most likely be the protagnist or start of as the antagnist and then change his/her ways. I think this is a very good genre when the director wants to audience to directly link to the character because afterall he/she is the only protagnist, so the whole film can focus on him/her.

Mrs D

You are behind in your Research Devin. Make sure you catch up soon. Your technical skills are not skills, but terminology - you need to look at skills like framing, cropping, integration of text and image etc.

Skills audit

Learn how to use the correct technology and equipement to get the best out of my work and how to co operate over technogly together to improve the quality of my work. Through research i have learnt a lot through my panning and also different skills in my construction, such as Camera angles, ect.

- Camera angles

- variety of editing

Transitions from one shot to another.

Cut – jump cut.
Purpose

Changes the focus of a character or point of view

Change scene or location

Change time Lead the audience’s thoughts.

- Use of correct Mise en scene

Production design;

Location, studio, set design, costume and make-up, properties.
Lighting: colour design.

Sound

 ·      Diegetic and non diegetic is the sound that the characters can hear/ or sound that the characters can’t hear but the audience can.
 

·      Synchronous/Asynchronous. When you can see the source of the sound/when the viewer can’t see the source of the sound.

Sound Effects

Produced artificially (part production) for theatrical effect.

Sound Motif

Sounds associated with a character.

Sound Bridge

Sound bridges across two scenes.

Dialogue

Character’s conversations

Pick out quotes.

Voice over

Narrator- who? What are they saying?

Mode of address

Direct address.

Talks directly to the audience.

Also i devlopped my use of different technlogies within my blog, i used sites such as;
Vox pox
Prezi
YouTube
Website
Interviews
Wiks
Podcast
Camstudio
Pete Fraser’s blog (examples)
Candi

Review of ring trailer

Key points from the oringinal trailer that were translated into our remake;

Characters.

Setting.

Music/Audio/ timing of shots recreated.

Good range of camera shots (close ups, long shots, over the shoulder, pan)

Good lip syncing (blends in with the trailer audio)

Range of angles

Mise en scene links in with genre of music (Location)

Relevant editing techniques used (transitions, focus pulls)

Lighting is good throughout (stays the same(dark))

Range of angles

Close ups and mid shots on the singer throughout

Fades, transitions

Mise en scene (clothing and location fit the genre and feel of the trailer)

Self-filming

High angle/low angles

Lip syncing blends with the audio

Slow editing /fast editing in places that it is needed

Laura Mulvey and Narrative Theory.

Please copy and paste the link into the browers (the link isnt working through blogger).

http://devcan1996.wix.com/narrtive-theory-

What i have learned about the the state of the film industry.

The state of the film industry in 2013 is at a pinnacle point. New technology has provided the industry with new ways of producing and marketing films. For example, film producers are now able to promote there films through the Internet (via Youtube), Magazines, social media sites, ect. In return, all this marketing can increase the revenue made from the distribition of the film. Therefore, more films can be made and re-marketed and distributed. Trailers are important because they are a key factor in the marketing and distribution. Without the trailers, the audience would not know what the films about, what the genre is, ect. Without the trailers through marketing the producers and publishers of the films would make barely any money in contrast to if they marketed the film properly. Trailers are one of the most important factors in the marketing of the film and also, they are very important to the instutions because they are the main reason for profit gain and money made from the advertissement of the film. They also make sure the specific auidence is targeted.

Mrs D

Devin - it is nice to see some variety of ICT in your R and P. You need to be more specific in your analysis to the actual trailer and get some more posts up soon.

Narrative Theory.

Narrative storyline (ie newspapers, films, tv, radio) is a way of telling stories. Narrative sets out to show that what we experience when we “read” a story

 Narrative- structure of the story

Diegesis - mise en scene
Verisimilitude – same location as us (i.e our location and time)
Linearity of cause (from start to finish, not in-between)
Enigma resolution
A high degree of narrative closure
A fictional world contains verisimilitude especially governed by spatial and temporal coherence
Todrov;

Stage 1: A point of stable equilibrium, where everything is satisfied, calm and normal.

Stage 2: This stability is disrupted by some kind of force, which creates a state of disequilibrium.

Stage 3: Recognition that a disruption has taken place.

Stage 4: It is only possible to re-create equilibrium through action directed against the disruption.

Stage 5: Restoration of a new state of equilibrium. The consequences of the reaction is to change the world of the narrative and/or the characters so that the final state of equilibrium in not the same as the initial state.
Roland Barthes

Establishment of plot or theme. This is then followed by the development of the problem, an enigma, an increase in tension. Finally comes the resolution of the plot.Such narratives can be unambiguous and linear.

According to Kate Domaille (2001)

every story ever told can be fitted into one of eight narrative types. Each of these narrative types has a source, an original story upon which the others are based. These stories are as follows: Achilles: The fatal flaw that leads to the destruction of the previously flawless, or almost flawless, person, e.g. Superman, Fatal Attraction.

Candide: The indomitable hero who cannot be put down, e.g. Indiana Jones, James Bond, Rocky etc. Cinderella: The dream comes true, e.g. Pretty Woman. Circe: The Chase, the spider and the fly, the innocent and the victim e.g. The Terminator.
Faust: Selling your soul to the devil may bring riches but eventually your soul belongs to him, e.g. Devil’s Advocate, Wall Street.
Orpheus: The loss of something personal, the gift that is taken away, the tragedy of loss or the journey which follows the loss, e.g. The Sixth Sense, Born On the Fourth Of July.
Romeo And Juliet: The love story, e.g. Titanic.
Tristan and Iseult: The love triangle. Man loves woman…unfortunately one or both of them are  already spoken for, or a third party intervenes, e.g. Casablanca.
The Russian theorist Vladimir Propp (1928)

Propp studied the narrative structure of Russian Folk Tales. Propp concluded that regardless of the individual differences in terms of plot, characters and settings, such narratives would share common structural features. He also concluded that all the characters could be resolved into only seven character types in the 100 tales

he analyzed:

The villain — struggles against the hero.
The donor — prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
The (magical) helper — helps the hero in the quest.
The princess and her father — gives the task to the hero,identifies the false hero, marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. Propp noted that functionally, the princess and the father can not be clearly distinguished.
The dispatcher — character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off.
The hero or victim/seeker hero — reacts to the donor, weds the princess.[False hero] — takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.

When brought together and broken down into their constitute parts these myths can be used to formulate a universal monomyth that is essentially the condensed, basic hero narrative that forms the basis for every myth and legend in the world and is, therefore, common to all cultures.

Both George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg

Were  both heavily influenced by Campbell’s theories and Star Wars conforms to Campbell’s model of the Monomyth almost exactly.
Ordinary World – the ordered world that the hero will choose (or be forced) to abandon.

Call To Adventure – a problem or challenge arises.

Refusal Of The Call – fear or reluctance may strike the hero.

Meeting With The Mentor – the mentor is a key character.

Crossing The First Threshold – the hero commits to the adventure.

Test, Allies, Enemies – the hero must learn the rules that will govern his quest.

Approach To The Innermost Cave – the most dangerous confrontation yet, perhaps the location of the treasure, or the object of the quest.

Ordeal – the hero must face his fear or mortal enemy who will seem more powerful. Mental or physical torture may occur.

Reward (Seizing The Sword) – the hero can celebrate the victory.

The Road Back – vengeful forces controlled by the villain are unleashed.

Resurrection – perhaps a final confrontation with death.

Return With The Elixir – return to the ordinary world with some wisdom, knowledge or something else gained from the adventure.

These structures are not unique to film but also advertising and news stories.

In fact the structures presented are an integral part of the majority of both western and eastern cultures - details how narrative works in society to inform the audience of events, people, places through mediated ideologies within them.
Narratives have a common structure Jonathan Culler (2001) describes narratology as comprising many strands

“implicitly united in the recognition that narrative theory requires a distinction between story, a sequence of actions or events conceived as independent of their manifestation in discourse, and discourse, the discursive presentation or narration of events.”

Structure is different to theme – narrative presents the form in which the theme is mediated/discussed.

Claude Lèvi-Strauss (1958) his ideas;

narrative amount to the fact that he believed all stories operated to certain clear Binary Opposites e.g. good vs. evil, black vs. white, rich vs. poor etc.

The importance of these ideas is that essentially a complicated world is reduced to a simple either/or structure. Things are either right or wrong, good or bad. There is no in between.

This structure has ideological implications, if, for example, you want to show that the hero was not wholly correct in what they did, and the villains weren’t always bad. (Postmodernism?)

Levi-Strauss also looked deeper into the way that narrative were arranged in terms of themes within that were ultimately always systematic oppositions. The order of events can be called the syntagmatic structure of a narrative, but

Levi-Strauss was more concerned with the deeper of paradigmatic arrangement of themes.
There is a choice of elements (paradigms) and they are arranged/dealt with in a particular way (syntagms).

Analysis of trailer

The ring 2 trailer specifically links in with the horror genre. The macro elements and micro elements all provide the audience with an idea of the purpose of the trailer.

The camera shots, editing and mise en scene are all clearly twined with the horror genre. For example, the quick passed editing and dark green and blue filters add the dark chilling cold feel which is normally associated with horror films. The trailer uses clear Connotations and denotations to provide meaning to specific parts of the trailer and effects to make the target audience enticed.

The trailer starts off slow with a narrative which isn’t fast paced and helps build tension, to create this the director has used denotations to create an effect that makes the audience want to keep watching. The pace of the trailer begins to speed up and the narrative speeds up, the iconography and cinematography begins to change, from slow paced editing and camera shots to quick fast paced shots, jump cuts and transitions. The trailer begins to have a darker feel to it, with quick images and moving images showing snippets of the film, each snippet being informative but not to informative so the story isn’t giving away fully. Throughout the rest of the trailer, especially the middle section, micro elements are used to tell us a bigger story about what is going on. The narrative doesn’t specifically inform the viewer on the story but the words used and the actual images all work together to give a brief but clear idea on the story.

The end of the trailer starts to speed up but then slows dowm for the end, however the cinematography is still the same, the dark colours and dark lighting all stay consistent to make sure the audience know the genre of the film they are watching. The director uses the conations very well throughout the trailer such as the sound, there is also diegetic sounds from the trailer, like the white noise on the tv, the screaming, which all give a mashed together uncertain feel to make the viewer feel like he is as scared as the people in the film. There is clear use of signified semiotic examples, the main antagonists “samara” the young girl, is briefly shown in the trailer but not too much. This is because the director doesn’t want to ruin the surprise of how she appears and when. Also the main characters and shown throughout the trailer, together and on their own in the short snippets. The female is shown the most showing she is the main character and the young boy is the second most shown and there is some parts showing a male, who will most likely help the two main protagonists. The overall feel of the trailer is defiantly fear and horror and this is made possible by the connotations and denotations and micro and macro elements. The dark filters and lighting stay the same, as well as the sound and mise en scene. Its important the directors keeps everything linked in in case the viewer or target audience get confused about the genre of the trailer/film.

Function of a trailer

The function of a trailer is to show snippits of a film to entice a choosen target auidience. Its also cariflies the genre of the film being previewed. A trailer also provides the auidience with an insight into what the film is about, for example the trailer will give a quick overview of the storyline as well as where it is based (location) when it is set and also the cast will be shown, which is an important factor because more respected actors will bring in a larger auidence.

Reflection of AS

Strenghts;

- The timing of the audio and video mixing together is well done, meaning every clip is in sync with the actual audio of the trailer
- The editing and transistions have a variety and match those which were used in the original trailer
- Some areas of the trailer the Mise en sound was good and closely matched the original trailer
- casting was done well, the members cast for our remake ressembled the real actors in a way.

Weakness;


What i have learnt;

I have learnt the importance of Mise en Scene and how it helps represent the genre. The colours and editing really help emphasis the genre and using it incorrectly could confuse the auideince into thinking its a different genre. Also camera shots and editing also need to varie to give a clear impression of the genre of the trailer.

audience feedback;