Robbie's Blog: 2011

Friday, 2 December 2011

Trailer Analysis/Overview - A2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyknBTm_YyM

Edited - Exposure

This was the original shot as you can see it is quite dark so I reedited the exposure so the my actor's eyes are easily visible as they play a large part in showing the lifelessness in the character. The framing of this shot was to focus completely on the character's face to emphasise the emotion he displays.

The long shot was used here to emphasise the character's measuring each others power. This shot is the original version with unedited exposure. I paid close attention to framing in this shot as any distractions from this dramatic scene would detract from the immersion.

Edited- Exposure

I paid close attention to costuming and the mise en scene, therefore I continued my image of death in a suit from my magazine into my film by having my other actor dress in one. The protagonist is dressed in a white top to denote his goodness, and vice versa the evil character wear black to denote death.

Unedited - Original

The Font used is the same as my poster - Trajan Pro- this shows continuity throughout my products. These captions are to emphasise the actions taking place. These are especially important as I did not use a voice over as I felt it detracted from the atmosphere my trailer was trying to build.

This caption is used to stick to convention by showing the actors name on the screen.

This fog effect over my ident is used to immerse the audience immediately into my trailer. This effect is also used in the Woman in Black trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPYMUnJGURI

This shot is framed so the candles' light is displayed on both should of the character, this is to emphasise his mystique and supernatural power. The set up is also to look like an altar of dark magic. Like other scenes in the dark i had to reedit the lighting as my feedback showed that the scenes were too dark, after they were reedited feedback showed they looked much more effective to increase the supernatural atmosphere.

Creating my Music - A2

Music and Sound Effects

The music and sound effects in my trailer were created using a combination of sound effects from iTunes library within iMovie and music that I made myself with the Garageband software.

Initially, I had the same music running throughout the trailer. However, after feedback, I decided to introduce a faster tempo for action sequences, and used Saint-Saens Danse Macabre for inspiration, thinking particularly of his use of violin sounds.

The two sound effects I used were Engine Rev and Cold Wind. I used these sound effects to add to the atmosphere of the trailer.

I decided against using a voice-over as I felt it detracted from the supernatural feel of the trailer.

Garageband

Using loops on Garageband, I created a soundtrack. I used many instruments and had them at different volume and pitch levels to get the desired gothic, uneven feel. I had the orchestral strings and a single beat drum as my base. This created a repetitive spooky tune.

However, after feedback, I decided to add Nordic fiddles at a low pitch at key moments to emphasise the action that was taking place in the trailer.

Thursday, 1 December 2011

Analysis of Poster and Magazine - A2

Analysis of poster and magazine – a2 final version

View more presentations from Twistedangel666.

Analysis of Trailers in the Thriller Genre - A2

The Crow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA6GYAtvNcs&feature=related

The Crow by HavokX99

Ident - washes across the screen

Gang members - diagetic sound (shouting).
Non-diagetic sound - rock music in the background.

The explosion instantly grabs the viewer's attention. This bit of action at the beginning allows the trailer then to focus more on the story elements of the film.

The framing of this shot is to show confinement and make it seem as if the audience were right next to the explosion.

Wide Shot - used to show vulnerability of a character on her own.

Mid shot - used to show this character is comfortable with those around him.

Over-head shot - used to show the workings of the gang in a conveyor belt motion.

Cut in - the gravestone with the character's name is used to allow the audience to understand who the character they are about to see is.

The crow knocking on the gravestone and the subsequent point of view (POV) shot shows that the crow is bringing this person back to life.

The acrobatics Eric displaysin these shots are combined with many hard cuts and slow motion effects to emphasise his power.

This low-angle shot is used to emphasise Eric's power and dominance.

This over the shoulder (OTS) shot is used to show how Eric perceives himself in his undead form.

This two shot is used to show the characters' familiarity with each other.

This low angle OTS shot is used to show Eric's weakness in this scene.

Captions emphasise what the voice-overs are saying about Eric's character.

The title of the film at the end is overlayed with the crow symbol burning into the ground. This is a clever way to get the character's logo from the comic book into the film.

Close ups are used in this trailer to highlight emotion in the characters' faces as they witness destruction and cruelty, be it glee or revulsion.

The Woman in Black - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPYMUnJGURI

Woman in Black by HavokX99

The ident is covered with a fog effect, which instantly immerses the audience in the trailer. I used a similar effect in my trailer to achieve the same immersion.

The low angle shot of the house is used to highlight the ghostly presence this house has and also to emphasise its imposing power.

The OTS shots above and below show a conversation from each character's side as well as the openess the characters have with each other.

The establishing shot here is used to show the isolation of the house and to emphasise that Arthur Kipps (protagonist) will be completely alone.

This wide shot with the cross in the foreground is to emphasise the theme of death within the film.

This high angle shot is used to show how small Arthur is compared to the large house.

This close-up is used to shock the audience when the woman's face suddenly appears on the other side of the zoetrope.

The caption is used to create expectations in the audience and - rather like similar quotatations from critical reviews on the backs of books - to enhance the reputation this story has. This will help attract viewers who are looking for thrills and scares.

This slightly low angle mid shot is used to emphasise the already ghostly childrens' power. The shadow hides their faces, which makes the children seem more inhuman.

This over the head shot emphasises how weak Arthur is compared to the Woman in Black. It also highlights the supernatural effect of the child's foot prints already ahead of him.

This cut in, together with the next shot, (picture below) is very effective as it creates a sense of confinement, horror and surprise.

This caption places Daniel Radcliffe's name over a close-up of his face reacting to a shock. They use this to show that one of Britain's biggest young actors is in the film.

This front-on shot is used to show Arthur's cautious yet dangerous pose. The candle in front of him might show that he believes that light will protect him better than an axe from the Woman in Black.

This final scene from the trailer uses two quick fade to black's in succession to transition the Woman in Black's face over Arthur's reflection in the window. This scene is very effective at making the audience jump out of their seats.