Wonderland First Draft Trailer Feedback

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS9a06uIrVc&feature=channel_video_title

In order to gain essential constructive criticism of our initial trailer draft we presented it to the class, and collected their feedback in order to locate possible improvements. After a careful analysis of the feedback we received we allocated these points as required changes;

·         Don’t cut the opening shot, use the length of it the perhaps provide a voiceover which in conjunction to this highlights detail and background to the plot, which according to our feedback, was vague.

·         We also need to establish that Alice (elle) does in fact die, and this is what sends our character into his downward spiral of depression and drug addiction

·         Will needs to appear in extra footage displaying his depression

·         Establish that the woods are a drug fuelled fantasy, and the use of drug are what sent him there

·         Point of view shot in the mugging scene

·         Add new or alter the current music, less continuous

·         We need to successfully introduce the drug dealers character

Filming Schedule

Here is the filming schedule that we intend to comply with in order to finish our filming with plenty of time left to edit our clips. To ensure that there are no issues when it comes to the clip we are filming, we have created the schedule in table format so we can easily indentify who we need for that sessions filming, along with the loction that we will be using. It is a neccesity that we stick to the deadlines we have set ourselves, as if we dont, we may be left with unfinished and rushed work, which would seriously effect the overall quality of the project.

Early Footage for Audience Feedback

Practice Video Analysis

Innocent Intentions

Idea: the idea my group and I had for my practice video was that of victim being stalked through an alley and then attacked. We chose this idea as it was not only simple but also gave us the opportunity to experiment with different camera angles in order to break the clip up.
Location: The location we chose was a large alley by our school, which was spacious enough for us to be able to film the clip from different angles without the use of any high tech equipment, but was still identifiable as an alley. The connotation of the alley being that it is a potentially dangerous and hard to escape from, and thus this added to the mood to the scene, as our audience could predict something drastic would occur, but they were not certain of what.
Sound : within the clip we do not have an diagetic sound, this is because we believed it took tension away from what was happening on scene, we did however employ a strong us of non-diagetic sound, in the way of the theme that was playing throughout the clip, which was the soundtrack from the film “jaws”. We used this music as the tune is universally known for the way that it builds up tension within the film of its origin. This ensured that when our clip was played the audience they understood that we were building up the tension in order for a dramatic climax. The music was also in sync with the cuts within the clip.
By creating this clip we were given the oppurtunity to identify a variation of shots and camera angles, and the gain experience practising and using this, with the potential of utilising these at a later date, when it comes to creating our actual media piece.

Feedback: we presented our clip to the class in order to receive a constructive feedback of what we done well, and what we could have improved upon. In order to do this we constructed a questionnaire which we delivered to the class when they watched our clip, and then they answered the questions after the screening.
Questionnaire:
1. What was your overall opinion of the clip?
2. Could you see the themes we were trying to portray in our clip?
3. Do you think the music we used went with the flow of the video?
4. Do you think our use of camera angles was effective?
5. What do you think we could have improved?

1) Overall we had a good reception from the clip, as our class understood the difficulties with creating your first clip, and it was opinionated to be an entertaining watch. Despite this, criticisms were made about the actual walking substance of the clip, which was largely considered boring and an unnecessary length of time.
2) Our class responded to this question in a positive manner, as they could clearly denote from the sound, as well as the content of the film, that we were aiming to portray tension and suspense which then led to the final climax.
3) There were mixed opinions within our class when it came to the sound of our clip, as we didn’t have any diagetic sound, which many of the class thought was a poor point, as it took some of the realism away from the clip but at the same time others in the class believed that this lack of “real sound” helped to build up the mystery and tension of our clip. The non-diagetic music we used for our clip was the unmistakable theme from the blockbuster film “jaws”. From this our audience immediately knew we were building up tension and suspense, leading to the final climax. They agreed that this was successful, but some fellow students would have liked to see a more original soundtrack from us.
4) The main area of our video that was applauded was the use of camera angles, notably the side shots that we used to split up the long shots we had of the alley way. The final point of view shot where we see the assailant attacking the unsuspecting victim, was also credited, as it portrays our clips climax as well. We were however criticised on the length of our long shots, as they dragged on and dimmed the suspense that we were building up.
5) Overall we received a good response from our clip, but we asked for constructive criticism so we had a substantial idea of what we needed to improve for our final piece. The main elements of the feedback we received were to make use of diagetic sound in the clip, with the possibility of finding a less used soundtrack to the same effect as our current theme. More content was also recommended, as they found the large segment of our trailer, dedicated to the alley, was boring.

Wonderland Presentation

Wonderland presentation

View more presentations from 04cdeeney

Here i have uploaded the presentation which my group produced to present to our class, in order to gain feedback on any positives regarding our films ideas and concepts.

Basic Trailer Idea

 

Green screen. Age rating of trailer.
‘Production company’. Elle and Will going out.Walking along holding hands.
Will: So, what are you doing tomorrow night?
Elle: I hope you haven’t forgotten it’s our anniversary.
Will: Don’t worry, I’ve got everything planned. Just don’t stand me up.
Fade
Phone call, car headlights.Will standing outside restaurant, looking at the time on his phone, then calls Elle.
Will: Where are you?
Elle: I’m just running late, I should be there soon
Elle walks out into the road.
Head lights appear, camera fades, hear car brakes, phone cuts off
Funeral.Will walking out of a graveyard in a suit.
Meeting the drug dealer.Tyler leaning against a wall in an alleyway.
Will walks past and Tyler stops him.
Tyler: Alright Rob? What you up to?
(No reply from Will)
Tyler: Do you want to buy some gear?
(No reply.)
Tyler: Come with me, we’ll have a chat.
Going to ‘wonderland’.P.O.V. shot showing Will walking into Wonderland apartment.
Looking into rooms of drug addicts.
Passed out in Jesus position.
Drug addict rocking in a room.
Taking a hit.Will takes a shot of heroin.
Wonderland apartment turns into wonderland forest.
Wonderland forest.Will sees silhouette of Elle in wonderland.
Establish the cast.Will Derry – Reality (running into shot, looking through stolen wallet).
Elle Rossiter – Reality (looking in the mirror, getting ready for night out).
Tyler Andrews – Reality (snorts cocaine then looks up at camera)
Mugging scene.Mikey walking along.
Will walking opposite way.
Will pushing Mikey into a wall and get out a knife.
Will: Give me your money.
Mikey: Get off me!
Close up of knife.
Will stabs Mikey.
Will and Elle talking in wonderland forest.Elle: Why are you here?
Will: I had to come see you.
Elle: You shouldn’t have come. (Blood starts dripping from her mouth)
Elle steps back.
The sound of the car break is heard.
Will turns around, there’s nothing there.
Will looks back at Elle.
Elle is in the same clothes the night she was hit.
Elle’s clothes are torn with bloodstains with blood dripping from her mouth. Mangled
Dramatic argument between Tyler and Will.In wonderland, the apartment.
Tyler: sorry, I cant let you in
Will: no you have to, I need to get I there
Tyler: I should never of started you on this, just get out now while you still can.
Will: Its to late now, let me in !
(scuffle ensues )
Will sitting in wonderland apartment alone.
Will standing in wonderland forest (raining) alone.
Title of the film.Wonderland apartment door shuts.
Caption follows with title ‘Wonderland’
Credits.

Case study trailer analysis

Pulp fiction trailer

the pulp fiction trailer begins by notifying the audience, with a caption, that the film was voted the best picture of the cannes film festival. This already implies that the film is going to be worth watching, as it has already won a prestigious award prior to its release. This caption is then appeared to be shot at, with the use of special effects, to give the audience an incline that the film will contain some action, appealing to fans of that genre. The initial sound track then begins to play, Dick Dale and His Del Tones – Miserlou, which is a fast paced song,  giving conntotation to the actual intense content of the film.  Why this song is playing we are presented with short clips from the film where each character is given some establishment. The song is then changed to the slower “youll be a woman soon” by urge overkill, this gives a basic idea to the audience that romance may play a part within this film, again attracting a far greater target audience. This then leads to a voice over naming each member of the main cast ( while a small clip is shown of them). This enables the audience to clearly see the extent of the casts fame, the final actor shown is bruce willis, this is so a lasting impression is left on the audience, as Willis is a world renowned actor. There is also a small clip of conversation between Willis and Travolta, important as its showing the films two main characters in action together. The end of the trailer gives us a hint of humour, which is also another successful  and desired ingredient in a blockbluster film. This is delivered when an unknown assailant fires his gun at john Travolta and Samuel L Jackson, only to miss every shot, we are then presented with the iconic image of the two actors looking at the gun man while pointing there gun towards him, the still of this was also used in posters ect and eventually became an iconic selling point. The trailer is then ended on the sound of the gun firing, giving final iteration that the film is predominantly based on crime and action.
I could use some elements of these trailers in my own piece, particlarily by advertising the cast within the trailer, or using different songs and themes for each section of the trailer, this would help to break it down, making it easier for the viewers to digest whats happening, potentially heigtening any appeal that resides for films of similiar genre within the viewer.

Saving private ryan trailer

this trailer commences with carious captions of world war 2 images and clips of 3 seperate letters that are simultaneously  being read out aloud, with an occasional phrase being highlighted when it is said. These phrases all imply towards to loss of life and help build up the somber mood this part of the trailer appears to be presenting, they also make clear that film is set in the war, attracting that cliché of audience. We then get more non-diagetic sound played, which depicts two men discussing how a mother will be receiving 3 telegrams notifying her 3 of her sons have died ( the images within the captions are now potraying images on men suffering and dying in combat, then going to a still of the mother looking at presumably the two men), we also get a caption of writing, a special effect, naming these 3 dead men, this helps set the story of the film and also shows us that the writers , Robert rodat, inspiration plays an essential role in the plot of the film. The audio clip concludes when we are informed there is a 4^th brother, and whom we can presume to be the senior of the two men, exclaims that they will save the final son. The trailer then moves on to show a close up of the main character who is portrayed by tom hanks, an exceptionally popular and famous actor, oftenly noted as one of the best, by making clear he is themain character the film will already attract an audience and positive attention amongst possible viewers and critics. Clips containing action and warfare are then shown while the text alters to give some more context to the film. Each of the main characters is then given a brief clip displaying them while text displaying their name has been edited in after filming. The title is then shown with a fading shot of a lone figure, almost angelic before a sun set. The screen goes black and the directors name is displayed, and as it’s the successfully and widely respected steven Spielberg, it appears a final incentive to view the film.
The use of the voiceover is something that could work particularily well within my trailer, as it will help me to anchor the plot of my trailer, thus giving any potential viewers a far more substantial idea of whats happening within the film, and why they would want to view it.

Saving Private Ryan Case study

Director  - Steven Spielberg

Writer – Robert Rodat

Cast – Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Matt Damon

Genre - Action, Drama, History and War

Release Date – July 24, 1998

Budget - $70 million

Revenue - $481 million

Inspiration – the writer Robert Rodat was inspired to create the film when he came across a monument dedicated to four brothers who had died during the American civil war, he decided however to base his idea around the Normandy landings in the second world war. The reason he chose this setting was because his son's birthday (June 6) shared the same date as the Battle of Normandy, and thus this was further inspiration for him.

·         The film was directed by the already respected Steven Spielberg, who had notable success with films based within the world war, such as schindlers list and empire of the sun ect.  Thus due to his creditability any possible investors would immediately be struck by the great potential for a successful film.

·         The main star within the film was the actor Tom Hanks, who was a well respected actor due to his performances in films such as Forrest Gump and big, which had won him a fine string of accolades. Much like having Steven Spielberg directing the film, the thought of having such a popular actor playing the lead role would generate revenue in itself, as people will always pay to see his films, which in turn gives the producer a greater chance of making a profit. Tom Sizemore was enrolled to play the role of the films “tough guy”, which due to his roles in films such as “heat”, he was perfect for, and just his reputation alone would help him portray the character.

·         Another key selling point was that there had not been a truly successful war film for some time, and as Spielberg had the intention of making the film as realistic as possible, the film had the capability to generate a large audience base, especially as it was recommended by true veterans from the war, who claimed it was as close to the real thing you could possibly get. This would attract attention from people keen to see what the conditions of the war would actually have been like.

Pulp Fiction Case Study

Director  - Quentin Tarantino

Writer – Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary

Cast – John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Bruce Willis and Christopher Walken among others.

Genre - Crime

Release Date – October 1994

Budget - $8.5 Million

Revenue - £212.19 Million

Inspiration - The initial inspiration for pulp fiction was the three-part horror anthology film Black Sabbath (1963) from which the idea of the 3 interlinking plots within the film was gained. This inspiration for the “golden watch” segment of the story was taken from a previous work of Avary "Pandemonium Reigns".  Two scenes originally from true romance (Work of Roger Avary, but did not feature in the final cut) were also drafted into pulp fiction and redeveloped to fit the plot.

·         Directed by Quentin Tarantino, a director known for previous successful films such as reservoir dogs. This would be appealing to an aspiring financer, because as a director, Tarantino had a grand reputation, and this therefore leads to the potential of achieving a good profit

·         As a co-writer, Roger Avary, had previously wrote true romance. This meant that to a potential financer the film had a great deal of promise in terms of generating a successful plot.

·         The film stars established actors such as John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, and Bruce Willis. When it came to selecting john Travolta to play the lead role, there was a great deal of scepticism due largely to fact he had not starred in a successful film for sometime. Despite this he reputation amongst film viewers remained high as a result of the successful films that he had been in, and he eventually repaid the trust that was placed upon him in the form of an academy award nominated performance. There were also questions raised when Uma Thurman was cast as “Mia Wallace” the husband of the crime lord “Marcell Wallace”, as she was a previously unknown actor with little acting experience so nobody knew what to expect. Quentin however expertly moulded her into her role as a mysterious women, who has come from nowhere into the limelight as the “big mans wife”, this is also retrospective of her career, where she was also cast into fame from nothing.

·         The 3 interloping plots was also a key selling point to the film, as it had not yet previously done on a box office level, with any success.  This in itself meant that if successful, pulp fiction would near enough be a unique film.

·         There was also the opportunity of producing merchandise to sell after the films release. This came in the form of the specially selected soundtrack, and t-shirts featuring captions and images from the film, such as the iconic pistol pose (John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson). Altogether this added to the chance of producing more revenue for the potential investors.

Film Development Timeline

Idea

This is the initial stage of a film, where the Writer or Director creates an idea for a potential film.

Development Finance

Once the idea of the film has been established, the Writer/Director will pitch the idea to possible investors, who then judging by the potential for success will then give the Writer/Director the funds required for the development of the film, such as the writing of the script.

Script Development

This is when the script for the film is developed and finalised. A general insight to the plot of the film will also be required to give the possible financers a better idea as to what the film is about.

Packaging Moment

Within this stage the genres of the film will be established, as well as details on the potential cast for the film. Any possible merchandising available from the film will also listed here in order to enhance the chance of a large financer investing in the film.

Financing

Once the film has gained its key investors, the financing of the film will have to be set, this includes the budget for actually creating the film, as well as completion bonds which is a form of insurance that covers the film in the event of it not being completed, and the investors money lost.

Pre-Production

This is the section of production that takes care of the preparation to the actually shoot of the film. It includes things such as selecting the cast, set and costume design (props also) and the storyboarding of the film

The Shoot

The section of a films production dedicated to the actual filming.

 Post Production

Once the film has been shot, special effects will then be edited in along with non diegetic sound such as soundtracks and further special effects.

 Getting a distributor

Now that the film is complete, it is essential that a distributor is found, so it can finally be released (distributed) and then hopefully the film be successful with the hope of generating a profit for all parties involved.

Film Production and Pitching An Idea

Film Production

When it comes to producing a film,  there are three key stages that the film must be processed through before it is released to the audience; production, distribution and exhibition. This means that the investors within these three stages will have a commanding influence over the film at various points within its production. It is important to keep track of how much is spent on each of these stages, mainly to ensure that each one gets even expenditure, so one is not lagging behind another.

Within the films production the producer plays a variety of important roles, the first and extremely important one is taking the initial idea of the film and raising the belief that it can be done, and that it can be a success. Before this can be done there does however need to be an inspiration for the film, and this can come from many diverse locations, such as a book, play or television programmes ect.

Once the films idea has been concluded and summarised, the producer will proceed to present the potential investors with a “package”. This package will include detailed storylines and scripts, the generic characteristics of the film ( genre) so it can be identified whether there is any potential for success in the current film market. A proposed budget will be necessary and also required is a story board of key scenes, to give the investors an idea of whats going on within the film.  An established director with proven success will help attract an audience to the film while at the same time reassuring the investors, the same can be said for the cast of the film, the bigger the names the more potential attraction to the film there will be. A talented an experienced “behind the camera” crew will also aid the overall quality of the film and then finally a list of any potential spin offs or sequels ect, another potential road to profit for the investing committee.

The Pitch

The pitch is the term used for to the producers presentation of the package of a potential film. The pitches themselves are often straight forward and easy for the potential investors to understand, so they can get a good grasp of what the film will be like and whether its worth them investing. The character and narration within the pitch will be kept to a basic level to aid in this also.

High Concept Films

High concept films are the Hollywood studios response to the high risks of film production, and they can include repackaging previously successful elements of a film, such as the high rated staff and successful directors, or extending an existing films franchise with a sequel, or creating variations of a film to meet the current popular genres.

The Pitch

Pitch

In order to aid myself in the later production of my media coursework, it was nessacary to create an idea for a short film, from which I could make myself comfortable with the various planning and development aspects required to deliver a good film.

For my potential film I have chosen to create a film named “Bermuda”. The general plot of this film is set in 1921 and based upon the idea that the entire crew and passengers onboard a cruse vessel apart from one young girl are lost during a storm within the Bermuda triangle, this ship will eventually be found by a a military cruser sent out to find them after the cruse ship lost contact with the mainland, the film will then be based upon finding out what happened based upon the information they can get from the survivor, a young girl struch with fear and no clear apparent memory of what happened.

The opening scene will take place on board the military vessel as it sails through a storm attempting to locate the lost ship. Through the storm there will then be a long shot to establish the ships light across the water and then as the military vessel closes in there will be medium shots aimed at the losst ship to show there is noone there, this will then be backed up by closes up showing the confusion of the crew, followed by an establishing shot to show them all running into their various action stations and a an action shot of the boarding party going across, where the camera will play the part of a member of this party to add to the drama of the situation. After a long search the girl is shown sat in a room clutching the remnants of a teddy bear while rocking back and forth. This will mark the end of the opening scene, which I believe by containing strong elements of mystery will grab the audiences attention.

The idea for this film takes its idea from tales of the Bermuda triangle aswell as the story of the mary celeste, which was supposedly found abandoned in  1872.

The key selling point for this film is it that it takes an unexplained superstion and then takes it to box office, almost to say this could potentially happen, so that and the great mystery behind it should attract a good amount of positive attention.

Settings: at sea, the whole film will take place on these 2 vessels