Filming Day Three

Today we filmed the street scenes on Marlborough high street. These scenes were the moment the two main protagonists met for the first time. We filmed during a week day and around 12.00 as we thought the street would be less busy and therefore we would have better access to the locations we wished to use. We filmed outside a café (Costa) and down the high street. It went very well as the weather was good and not raining! We can now continue to edit out product, and only have 2 more locations to film at! (hospital and home)

Chrissy entering Cafe, Luke leaving Cafe.

Marlborough High Street

Filming Day Two

Yesterday we filmed some more shots for our film trailer. Specifically the argument in the car scene.

For this we used a hose to replicate the rain and torches to mimic car headlights driving past the stationary car.

Here are some photos.....

Here is Etty and Chrissy standing with the tripod, we were just about to shoot the street scene.

We set up one of my cars with the headlights on so we could light the other car and give it the effect that it was parked by a busy road.

We used a hose on the front windscreen of the car to make it look like its raining.

This is the car we filmed Chrissy and Luke in.

We filmed from the boot of the car in order to get the right camera angle.

We have made a production logo

Today Etty and I came up with the name and design of our production logo. We settled on the name SE productions and created a design which we thought fitted the genre of the film and looked stylish.

Below is a example of our production logo, however this is just a still and we are hoping to turn it into a moving image/video.

We decided in our logo we would incorporate Etty's and my name. We wanted to intwine our initials in a stylish and simple way.

We have produced 2 logos both with different colour schemes, one is inverted. We decided that the white background looked smarter so this is the one we want to use.

We used photoshop to create flicks on the end of the letters of which we choose the appropriate font. We decided to drag out the S to create more of a memorable logo rather than just random letters.

We now want to use Adobe after affects to create a motion picture to make the production logo more exiting.

We have decided not to incorporate this design into our trailer as it didn't look quite right the harsh whit and black were too much of a contrast, however it will feature on my film poster.

First day of filming

Today we did our first day of filming, the weather wasn't great as it gets dark very early however i think the rain helped with the mood of our shots. We filmed the following scenes today:

• Train scenes
• Street scene
• Bathroom scene 
• Packing scene
• Old photograph scene (tears)
• Emotional bedroom scenes (crying)
• Piano music

Here are some photos we took while shooting the trailer....

First we filmed at Pewsey train station, the weather was wet but that didn't put us off! Here you can see filming close ups of Chrissy and a photo of the train that we filmed going past.

 Next here you can see the street scenes these were extremely dark so may have to be reshot depending on the outcome.

However we got some great shots of Chrissy running in the puddles.

 Below are photos from the scenes shot in my bedroom. We did some side angle shots and also a birds eye view shot.

 Finally this photo shows the scene in which we filmed the bathroom shots in which Chrissy had to swipe everything off the sink in anger.

 

Creating My Production Logo

    Here are some logos I especially like! I love their simplicity but also how these are very artistic.

                    

                   

Here are some initial logo ideas that I have created using the name 'Story Line Productions' this may not be the name I decide to use but I choose it as I needed a name in order to design the logo.

Risk Assesment

Location
Train station: When filming at the train station we need to be careful especially because of the fast moving trains. Also the weather is likely to be rainy so the ground could be wet and slippery so we need to move with caution to ensure we don't fall onto the track. We also will have to cross the track over a bridge which contains many stairs, we have to walk very slowly to ensure we dontt slip as we will be carrying lots of equipment such as cameras and tripods. It could get very cold at the station so we will need to ensure our actress is warm enough. In the case that an injury did occur depending on the severity of the injury we could either take them back to my house (2 minutes walk) to seek appropriate treatment or take them to hospital in a serious case.

Kitchen: When filming in the kitchen I will warn Chrissy to be cautious when pouring from the kettle, however the water won't be boiled so it won't burn her. However I do have an Aga which can get very hot, so in the case the someone got burnt, I would run the burn under cold water assess the damage and continue accordingly. In the scene where Chrissy has to drop her phone, we will use a fake phone so that there was no smashed glass etc. This could be a danger to others.

Bedroom: While filming on the bed, if not being sensible someone could fall off and injure themselves, in order to prevent this we will make sure everyone is sting responsibly.

Car: When filming in the car we need to make sure the actors didn't push on any pedals, move the gearstick or the handbrake. This could be very dangerous if our actors didn't listen or weren't responsible, luckily when casting our actors we considered this. We will use special effects (SFX) such as fake rain, so may get wet, if this happens we will need to get changed into warm clothes after to ensure we didn't get too cold.

Motorway: This is the most dangerous location, it was above the M4. I will have to walk up a busy road to get to the location/bridge. I will take multiple torches to make sure I am well seen by cars to avoid accidents. I am going with a friend incase one of us got hurt, in this event we would have called the ambulance.

Street: We must be careful of both the cars and people on the high street, The road is busy and can be dangerous and the pavements are filled with people, in the case that someone got pushed into the road we would have called an ambulance.

Hospital: The risks of this location were more respecting others privacy and confidentiality in the hospital, we were not allowed to film other patients or staff at the hospital without their consent. Luckily for us we only wished to film Chrissy however we had to be patient when waiting for staff and patients to move out of the shots.

Bathroom: In the bathroom scene Chrissy has to throw objects so we made sure they were all plastic so couldn't hurt anyone.


Equipment

Cameras: Cameras can get damaged, in order to prevent this we need to carry our camera equipment safely. We must ensure the camera is not attached to the tripod when carrying it around and that the camera and equipment is not left lying on the floor as a trip hazard or to be damaged. Also when we are not filming we must make sure the lens caps are on so the lens do not get damaged. We will have two cameras when filming so this applies to both.

Tripod: When carrying around the tripod we must fold in the legs and carry it upright over our shoulders so it does not hit anyone. Also we must not leave the equipment on the floor as it is a trip hazard.

Lighting: We may use lighting so we need to be careful of that if used because if broken the lights will leave glass which is hazardous to everyone, also some lights can get very hot and set fire so we mustn't leave them on for long periods of time, or leave them lying around for people to trip over.

Filming schedule

This is my filming schedule to help me plan my time and be organised when filming.

Casting

After a lot of thinking and discussion I have finally decided on the actors and actresses I wish to cast in my trailer. Below are character profiles of my chosen actors/actresses.

My actors - Luke (left) and Chrissy (right)

Chrissy Lightowler: Main protagonist

Chrissy is an 18 year old teen. She has her whole life ahead of her when she gets diagnosed with a degenerative brain disorder. Her personality is out going and charming however after her diagnosis she makes it her mission to conquer her world, be brave and fill her life with happiness despite coping with this awful disease. When escaping to a new life her personality changes as she has to hide her secret past from her new friends. She puts on a brave face to them to hide her emotional personality however when alone she is introverted and deeply scared by what might happen to her in the up and coming future. As her memory deteriorates every thing from her old life fades and she begins to become frustrated when she can no longer remember those back home, who are most important to her. This frustration turns to aggression and this will become evident to the audience at the end of the trailer.

Costume: Baggy clothes, hoody and tees etc. Big boots for puddle shot.

Make up: Neutral, running mascara and eye makeup in the crying shots.

Luke Shields: The Deuteragonist

Luke is 20 years old, he lives in a quiet town and owns a small flat. He has a small circle of friends who all play a huge part in his life. He has a small job from which he gets little pay, but works extremely hard. He enjoys hanging out with his friends. He is quite shy in social situations and will only open up when he feels he can really trust a person. This is why Chrissy lying about her secret past causes such a stir.

Costume: Hoody and jeans, simple outfit.

Music requests template

 Dear whomever this may concern,


We are writing to ask for permission to use ARTISTS song SONG NAME. We are A-level film student and as a part of our course work have to produce our own trailer which will last approximately 2-4 minutes. For this trailer we require a soundtrack and have decided your song SONG NAME is perfect for the use in our trailer, as we feel it truly reflects the themes and emotions explored throughout the trailer. The Trailer will be published on YouTube and we will credit the artist.


We hope to hear back from you soon. If you have any additional questions feel free to contact us on our emails; (include emails)


Kind Regards


Scarlet Ryan and Etty Stanely


St Johns Marlborough

Shot list

 

1. Long shot (tripod) - sitting opposite train track (establishing shot)

 2. Medium shot (tripod) - train shoots past
3. Production logo

4. Long shot (cut into 4 at the protagonist gets further away, camera stays stationary)

5. Close up shot

6. Close up tracking shot - shoes splashing in  puddles

7. Time lapse of motorway from above

8. Close up shot 

9. Point of view medium shot

10. Long shot birds eye view

11. Close up shot

12. Close up shot

13. Medium shot

14. Close up shot, on floor

15. Point of view medium shot

16, 17, 18, 19. Still shots progressively with camera getting further away

20. Medium shot

21. Medium shot

22. Medium shot, from behind

23. Close up shot, focusing on different features (sped up)

24. Close up shot

25. Medium shot

26. Close up shot

27. Credits

More soundtrack ideas

Here are some more soundtrack ideas which I can use in the climatic part of the trailer. When choosing soundtrack for this part I looked for something dramatic that builds tension.

 

Birdy covers Firestone (Kygo)

 

Birdy and Rhodes Let It All Go

 

 

Stay, Rihanna

 

Fix You, Instrumental

 

 

Broken Strings

 

 

Foxes covers Photograph (Ed Sheeran)

 

No Video to display

 

Raleigh Ritchie, Stronger Than Ever

 

Final Story Board

This is my final story board for my film trailer. It has a variety of different shots and transitions. There are a few shots I may choose to add in, also I have decided to put the production logo after the 2nd shot (train blur).

Location

In this post I have started to think about where I would like to film, what kind of place would be suitable, and how easy is it to access. Below are some are initial ideas for locations i could use...

Train Scene

Pewsey Train station - I have chosen Pewsey train station as a possible location to film in because its easy to access as i live in the village, I can get hold of timetables so that we can schedule shooting out footage around the trains arrival, it will be easy to get our filming equipment and actors to the location. My only concern is that it may not look urban enough. However I'm sure with the right composition I can make the shot look like my vision that I intend it to look like.

OR

London Underground - My initial idea was to use the London underground as a location as it would make my shot look edgy and urban and this is exactly what I envisaged. However after thinking about this I have realised this would be tricky as my film is low budget and I cannot afford to get myself, Etty and our actors up to London for the day. Also transporting equipment could be a problem.

Hospital scene

Swindon hospital - For this scene I thought I would use Swindon hospital as my location as its the largest hospital that is close to me. Also it fits perfectly with the vision I have for the shots as I want bright white scenes, and I know these can be achieved in this location. My concerns are accessing and filming in the location and use of props. These are some things I need to think about before progressing.

Street scene

Bath - As bath is a beautiful town that is reasonably close for me to access I thought I would consider to as a location. Some things I need to think about are access to high regions in the street which can allow me to film at birds eye view and people. Bath is a bustling town filled with people, I need to make sure that they won't get in the way of filming.

OR

Marlborough High Street - Another idea for a street location is Marlborough High Street, this would be extremely easy to access as its where my sixth form is situated. This would mean I could do filming during the school day. This would be good as it would be easy for my actors (one of which attends St Johns and one which is an ex-St Johns student)to attend, also the Street would be much less busy during these times.

Script

The first part of our script is a voiceover of a doctor diagnosing our main protagonist with a degenerative brain disorder. We decided to include a voice over in order to help the audience understand why the main protagonist is running away and what illness she is suffering from (without giving too much away). Also after watching many trailers I realised voiceovers were used extremely frequently making the trailer far more effective and were often used out of sequence with the shots, this kept the trailer exiting and less like a film opening in which all the shots are in sequence.

Train station scene:

Girl is sat opposite side of the train track when a train speeds past.

Street scene:

Girl is walking away from the camera

Voiceover: Doctors Diagnosis

Doctor: Hi, Take a seat, I'm afraid we've got some bad news.... (long PAUSE) We have received your test results and they appear to show that the structure of your brain has become increasingly damaged. (PAUSE) We are unsure as to how long this has been going on for, however I'm afraid this will dramatically affect your ability to remember, understand and communicate. At the moment you are stable but unfortunately this stability will gradually decline.


[This voice over is to be read slowly, confidently and sympathetically over a sequence of four shots.]

Meeting scene: 

Girl stares at boy from behind him until boy notices and the pair make eye contact. They make further interactions while soundtrack continues so the dialogue appears muted.

Talking scene:
Girl and boy are engaged in conversation, again the soundtrack is still playing. Suddenly the girl clutches her head in pain and squints her eyes (this cuts to the following sequence of shots).

Hospital scene:

Elevator door opens and either a stretches or wheel chair rolls past the camera.

Car scene:

Girl and boy argue whilst sat in the front of a car ( pits raining and windscreen wipers are on) dramatic hand gestures are used and the couple shout. (Muted by the soundtrack which changes song/tone)

Bedroom scene:

Girl is frustrated she screams and pulls her hair and crystal frantically. A tear drop rolls from her cheek to her lips. After photograph shot she becomes increasingly angry and swipes all her work of her desk then crumbles into a heap on the floor punching the ground with her fists, rapidly at first but then the punching deteriorates and the shot fades to black.

Storyboard: First draft

Here is my First draft of my story board, I have included some shots which you can see in my initial shot ideas post. However I felt that those initial shot ideas were too sequential which made the trailer feel more like an opening. In this story board I have removed some shots mixing up the narrative slightly, I found by watching many trailers that most are out of order which makes it more exiting and gives less away and you are led to fill in the gaps with your imagination, this is extremely exiting and draws in the audience to watch the film! In this story board I also made the decision to use a voice over.            

Initial shot ideas

Here is a mind map I have created that contains some initial ideas of what I would like the shots to be like and how they portray the storyline. This has also made me start to think about composition, shot types and casting as I am building up a better idea of what I envisage my trailer to be like.

Film Title

Forget Me Not


Titles usually link in some way to the films plot itself or in some cases link to a certain phrase or connotation from the film.

I have researched many words which may link to a certain phrase or connotation from the film in a previous blog post. I begun looking at words relating to love, memory, illness and runaway which are key themes in our storyline. I wanted to focus on the memory and our protagonists weakness.


After a lot of thinking we came up with the idea of the title 'Forget Me Not' as it clearly refers to the characters illness (dementia) while the link to the flower also gives connotations of beauty and weakness. The title also gives the impression that Dan (protagonists boyfriend) is speaking to her, possibly while she is in her hospital bed, almost pleading her not to forget who he is and the life they have together. This idea would be developed and shown properly throughout the film.


Also I thought that the symbol of the flower was a good link to use in the title as now we can use this symbol in our logos or other ancillary tasks. 

Audience profile

From conducting and analysing my research I have found that my target audience is females between the age 16-26. However this doesn't mean that males and females of other ages won't watch he film too. The romance/drama genre is aimed towards a niche audience however the storyline of my film is one which everyone can enjoy and understand. My target audience stretches to people in their mid twenties because of themes of mental health that I will be covering. This element could also draw in a much older audience to enhance the amount of people that view the film and in turn this will increase my revenue.

Below is an example of a typical audience member:

Name: Olivia Sprouting

Age: 18

Occupation: Student

Favourite film genre: Romance/Drama

Favourite music genre: Pop

Olivia is an 18 year old student at St Johns sixth form. She studies Maths, further Maths, Art and History. She enjoys watching films and is always taking trips to the cinema with her family and friends to watch new upcoming releases. She spends a lot of time on the internet and loves researching current affairs. When she's at home she spends lots of time doing art work and loves painting. She has a vast collection of romance and rom com DVDs and is always looking for great new films which she watches on either Netflix, online downloads, box office or sky movies.

I think that Olivia fits the target audience for our film as she's the type of girl who would love a tragic love story and would love to learn something new from watching a film about a mental illness. I also know from my research that she has watched most of the films I have taken influence from and really enjoyed them and the actors they choose to use.

Soundtrack ideas

John Mayer-say what you need to say

Here is the first song I have chosen as a possibility as a soundtrack to my trailer. I particularly liked this song firstly because of its slow build up, I love the beginning, the song is almost spoken and really helps to tell a story. The soundtracks extremely effective as it really builds up at the chorus!

Also while listening to the song I noticed that many lyrics in the song are very relevant to the story line of the film i wish to produce a trailer for. For example...
"Walkin like a one man army, Fightin with the shadows in your head" - This suggests the person the songs about are struggling with their own battles, we could link this to mental illness especially because the lyric suggests they are fighting with their own head.

"Knowin you'd be better off instead" - We could link this to a romance if we wish to include another male protagonist in the trailer. The whole idea of my film is that the female character doesn't want to hurt anyone as she feels she is a inconvenience and nuisance because of her illness.

"Have no fear for giving over" - This could tell the audience that the female protagonist is fearless despite her illness.

The Killers - Human

I only like the Chorus of this song, However its slightly too electro pop but I do like the reference too "are we just humans or is there more".

The Killers - Runaways

I have included this song as the lyrics are very appropriate to the narrative of the film, however the style isn't quite right for I what I wish to achieve in my trailer, however it may be possible to find a cover of this song which is more suited. Below I have found an acoustic version which I think is more applicable.

Two Door Cinema Club - This Is The Life

This is a feel good track and would be suitable for the end of the trailer as its happy and uplifting and would leave a positive effect on the audience.

Birdy - Not About Angels

This is a very emotive song, Its pretty sad but I think it would really connect with the audience. It would be suitable to use in a sad dramatic part of the trailer.

A Great Big World - Say Something

This is a very powerful song its slow build up makes it extremely emotive, also the joint use of piano and strings makes the song have a calm feel. The message in the song also comes across in a extremely powerful way and i could use this to my advantage in my trailer and make the audience feel for the characters what the music makes you feel. The message is very strong, its about love and loss this is a strong theme in my film.

Titles and Ideas

Here is a slide share presentation I have created to conduct research into film titles to find out what makes a good film title, and what type/style of title would suit my genre of film.

Naming my film:

Below are some initial ideas of world i could include in my title. I have found these by finding words that link to my narrative/theme/genre.

Runaway
Escaped
Wild
Free
Loose
Fleeing
Out of hand

Love
Affection
Devotion
Amour
Fidelity
Enchantment
Amity
Passion

Memory
Amnesia
Mind
Recollection
Recall
Reminisce
Flashback
Cognition


Initial ideas
The Rerun- a composition of Recall and runaway
Minds Eye
Wild Mind
Not Forgotten
Forgotten
Abandon

Film Pitch

A runaway girl (female protagonist) has a terminal illness... Parkinson's? OR Alzheimers/ Degenerative brain disorder?

The film progresses into a boy meets girl romance with a twist.... (The twist comes from the fact that she hides the truth abut one of the most important, life changing things in her life.... Her terminal illness!)

She wants to escape the horrors of hospital life and coping with her illness, so hides the truth from him (male protagonist) as she wants to be treated a normal by others for once. Eventually her illness becomes too severe, he learns the secrets she has been hiding from him. Not much time is left before se becomes too weak and passes. The memories she leaves with him are those that she intended to leave, of her new false life in which her personality glows despite being held back by terminal illness.

One problem with this idea is that it will be hard to find actors at this level who are willing to play these roles and I don't want the trailer to be cringy, so to bypass this problem we could only include small snippets of the male protagonist, in a tasteful, subtle way.

Vox Pop

Here is a Vox Pop we have created in order to collect audience research. It has helped us realise what key aspects of a trailer are most important and what types of music, film etc. our audience like!

Analysing results

Here is a presentation analysing the results of my survey. This analysis will help me to understand what i should include and what is required in my film trailer inorder to attract and appeal to an audience.

Production logos

This post shows my research into production logos. I have been looking at films with a similar genre to the film trailer I wish to create,  I thought these production companies may produce similar genres and therefore their logo could be suited to the genre I wish to use in some way.  

Audience Reasearch

Below is a questionnaire that I have created in order to give me a greater insight into what my target audience like, expect and want from a trailer.

Here is the online link to answer the survey, however I had to remove a few questions as I wasn't a member of the site and therefore was restricted to 10 questions if I wished to publish the survey.

 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/N2X5JV8

Trailer analysis: Drama, Romance

The Longest Ride

The music starts with a establishing shot of the location in which the film is set.
The first few shots consist of quick paced transitions between the main male protagonist competing in a bull riding competition and the main female protagonist sat in the audience with her friends.
The two main characters first interact at 13 seconds. The production company and logo is shown at 20 seconds in. After this the pace of the transitions between shots slows. As the footage continues 'Waiting Game' by Banks is played as the soundtrack and is also accompanied by a voiceover from the male protagonist. This voiceover is speech from the actual film.
At 38 seconds a caption appears that explains the film is from the producers of 'The Fault In Our Stars'. This is important as audience members who have watched and enjoyed 'The Fault In Our Stars' in the past are likely to watch the film. After this caption the voiceover switches to the female protagonist, meanwhile clips are being played that suggest a progression in the couples romantic relationship. The next caption at 47 seconds informs the audience that the film is from the best selling author Nicolas Sparks.
I like how at 56 seconds the same clip of the car headlights has been edited so that the fade to black transitions are within the clip, its effective as it shows the passing of time.
At 1.02 the music stops and diegetic sounds of the rain build up to a climax which leads into a new soundtrack (Work Song by Hozier).


The tone of the film now changes as clips are now dated, this film contains two love story's one is modern day and the other is set in the 1940s. So when the second love story is introduced it completely changes the feel of the film. Its important these flashbacks were incorporated into the trailer as otherwise the trailer would have a completely different feel from the film, and this could confuse audience members.
Many of the transitions used now are fade to white as well as black. This could have been done to distinguish between the two story's.

Pitch Ideas

Below is a mind map I have created that suggests some initial ideas that I could include in my film pitch.

Character Profiles: Male

Below are some male actors that I thought would 

fit the role of the male protagonist in my film well.Here are the names and photographs of the actors I have chosen, and a brief description of why I think they would suit the role.

Jeremy Irvine

 He is known for his roles in:

A Night in Old Mexico
Gally

 2013The Railway Man
Young Eric

 2012Great Expectations
Pip

 2012Now Is Good
Adam

 2011War Horse
Albert Narracott

I thought Jeremy would be perfect for my male main character after watching "Now Is Good", a film from which I took huge inspiration from when coming up with a pitch! He plays the charming softy extremely well and his handsome looks really helps to attract a large target audience.

Douglas Booth

Douglas Booth is a British actor, I have watched many of his films including the "Riot Club" where he plays a outrageous, scary devastatingly charismatic toff called Harry, a student at Oxford university.
"LOL"one of my all time favourite guilty pleasures is the film in which I thought Booth showed promise for the role in my film, despite his violent and gung-ho attitude in "The Riot Club". He is well know for films like... Romeo and Juliet, Great Expectations, Noah and new release Jupiter ascending. I enjoyed how in "LOL" he played the goofy best friend, who was also a secretly talented musician.
                                                                   

                               Matt Lanter

I know Matt Lanter from his role on TV show "90210" a programme based on the lives of the rich and famous in beverly hills. Apart from this character I haven't seen Matt Lanter in many other well known films.
He is an american actor, in my film I will use a British actor but despite this I think his character fits the role I wish to cast well.
                                                                  












Jamie Blackley  

Finally Jamie Blackely, He is an English actor who was discovered by film when he was cast for a character in the famous TV show "Misfits".

I was particularly impressed with his performance in "if I stay", where he played the boyfriend of the main protagonist who was stuck in limbo after a devastating car crash. He behaved in exactly the way i wish my character to do.
He is Known for his roles in: