Final_Draft:"Soldier Unknown Trailer"

The Final Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS07MGx9XEY&ab_channel=JackWarner

This is our Final trailer from our film "Soldier Unknown" this is the 7th draft of our trailer after all our feedback from select groups, pier groups, and family/friends.
We took all criticism and opinion under advisement, to restructured and edit our original plan to our final product.

"Soldier Unknown" Film_Poster

Film Poster:

This is the film poster I created for our A2 product.

"Soldier Unknown" Magazine_Cover

Evaulation_Task_No.4: Media_Technology

Camera:
In my A2 production the most valuable item was the camera. This was new media technology as it was a upgraded camera from my last year. we where given this camera from a friend mate who was already in the film making industry. He learnt me his camera for a 2 weeks as he had his own duties to for fill. This gave us a good amount of time to film and if need to make adjustments if needed. By having such a high quality camera it means that when i was filming I was able to film at more of a professional level, thus meaning we are able to have our desired camera shots, movements and angles. This is all down to the camera quality. By having such a high quality camera it allowed us to use different camera techniques such as accurate panning and tracking shots, we also used a shoulder mount for a more steady shot and allowed us to get in better positions than a tripod offered. The shoulder mount allowed our camera man to get in better positions for high and low angles, this so that we can get real detail. This is so that we could show authority dominance with the low angle and in the high shot to show what the girlfriend is vulnerable to our main characters domain.

Adobe Photoshop:

I had some experience with Photoshop before, however I wasn't familiar with the load out and the software. this was an issue to start off with. This meant I had to put some practice in to improve my skills on it. This is because I wanted to make the best film and magazine poster I could. Throughout the making of both poster and cover I asked people for feedback so I could make improvements to get a better cover and poster. In Photoshop it has many tools some I didn’t know what they are but ones that have improved my skills was the magic wand, this is because I needed to cut out the main character so I can place him on my poster and cover. Then I had to create titles for these posts I’ve made and there was a range of titles I had to try and use. To start off it was all trail and error based. The titles I ended up with helped the poster achieve the connotations needed. to make it professional looking I had to use a tool called ‘bevel and emboss’ tool, this allowed me to make the titles look sharp and clean. For example when I made a title that had one on top and one below there would be a big gap by using this tool it allowed me to squeeze the titles together meaning more space on the poster and the titles look good. Finally using Photoshop I was able to change the brightness and the colouring of the poster. this meant I could achieve linking dark colours to match my genre.


Adobe Premier Pro:

This was the software that we used to edit our film trailer. This was a hard step for me as I am not use to the load out or any tools inside. this meant it was a struggle for me to have any input on any editing. This meant I had to take the back seat of the ride. As I didn’t know any technical requirements I was able to advice on when to cut scenes and when to add in fade to blacks in. by using this basic skills it allowed me to be involved with key decisions and also watch my fellow member use tools to make the clip seem even better.

IMovie:
As a group we only used iMovie because they had titles that we could use. This meant we can have our production company logo. One of my partners had iMovie installed already thus meaning I was able to play around with the titles to match our production name. I went with a tree with a sunset. That matched our name of twisted tree vines production.

Blogger:

This was an easy website to use. it is very simple so that it was easy to move around and found things like creating posts etc. It was very accessible this was because it was a simple format, this meant I was able to find my way around and easily post.

Social Media:
I used social media to help organise filming dates in the best way possible. This was an easy tool to use as communication, such as "Messenger" allowed us to message the actors individually and then once we had organized it we made a group chat that meant we could make sure everyone was up to date with the production.

Using Facebook to create a page to promote and advertise the film, we also put behind the scenes photos on the page to let the audience be taken in by the whole production.





Gmail:
I used Gmail many times as its my personal account so it was easy to use and operate. This meant it was easy to communicate with what work that was being shared between us and using it to send across our production logo and the title of the film.

Evaluation_Task_No.3: What_have_you_learned_from_your_audience_feedback?

My thoughts:
When I had finish my A2 product, I didn't believe it was perfect. So after I have published my film trailer, magazine poster and film poster I asked my peers (of family and students) and my teachers what they thought of my product. This allowed me to change and improve my overall grade. Most feedback was positive this was brilliant but some were negative but you will always get this on what every you do. What I do is that i see negative feedback as constructive criticism, this is because all feedback is a way to help you improve. This meant I could make adjustments to the mistakes and improve my blogs and then i can help utilize my conventions when it needed it.

Film trailer:

Positive feedback:

The use of low key lighting is really good in setting the mood and it corresponds with our aim to have good cinematography. this was main aimed at the end with the silhouette of the gun, as it put most of the spectators on edge.

Editing was done well, keeping the the pace and tempo at a pleasant speed, many through it wasn't to fast for them and kept them entertained, as the transition and titles were very smooth.

The wide range of camera shots throughout the film trailer. The audience noticed shaky cam whilst kidnapping, they say said it was good to show realism.

Negative feedback:

The sound quality, as there wasn’t enough sound for most of the audience to enjoy the trailer. As the non-diegetic sound was to quite for the audience to help build up the suspense. Meaning there was a lack of atmosphere.

The Actors where also criticised, as scene where the doctor is talking to the the antagonist he doesn't suit the role of that job which the audience have pointed out. And most said he voice sounded to robotic.


Film Poster:

Positive Feedback:

The layout and colour scheme was really good to the audience as the main image left enough room to have other things around it, and the colour scheme was clean and crisp.

Negative Feedback:

It was too plain and simplistic for some of my peers meaning they  didn't find it that interesting and very dull.

Magazine Cover:

Positive Feedback:

The different colour scheme to the poster and the use of the same image of Murray. Giving the magazine nice look that would attract audiences.


Negative Feedback:

Very simplest look to it and very formal for a magazine cover, as well as the colour scheme. with very simple looking titles.

Evaluation_Task_No.2: How_Effective_is_the_Combination_of_your_Main_Product_and_Ancillary_texts?

For my A2 production the main common elements that I have used in my texts is the use of low key lighting. These can be seen in my magazine cover which didn’t have dark colours has it helps attract people who would be walking past and will notice it as it has bright fragrant colours. While with the film poster and within most of trailer involve dark colours and low key lighting as the trailer conventions of a thriller have low key lighting so we took that and used it in our trailer. With the film poster I used dark and dimming colours to inform people that that there is the unknown is this film and by having both black and white colours garbs the attention of our audience. I also used an army theme thought all of my products. I had a two of our characters in camo gear to make sure the like was not lost from the army.. However, both of the characters look different to one another but I just wanted some synergy within all my different texts. Some of the common occurring colours that were used we dark and moody to give it an edgy feel.

In my magazine and film cover I used a image of our antagonist. This is because when looking at other film and magazine covers I came across Shutter island film poster and the magazine cover was from Empire. This inspired me to use our antagonist as my main image. This is because the audience can address themselves to my poster and cover and begin to see if they can understand him. Our antagonist is suffering from PTSD. this makes him feel like he's in control but can easily lash out at any minute. In both poster and cover he has a terror-stricken. This is was key for me to take this image, because straight away it is leaving an a enigma code for audience to decipher. They might not know what is going on which will make them feel intrigued and will want to watch our trailer then that will entice the audience to watch our film. While his facial expressions is key his clothes he is wearing is also key. This is because it gives key clues to the audience on what the film will consist off. He is wearing a beret this is an indication of who our character has been or who he is. Mise en scene was also key in the use of my 3 texts. On my film and magazine cover the use of dark dual colours on our antagonist represents to the audience that something is wrong with him.

In both of my magazine cover and film poster the image tells the same story of the antagonist/protagonist as being frightened and unsure. These images of the magazine cover and film poster share a very important relationship this is because both images indicate in our film trailer where everything takes a spin for the worst. For example in the film poster  Murray has a shocked and lost look connoting his own mind this could suggest he is having a flash back which can tell the audience something significant has happened at that point in time. By having this strong relationship with the trailer it allows the audience to see the inside of what the film is going to be about, which is key to draw the audience in.

The reasons I attracted the audience due to the involvement of PTSD. This offered verisimilitude to the audience, this key factor could attract the audience because people can relate and sympathise to those dealing with these problems. It also helped by having low key lighting which when compared to my target audience the use of it suggested to the audience it was a action/thriller which broads out to a mass audience as it offers enjoyment to both spectrum's.

With the two print texts the conventions were mainly used in the film poster this was because on the magazine it was meant to stand out more than the film poster. For example on the film poster it has the use of low key lighting and the urban. This was emphasised in my film poster because this was the first thing to be released and we wanted to grab the attention of our audience by using the low key lighting and urban area. This is because it sets of indicators for our audiences as some viewers can relate by understanding the lighting situation and this means they will want to come and watch my film. if I was able to go back i would add some more conventions to magazine cover this is because the only one is that my antagonist is in dark colours to symbolise that there is something wrong and that was emphasised on both magazine cover and film poster but by the magazine cover only having one i will add more conventions to entice the audience in more.

In most Action/Thriller trailers the main effect used would be jump cuts, as they create suspense keeping the audience on the hook. By doing research and looking at other film trailers for example ‘Zodiac’ trailer there use of jump cuts was used in a fast pace, this can also be seen in "A Clockwork Orange" which uses a lot of jumpcuts to leave the audience in suspense. I took advice of that trailer and turned that information onto my film trailer. this is because it has such a positive effect on the audience. Secondly we used some fade to whites but as some flashes this is because we had jump cuts with them to symbolise something positive is happening. Also having some fade to blacks helped as it singled end of a scene.

To sum this all up i believe that my campaign was very successful this is because of my magazine cover and film poster were sharp and clean which meant it was really appealing to our audience and the trailer was really effective as I promoted it on social media. This is because modern cicity are normally are on there phones this means they can send the trailer to their friends if they like it. thus meaning more people would view my product. Also i had to think hard on the conventions of a thriller/action when creating my 3 texts this is because if i was able to exploit them conventions then my product will be good enough to draw in the audience. With all that considered i believe that it was a successful campaign.

Evaluation_Task_No.1: In_what_way_does_your_Media_Product_Use_Develop_or_Challenge_Forms_of_conventions_from_real_Media_Products?

9 Frame analysis:

1st frame:

The production logo took us the longest time to create as our group had different opinions on what it should be. From the beginning, there was the idea of  "twisted tree" because our we know our film would have a slightly twisted plot. As it developed through online research we decided on the idea of a twisted vine tree and ran with it unit we go to this logo which features said tree, we also put it a child's swing to give it a slightly eerie feel to it. It's important to have a good logo as a company to make the logo memorable.

2nd frame:
This is the opening shot of the trailer and is supposed to keep with our theme for us to make the audience slightly confused and on edge. We shot this in a full studio set up to make sure the shot was perfect and had the professional look. This shot has had mixed responses in terms of likability but has done the intended each time which is to cause confusion and doubt. I took this idea from Sherlock in which they use this technique to get the same response as we did.

3rd Frame:
In this frame, we have a small amount of text that looks like it moves around the screen, we did this in post production as after we finished our firs draft of the film it was missing something and that took the audience away from the suspense of the trailer. We did this at a fair few points in the film to give it a new dynamic and make it more appealing to a wider audience.

4th Frame:
In this shot, we chose to shoot it at low angles as to give power to the characters in the scene and to give the character's power and status over the audience. The lighting is high key to give the seen more of a vibrant feel and we also used flashbacks and sharp cuts around it to add confusion but to keep continuity.

5th Frame:
This was a difficult shot as we wanted to get the lighting just right as we wanted this shot to be contrasting as it was calm but also it had to fit with the rest of the trailer so that it did not look out of place. We wanted this to be the turning point in the trailer which worked as it set as a pace changer for it and the calm formalities of the phone call changed the dynamics of the scenes that follow it.

6th Frame:
This was a very difficult shot to film as there was very little space in the room where we shot this and to get the correct shadow effect we had to have the light in a very specific position which meant that the already little amount of room became smaller. I think this shot is really good because using shadows can be very effective in film and as you can not see the character the audience can use the imagination to put the dots together and come up with who they think it is holding the gun, this is a very effective last shot also because it leaves unanswered questions.

7th Frame:
The end of the trailer  we wanted to shown are credits and put the audience in suspense. Before making our credits on Photoshop I had researched the normal layouts that most films used for credits in thriller trailers, These all included conventions showing credits such as starring actors, producers, directors and camera operators of film trailers. They can appear throughout the trailer over shots of the named actors/actresses but we have decided to reveal these at the end so the audience can focus fully on our trailer, instead of missing parts as they attempt to read the text at the same time. Other information such as production companies, make up, costume and sound professionals are put in too.

Solider_Unknown_Timeline

Timeline:
This is the Soldier Unknown trailer timeline, this is a quick run down a to what is happening in the

0:04- Production company logo
0:11- Close-up, Introduction of one character, Start of the Doctor's speech
0:13- First use of title, flickering
0:16- Second viewing of a character by using an Over The Shoulder Shot of a party scene
0:19- Use of close up shot, On the Soldiers face (Shocked)
0:21- Second use of titles, flickering
0:23- Two shot, sign something is wrong, 1st physicists scene,
0:28- Mid shot to show he is normal,
0:30- Two shot, 2nd physicists scene,
0:37- Close-up, Doctors speech - Introduction about PTSD,
0:46- Mid shot showing audience something has happened
0:49- Mid shot sign of something going wrong
0:55- Introduction of the girlfriend
0:59- Identification and husband isn’t taking pills
1:05- Close up of timer indicating time is running out
1:09- Tracking shot of a car driving away in hurry
1:17- Close up of different emotions
1:24- Close up of more emotions
1:30- Mid shot talking about PTSD
1:33- Close up of the timer and has gone down
1:35- Mid shot of the girlfriend asleep
1:39- Mid shot capturing outline of gun
1:42- Showing weapon being ready
1:49- Film title
1:54- Release date 10th of November
2:01- Credits

Planning - Production_Logo

(Created by Ryan Wood)

This is my our production logo. With the name twisted tree vines production, we knew we had to put a tree in it to go with a title. While researching other logo production companies we came across that they use dual and darling colours this is to go with the thriller film genre. while ours have bright colours this is because the we wanted to change the narrative. This means by having bright colours people may seem it is a nice film but by having the sunset it allows us to play on the audiences mind. This is because by having a sunset it can interpret to something good is coming to an end. Thus meaning it relates to the thriller genre. 

Planning - Prop_List

Props list:
Below is our prop list. This list shows every prop we have that would be used throughout our trailer and is key to making our characters feel like they are in a verisimilitude world by building up a portfolio for them. 

However it should be said that these are props that we would like to use in our scenes, but 

Item:	Cost:	How many:	Scenes/used by:
M4 airsoft	£300	1	1
Pills (Various)	(Various)	24	2
Army Uniform	Already own	2	4
Zip ties	Already own	20	2
Glock 19 air pistol	£250	1
Ipad	£159	1	1
Suit	£120	3	3
Pen	£0.40	9	All
Laptop	£700	1	2
M9 air pistol	£275	1	1
Partypoppers	£2	100	2
Car	£1,000	1	3
Alcohol	(Various)	7	3

The reasoning behind some of these props is the inspiration from the films we've researched.This can be seen with films such as our main character drives a dark car as in "The Silence Of The Lambs" the antagonistic flees the scene using a dark car, connoting to the audience the dark intention of the character and connotes the evil to the audience who our main actor is. 

Planning - Equipment_List

Filming equipment:

Camera – Canon EOS 70D Camera (20.2 MP, 18-55 mm IS STM Lens, 3.0 inch LCD).

Camera Rigs – Neewer® DSLR Shoulder Mount Support Rig with Camera/Camcorder Mount Slider, Shoulder Lift Set, Double-hand Handgrip.

Tripods – several 3 legged tripods to hold up cameras and lighting equipment.

Microphone – Senal SCS-98 DSLR/Video Stereo Microphone. This was to pick up the actors and any other sounds to enhance the audio.

Autocue – Ipad, helping our actors read a long script.

Lighting Rig – Red heads lighting rig,

                       – Soft box (Continuous).

                       – Flood lights.

Reasoning:

For some equipment it is easy to know why we need them, such as a camera to record the filming. But with other pieces of equipment we used to help connote to the audience the genre of our film trailer.

Using a camera rig like a mounted shoulder camera rig for our hand held shots we could create a more stable shot without using a tripod, which would make the shot too stable or using the camera by hand creating an unstable shot. But with the small shakes of the camera on a shoulder mounted rig helps emphasis the panic and distressed in certain scenes, such as the kidnapping scene (seen below), this helps connotes to the audience the way our antagonist (Murray) could be feeling; enraged, panicking or worried.

Using different types of lighting rigs to create to help’s us create an atmosphere. Mainly to help define our actors faces, so the audience can see their full emotion, such as when Amy is on the phone on her house (Seen in the image below). The lighting was used with a lap shaped to show where the light would be coming from, while using the ‘Red Heads’ lighting rig to expose more of Amy’s face denoting to the audience the stress and panic she is in.

We also used the lighting rig to help create certain illusion and leading the audience on. This is what we did for the last shot of the trailer which is the shot of Amy in Bed with the shadow of gun rising to her head. The shot below was done by setting up the lighting away from the bed and next to the bed creating various shadows effects, allowing us to try different angles until we got the shot we need.

(Insert Image) 

Planning - Lighting

Lighting:

We used a popular technique in film lighting, a soft (diffuse) light source from the front and a stronger, more directional light from the back, so that are subject had a hot edge. The soft frontal light is known as the fill light; the strong light at the back is known, unsurprisingly, as the backlight.

we arranged the lights in such a way as to leave darkness between the area illuminated by the backlight and the area illuminated by the fill light. This worked very well, although even the moodiest films tend to avoid leaving dark shadows on the faces of female characters.

For a slightly different look, the backlight can also be soft, but it should still be hotter than the fill.

we lit our film or video shot by shot. This meant that when we moved the camera to shoot a different angle and the lights were moved as well to ensure the subject way always lit correctly. This is partly why the trailer took so long to shoot.

Setting up lights was the most time-consuming task in film shoots. It is therefore good practice to shoot a scene in such a way as to minimize the need to relocate lights – in other words, shoot in the order of the lighting set-ups.

We also used lights of different color temperatures to great effect. This simply means using lights of a different color in the same shot.

Planning - Risk_Assessment

Risk Assessment:

These are the risks that could happen when filming our project. Most of these can be applied at all of the location we are using, some more specific than others.  

Risk:	Probability:	Severity:	Damage:	Response:
Tripping over camera equipment.	1/10	5/10	Broken Camera, and injury to the actor	Make actors aware of camera positions and movements
Tripod and camera knocked over.	4/10	6/10	Damaged camera equipment	Be vigilant; avoid reckless behaviour, sand bags as weight for tripod legs if windy.
Disruption due to being a public walkway.	4/10	1/10	Longer takes for the scene, damaged to equipment	Stay aware of pedestrians intending to pass though the alleyway, and therefore the shot.
Passing cars on the road by the location	9/10	8/10	Damage to equipment,  injury to crew/actors	Staying aware of traffic on the road and keep an eye out for any passing cars.
Party poppers	6/10	6/10	Injury to crew and actor eyes	Aim party poppers away from other people faces, and be careful with them.
Kidnapping, using the car	4/10	9/10	Injury to actors arms, hands and legs	Have a few practise runs of closing the boot of the car, so the actor is ready for the actually take. Be aware of where the actor limbs are at all time.
Props (Assault rifle, pistol)	4/10	2/10	Injury, being trapped in mechanism. Falling over	Go thought how to use the equipment slowly, and until the actors are okay with using them. Have someone who knows how to use them.