Filming Equipment

Filming Equipment

Camera

The camera that we used to film our opening two minutes is a Canon EOS 500D. It is my camera and I am also a photography student so I know how to work the camera. I also taught the others in my group how to use the filming setting so that they knew how to use it if i was not there or if i was in a scene and couldn't be behind the camera. Recording a clip is very simple as you just turn the dial on the top of the camera on the top of the camera to the movie setting and by the screen on the back of the camera is a small button that is clearly labelled as the record button.

We now have two of the Canon cameras due to another member of our group now owning one so we can record shots from two different angles at the same time.

Tripod

Another piece of equipment that I have is a Miranda 500 tripod. Its legs extend twice and the total height of the tripod with the camera on top is about 5 foot off the ground. The tripod allows the camera to capture smooth and steady shots which you can do for taking images and also video. It is not hard to understand how to use the tripod so it wasn't hard for the others to understand.

Adobe Premier Elements 10

The final piece of equipment that we used in our film was Adobe Premier Elements 10. It wasn't majorly difficult to use but we had a few complications along the way of editing our film. Billy was our chief editor. Before we edited our movie we had never used this software. Before we edited the movie we had to learn the basics of the software. Billy did a very good job of editing the movie and it looks professional even though there is a lot more that we could learn about Adobe Premier Elements for the future.

Primary Trailer Ideas

Primary Trailer Ideas

• Time - clock counting down, heartbeat?
• Spy?
• Dubai? London?
• Aliens?
• skydiving shot- go-pro
• we need some sort of gun building scene e.g. putting ammo in a gun
• we need some fast paced music
• London can be a base for parkour over fences and stuff
• we need an establishing shot of the Burj Khalifa
• we need a nose down shot of the main antagonist on the phone, use the time scenario possibly
• we need a chase scene, e.g. running down the street of London and Dubai
• idea of a world crime syndicate which has influence in all the most prominent stock markets
• we need a shot filmed from a car, in a main city as the roads are smoother
•  quick exchange of shots differentiating so we get different shot types each and every time it can get closer to the chase
• shot running around a shop corner with one man running, face preferably keeps the audience in the dark, blurred out so prevalence is on the other main protagonist running
• no makeup needed 

Shot Types

Shot Types

Aerial Shot

An exterior shot filmed from the air. Often used to establish a (usually exotic) location.

Arc Shot

A shot in which the subject is circled by the camera.

Close Up  Shot

A shot that keeps only the face full in the frame.

Crane Shot

A shot where the camera is placed on a crane or jib and moved up or down. Often used to highlight a character's loneliness or at the end of a movie, the camera moving away as if saying goodbye. 

Deep Focus Shot

A shot that keeps the foreground, middle ground and background ALL in sharp focus.

Dolly Zoom Shot

A shot that sees the camera track forward toward a subject while simultaneously zooming out creating a woozy, vertiginous effect. 

Dutch Tilt Shot

A shot where the camera is tilted on its side to create a kooky angle. Often used to suggest disorientation.

Establishing Shot

A shot, at the head of the scene, that clearly shows the locale the action is set in. Often comes after the aerial shot.

We plan to use an establishing shot we got from Dubai as well as shots from London and maybe Paris to help establish the setting of the movie, We will do this by  using shots showing major landmarks in the city, for example from the Burj Khalifa, the Shard and Eiffel tower.

Handheld Shot

A shot in which the camera operator holds the camera during motion to create a jerky, immediate feel.

High Angle

A shot looking down on a character or subject often isolating them in the frame.

Library Shot

A pre-existing shot of a location (typically a wild animal) that is pulled from a library. Aka a "stock shot", it says this film is old. Or cheap. 

Long Shot

A shot that depicts an entire character or object from head to foot. Not as long as an establishing shot. Aka a wide shot.

Low Angle

A shot looking up at a character or subject often making them look bigger in the frame. It can make everyone look heroic and/or dominant. Also good for making cities look empty.

Matte Shot

A shot that incorporates foreground action with a background, traditionally painted onto glass, now created in a computer.

Medium Shot

The shot that utilizes the most common framing in movies, shows less than a long shot, more than a close-up.

Over The Shoulder Shot

A shot where the camera is positioned behind one subject's shoulder, usually during a conversation. It implies a connection between the speakers as opposed to the single shot that suggests distance.

Panning Shot

A shot where the camera moves continuously right to left or left to right. 

POV Shot

A shot that depicts the point of view of a character so that we see exactly what they see. Often used in Horror cinema to see the world through a killer's eyes. 

Sequence Shot

A long shot that covers a scene in its entirety in one continuous sweep without editing.

Steadicam Shot

A shot from a hydraulically balanced camera that allows for a smooth, fluid movement.

Tracking Shot

A shot that follows a subject be it from behind or alongside or in front of the subject. Not as clumsy or random as a panning shot, an elegant shot for a more civilized age.

Two Shot

A medium shot that depicts two people in the frame. Used primarily when you want to establish links between characters or people who are beside rather than facing each other. 

Whip Pan Shot

A shot that is the same as a pan but is so fast that picture blurs beyond recognition. Usually accompanied by a whoosh sound.

Zoom In Shot

A shot deploying a lens with a variable focal length that allows the cinematographer to change the distance between camera and object without physically moving the camera.

Filming Diary - Day 4

Filming Diary - Day 4

For the fourth day of filming we set about getting the domestic scenes of our trailer, the main location of the trailer is England and so we want to primarily focus on shots across London. We went to London Waterloo by train and ensured we got some establishing shots as we deemed that to be the most important shots we needed at the time. The first major section of London we focused on was the Parliament building as we want to include the landmarks so many people associate with London as to appeal to the audience more in our trailer. We got various different angles of the Parliament building with various shots including the background as to highlight London as a whole. We took a couple of shots on the bank opposite, mainly focusing on the horizontal style of panning. However we also got some dolly shot as to provide more variety for us to possibly use. We also got some shots from a nearby bridge to provide a higher angle which is closer to the building. Whilst we filmed this we also found a good location for a possible chase scene in which it is the water bank located opposite the parliament building and so we could incorporate the landmark in the background.

We also focused some shots on the London eye as like the Parliament building it acts to symbioses what you would want to see in London. We also focused on the panning style shot for the London eye as it gave us the necessary backgrounds we could use from the bridge for the majority of shots. We were also able to get some shots from the top of the London eye however we were hindered because by the time we got up there it was dark and so it is difficult to distinguish London. So the shots will most likely be abandoned as we want to ensure that there is even lighting throughout the trailer.

Filming Diary - Day 3

Filming Diary - Day 3

For the third day of filming the main aspect of it was the eventual skydive which we two of our group did, we were able to get a prolonged shot of the two characters as the skydive company provided an additional cameraman whom filmed us on the way down. However we are unsure whether it is of high quality as we would of preferred a shot from a gopro as it would of allowed us to focus primarily on what we wanted to film instead of what the cameraman was filming. Ono of the main issues with this scene if it was included is the inclusion of an instructor in the film as we had to skydive with someone professional as a requirement and so this may make the shot not usable in the final film trailer.

Before we actually went skydiving we took some time to film some other skydivers in case we wanted to place a specific focus on the skydive for our film trailer. This included them on the descent down from the plane and them landing to give us options on what to use if need be. When the cameraman was filming we were asked to give an interview and constantly update which could allow us to incorporate some adventure type qualities into our trailer.

Filming Diary - Day 2

Filming Diary - Day 2

After filming a large proportion of shots with the cluster of buildings, we then decided to visit the Burj Khalifa as it would give us something memorable to use during the trailer. We took various different shots of it from a car as to present the background as well as the main building. We got the building from various different angles and directions to give us a large assortment of shots which we could also possibly use in our film. With both locations for an establishing shot we may also be able to incorporate them as a short scene in our trailer as it helps highlight what the audience could expect to see in our film.

Whilst driving around in Dubai we filmed a large proportion of the scenery you would see out of a car window just to show the audience of the culture of Dubai as a whole and to help showcase the exact storyline of the film trailer in Dubai. Whilst we were doing this we managed to get some shots of when we went on the sand dunes for a Jeep Safari in which we were filmed the cars whom were positioned behind us on the sand as to possibly be used for some sort of chase scene.

Vertically panning shots were mainly used with the Burj Khalifa as we wanted to have some shots focusing on what many consider to be the symbol of Dubai as a whole and so would act to entice the audience into watching the film. The Burj Khalifa was a bit difficult at times to film as we couldn't fit all of the building in the shot when we were positioned near it but from a distance it was reasonable, we took many shots around the Khalifa and from inside it as well. We filmed from the 124th floor as to get the city skyline from a high angle to show the audience as much as possible. We took varying shots in terms of angles as we were able to get relevant shots of what it looks like looking down form the building or up from the bottom of the building.

Filming Diary - Day 1

Filming Diary - Day 1

The first day of filming largely revolved around the filming of an establishing shot of Dubai, we were only there for a week they had to film their required footage during this short time period. We set about getting the establishing shot but were undecided on where we would want the footage to be shot, it was between a group of buildings by the beach or the Burj Khalifa which we will have to decide on which one is the better option. We started off by filming the cluster of buildings as they were located in close proximity to the hotel we were staying at and so was easily accessible to us through the public beach or through some sort of boat.

We focused on panning shots which largely used a horizontal style of panning as we deemed that this would be the best in terms of effect for our trailer. We tried to incorporate a wide range of speeds when filming the establishing shots as to allow us to have a large amount to possibly use or edit to suit the needs of the trailer we are trying to create. Most of the shots we got of the buildings were from the ocean as to give us a shot of the beach as well as the buildings to help highlight the exotic qualities of Dubai for our trailer. The panning shots varied substantially in height and speed to allow for many options when it comes down to selecting the shots we can incorporate into the trailer.

Lastly on this day we set about developing a scene in which we see one of the main characters engaging in conversation with an unknown person. This scene proved rather easy to do as we did it in the hotel room we were staying in and so we didn't have any interruptions from other people staying in the hotel. We ensured that we didn't include any labels of the hotel as to not specify the exact hotel, overall the scene we created was of decent quality but we were unsure of whether it was suited for an action trailer as it was rather long. The main feature of the scene involved the character where we set about gathering many different shots as to add to the effect of the scene. We got various shots including a match on action and over the shoulder shot to portray the plot of the scene, albeit effective the main feature of the scene was the nose down shot of the character as they engage in the conversation with the mystery person.

Prop Research

Prop Research

Shotgun
One prop we are planning to use is a fake shotgun, for one of the characters. This is a typical prop for a action-thriller, as shotguns are generally used by antagonists because of their power and inaccuracy, which you could say is a reflection of a antagonist convention, where the antagonist is very strong but not very clever, with their level of intelligence mirroring the
shotguns inaccuracy.


Pistol
The pistol is probably the most popular weapon used in all genres, especially action-thriller movies. This is likely due to its portability and accuracy, which is helpful for all protagonists who need to travel a lot and are likely to encounter violence on the way. Almost all protagonists have a pistol and antagonists are seen to use them as well, mainly antagonists that don't necessarily fight a lot but use their henchmen instead and their pistol is the only weapon they have to physically defend themselves. These antagonists will generally use their intelligence to suppress the protagonist, using the mastermind cliche of action-thriller films, and the pistol is their last resort when finally face-to-face with the protagonist, whether its to be used for the protagonist or on themselves.


Knife

A knife is generally used in action/thriller films, most of the time used by the antagonist and the antagonists henchmen. This is because the knife is a weapon that is very silent when used to attack someone, so the antagonist can escape easily without getting caught. It also is a slower method of killing someone compared to a gun, emphasising the antagonists ruthlessness.










Lighter
Fire is a typical convention of an action film as it reflects the danger in the film and the fiery nature of the characters. Fire is also quite hypnotic when you look into it, allowing the audience to reflect what has gone on and can also be an indication of a huge event that is about to happen or when the fire goes out, reflecting an imminent death looming. In our trailer, we plan to use a lighter to show fire, to portray the antagonist in a more evil light.

Trailer Ideas 2

Trailer Ideas 2

possible locations:

Dubai

• Burj Khalifa
• The palm
• The desert
• The air? (skydiving)
• The busy streets of Dubai
• Fountain by the Khalifa
• Hotel room

England

• The shard
• Westminster abbey
• Houses of parliament 
• MI6/MI5
• South bank
• China town
• Lake district-Lancashire
• Portsmouth-the pier
• Brighton pier
• Isle of wight
• White cliffs of Dover

France

• Eiffel tower
• Arc de triumphe
• Cafe rouge 
• Louvre/Louvre pyramid
• Notre dame
• Palace of Versailles

The story

• Crime syndicate- name not confirmed
• multi national working between Paris, London and Dubai
• there will be illegal transfers of money between the three cities, perhaps with Bitcoin as it makes it really hard to trace
• There will be a document either shown directly on the screen or hinted too perhaps in a confrontation between friendly spies to try and figure out what happened to the money, could be a spreadsheet which will include all the same bank account numbers
• transactions can be shown through maps perhaps with moving planes going from location to location
• we need to have a narration at the start to help fill the audience in with the plot of the film 

scene in London 

• could involve bodyguards pushing through a crowd in a rush with an important figure, perhaps political (Prime minister)
• we then get a shot perhaps through the eyes of a sniper
• this shot could perhaps be a very long shot from the camera looking down on the political figure and bodyguards running
• we can add a hairpin scope later perhaps rather than taking a prop we can just film down the sight of the camera and add the scope later
• the shot needs to be high angle so it makes the target look vulnerable 
• we will then hear a gunshot after the screen has faded to black at which point it will skip to the next scene

or

Scene at school (main hall)

• Political figure/whistle-blower standing at a podium delivering a speech
• there will be inaudible whispers from the people in the background but they will stay out of shot 
• Matt will use his camera with the flash on to make it seem more like an important announcement where the paparazzi are involved
• it will be a front facing shot from a low angle to give him a state of power but will be a long shot so it leaves room for what happens to be caught on camera
• there will be shocked gasps coming out all around why the figure speaks
• the camera turns round to focus on the other character at hand who runs up the stage and reaches for his back pocket 
• as he pulls his hand out to reveal a what we presume to be a gun 
• the screen will cut to black and there will be a gunshot noise

The trailer then can carry on with short news clips showing panic, emergency action etc. they could perhaps show something about shots at a hall or parliament?

the trailer will then carry on in either Dubai or Paris if all stays to plan.

Location Research

Location Research

In our film trailer we decided that one of the major factors we consider important in a trailer is the locations as you would assume to see some memorable landmarks in a trailer especially if the movie is an action or thriller movie. Conforming to these ideas we largely agreed to film around London as it is local and easy to get too, so in doing this we would incorporate various landmarks into our scenes, so this could include a long shot of the London Eye in a chase scene for example. We primarily thought of the idea of using Paris as another location as we understand that multiple locations are required to setup the individual qualities of the trailer and so we selected Paris as like London it is not too far away and so we would have to take a day trip. The last location we have is Dubai, which Matt and Bill were able to go to due to a familial occasion and so we can incorporate the different culture of Dubai compared to the more western styling of London and Paris and so emphasizing the landmarks shown. 

This is the Dubai skyline which we plan to use in the trailer as Matt and Bill are staying in close proximity to this beach when they go to Dubai and so this would be easy to access and thus making it effective to portray in the film. We plan to use these buildings as a symbol to the Dubai culture as well as including the Burj Khalifa as it is eye catching to the audience and it is the symbol of Dubai.We are also planning to feature London as our prominent location in the trailer as it is the most easily accessible  to us as a group and as we know London well and so can find the ideal locations to film the relevant scenes. We are planning to incorporate features of a chase scene and maybe a fight scene to help add to the action qualities of the film. The shot of the parliament building could be interesting to use as we know that there is a bridge nearby and so given us a high angle shot on any scenes we would film around that location as to add depth and effect to the storyline being portrayed.

Paris is another option as it offers more iconic landscapes to use throughout our trailer. We would probably focus the filming around the Eiffel Tower as it has some open areas around it so that we can freedom to film what we may want from there. We found this location on Google Maps which could be an ideal location as it provides the background of the Eiffel Tower whilst also allowing us to use the stairs in a similar way to our London scenes as they could be effective at portraying a chase or fight scene to a high degree of quality.

Logo Design

Logo Design

The logo we are looking to use in our film will look something like this, like the logo last year there will be the name IFM studio's meaning the independent film making studios as well as keeping a forest in the background. The pictures we have chosen to use are all from the non copyright website pixabay which has 480,000 pictures which anyone can use.

 We edited the pictures in Adobe flash, Adobe fireworks and Photoshop to alter the images to the desired level. For example the titles needed to be made to look like the moon in the background was having a direct effect causing the white to black fade in. We would like to animate the picture so that when it comes up at the either the start or the end of our trailer both the moon and the wolf's eye will glow, I would also like the borders of the picture to either fade out or become darker, this will help the audience to get an idea of what type of company we are.

 Seeing we are aiming for a 15 audience we know that the logo needs to be appealing especially seeing it will probably be one of the first things they see, the effect we have created will help draw in the audience as it is something which really catches the eye not just in the foreground but the background as well as there is quite a lot of features involved to give it this sort of effect.

Costume Research

Costume Research

This is what we would like the main antagonist to look like in our film, we want him to wear more of a casual style of clothing as to help highlight the way he contrasts the protagonist. He will wear a smart coat over the top as to still showcase his relevant power in the trailer to the audience.

We would like the main protagonist to look like this, the colour blue is more associated with good guys in traditional thrillers especially James Bond films as they would like the main character to stick out. 

This character will have a smaller role in the film, he is wearing casual clothes because he is less involved in the plot of the film, for the moment we are thinking of only using this character in split second editing perhaps with a shotgun to help emphasize the action genre.

The last character will be the secondary antagonist in the trailer, we won't necessarily see his face all that often as many of the shots will either be long shots or shots purposely avoiding his eyes so that he is less relate-able. We want him to wear black because it is usually a sign of power among the elite especially when it comes political figures. He won't necessarily be involved in the action sequences rather he will be the instigator of the film who gives the secondary antagonist the plot line.

World War Z Trailer Analysis

World War Z Trailer Analysis

At the start of the trailer, it starts off very peaceful with a family laughing with each other in the car while in a lot of traffic. However, the trailer takes a massive turn when people start running and an explosion happens in the distance. As soon as the man gets back into his car, a policeman comes to the window and tells him to "Remain in your vehicle", and then suddenly gets run over by a dumpster truck, that then flips over a few meters in front of it. This is a typical convention of an action genre where it goes from a positive beginning to apocalyptic in a few seconds, adding to the impact of the action to come. It comes unexpected and so the majority of the audience watching the trailer would be convinced to go watch the movie as people are attracted to movies that take unexpected twists.

The shots start to get quicker between each other, adding to the fast paced scene where they need to figure out what's going on and how they can get to safety. The trailer at this point shows a lot of establishing shots of different places in the world, from cities to army bases, showing the audience that the zombie apocalypse is a worldwide problem, dramatising the whole event even more, and this is a common cliche of an action genre where whatever happens is on a worldwide scale that effects everyone, and in this one especially, the population of Earth is going down drastically, which is shown with a population scale going down fast in the trailer, showing the audience that the protagonist has a short amount of time before the human race becomes extinct.

One key moment of the trailer that the audience would remember after watching the trailer is the long shot of zombies turning over a bus, over the shoulder of a couple of soldiers shooting at them. This can show the raw power the zombies have when they are in high numbers, and even though zombies are getting shot at, more and more keep coming, which really shows the strength they have and how hard it is going to be for the protagonist to fight them and win. This is also shown with the second to last shot of the trailer which pans around hundreds of zombies climbing on top of each other to get over a gigantic wall.

The final shot is a close-up shot of Brad Pitt, the main protagonist, with a concerned and worried facial expression, which reflects to the audience that what he is about to do will change his life, and might even have to make the ultimate sacrifice to save his family and the world.

Jurassic World Trailer Analysis

Jurassic World Trailer Analysis

At the start of the trailer, we see a family at an airport, with the parents saying goodbye to the children. The last thing that is said is by the women, saying "...and remember, if something chases you, run!" with a flash of a black screen following. From this we can already see that there is an indication of something dangerous that is about to happen, a necessity of an action film. 

The next thing we see is the gates to the park opening, with a POV shot as if the audience are the ones entering the park, making the audience seem as if they are part of the movie, making it more intense when the action starts. 

The trailer starts very peaceful with groups of people exploring the park, amazed at what they are seeing. This is helped with the latest CGI imagery that the producers used to make the film, making it more immersive to the audience.

Next, we start to see the main story of the film where they talk about how genetics have advanced greatly and start to find out a new hybrid dinosaur will be made. From this we can already tell that the story will be based on this, and the trailer refuses to show the audience the dinosaur, enticing people to watch the film even more. The first shot we see is a close-up panning shot of a fossil, which is relevant to the story, but also gives the audience an insight to the advancement in genetic engineering when we see a spine in a test tube right after, going from studying fossils to genetically building parts of a dinosaur.

We also see two characters together, one saying to the other "if it's really good idea to make a new dinosaur", and from this we can straight away see that this is going to be the main storyline, making the audience wanting to see the movie even more, with the new dinosaur enigma.

As the trailer goes on, it starts to build up tension, and it gives this effect to the audience through a piano being played with high pitched keys being played on their own to a slow, eerie rhythm.

Sinister Trailer Analysis

Sinister Trailer Analysis

The trailer begins with an establishing shot of a house in the dark. From this we can connote that this is where the majority of the movie will take place, and this is conventional for a horror as big, detached homes are a great setting for horrors, especially those involving paranormal beings and demons. This is because it shows that whoever lives there are on their own, with no help and neighbours close by from that which you would get in an apartment building or attached homes. The trailer shows the house at the start to already give the audience an idea what the movie will be like. One way the movie already subverts horror conventions is that the house is quite a modern and tidy building, whereas usually horror movies would have old, crumbling houses that make it seem dangerous and creepy. As the house is modern, we can connote that the story of the film is in the present and that the problems that they face are not very traditional, but are very different to what you would normally think of horror genres. This shot is played for a couple seconds before an image flashes with a screech sound. The audience can already tell from this that this symbol has a massive role in the story of the movie, and the symbol seems to be written blood on a white, cracking wall, while the symbol itself looks very demonic, indicating to us that something with paranormal/demonic powers will be at work during the movie. After this shot is shown for a split second, the shot of the house returns and so we already know that the house is in imminent danger, and the people living there are to.