3 April 2014

Evaluation Activity #2: Directors' Commentary

Sync this audio track with the trailer video in order to recieve a mind-blowing aural and visual experience, as myself and my co-director Nicholas Ashurst discuss how various narrative and genre theories can be applied to our film. Enjoy!
   

2 April 2014

Evaluation Activity #2: Creating A Marketing Campaign

Through the combination of a theatrical trailer, poster and magazine cover we were able to create a marketing campaign for our sophomore feature Osiris Unbound that would dominate a variety of different mediums – online video sites, advertisements and print media. The campaign was both successful and iconic through a consistent theme and design that emphasised both the lead stars of the film as well as the conventions of the action genre, namely guns, guns and more guns.

All three products give precedence to our lead actor, Nicholas Ashurst, as well as our villain, portrayed by James Richardson. This was done to showcase the protagonist and antagonist of the film, as well as the rivalry between these two Binary Oppositional forces of good and evil. While both appear in the main poster and magazine cover, for The Hollywood Reporter, the two characters were given a special ‘character poster’ and GQ exclusive, respectively. The Lucas Thorne character poster features a strong close up on our lead in order to directly involve the audience with his character’s struggle, while the GQ cover, contrastingly, offers insight into the actor and composer behind the film rather than his character – though his costume is consistent with his portrayal in both poster and trailer. His choice of costume is consistent across the three mediums so that the character of the film’s villain is instantly recognisable by audiences, while similarly Thorne is dressed in the same shirt throughout the campaign. The Hollywood Reporter cover is an exception as it is portraying the cast of the film outside of their roles, so they are dressed formally to give them a sense of class and sophistication as would be expected of movie stars.

Both the theatrical trailer and poster focus on exposing the key differences between our hero and villain, but also the similarities. This is a fact highlighted with Richardson’s line in the trailer, “We’re not so very different, you and I…we’re both destined for the same damnation…it’s just I’m willing to let the world burn along the way”, and demonstrated through the almost identical poses that the two characters exhibit. This blurring of the otherwise binary oppositional forces offers a somewhat unique approach to the genre. Of course the genre is a very significant part of film, and thus our marketing campaign, so this is made pretty clear in trailer, poster and magazine cover, therefore allowing them to work really well together. The characters are also shown holding weaponry – even in the case of the actors on THR cover, with Zubin Parekh holding a balaclava to further emphasise these action conventions.

Emphasis is placed on the film's title, appearing in a bold, recongisable typography that reoccurs in both the climax of the trailer and at the bottom of the poster. Similarly it is the largest lettering on the magazine cover (with the exception of THR logo) though the choice of font was made to reflect the style of the magazine rather than the logo of our film. The logo's design was a conscious choice to establish the brand of the film. Enigma codes are developed through each of the products, for example through the imposing eyes at the top of our poster, and the numerous cliffhangers that appear throughout our trailer. The extract from Prometheus Unbound, by Percy Blythe Shelley, in the trailer's opening is also a good example. The use of enigmas helps further invite audiences to watch the film, to discover the truth behind the various mysteries that we present.

All in all, each of these choices across the mediums of the marketing campaign work together, fulfilling the 'Uses and Gratifications' of audiences (Blumler & Katz, 1970s), notably escapism, entertainment and perhaps even social interaction, as we point out our involvement in previous projects and include a number of reviews from well-established publications ensuring that viewers will want to be discuss the film with others. By including enigmas, and presenting the film from both a narrative-based and technical viewpoint, the audience can get to know the film on various levels, while emphasising the central players of the film ensures that audiences will be interested to know more about them by watching the final film. Thus, we have crafted a successful and cohesive marketing campaign that should appeal to a wide range of audiences.

1 April 2014

Feedback v.04

You have made a good start on your evaluation, with task one completed and four begun. You have applied theories of audience, and considered how your trailer conforms to or subverts generic conventions.

Targets:
Evaluation task 3 - re-upload the audience feedback for your finished trailer - you should sum up what you have learned (positive and areas to develop) in your analysis
Evaluation task 2 - record a voice over/interview style footage where you discuss how the three tasks combine effectively to create a marketing campaign
Evaluation task 4 - what about the software you used to create your poster/magazine cover? Blogger to record your work? YouTube to view other trailers etc? Make sure all of this is discussed.
Remember to also upload any written responses you complete for exam preparation to add to your evaluation

31 March 2014

Evaluation Activity #3: Audience Feedback (REDUX)



After screening the final edited version of our theatrical trailer to Osiris Unbound - complete with narration and a number of structural alterations - before a jury of our peers, the same audience that had previously offered feedback, we conducted another feedback session, listening to comments and answering questions posed to us.

The first point that was made was that film definitely had the look of a large budget Hollywood blockbuster, one of our key aims while we were in production - therefore this was a great success for us. The "clean-cut" and "to the point" nature of our trailer's editing meant that we both revealed elements of the film without compromising the storyline and the film's ending. The creation of enigmas and therefore a sense of mystery was especially achieved with the opening narration, when Lucas Thorne recites a passage from Prometheus Unbound, where our film's title is derived, which hints at some of the themes and character journeys in the film's plot without out-right stating it. The line"We're not the only ones left with a stake in this world", doesn't explicitly explain what "stake" it is referring to, but the nature of the word gives the sense of something large-scale and important, therefore elevating the character's journey to one of earth-shattering consequences.

The end scene was another created with the intention of crafting and shaping enigma's in the audience's mind, though this dominant reading was clearly not perceived by one audience member. His conflicting reading was that this scene, with Thorne's sudden lift of his firearm, was one of pure triumph, rather than of equal notions of hopelessness and potential, and so the music should have reflected this. James Richardson's score in this scene was written to convey a sense of foreboding and despair, something observed by the other members of the audience who approved of its subtlety and juxtaposition of music and the final seconds of the shot.

Again, our variety and frequency of different locations featured in the trailer received particular praise, with comparisons to films such as Skyfall, and the idea that this gave the film a sense of 'space' as well as ensuring the pace of the trailer was in constant movement and provided enough visual stimulation.

The major criticism that we encountered, albeit slight in the overall scheme of things, was something that we ourselves agreed with to an extent. This was that the voice overs were sometimes difficult to distinguish between, in the case of Richard Young and James Richardson's characters, largely due to the fact that they were voiced by myself rather than their respective original actors. This was a conscious decision made both due to lack of availability but also due to the merits of using my voice over theirs: whereas they both have rather high pitched voices that are not befitting of either their characters or the film itself, I am capable of creating several different voices that better reflect the film's tone and suit the trailer. While I did think I offered two distinctive voices, with differing vocal patterns, the audience were somewhat drawn out of the trailer by their prior knowledge of the actor's real voices - something furthered by the lack of shots that include them speaking (though we made sure that the narration is accompanied by several shots of the respective characters.We also offered the artistic reason as an alternative that the similarity in voices was done to further blur the lines between the binary oppositions of good and evil.

The role of the sole female character in the film was also picked up on, with audience members questioning her ostensible lack of non-stereotypical involvement in the storyline, seen as 'always running', a statement invalidated by the fact that she appears in two shots, and only running in one of them. We responded by stating we were adhering to the Male Gaze Theory in order to address male audiences, and fulfilling Propp's character type of the princess. I also emphasized that the male actors in the film were visualized in this partly exploitative way to a greater extent through depiction of their manly feats, through fighting and agile activity.

We were asked about how we gave prevalence to the various characters in the trailer. Several of the film's leads are given their own section in which their narration and shots largely featuring them are used, while several different shots are included so audiences may distinguish between the positions of characters, while we offer a hint at their roles and the character traits. Lucas Thorne is principally shown in closeups, contrastingly the villain in shown only wide shots until the mid-point of the trailer, and Zubasu only appears for split seconds at a time. The purely silhouetted opening, with some brief close up views of bodily appendages, as well as the aforementioned differences in shots of characters, further the creation of an enigma code, and as one audience member explained, create more incentive for them to find out more about the film's characters and their involvement in the story.

As feedback on the final version, it was interesting to see what improvements we had made and which creative and technical choices were the most successful. The numerous questions on seemingly inconsequential elements of the trailer also enabled us to think more openly about our choices, sometimes helping us realise things that perhaps weren't superficially there before. 

26 March 2014

Audience Essay

When we made our film trailer we had a certain target audience in mind – late teen to young adult males – ourselves, essentially, though it was also made to appeal to as many viewers as possible and so a number of audience theories can be applied to the theatrical trailer for our sophomore feature, Osiris Unbound.
The theory of ‘uses and gratifications’, as conceived by Katz and Blumler during the early ‘70s, stipulates that audiences act as consumers of media products and texts in order to satisfy any number of five reasons: information/education; identification; entertainment; social interaction and escapism. The most prominent features of our trailer that would draw audiences would be that of entertainment and escapism. As a film of the action thriller genre this would be expected as viewers seek films that explore extraordinary exploits in order to escape the normality of their lives and to be entertained. The exciting fight sequences in our trailer are an example of the sort of thing that audiences would be interested in seeing to gratify their needs.
As a piece of fiction, it is unlikely, however, that audiences would approach our film with the idea of being informed or educated in mind, however they may approach it in order to be up to speed with current trends. We feel that our film, with its use of enigmas and return of legendary stars such as Lee Davidson will provoke the attention of audience members who feel they need to see it in order to socially interact with others and be part of the overall discussion concerning the film. Our characters are larger than life, so audiences may find it hard to relate to them on a superficial level, but at the core of our characters, especially the lead, there are several personality traits that audience members may identify with – notably flaws and weaknesses that may make viewers connect even more.
The ‘male gaze’ theory also applies to our film, though our choice to include a female character to solely appeal to male viewers was not a conscious one - instead we needed her to represent the female demographic. However, the theory by Laura Mulvey states that women in media texts such as film are objectified through camera shots that perhaps linger on their bodies in order to entice heterosexual males – that the camera is essentially the male audience’s, and not the female’s, point of view. The fact that the female that appears in my film is my sister is irrelevant, though it was my co-director Nicholas Ashurst, and not I, that was adamant she be featured for this purpose. The ‘female gaze’ is something I would say is more present in this film due to the largely male cast. While none of the male actors are featured in various states of undress, we do use shots that emphasise their prowess through fighting and running – this, in contrast to the theory of the male gaze, would suggest that both women, and men, are drawn to a film to witness the male form in all its glory, due to their admiration of it or perhaps even envy in the case of some males. Adhering to the conventions of these theories, however, was not a high priority during production so, regardless of it being applicable, it was not necessarily our intention.
Another theory relating to our trailer would be that of Richard Dyer’s ‘utopian solutions’. The theory stipulates that entertainment texts, such as our trailer, offer audiences a perfect ideal that they can only access through media consumption. This is true to some extent, as our scenarios and characters are, as previously mentioned, larger than life, though the nature of the film’s storyline is rather dark and so not really a ‘utopia’ as Dyer states. Audiences will want to experience the painful struggles of our main characters rather than merely observe ‘perfect ideals’, and it is not necessarily the case that the film will have a happy ending, though that is conventional of the genre. Our trailer is an attempt to defy some of the genre’s conventions so what happens in the film may or may not surprise audience members depending on their outlook on the film prior to watching. Those looking solely for a ‘utopian solution’ may be disappointed.
In conclusion, while several film theories can be applied to our film, others such as the ‘hypodermic needle’ theory cannot be as the nature of our film is not one of a strong political or social stance, and is instead simply an exciting action thriller that audiences can enjoy without fear of being spoon-fed ideals and values that are not necessarily theirs, or even ours, to begin with.

19 March 2014

Evaluation Activity #4: Technology


For the trailer editing process we used a software called Adobe Premiere Pro. This software is commonly used in the professional industry so we thought that it was a suitable software to use for our film. It has exceptional colour grading tools, which are very useful in ensuring the film has a professional look to it. It also has very efficient tools for editing titles, which helped greatly and allowed the titles to look as good as possible. I think that one of the key successes to our film was the editing and it was down to this piece of software that we were able to edit successfully. Unfortunately, the computer that we were using with this software was very slow, so editing took a long time. To combat this, we selected all the clips that we intended on using and saved them in an MP4 format to make editing easier, however this did result in a loss of quality so for the key shots - where visual impact was imperative - we reinserted the original format of the files to retain the high quality to the shots. Editing was a very time consuming process.



We used the Panasonic SD90 to film our trailer. I have discussed this in a previous post, which should cover the basics of this camera. The main reasons for using it were that it filmed in HD and had a very good look to it. Admittedly, some of the footage was overexposed and obviously the footage was colour graded, but it did a decent job otherwise. Another fault that we found with this camera was that didn't give the user control over the focus, which prevented us from experimenting with different depths of field. I have learnt how to use the camera to it's highest potential and to avoid trying to do anything that highlights these negative points. We also used two other filming devices for shooting when the camera was out of power or the other side of the world. This same camera was also used for the recording of the narration. These were two Samsung Galaxy devices, chosen for their relative ease, though there was less quality to the footage - though only a select few of these shots were used.

Other than these two pieces of technology we didn't really use anything for the trailer. We opted out of using a tripod for a few reasons. Firstly, the look that we were going for worked better without a tripod, as it makes the audience feel like they are involved in the action. If it were filmed on a tripod then it would look too static and the audience would feel like they're observing the action, rather than getting into it. The second reason was that it was impractical to set up a tripod in many of the locations as we may have been told to stop filming as we were in public.


The only software used for the design of our posters and magazine covers was the free program Paint.NET. The program was selected for its lack of cost, its accessibility and range of functions as well as several years worth of experience with using it. Numerous effects were used, for instance colour grading and brightness/contrast, while a variety of free fonts were found online and used to make them the various titles and captions appeal more aesthetically.  The magazine does not feature as much editing as the poster as the entire image is one photograph while the poster is composed of many layers and elements, with each of the character's being cut from separate images and the background featuring many dissolves between different textures and images in order to form a cohesive image.

The two online services that were instrumental in our work this year were Blogger and YouTube, which enabled us to document our progress through research, planning and evaluation and upload our finished trailer, respectively. Both hosts were chosen for their relative ease and reliability, as well as the fact their ownership (by Google) enabled us to share the same accounts across both services.

13 March 2014

Evaluation Activity #3: Audience Feedback



The above video presents the initial audience response to the first draft of our trailer. This was done in a form of a discussion between ourselves (though I, myself, was absent due to being away on a university visit day) and our fellow filmmakers - the latter of whom each focused on a different element of a trailer, for instance mise-en-scene and narrative, and used their observations to offer both praise and criticism. We would then respond, explaining our creative and technical choices. This style of evaluation was useful as it offered an outside perspective, different from our own.

Some of the issues that were up for debate included the role of Lee Davidson in the final film. Earlier promotional materials featured him front and center, with his name even taking first billing above the actual lead Nicholas Ashurst. While the shift in focus from his character, who is now relegated to a supporting, yet significant, role to that of Nicholas's and even Richard Young's (who has been given some of Davidson's previous scenes and responsibilities) was partly due to scheduling conflicts and last minute script alterations, it was also a conscious choice on our part to prominently portray Davidson in early trailers due to audience recognition from our debut Sins of the Martyr and thus ease the audience into the new world of Osiris Unbound and protagonist of Lucas Thorne.

Narrative was also subject to query - regarding the structure and chronology of the trailer. We were asked whether the events of the film were portrayed chronologically, or whether we took a more arbitrary approach to the order of the clips. It was a combination of both. The trailer takes upon an overall three-act structure, with events from the opening of the film more concentrated in the opening of the trailer, and similarly so for the climax of film and the trailer. This was done to help the narrative flow come across somewhat, though our choice to feature a montage of action shots from across the entire duration of the movie is to retain a sense of mystery and ambiguity, as well as conform to the expectations of a trailer of the same genre.

Praise was given to our use of mise-en-scene, specifically our costumes and props which helped to present the illusion of the film being a high-budget blockbuster. They pointed out that our inclusion of handguns rather than overblown heavy gunnery added to the tension and personal atmosphere of the film - as well as making the film appear more realistic in regards to UK gun laws. However, while the film is predominately set in Britain with high profile locations such as London and Brighton making appearances, Osiris Unbound is very much an international affair with shots of Paris in France, and even Perth in Australia. This wide range of locations aids in providing the illusion that we filmed an entire film - though we did actually capture between four and five hours of footage, perhaps even more over the period of an entire year (though the actual shooting amounts to about a week's worth at best). This choice to film such an abundance of footage was influential in our crafting of the trailer. Rather than set out with the intention of placing certain shots here and there, we simply filmed as if we were filming sequences from a full length feature and then, when it came to the editing process, used the clips as we saw fit and selected those which we felt worked best in the context of the trailer, as would be done on a proper film.

Camerawork and cinematography were also singled out for praise, as they were seen as adding to the high production value of our film due to the esquisite framing and motion of the camera. The choice of using a standard flash-to-white effect in place of a muzzle flash was acclaimed by the audience - as not only did it fulfill the conventions of trailers it added to the intensity of the action and pace of the kidnapping and rescue sequence. This scene was also picked out when discussing our use of diegetic sound effects, as the absence of a glass smash sound was criticised - though our delegate at the conference succesfully argued the logistics of the action, stating that there was high probability that the projectile would instead pass through one of the vehicle's front wheels instead of the windshield. This is supported by Richard Young's character's execution-style dispatch of the driver, which demonstrates the character's intent when firing the first shot at the car - thus the sound effect was not required.

This discussion was incredibly informative as it offered insight in what needed to be improved with the initial draft of our trailer and also gave us a fresh perspective on our work. We look forward to another session once the final version of the trailer is complete.

11 March 2014

Evaluation Activity #1: Characters

Nicholas Ashurst
James Richardson
Richard Young
Eleanor Smith
We pride ourselves on the fact we have a wide range of interesting characters, and while they mostly conform to expectations and archetypal roles - such as that of the cipher - there is still an element of intrigue regarding them. As Vladimir Propp set out there are several character types which serve various functions, which can be found in our trailer, for instance the hero, the villain, the donor, the princess and even the false hero (though this last is not entirely evident in the trailer). These identifiable characters set up a comfortable base from which the the audience can follow the narrative, and of course it is important in any action film that the action remain at the forefront so the issue of creating characters with great depth was not a priority, though it remained a consideration, as evident in the trailer.

10 March 2014

Evaluation Activity #1: Story & Genre


As previously mentioned, with our trailer we wanted to maintain a sense of ambiguity regarding the plot of our film, so as to further incentify viewers to watch the final product. Therefore, the trailer - while in a loose three-act structure - does not portray the events of the film chronologically and so audiences will not fully know what to expect with the finished film. Several shots throughout the trailer, such as the one above, are placed specifically to make the viewer question the symbolism and significance of the scene in relation to the rest of the film. This particular one, depicting both Nicholas Ashurst and Lee Davidson's characters in a sunset beach setting - which an out-of-use pier in the background - helps to foreshadow the darkness that shrouds the overall atmosphere of the trailer, acting as a sort of 'calm before the storm' as this is one of the final shots before the 'equilibrium' is broken, as with Todorov's Narrative Theory. Again, the trailer does adhere to narrative theories of structure such as Todorov's with the opening sequence before our studio logo representative of a state of normalcy - while the remainder of the trailer depicts the destruction of such state and the attempts to reinstate it, showcased through the final montage of action shots, though the final stage has been neglected to maintain the mystery of the film's ending. In regards to the narration of the trailer, this has been done (or will be since the final cut of the trailer is still to be uploaded) in a way that is not purely for expositional purposes but rather to establish the tone of the movie and further open up several enigmas as to the motives of the characters and the direction of the storyline. This also allows to disguise what is essentially a substantially generic action movie outline and present it as more distinctive and, thus, engrossing. Again the conventions of the genre are adhered to as by avoiding the exact nature of the narrative we are giving more time to focus on the action sequences of the film which are, of course, of the major draws. 

9 March 2014

Evaluation Activity #1: Special Effects


These two shots depict one of the few instances in which we use special effects in our trailer as we wanted to retain the authenticity, though here of course it is important to have a muzzle flash to present the full impact of the gunshot - though in actuality muzzle flashes are not as prominent but we wanted to reflect the standards of Hollywood action films. As you can see the flash that envelops the upper part of Lee Davidson's body disappears after several frames to become a cloud of smoke that is evident while also subtle. While this sequence is mere seconds of the trailer it is one of the most important shots as it provides production value that may be otherwise non-existent in more standard shots of the characters.

8 March 2014

Evaluation Activity #1: Camerawork & Editing




















We identified a common issue with many of today's trailers - they simply show too much, losing the sense of intrigue and wonder that a trailer should instill in an audience member. Thus in the vein of such trailers as the one for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo we maintained a constant sense of pace throughout by cutting between scenes from all the film, thus avoiding issues of continuity, though as seen in the above frames in some cases there are extended sequences (albeit lasting only for several seconds). This quick succession of three shots, showing the viewpoints of both protagonist and antagonist, preceded by a wide shot establishing the situation they are in, acts as the climax for the middle point of the trailer before the extended montage of action shots ensues. This sequence is very important as it establishes the conflict between the two characters that is at the heart of the movie - and the final shot, a low angle of James Richardson reinforces the notion that he is a character to be reckoned with,

7 March 2014

Evaluation Activity #1: Costumes & Props




















The above shot is evidence that we meticulously selected the costumes for each of our characters. Both James Richardson and Zubin Parekh (clockwise from left) are dressed in attire that reflects the nature of their characters, without reaching pure stereotype. As you can see, James is clothed in a large thick, military-style overcoat, which is indicative of his military background but also gives him a sense of class and superiority, which makes the threat of his character even more potent. He wears this coat for the entire film, not only to show the short period of time in which the events occur but to maintain the powerful image of the character as an intriguing, while imposing force. Zubin on the other hand enjoys a series of different outfits - again reflecting his character, as he is a professional assassin and needs to wear various disguises. Therefore he is not dressed as expected, though we designed his outfits with the intention of looking serious while also like a regular civilian. Our use of mise-en-scene is also prominent in this frame, as the darkened room emphasised the shadowy nature of these characters, while the pistol prop - originally a Poundland plastic toy spray painted black to look realistic - adds to the production value.

6 March 2014

Evaluation Activity #1: Setting & Location

We we embarked upon this project, we were determined to make our film appear as authentic and large scale as possible so it was important that this was reflected in the trailer with a wide range of locations. The length we went to is evident in the above shot - which shows an Australian coast side - as it is highly visually aesthetic and suggests that the film was on a bigger budget than it actually was. This particular shot, representative of the calm before the storm, was placed very early on to set a precedent for the rest of the trailer - which features even more locations - though we knew the beginning of the trailer had to have some of our 'money shots' to ensure the audience is fully engaged and captivated at the 'scale' of our operation. While in our previous film Sins of the Martyr we relied on London landmarks and British iconography this time we felt the cast was our major draw and this is only aided by the wide variety of settings and locales. 

5 March 2014

Evaluation Activity #1: Titles



The title screen at the climax of the trailer is incredibly crucial as it provides the audience with their final thoughts of what they had just seen. We felt this otherwise arbitrary sequence at the end needed to reflect the tone of the rest of the trailer and also had to be visually impressive so we placed the logo (which had already been designed for the theatrical poster - thus demonstrating synopticity between the two works - and in a clean bold font, in the vein of such blockbuster releases as 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier) over a background of footage shot of a deep expanse of water at night as James Richardson's character's shadow looms over the stirring waters and approaches the camera. This shot reinforces the sense of mystery and the enigma code that had been established by the rapid fast cutting of the trailer that left much to the audience's imagination rather than spoiling whole scenes from the film.

25 February 2014

Theatrical Trailer: First Draft (Still Work In Progress)

This is a version of the trailer in the early stages - there is a notable absence of narration, in addition to a number of sound effects and the editing can be rather shoddy, particularly in the latter part of the trailer as lengthy encode times meant that there was no time to fix the somewhat glaring mistakes. We have identified a number of shots that will be replaced with more appropriate ones in the final version.

A more updated version will be released soon with better cuts and additions to both visual and audio effects. Much of the footage will need to be replaced with those of a higher quality as the edit was made mainly with highly compressed versions of the files. However this current draft reflects the general structure of our trailer and for the most part is a good representation of what will be the final product.

 

8 February 2014

7 February 2014

Magazine Cover Drafts

Below are the drafts for the various designs we have for our magazine cover (currently without any text). We wanted to explore all the different magazines associated with cinema and culture in order to 'promote' our film - much like a big blockbuster film would in its marketing campaign leading up to its release. Several other, more conventional, designs are being worked on, ie. a cover for an edition of EMPIRE Magazine.

It would be nice to be able to use all of them but we shall select one of the designs as the main one.








5 February 2014

Character Posters Drafts

Below is the basic design of one of the character-centric posters for our film. There are still many elements to be added in order, for instance title and production information - in addition to more cinematic processing and colour grading - to make the poster look authentic.