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.
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.