Second Day of Filming

Today we managed to film the shots which we were unable to get yesterday - today they were much more successful due to the lighting. We also filmed several planes taking off from the runway of John Lennon Airport. The only problem that we encountered with this, was that the aeroplanes seemed to bank round to the right after taking off, so we could not get a shot of a plane flying directly overhead, which is what we originally planned. We did get some shots though which we will use, and which will hopefully (after being edited) fit well with the rest of the film. Here are a few of the shots that we took here;

Clearly, the first shot was unsuitable for our trailer as it was a private plane, however, the second shot is much more suited to the storyline. We will be using this clip within our trailer to show the journey of the character from Britain to Paris. 

Beginning of the filming process

Today was our first day of filming, which we completed in the location in Crosby. We got through the shots that we planned to today, however, we came across a set back - due to the fact that we filmed in the house after school, the lighting was severely restricted, especially in the shots in the loft area. Even though we are quite happy with the shots that we managed to get, we will need to return to film some more. We hope to go back tomorrow on Saturday, so we can go earlier when the light is much brighter, and we also hope to travel to Speke Hall (which is situated right next to John Lennon Airport). There is a path that runs around the end of the runway, so we will hopefully be able to capture an aeroplane in flight, which is one of the necessary shots that we need. 

Let the Right One In Trailer Analysis

After looking at several film trailers for inspiration, we have decided to use some components of the trailer for 'Let the Right One In' as inspiration for our own trailer. Below is an analysis of the trailer, looking at the use of sound, mise en scene, cinematography and editing.

Let the Right One In - Trailer Analysis 

Within the trailer, certain features, such as the use of blue filters, the build up of tension through fast cuts and an elongated shot at the end (which draws the trailer to a close), have caught our eye.

Horror film trailer inspiration

After fully analysing several horror film trailers, we decided to look at some more unusual film trailers to look for inspiration for our own trailer. 

The first trailer that we looked at was for the 2008 Swedish film 'Let The Right One In' (which was later remade for an Amer audience starring Chloe Grace Moretz in 2011). Filmed in Sweden, the film is set in the winter, which means that harsh white and blue tones are prevalent throughout. The coldness of the tones are linked with the horror genre (obviously the polar opposite to the warm tones you may get in a comedy or romance). With the main characters of 'Let The Right One In' being children, it helped us to get an idea of how to portray our child ghost in our trailer. As well as this, the fact that the film is Swedish meant that the international trailer did not have much dialogue in it. Our trailer has one main character, and almost pushes the normal conventions of a film trailer, in that she will have no one to interact with. The use of sound in this trailer is important, and therefore, we will have to carefully think about the use if sound in our trailer. Also, the last 20 seconds of this trailer is a single shot of snow falling. This scene is literally and figuratively chilling, with a shrill echo playing as the snow is falling. The use of text over it is effective, and it is a very effective way to end the trailer, from the crescendo of the music beforehand. The contrast of the red of the title against the black and white of this last shot is very eye catching, and this scene has given us many ideas for our own trailer. 

Another trailer which caught our eye was the 1980 trailer for Stanley Kubrick's film 'The Shining'. The rising credits alongside the loudening, creepy music with the still frame of the elevator builds a lot of tension, and the flood of red 'blood' (at 0:55) is a very effective way to insinuate death, without showing a dead body. This teaser trailer is quite clever, and we may use this as inspiration for part of our trailer. 

Cinematography shot practice

Before we went out to shoot our main footage, we decided to have a go at some initial shots of film, to practice the shot types that we'd like to use. To shoot our trailer, me and Ashleigh are using our DSLR cameras (Nikon D3100). Due to the fact that they are DSLRs, it means that we can get cinematography effects that we wouldn't be able to achieve on a normal digital recorder, such as a pulled focus. For these few shots we used my Nikorr f/1.8 50mm lens - the high aperture meant that we could capture a very shallow focus. 

One of the main shots that we'd like to use is that of a record playing. Here are a few shots that we got;

This shot was taken of the record of the 'Blade Runner' film soundtrack, produced by Vangelis. This is just atmospheric music, and the fact that it is on vinyl gives it a crackled effect (best viewed in 720p HD). I took this video handheld, which is clear as the video is slightly shaky.The next few videos are shots of the record 'Tubular Bells' by Mike Oldfield. This song is from one of the most famous horror films of all time 'The Exorcist'. Clearly, this record, being associated with such a well known horror film gives off an eerie feel to it. I took these videos with the camera on a tripod, and they are visibly smoother.

These clips were just experimental, however, I like the effect this produces - after looking at the results of our questionnaire, cinematography was an important component in making a successful and interesting trailer, so we will consider other interesting cinematography features to include. 

Film distribution

From our research, I think our film would be an independent film instead of a blockbuster release. I wanted to do some research into the distribution of films, as it is an important part of the post production of films. I looked at some research as to how films are distributed and who they are distributed by. 

Distribution is arguably one of the most important parts of the film industry. The process of distribution involves the releasing and sustaining of films in the market place. In 'blockbuster' Hollywood films, distribution, production and exhibition can operate effectively when 'vertically integrated', however, in the UK, distribution is more focused on marketing globally across local markets. In the independent sector however, this vertical integration does not occur as often. The producers of independent films tend not to have the long-term economic links with distributors that Hollywood producers would have. In this sector, distribution can be divided into 3 stages - licensing, marketing and logistics. 

Final decision on trailer title

We decided to go with the title 'Lullaby'. We thought that this reflected the atmosphere that we want to capture quite well and also fits in with the theme of the child ghost. Below is the video for the song by The Cure, and as you can see, it could fit in the horror genre with its creepy, strange and almost disturbing theme. 

We may even use this as the sound track for our trailer, however, we will need to do more research into possible sound tracks before we decide.

Film Title Ideas

Trying to decide on the title of our film was quite difficult, however, we came up with three names;

Apartment 12

We liked this name as it was simple, and linked directly to the trailer. The room number of the apartment in Paris is number 12, and it is direct to the point, and doesn't give away too much about the plot.

Lullaby

We derived this name from the title of the song by the Gothic/ alternative rock group The Cure. The Gothic connotations linked to the group would fit in with the dark feel to the atmosphere that we want to create. 

La File Fantome 

Because our trailer is set in Paris, we considered naming the film a French name. The phrase 'La File Fantome' is literally translated as the the ghost girl, which clearly fits very well with the plot.

We will later decide on the final name.