Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 3

Evaluation Question 2

We have also expanded upon our comments made in this Evaluation Question in the handout you can see below.

Evaluation Question 1

Final Website Analysis

Final Poster Analysis

Azure Official Website

The final website with linked photos. 

Azure Official Poster

Azure Official Trailer

Storyboard Comparison

Storyboard Animatic Final Draft

As we have progressed in the course we have updated our storyboard to show the changes we have made from our original ideas. Below you can see the final draft of our Storyboard shown in an animatic accompanied by our soundtrack and voice-over. 

Poster Development

When filming the Ransom Footage we took this high quality photo of the chair that Esther sat on. 

We were proud of the photo and so decided to use it as the background to our poster. 

As Esther is the key to our film, we added a photo of her faded into the background of the image. We included five key elements 

• Film Title
• Fox Logo 
• Website 
• Copyright statement
• Actor Names 

The main problem with this poster was that we cut the footage of Esther's ransom from the trailer. Therefore the image has little relevance to what the audience perceive the film to be. It also looks untidy to have the image of Esther in the corner.

For our second attempt we began with a different background image, of a swing. This is a relatively important image in our trailer as it is the shot that our child actors name appears on. It also is mostly of the sky, which is a clear blue colour, fitting with our film title. 

We wanted to keep it clean so left it as only that image, with titles on top. We added in a # as we understand the importance of We-media and creating a buzz around a film. 

Regardless of the fact the Actors names were not centred, the bright background made some of the letters not as clear. We also had the film address twice. The main issue with this poster was that we didn't feel that it portrayed any of the story line as it doesn't even introduce the main characters. 

We experimented for a second time with overlaying a translucent image of Esther. This was because it shows the audience that the film has something to do with a young child. One of the hesitations we had was to not make it look to much like a horror, with the slightly gaunt image of a child. 

We decided that the necessity of the image of the child was greater than the slightly horror image. We changed the layout of the next to make it clearer and more eligible. 

After we created a draft design, we posted it on Instagram for Audience Feedback, you can see that here

A version of the final poster can be seen here

A more in depth analysis of the final poster can be seen here

AZURE - Final Draft

Music Review

Unfortunately due to copyright laws we cannot use the song 'Dreams' by Imagine Dragons like we did in our Second Draft. If it wasn't for the laws we would use that music, however we have searched for copyright free music for the bulk of the trailer. 

We have found some music on sound cloud that has a build of tension that our trailer needs... 




We edited it to help it fit to our trailer's builds and shot changes. 

Website Development

We using WIX to create our website, as it is the simplest, but most stylistic programme, and is also the programme people in previous years have used. 

We concluded from website research, that the pages we needed were 

• Home
• Synopsis
• Characters
• Gallery
• Contact
• About

I started by creating folder with the high quality photos we took from each filming day, separating them into simple 'background' images and close up photos. 

We chose a 'background image' for each page. 

Then added summaries of what we would include on each page, if we were to fully create the entire website.

You can see our website here:

http://wokmedia15.wix.com/lensproductionmovies

Reaction Videos

We wanted other people's opinions on our trailer so got a selection of people to watch it whilst we recorded their reactions. Following the viewing we asked them questions about the genre, things they liked, and things they would improve. 

Since this review we have edited our trailer to add more slow motion, particularly with the mother to add more emotion. 

Missing Poster

One of the shots we came up with following our editing review was a close up of a poster alerting people of Esther's disappearance. We decided that we would have two shots with the poster pinned to a lamppost, one with the poster looking new and pristine, and one with it more worn down to show the progression of time. 

Below is a video showing the process of creating the poster. 

The final version of the poster: 

Beginning Voice-over

One of the main points from our 'Second Draft Review' was that the opening voice-over was not have enough impact and was not realistic or fluid enough. 

We decided to re-record with a younger voice enabling us to naturally have the childlike tone. To ensure we get some hesitation and truthful emotion we decided to re-write our script and get two young people to read it out whilst we were recording. We then took the script away from them and got them to improvise a few times, to get the natural pauses that would be in their voices. They improvised even when given the script to convey the emotion, however the script we did provide them is below. 

Mummy it's me, 

I'm scared, I just want to come home, 

If you five them the money they say I can come home. 

I don't like it here on my own, 

Help me Mummy.

We recorded the new voice-over using a camera to get a realistically distorted sound. 

The new recording options: 
1-3 are with a script, 4 and 5 are without. 




Our favourites are 3 and 4. 

We are going to experiment with altering the pitch in garage band or audacity to see if a higher pitch will make the voices sound younger, as the original recordings sound too mature for our character. 

Implications

During editing we have noticed that the footage implies development in our narrative which has caused us to slightly alter our story line. 

The final shot where the Dad closes his eyes and see's his daughter looking up at him in black and white may suggest that this is because he is to blame for her kidnapping. This is reinforced by the enigma of why he is being chased part way through the trailer. However we have left this unresolved, as all trailers do,  due to the fourth character of the kidnapper.  

We created a shrine inspired by Broadchurch for Esther. During these shots one of the candles is blown out which may imply that she has been killed. In addition to this the title text for daughter flashes and then fades out suggesting that she may have been killed. 

Website Research

The main points established from this research are..

• Use High Quality images as the background
• Keep the design simple and sleek 
• Social Media Links are a must 
• Continually use high quality images

Poster Research

Second Draft Feedback

Following our Second Draft we asked classmates and our teachers to give us comments and advice on what to improve, what they like and for any more ideas. 

Below is a video showing the comments they gave. 

A2 Poster Inspiration

Second Draft

We have created a second draft of our trailer in preparation for our deadline on Tuesday 10th March. We reviewed the direction and comments from our first draft feedback and made improvements and corrections. 

A2 Website Inspiration

Music Inspiration

One of the things that we did not like as a group about our trailer is the fact it was almost in two distinct sections, section 1 with the scenes of the family and section 2 with the chase scene. We have edited the footage and reduced the chase scene to try and combat this. In addition we wanted to have one piece of music throughout, opposed to two different tracks. I have looked into the music used in the Broadchurch trailers that we previously analysed.

The music and the Trailers built without completely changing the song. We found 'Dream' by Imagine Dragon's that also does this. The verses build until it crescendos at the chorus, which would fit well for our chase scenes. We are yet to insert it into our trailer, and so the timing of the music and shots will determine whether it is usable. 

Trailer Ending - Titles

Our research showed that other trailers have end credits on black screens, so we created our own version to put on the end of our trailer. Below are the end credits for Taken 3 and Gravity which were our main inspirations, as they have relatively standard end screens. 

We created our own version on powerpoint as we wanted it to be simple and not overcomplicate the process. We chose a font,  Avenir Light,  to be associated with our brand to retain brand cohesion as it is clear and simple. 

The three titles that we have at the end of our trailer are: 

1. Coming Soon + Date 
2. Film company and Actors 
3. Written By, Produced By and Directed By

We have decided to insert a clip of the Step-Dad in between the titles to add intrigue, suspense, and to break up the repetitive titles. 

Film Name - Azure

We have named our film AZURE. 

We chose this title as we have a re-occurring theme of Blue in our trailer, as explained in this blog post. 

According to Wikipedia:

Azure is a variation of blue that is often described as the color of the sky on a clear summer's day.

This is reference to a specific shot in our trailer, but would also be a key theme in the full film. The previously mentioned shot is the point of view shot of Esther on the swing, the camera pans to the sky. 

Do you like our film title, AZURE?

First Draft Feedback

First Draft

Filming Session #5 - 21st February

Fresh Trailer Inspiration

Editing Review.

Audience Expectations of Genre

Issues with Footage

As we have started the editing process we have found issues with some of the footage that we have recorded. This means that we are currently arranging times to re-film.

The footage from Filming Session #1 is unusable because the mise-en-scene is not perfected. We knew that we were going to have to go back to film more of the chase scene as when we went originally we were short for time and had more ideas and shots to film than what we had completed.

When looking back at our footage we found that Nick, the actor playing the kidnapper, was wearing smart black school shoes. These do not fit his character and as we have some low angle shots where they are key to the frame we need to re-film with him in more casual footwear.

We will soon arrange a date and time for re-filming, so using his Dad Mick as an actor was helpful as he has a relatively flexible schedule.

Filming Session #4 - 25th January

Filming Session #4 - Plan

Our fourth filming session is our biggest, and we have a lot to fit in. It is our first filming session with the Mum, Annie, and our only booked session with every character. To ensure it is a smooth as possible, we have set out a basic plan for the day. 

11.00-11.20: Arrive at the location and get set up
                         Ensure camera's are charged
                         Check locations are set up how we want them
                         Discuss our plans for the day
11.20-12.00: Shots with Esther on her own - Filmed with Go-Pro
                         Sounds of Esther being taken 
                         The beginning shots with Esther's hands 
                         Shots of her around the house 
                                      Playing on trampoline
                                      Reading 
                                      Doing crafts that are in her room
12.00-12.20: Annie Arrives 
                          Greet Annie and explain the plans for the day 
                          Take photos of the family, and individual actors for the blog 
12.20-13.00: The shots of the whole family 
                          Esther playing as the parents look happy 
                          The parents arguing without Esther 
                          Record sound of parents arguing
13.00-13.30: Contingency Time 
                          Re-film anything we don't like
                          Catch up on time
                          Esther can leave
                          Group break
13.30-14.00: Shots of Mum
                          Filming from behind her, typing and working
                          Take photo's of location for Blog
14.00-15.00: Shots of Parents 
                          Scene with Hot Drink, Step-Dad taking it into Mum, shaking and nervous
15.00-15.30: Final shot of parents
                           Walking into the bedroom of the child
                           Tracking shot
15.30-16.00: Contingency Time 


                                               

Filming Session #3 - 19th January

For our third filming session we re-did the shots from the our first tester session. 

This is a really important part of our trailer as it explains the first point of view shots. In the beginning the audience doesn't know who is being taken as they don't see their face. But this final ransom video tells the audience that she is the person being taken, which in turns explains her parents sadness. 

We used four cameras in our filming. Two were used for profile shots, high and low angle, we used a high-tech camera to film through and then an old style camcorder as the ransom camera. 

Filming Session #2 - 18th January

Our second filming session was just with our group in the child's bedroom. We were filming the pan shots of different elements of the room.

We used the go-pro to replicate the wide angle that represents shots from the child's point of view. 

We took numerous shots from around the room that we set up (as you can see in this blog post). These will be filtered in throughout the trailer to show the hole that the child being taken leaves in the parents' lives. 

Location Hunting #2 - Child's Room

We are using group member Nick's house for the home of the child. They have a room decorated in blue that we have used as the child's room. 

You can see that in the Storyboard Animatic we have left space for the camera to pan around the child's room. We want these shots to tell the audience more about the character, meaning they are more emotionally attached to her. 

We have kept with the theme of blue and dressed the room so it looks more like a lived in child's room. 

You can see an analysis of the props we added, and some further photo's of the rooms set up, below. 

Red Colour Motif

   Red Colour Motif | Create infographics

Filming Session #1 - 16th January

Risk Assessment

When filming we needed to create a Risk Assessment to ensure we are being as safe as possible. 
We have listed the 4 most prominent risks from each location, and explained the preventative measures we have put in place. 

The Colour Blue

THe colour blue |Create infographics

Radio Broadcast

For one of the shots in our trailer the parents are in their car and a radio-broadcast announcing their child's disappearance comes on the radio. We used the actress playing the Mum to read out our script as she has done voice-work and has a clear 'radio voice'.


When creating the script we used our knowledge of radio announcements and gave out the basic information; that she had gone missing and that it is suspicious.


The announcement states -

News just in a 10 year old girl has gone missing from her home in the South of England. Officers responded to a call from her mother yesterday, and are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. A spokesperson for the police said that the case was being treated as suspicious.

Character Profile #4 - Step-Dad

Character Profile #3 - Mum

Character Profile #2 - Child

Character Profile #1 - Kidnapper

Storyboard Animatic First Draft

Ransom Scripting

We have already filmed some tester shots for the closing scene of our trailer (as shown in this blog post), however we wanted to decide on exactly what the child is going to say. 

When filming we recorded what Esther said in a sound clip, as you can hear below. 



 

'Mum, It's me,

Don't worry, It's fine,

I'm okay.

I've been taken by these men,

Please help, help me.'

Although I think that the dialogue works with the shot to provoke emotion in the audience, as they will feel sympathy for the child, the passage is slightly contradictory. Even if at the beginning we present her as trying to be strong and help her Mum by saying 'Don't worry I'm fine' it the speech quickly changes direction by showing the child begging for help. 

We have altered the script to this - 

Mum, It's me,

Please help, I've been taken. 

I'm scared,

They want your money,

Please help, help me.

This works more with our altered idea for the first shot as we are not revealing that she is tied up like our original plan. 

Plan for filming

Our deadline for the editing been done is on the 27th February 2015, meaning that we need to get filming! We have struggled getting all the actors that we want together at once, but think we have finally arranged a schedule. 

16th January - We want to complete all of the shots of the Step-Dad on his own and with the kidnappers. This includes the ones where he is running through the ally way, being chased by the kidnappers, and the one where he is driving. 

18th January - We are going as a group to the location being used as the family's house. We want the child's bedroom to be a key aspect of the trailer so are spending some time setting it up with props that we want to use. We will also film all of the shots panning around the room 

19th January - We are filming at school with Esther (the child). This is for the final shot, the ransom video, as we like using the black background as it looks clinical and organised, like the crime they are committing. We will also take the photo for the final shot 

25th January - This is our final day where we are filming everything with both parents and the child at the house. This includes the beginning shot, the shots with the parents arguing at the house, the mum working, when the step-dad brings the drink to the mum, and the shot where the parents are opening the door to the room. 

We have the first week of February for contingency, but will edit as we go to ensure we get everything completed. 

Location Hunting #1 - Chase Location

As it is a trailer with lots of different shots and scenes we need to find a few locations. Namely a house for all of the scenes with the family, a dark room for the ransom video and an outside location for the chase scenes. 

For the outside location we are looking for a bridge and stairs for the Step-Dad and kidnappers to chase him along. 

This was our first option for location as it looks deserted and has stairs either side. However one of the problems for this shot was the graffiti on the walls. We loved it as it gave it an urban vibe, however it would prove a struggle for contingency. We would have to ensure all of the graffiti lined up shot-shot which would be very tricky.  

Our second option, and the one we ended up using is this green and glass bridge. It is longer meaning we have more space and it has less 'defining features' that we need to match up for contingency. 

It has stairs so we can have shots with Mick, the step-dad, running up and down them, and eventually getting shot at the end. 

Tester Shots #2

We also completed some test shots for the opening of our trailer where the child gets taken. We wanted a point of view shot of her drawing and then looking towards the door as she hears someone come in. Then by the time she comes back round there is someone standing in front of her. 

We marked out the action as a group so that we didn't need to organise further filming with our child actress. In our storyboard we planned for Esther to be playing will dolls, however we didn't have them when testing. This has not affected our ability to assess whether the shot works as it is not the most important part, the camera work is. 

We used a go-pro to film this as the fish eye effect reflects her innocence, and is a signifier that it is from her point of view. This was very affective, and will also add interest and variety to the trailer. 

This shot will open the trailer as it is not completely clear and doesn't give to much away, as to who she is for example. Following this shot a bag will be put over the camera and you will hear her struggle which will add tension for the audience. 

We are going to use this as the opening to our film as we think it serves it's purpose as being shocking.