How will I improve?
After the audience testing and my own new ideas and discoveries, I am going to make a few small changes to the trailer which I feel will be beneficial in making it an overall stronger product. The most significant change I will make is changing how the title looks in the trailer. After the comment in the audience testing session that my title should be improved, I thought about it and came to the conclusion that my title should definitely be changed in order to make it more effective and distinctive. I will either add a blood effect / pig effects to the title to make it look more frightening (as discussed in audience testing), or I will experiment with different fonts and colours within the title to make it look more interesting. I will make sure that the finished title is, overall, more distinctive and memorable, which will not only help my trailer but also my poster and magazine cover.
Another change I will make is the change concerning the participant's observation of a slightly repetitive end to the trailer. As a result of this comment, I am going to change the very last shot, to avoid it being used twice. This will make for a more exciting final shot in my opinion, as well as obviously making the trailer less repetitive.
Concerning sound, I will try and make all the dialogue as loud as it can be, to ensure that it is consistent and that audience members can hear what the characters are saying without difficulty.
Monday, 6 February 2017
Audience testing
Summarising audience feedback
To gain feedback on the rough edit of my film, I conducted an audience feedback session with a fellow pupil to gain valuable information on how they perceived the media. This individual had never seen the trailer before, and so he is answering the questions with a fresh view on what the trailer contains. I asked him how he thought the editing could be improved, how the sound could be improved, and how the title could be improved. I also asked him what he liked about the trailer, in the hopes of formulating an overall opinion of how my trailer plays out.
The participant said that he liked certain shots and effects, such as the opacity effect that is used in a few of the shots. He liked the section where one of the opacity shot's dissolves into another shot of the villain closer to the camera, saying that he found this effective. He also said that the trailer interested him and that he found it convincing, stating that he would go and see this film.
Improvement wise, he said that there were a couple of shots where the dialogue is not as loud as it could be (I was already aware of this slight problem). He also said that he felt at the end the shots were a bit repetitive, and that too much was given away concerning the film's plot.
For the title, he said that more of the pig theme/horror theme could be exploited. For example, I could include a blood effect, or have pictures of pig ears or a pig snout within the title, presumably to make subject-content clearer.
Overall, his comments were positive, and he offered constructive criticism which I feel will help me in my editing process.
Sunday, 5 February 2017
Post Production: Sound
Music choices
The tracks that I went for are "Darkness," and "Harbinger of Doom." The first track, "Darkness," was an appropriate choice because, even though it sounds uncanny, it is also strangely pleasant sounding and could definitely be viewed as being a comedy-horror track rather than just a horror track. This track contrasts strongly with the next one, "Harbinger of Doom," which is purely horror based. This is appropriate, as when the track "Darkness," finishes the trailer is supposed to be predominantly horror based, rather than the mix of horror and comedy that could be seen before. Overall, I think the music choices were good ones, as I feel they really help to convey the genres which they should be portraying.
I got the songs from "Purple Planet Royalty Free Music," which offers royalty free tracks of high quality. Both of the tracks I selected could be found within the "horror" section on the website.
Sound effect choices
The sound effects that I have include a pig noise, a suspicious sounding laugh, a bird cooing, and a spooky drone sound when the antagonist's foot stomps down in front of the camera. I selected these sound effects because they all help to build atmosphere, and are all relevant to the overall narrative as well. For example, the sound of the bird cooing not only builds atmosphere and helps to identify mies-en-scene (an outdoor environment in the countryside), but is is also sinister and suggests that the villain will soon be seen. I also feel that the the pig sound effects that I used are effective, as they act as the villain's sound motif, and as such would be easily identified as belonging to the villain if it were a real film. This is a positive thing, as I feel the sound effect is creepy and clearly resembles that of a human making a pig noise.
Difficulties that I have faced
I have faced a number of difficulties with the sound. Perhaps the most significant difficulty I have faced is trouble with the dialogue corresponding correctly with the music. There were a couple of instances when I put the clips onto Premier Pro and, arbitrarily, the dialogue in the clips could not be heard properly. For this reason, I had to do some voice-overs of the same lines so that the dialogue could be heard again. The lines "Damn it, we're out of reception," and "If he attacks us, run into the woods because we can climb up a tree to hide," were dubbed respectively of the clip. In my opinion the finished result is subtle, however I initially worried that you would be able to tell that it was dubbed. This method was obviously more time consuming as well, as it took numerous attempts for me to deliver the line in the right tone.
A second difficulty that I faced was getting appropriate music for the trailer. I had to be careful with my music selections because the first section of the trailer is supposed to be heavily comedy-horror, instead of purely horror. For this reason, I had to find music which reflected this idea and had both comedy and horror elements within it. For the rest of the trailer, I had to find scary music which not only identified the genre as horror but that also fitted with the action on screen and would be suitable/ fitting for the montage editing. In the end however, as previously mentioned, I felt that my final choices for the music were successful, and clearly reflected the genres that they should be reflecting.
The tracks that I went for are "Darkness," and "Harbinger of Doom." The first track, "Darkness," was an appropriate choice because, even though it sounds uncanny, it is also strangely pleasant sounding and could definitely be viewed as being a comedy-horror track rather than just a horror track. This track contrasts strongly with the next one, "Harbinger of Doom," which is purely horror based. This is appropriate, as when the track "Darkness," finishes the trailer is supposed to be predominantly horror based, rather than the mix of horror and comedy that could be seen before. Overall, I think the music choices were good ones, as I feel they really help to convey the genres which they should be portraying.
I got the songs from "Purple Planet Royalty Free Music," which offers royalty free tracks of high quality. Both of the tracks I selected could be found within the "horror" section on the website.
Sound effect choices
The sound effects that I have include a pig noise, a suspicious sounding laugh, a bird cooing, and a spooky drone sound when the antagonist's foot stomps down in front of the camera. I selected these sound effects because they all help to build atmosphere, and are all relevant to the overall narrative as well. For example, the sound of the bird cooing not only builds atmosphere and helps to identify mies-en-scene (an outdoor environment in the countryside), but is is also sinister and suggests that the villain will soon be seen. I also feel that the the pig sound effects that I used are effective, as they act as the villain's sound motif, and as such would be easily identified as belonging to the villain if it were a real film. This is a positive thing, as I feel the sound effect is creepy and clearly resembles that of a human making a pig noise.
Difficulties that I have faced
I have faced a number of difficulties with the sound. Perhaps the most significant difficulty I have faced is trouble with the dialogue corresponding correctly with the music. There were a couple of instances when I put the clips onto Premier Pro and, arbitrarily, the dialogue in the clips could not be heard properly. For this reason, I had to do some voice-overs of the same lines so that the dialogue could be heard again. The lines "Damn it, we're out of reception," and "If he attacks us, run into the woods because we can climb up a tree to hide," were dubbed respectively of the clip. In my opinion the finished result is subtle, however I initially worried that you would be able to tell that it was dubbed. This method was obviously more time consuming as well, as it took numerous attempts for me to deliver the line in the right tone.
A second difficulty that I faced was getting appropriate music for the trailer. I had to be careful with my music selections because the first section of the trailer is supposed to be heavily comedy-horror, instead of purely horror. For this reason, I had to find music which reflected this idea and had both comedy and horror elements within it. For the rest of the trailer, I had to find scary music which not only identified the genre as horror but that also fitted with the action on screen and would be suitable/ fitting for the montage editing. In the end however, as previously mentioned, I felt that my final choices for the music were successful, and clearly reflected the genres that they should be reflecting.
Post Production: Editing
Software
The editing software that I have used in order to edit my trailer is Premier Pro. I used this software last year, however this year I feel I have a better understanding of how to use and navigate the software, and as such I think I am able to make better use out of it.
I have used a number of techniques that can be found on the platform including the additive dissolve, the black and white feature, the opacity feature, the cross dissolve and the video reverse. These have all helped in ultimately making the trailer effective.
Difficulties I have faced
During the editing process, I have faced a number of difficulties. Firstly, I have struggled with my shot selection. Some of the shots, due to location, were blurry and as a result could not be used in their raw state within the trailer.
In this particular shot, due to the rather shaded location, there was not much visibility and thus the quality was bad. I tackled this however by making the shot black and white and by adding the opacity effect to the shot, which not only makes the fuzziness less noticeable (as the opacity distracts from the quality), but also makes the shot look better and more frightening / disorientating. I feel this was an effective piece of editing, as I took a shot that was not particularly strong and transformed it into, in my opinion, an effective and very suitable shot which helps to build suspense.
A second difficulty that I faced was deciding which order to place the shots in. This was particularly prominent within the montage editing section of the trailer. It took me quite a while to get the order of the shots right, so it synced with the music and looked smooth and fitting. I had to replace one shot (a shot of one of the victims fighting the villain with a stick) with a shot of running feet, as I felt the latter to be more dramatic and also fitting.
Original shot: Replacement shot:
A third difficulty I have faced is the title itself. I have struggled with choosing a font for the title, as well as a correct colour scheme for it. At present, I am still unsure what my finished title will look like, and I am still investigating possible fonts to use. Below outline some of the fonts I have considered, the bottom one being the font I used in the rough cut.
(Trattatello - final font)
The editing software that I have used in order to edit my trailer is Premier Pro. I used this software last year, however this year I feel I have a better understanding of how to use and navigate the software, and as such I think I am able to make better use out of it.
I have used a number of techniques that can be found on the platform including the additive dissolve, the black and white feature, the opacity feature, the cross dissolve and the video reverse. These have all helped in ultimately making the trailer effective.
Difficulties I have faced
During the editing process, I have faced a number of difficulties. Firstly, I have struggled with my shot selection. Some of the shots, due to location, were blurry and as a result could not be used in their raw state within the trailer.
In this particular shot, due to the rather shaded location, there was not much visibility and thus the quality was bad. I tackled this however by making the shot black and white and by adding the opacity effect to the shot, which not only makes the fuzziness less noticeable (as the opacity distracts from the quality), but also makes the shot look better and more frightening / disorientating. I feel this was an effective piece of editing, as I took a shot that was not particularly strong and transformed it into, in my opinion, an effective and very suitable shot which helps to build suspense.
A second difficulty that I faced was deciding which order to place the shots in. This was particularly prominent within the montage editing section of the trailer. It took me quite a while to get the order of the shots right, so it synced with the music and looked smooth and fitting. I had to replace one shot (a shot of one of the victims fighting the villain with a stick) with a shot of running feet, as I felt the latter to be more dramatic and also fitting.
Original shot: Replacement shot:
A third difficulty I have faced is the title itself. I have struggled with choosing a font for the title, as well as a correct colour scheme for it. At present, I am still unsure what my finished title will look like, and I am still investigating possible fonts to use. Below outline some of the fonts I have considered, the bottom one being the font I used in the rough cut.
(Trattatello - final font)
Monday, 12 December 2016
Confirming dates
Confirming dates
To confirm what date we would film the trailer on, I emailed/texted the actors to make sure that they were available for that day, and to clarify what hours they could do so that it corresponded with my call sheet. I think messaging the actors over the Internet/via text message is not only a good way to exploit digital technology and to make good use of media items as a source of planning, but it also makes it easier to remember precisely when and where the actors should be on the day and acts as evidence that I have clearly gone through with my actors when and where they should be at the time of filming. As evidence, I took a screenshot of a message I sent to one of my actors, which can be seen below.
To confirm what date we would film the trailer on, I emailed/texted the actors to make sure that they were available for that day, and to clarify what hours they could do so that it corresponded with my call sheet. I think messaging the actors over the Internet/via text message is not only a good way to exploit digital technology and to make good use of media items as a source of planning, but it also makes it easier to remember precisely when and where the actors should be on the day and acts as evidence that I have clearly gone through with my actors when and where they should be at the time of filming. As evidence, I took a screenshot of a message I sent to one of my actors, which can be seen below.
Wednesday, 7 December 2016
Shooting Schedule
Shooting schedule
The below outlines the shots that I will be using in the final media piece. I will aim to stick to this shooting schedule as best I can, so that the final trailer is consistent with the storyboards and the locations that I have looked at.
Shot's corresponding with locations
SHOT 1 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 2 - LOCATION 2
SHOT 3 - LOCATION 2
SHOT 4 - LOCATION 2
SHOT 5 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 6 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 7 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 8 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 9 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 10 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 11 - LOCATION 4
SHOT 12 - LOCATION 4
SHOT 13 - LOCATION 1
SHOT 14 - LOCATION 5
SHOT 15 - LOCATION 4
SHOT 16 - LOCATION 4
SHOT 17 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 18 - LOCATION 5
The below outlines the shots that I will be using in the final media piece. I will aim to stick to this shooting schedule as best I can, so that the final trailer is consistent with the storyboards and the locations that I have looked at.
Shot's corresponding with locations
SHOT 1 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 2 - LOCATION 2
SHOT 3 - LOCATION 2
SHOT 4 - LOCATION 2
SHOT 5 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 6 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 7 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 8 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 9 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 10 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 11 - LOCATION 4
SHOT 12 - LOCATION 4
SHOT 13 - LOCATION 1
SHOT 14 - LOCATION 5
SHOT 15 - LOCATION 4
SHOT 16 - LOCATION 4
SHOT 17 - LOCATION 3
SHOT 18 - LOCATION 5
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