Planning Schedule

Sound - address foley sound, comment on plans for how to take sound. Write up on our sound test. Comment on plans for diegetic sound.
Graphics - research for actual film title e.g. font, motion, positioning, stylistics. Does it carry any sound with it? Planning for graphics.
Research for ident and planning for ident.

Graphics Research and Planning

These four titles are examples of graphic titles in films that I particularly liked. The graphics for Shame (far left) and The Social Network (left) are both examples of understated fonts, the kind that I feel would fit in with the minimalistic atmosphere of my film. The colour of th etitles is white and possess no overstated animations and transitions. The main striking point of both of these graphics is that the creators have chosen to emphasise certain words via italics or bold font - this is a subtle yet highly effective approach to making titles, as it stresses the importance of what they show which in turn gives them a professional look. I strongly believe that I will transfer this technique into my trailer on whatever I decide will be the marketing point of the film - possibly my own name as a director. The other two titles are from Reservoir Dogs and Drive, two more alternative films that have enjoyed much popularity in certain circles and are cited as unique and distinctive. The graphics they use only add to this - both titles are done in a noticable colour, from mustard yellow to pink, and have a flashy font. Though this is not the kind of atmosphere I am hoping to create, one thing that interests me about both is that they are both shown over a shot from the film. In both cases, the shots have an iconic feel though are relatively basic, only really showing the characters from the film. If I were to have my graphics run over a shot from my film - which is not unlikely, as I want my trailer to have a sense of momentum and to not consistently cut to black - I would take this into account.

The image on the far left is an examle of the Cannes award for best director in its standard format, and it is easy to see why having something like this alone would fit into the atmosphere of my trailer as the font and style is similar. Furthermore, I would have no objection to this playing over black as it would still be a selling point for the film, meaning the audience would not be disengaged by a cut to black. However, the film festival graphics for Shame (middle) felt particularly compelling to me. Having my film festival graphics run over an important or impressive shot from the film would help the audience know what kind of style to expect from the film and would suggest to them that it is of a high quality, more so than a simple and more ambiguous film festival graphic over black. The graphics on the right are for the film Moon, and are an example of film festival graphics which have been modified to further fit the atmosphere of the film, doing what Shame does to an even greater extent. The furthest extent to which I would modify the look of the film festival logos is to remove the image of the wreath to give it the sparse look of my film as a whole which, though not a particularly big change, may be subtly effective.

Soundtrack Research and Planning

These are the two pre-existing soundtrack songs which I picture would fit best with the first act of my trailer. They are both done in a reasonably classical style, choosing piano as the main instrument, though the song from 'The Social Network' in particular has a modern sound to it due to the fact that it has a highly understated quality and mixes a classical piano sound with a minimalist electronic background layer of sound. This style I feel would work well in the opening of my trailer as it has a distinctly modern atmosphere due to the locations and costumes, but I also want it to have a universal and timeless feel, which peaceful piano music will add to.

The music that will play during the second act I feel will be similar to something like the beginning of the song 'On The Beach' from the soundtrack to the film Drive. It has no melody and is accompanied by percussive sounds that also have an electronic feel, making them fitting with the atmosphere of my film.  This kind of music should achieve a dangerous atmosphere - unlike the two tracks in the opening, it will also have less of a broad, expansive sound and instead it will back up and help carry the narrative which is what the second act of the trailer is about.

As for the third track, I also picture part of the song 'On The Beach' from Drive, except a segment of it that comes later in the track, at 4:50. This is a version of a recurring theme throughout the film - it is legato yet without a real melody, peaceful but also ramped up in intensity when compared to the other versions of the same theme. In the more desperate, intense context of my third act I picture music similar to this segment of the track to provide both a counterpoint to the frantic nature of the third act but also subtly add some intensity and drama to it.

The opening to 'On The Beach', which I think will work in my second act, is also used in the middle of the trailer for the film Drive, at the 0:50 mark.

Planning Schedule 2

Actors and characters - Friday 9th

Storyboard drawings finished - Tuesday 13th

Editing storyboard - Monday 19th

Still to do

Recce of bar sound and light

Research into studio/distribution

Design and create ident

Other graphic planning for main title, font for critics etc.

Sound