Costume Research

Costume research from christophmacdowall1

Location Test Footage

Actor Research - Influential Actors

Bar Location Research



The bar I have chosen to film the conversation scene early on in the film in is called Zero Degrees and is located in Blackheath village - not far from where I live, making it practical enough to get to and from. However, actually filming there could potentially be problematic so recently I went over to scout out the location and take some pictures of it. My three main problems with it were a) the lighting of the location, b) how busy it would be and c) the availability of it.

I went to the location on a sunday afternoon and the pictures that I took of it demonstrate how it was virtually empty at the time - evidently, filming at this time will be the best call. Furthermore, the pictures demonstrate how it is reasonably well-lit. Of course, it will not be overly bright but that is fine for the atmosphere I want to get across, as the scene is supposed to take place at night and have a moderately mysterious atmosphere to it.

I like the feel of this location as it is not what one would expect from a low-budget British thriller - films made by directors such as Guy Ritchie are often set in more traditional pubs in the east end, while this is a modern and slick location but impossible to associate with any particular part of London; also benefitial to the atmosphere I want to create, as I am trying to get across the idea that the character of Frank does not have a particularly noticable identity.

The fact that the bar is also a microbrewery means that the mise en scene will remain interesting and appealing to the eye, compensating for the fact that when I film the scene I am hoping for the bar to be virtually empty.

The first of the four pictures shows where I would place my two characters within the bar - they will be seated on sofas, which there are not that many of, in order to get across the idea that Frank is distant from other people he comes into contact with but also a regular at this particular bar, showing how his life is based on routine.

Audience Research Prezi

Copy of Audience Research on Prezi

Planning Schedule

1. Upload location research and VO - Friday 5th.
2. Stills and notes on locations - Monday 8th. 
3. Influential actors and aesthetics - Tuesday 9th.
4. Costume - Thursday 11th.
5. Actual actors, weigh up different potential choices - Thursday 11th.
6. Narrative - Monday 15th.
7. Shot list - Tuesday 16th.

Trailer Analysis - Graphics

Children of Men

This trailer makes good use of graphics to tell the story - it uses graphic texts to tell the story throughout the trailer, though manages to not overuse them. If I were to mainly use graphics as a means of telling the story, I would, like this trailer, limit myself to two graphic titles per act, and make sure they have a memorable and meaningful pattern with not too much text within them.

Marathon Man

This is a very different trailer to Children of Men, and is of course rather dated given that it is from 1976. I looked at this to show how older trailers have some similar conventions to modern trailers: while graphic text used to tell the story is often centered, acting credits are often put to the side of the frame to demonstrate the actor it is drawing attention to.

Drive

This trailer, like the trailer for Marathon Man, uses graphics mainly to demonstrate the actors involved, and also like the trailer above it puts the text to a side and artfully placed to be at a different side of the frame to the actor. It is clear that having acting credits at a side of the frame, and towards the end of a trailer, is a universal convention of trailers though these two trailers I have chosen to demonstrate this more individually choose to put the actual film title itself to the side of the frame.

Shame

One specific thing I noted about the graphics for this trailer is that when it announces the cast members, their surnames are in bold - this is a subtle yet in my opinion distinctive stylistic choice, as it gives a sense of importance to the actors involved and gives the trailer a highly professional edge. This technique is also used in the poster for the film American Beauty.