Research into radio trailers

What is a radio trailer?

A radio trailer is an audio advertisement and its purpose is to promote and sell. Typically, a radio trailer for a film includes dialogue from the film, a narrative, music from the film and sound effects from the film, ultimately giving the audience an incite to the film and delivering it on a more personal level.

Eric Chase sets a good example of what  great radio trailers should sound like. He helps to create a gripping, intense and attention grabbing radio trailer which makes you want to drop what you're doing and go and watch the films he is advertising. Eric Chase Creative Services produces award-winning, results-oriented, high-impact audio and audio-for-video. Theme Parks, Major Retailers, Satellite Networks, Top Casinos, Nightclubs and Media Outlets are reaping the rewards of ECCS produced spots.

Click here to go to the Eric Chase services website and listen to some of his trailers

Preparation and planning for our radio trailer

After researching into radio trailers and looking at examples from Eric Chase's website, I decided what I would like our film trailer to sound like and it has given me a good idea to what a good radio trailer should be like. When selecting an actor/actress to narrate the film for the trailer, we need to ensure that they have a powerful voice in which they can confidently project to the audience. The actor/actress must also get a feel for the film, and feel that they can emotionally connect with it. This will then reflect itself when listening back to the trailer. With the proper ability to tell a story the audience will fully engrossed in the feature and the intended job of the production will be a success. We already have a actor in mind and this is Danny Milne who also stars as Tom in our film as we feel he can meet the suitable criteria and ultimately help produce a perfect, gripping radio trailer.

Other things we need to take into consideration when producing our radio trailer is we need to include snippets of dialogue from our film. This means that we'll need the dialogue of the main characters e.g.; Lola, Hannah, Tom... Also, we will need to include key sound effects to help build up an atmosphere so these will include sounds such as the oxygen mask, car breaks, screams, sirens... All of which will give the audience an incite to what the film is about without giving too much away.

How to make a video look more like a film

How to make a video look more like a film

Poster analysis

Purpose:
The poster for the film The lovely Bones straightaway shows who the main character is by putting her in the centre of the poster faded, and possibly on the bottom middle as well. Suggesting that the film is focused mainly on her.
Audience:
The audience for this film is PG/13. I believe the poster represents the age certificate by using a young character to focus on, and the colours and effects used, such as fade out and the smooth colours show an innocent non violent theme.
Colour:
The colours that stand out the most are blue and yellow, I think these colours link in with the storyline, yellow can be represented as the heaven and the blue can be inbetween where she currently is. The fact that she is inbetween both of these colours can again represent the concept of the story that she is stuck inbetween.
key image:
The key image that stands out on the poster is the main characters face in the centre of the poster. I believe the faded effect gives her a ghostly effect and this can link in with the storyline as in the film she is not alive but not dead, so the faded effect portrays this look. Her face expression shows that she is desperate, which can make the audience think why?
Realism:
The poster does look realistic in a strange way. The poster overall does look very ghostly which the theme isnt relaistic but the storyline can be and i think from the way this theme has been linked in with everything else on the poster it does give a realistic effect. Such as the main characters face, it looks like she is looking directly as you therefore makes you think why does she look so desperate and sad.
Text:
The text effects on the poster are very simplistic. The colours used are white and pastel yellow. I think these colours does make the text stand out from the dark black background on the lower section of the poster. The size of the texts aren't all proportionate, the title does stand out and thats the most important text anyway.

Usability:
I really like this poster. There is a great comparison between both our storylines, however I would like to think ours is more realistic and less edited so therefore the layout would not be suitable for our film. I do like the blurred effect on the key image and I think it does look really impressive. I don't like that its giving too much away however, I think it would be a lot mysterious if it was abit more simplistic.

Purpose: 
The purpose of this film poster is to make the audience feel sympathetic towards the young girl. It also introduces one of the main actors to the audience aswell.

Audience:
The audience for the film Les Miserables is PG/13. There is no violence or blood portrayed on this poster so therefore portraying the age restriction. 
Colour:
There are mainly dark colours used on this film poster, I think this reflects the time period of the film but also give abit of a hint of the storyline, as the young girl is being hidden from the darkness. The only brightness is portrayed through the young girl whose face is in the centre of the poster. This does give her an angelic, innocent look and i think the audience would sympathise with her as she does look scruffy and dirty. Her bright blue eyes again adds colour to the poster and does make the audience feel for her. 
Key Image:
The key image on this poster is the young girls face in the centre of the poster, she stands out from the background. I think this key image is used to represent to reflect the plot of the film as the film revolves around this young girl.
Background:
The background is dark and doesn't add much to the poster, but it does help to make the key image stand out.
Realism:
The poster does have a realistic effect. Its very simply with a plain background and a single main image of one of the main characters in the center so therefore makes the poster seem realistic.
Text:
The colours used on the text are gold, which does give the poster a theatrical effect which it is. The size of the fonts aren't too big but the title is and its font is also different from the rest adding a bit of a theme to the poster.
Usability:

I like the layout of this film poster, it makes the audience feel something when they look at it and that's what I think we should have on our film poster. I want the audience to feel sympathy for the main character without them knowing the storyline. However I do think abit more colour should be used to give the poster a more powerful effect.

Purpose:
The purpose of this poster is to let the public know which director has made this film, but no other information is revealed.
Audience:
The age certificate for this film must be 15/18, as the colours and the blood shown suggests there may be abit of gruesome scenes or maybe violence.

Colour:
The colours used are very simple, white, black and a bit of red. These colours does make the film seem sinister and odd. I think that is also another purpose of this film poster. The contrast between white and black can be the angel and the devil, as the images on each side of the poster also gives that idea away.
key image:
The key image in this poster are the hands that are in symmetrical to one another, one seems to be obeying while the other one seems to be controlling in the darkness. I like the simplicity of the key images as it makes the audience think the meanings behind it even more.
background:
Realism:
The poster does not look realistic as the images and the colours used makes it complicated for the audience to understand what the storyline for this film may be.
Text:
The text used is very simple with the rest of the other bits on the poster, I think this helps for everything to blend in. The colours used on the text are white and black, again blends in with the rest of the poster. The size of the title is really large and does stand out along with the key images, this does help the audience to remember the name of the film as it is very large.
layout:
The layout of the poster is very structured and simple, the two colours used cover half the page each and the symmetrical key images used of the hands again gives abit of a hint of the age certificate and the storyline. The text above the key images that publicated the film director does also stand out along with the films title below the key images. Everything overall does seem catchy as it is very simple.
Usability:
I really like this poster, I think its got its own twist with a mystery, and it makes you want to watch out for the trailer and do abit of research. I like how the title is really big and yet it evens out the poster, it makes the audience also remember the name of the film so therefore is doing its advertisement part successfully well.

Purpose:
The purpose of this film poster is to advertise the film but also to show who the main chacacter in the film will be.
Audience:
The audience for this film I probably a 15 as it seems like a psychological film with abit of violence. This is represented through the key image which is the main character who looks physically and mentally drained out. She does look like she's been abused as a bruise is visible on her cheekbone.
Colour:
The colours used are very simple in a natural way. The black background allows the key image to stand out which is the main character.
key image:
The key image is of a woman which is possible the main character in the film. She looks really tired and emotional, the title of the film does sound sinister and can give the audience abit of a hint as in to why the main character looks drained out and abused. The main character being a girl who looks damaged does portray the typical stereotype that women can be hysterical and weak when it comes to supernatural. The woman is not facing towards the audience suggesting that she is too afraid or distracted by whatever she is looking at, again making the audience think about the possibilities. 
Background:
The background of the poster is black/black and blurs around the main image which allows it to stand out and be in focus. The background does look dirty with the misty blurry colours being blended in together.
Text:
The title and the rest of the text on the poster have a normal size and isn't too large. The colours of the text are gold/white with a blurred effect which has been used to drag the title name out so it looks more mysterious and ghostly effect, suiting its genre.
Usability:
I really like the sinister look of the key images position, I think by her facing a different direction it has created a more mysterious effect. What I think I would use on this poster on our poster is the same colour effect on our main character, I really think the dirty bruised looks really powerful and I think the fact that our main character has had a car crash so therefore she will also be bruised will look good on the poster.


Purpose:
The purpose of this film poster is to let the audience know its a PG/13 film. It portrays a family portrait of a mother and possibly her two daughters. I think that it is also trying to advertise the film actors aswell like Cameron Diaz who is on the Hollywood A list for her acting career, and so is Abigail Breslin who has just recently started building her portfolio up in the film industry. I think that by using the two main known actors in the center of the poster is trying to build up an audience.
Audience:
The audience for this film is PG/13, this is because there seems to be no violence on the poster, instead a family is being portrayed suggesting its an all aged film. The films name 'My Sisters Keeper' also suggests that it is a family based film.
Colour:
The colours used are very calm and heavenly in a way. The bubbles along with the greeny/blue background effect makes the poster look like a very beautiful peaceful art.
key image:
The key image on this poster is the main actors in the center of the poster, which is Cameron Diaz and Abigale. These two actors are really well known in the film industry so therefore the key image of these two acotrs sell the film to the actors fans and those who also who know about them.
Background:
The background is very calm and peaceful, the bubbles and the the blue background colour gives the poster a very heavenly look. Which may be linked in with the storyline.
Realism:
The poster does look realistic as the effects used suits the films age certificate. The colours are blended in and doesn't stand out. The key actors used in the centre of the page seem to look like they have a strong relationship, the young girl on the bottom seems to be very pale compared to the other two characters suggesting she may be sick again making the film sound realistic.
Text:
The texts used are very simple and the colour of it is also white which again makes the poster seem very casual and realistic. This effect does suit the age certificate as the title isn't over exaggerated.
Usability:
I really like the realism on this poster. The storyline is quite similar to ours however ours is a little bit more supernatural. I really like the warmth and the natural chemistry the characters portray on the poster. I think the relationship  between Lola and Hannah can also be reflected in the similar way.



Purpose:
The purpose of this poster is to show who the main actor is and also the content of the time of the film.
Audience:
The audience for this film would be a 15. The violence and the gruesome scenes would make it difficult for anyone below that age to watch. 
Colour:
The colours used are very natural which does make it realistic. The shirt that the man is wearing does look scruffy which suggests he may be the main character who was a slave for 12 years and therefore the film revolves around him.
key image:
The key image on this poster is the guy who seems to be running. This key image may represent him trying to run away from slavery.
Realism:
The poster does look realistic as there arent alot of images just one key image of a man running. The title and the history of the title is real so therefore makes the film sound interesting and does make the audience feel sympathy towards the key actor on the centre. 
Text:
The text is also very simple with a touch of gold on the number 12 which does make it stand out from rest of the white text.But the text overall is simple making it balance with the layout of the poster as its not overpowering the key image used. But the underline on the title does make a point and makes the audience remember the name.
Usability:
I really like this poster. I think in a way the main character does have a connection with Lola. I think it would look great if Lola was also running but in her hospital gown with bruises on her. This effect would make the audience feel sympathy towards her but also it would make the audience think what is she running away from.

Analysis of a film poster

The Butterfly effect 

The most important part of a film poster is it needs to stand out and grab the audiences attention and encourage them to take a closer look at the poster and show interest in the film. By using the films characters or major plot line designers can establish some level of plot while gaining the attention of any person  that views the poster. This is what makes this particular film poster stand out. Both main characters are visible in the poster and the close ups of their faces adds tension and creates a intense and powerful atmosphere. The blue filter makes the film seem quite eerie and cold, giving the audience the impression that there is something to be revealed in the film which is possibly quite unpleasant. The red eye effect used on Ashton Kutcher also foreshadows the plot of the film as he can travel back in time and has visions. This is particularly effective as the red and blue contrast well together and ultimately make the poster stand out, which shows us that the imagery used does not need to be provocative or flashy to attract the audiences attention. 

The most effective movie posters are iconic, presenting the themes in the world without resorting to saying flat out what it is. The iconography in this poster which really stands out is the red eye effect as it simply establishes the films plot. The close up of Ashton is also iconic in the way that the audience automatically have a idea that he is the main character in the film. This effect this has is it allows the film to be marketed to casual observers and drama fans all at once, all through imagery. 
The protagonist in the poster is looking directly into the camera which could make the audience feel more involved and feel like the main character is directly addressing them. This is a particularly effective selling point in the film as it is a more personal way of advertising and selling the film to the target audience. 

The female protagonists face is looking away from both us and from Ashton and we, as the audience, feel we are viewing her from the same character perspective of Ashton, ultimately giving us an incite on Ashton's character perspective. If I was to determine a target audience for this film basing my opinion on only the film poster, I would think that it is aimed at 12+, my reasons for this are; the main characters looks quite young which implies that it's aimed at a similar type of audience and from the poster, I assume the film is a drama genre and most drama genres have target audiences of 12/15. The film poster itself has a basic layout which means that it's easier to analyse as there isn't too much going on. I think what is particularly effective is the way the text has been used as a border as it looks quite unusual and unique. I think the simplicity and subtleness of this film poster makes is stand out and gives it a unique selling point which I think is why it was as successful as it was in the blockbuster office.

Photo Storyboard - Title sequence

Photo storyboard - Title sequence

1) Pan up of the drip.



2) Close up shot of blood in the bowl.

3) Mid dolly shot of a nurse pushing a trolley.

4) A tilt up shot of feet in the hospital bed.

5) An establishing shot of feet walking out of the camera with a walking frame.




















6) A medium shot from the waist downwards of a nurse walking through the door.

7) Same shot as before, however the nurse walks straight into the camera.

 

Makeup tutorial

Makeup tutorial

Tricky Shots

Tricky Shots

This is a video showing us attempting the tricky shots that may be included in our film. 

Short Journey

Short Journey

This is our short journey which has been cut down to show elliptical editing. 

Long Journey

Long Journey

This is our long journey which hasn't been elliptically edited. 

Final Logo

Final Logo

I completed the final logo on Photoshop Express. These logos are the final products that are fully completed, all 6 of these logo's below are similar but some have a different font size, pattern width, shape and measurement. There will be two main logos that will be used to represent our company. The first one will be of the lantern image and the name, and then the second logo will be just plainly the name. We thought having these two logos will be very professional, as the name itself should just be a logo anyway so we have a variety to choose from depending on what we will be publishing and who to. These will be used to represent our company (group) and the work we distribute.

Producing final logo

Logo of our production

After we decided on the logo design that was suitable for our production, I then scanned the image on to the computer so i can begin to edit it and make it as professional as possible. 

The structure of the logo was not simple and quite complicated therefore i struggled with defining the outline patterns. I used photoshop to edit our logo as all the editing tools needed was on the software itself.

Before I started editing the logo I played around with the tools and effects on Photoshop to get some idea on how to use it, once i became more comfortable with the software i began to edit the logo with some advice and help from my group members I completed the logo successfully.

From my previous researching in to film production logos, i saw the trends in the colour of the logos, and i realised that black and white production logos were mainly used for the most successful companies, i then analysed that the reasons why such big companies decided to use such simple colours to represent themselves. And i found out that the colours white and black is like an illusion, it makes a human remember the image 4X more then they would if the image was multi-coloured. So it was easier to make the public familiar with the company, even if they didn't know what they were about. So with our logo design, i though we could do the same with the colour representations, black and white would not just make our logo look professional but also easy to blend in on posters, DVD's and everything to do with us. 

Alot of though went into the shapes on the logo, I wanted our logo to have a link with the name itself, so using a lantern would be  the obvious image to use on the logo. Once i found some examples of Lanterns i started to draw some simple and unique ones to see which size would look the best. From looking at different Lantern images i got inspired by various of them and decided to use different designs from each one into a single Lantern. Once i completed the lantern design, i then had to find a way to fill in the spaces around it, so i began to look through patterns and designs that i could get inspired by, i came across some henna patterns on Instagram and thought it would look really well to have in around the logo, i started to sketch a the design around the logo and started to think of different ways that i could attach the pattern on to the lantern, one of my group members though it would look nice if it was holding the lantern, so i sketched a new pattern that would look elegant on the left side of the lantern then attached it to the top so it looked like it was holding it.

The fonts and editing for the production name was left till the end, as i wanted the editing to fit into the rest of the design of the logo. When i looked at the lantern and the pattern design, i looked around the logo and thought where the production name would fit in, and once i spoke to my group members about it, we all agreed that it would look better on the bottom of the Lantern as it would look alot more catchy as a whole. The editing of the production name was simple, I thought because of the classical look about the whole thing, i thought the font of the name can also be classy and flicky but bold and large at the same time so it could stand out and fit the design of the logo at the same time.

List Of 'Tricky' Shots/Edits/Effects and Research Into Filming/Editing Techniques

A focus pull is a camera technique which allows you to change focus during a shot. This usually involves adjusting the focus from one subject to another. This shot is used in order to direct the viewers attention to where you want them to look. 

This shot is used when Lola overhears her mother and father arguing in the kitchen. This shot will be difficult as the focus will transfer from Lola to her parents, and then we must put Lola into focus once again. It will be difficult to ensure we do this correctly as we must ensure that we do this in the sufficient time in order for the shot to be continuous and not take up too much time. 

Another shot which may be difficult in our film is where we have a Graphic Match. This is a cut in film editing between either two different objects, spaces, or compositions in which objects in the two shots graphically match. These shots are useful in relating two otherwise disconnected scenes, or in helping to establish a relationship between two scenes.  By ending one shot with a frame containing the same compositional elements as the beginning frame of the next shot, a connection is drawn between the two shots with a smooth transition. A famous example of a graphic match is shown on the film Psycho. 

We use a graphic match in our film when the flowers from the accident scene are shown and then we are transferred to the flowers in Tom's garden. This will be difficult as we have to match up the flowers in the same position in both frames in order for this shot to be a success. Once this shot is filmed, we have to zoom out so the girls are seen in the frame, which may also add even more difficulty to the shot. 

A pan shot is a camera movement technique that involves moving the camera horizontally to the right or left. With this technique you can track an object or follow any type of movement.

We use a pan shot when the girls walk past an accident scene. It tracks the movement of the girls as they walk down the street, then the camera will stop on the flowers which are located there. This shot can often produce a 'jerky' motion, which is why it will be difficult to produce a smooth pan shot. In order to avoid this problem, we will put the camera on a tripod and avoid filming handheld for this shot at all costs. 

A canted angle is a camera angle which is deliberately slanted to one side, sometimes used for dramatic effect to help portray unease, disorientation, frantic or desperate action, intoxication, madness, etc. 

We use this shot when Hannah is overdosing in order to shock and make the audience feel uneasy. This shot will be difficult at it is very hard to make it look professional, and not like an accidental bad shot while filming. They are also rarely used in film, so it will be hard to imitate good examples of the shot.

We ideally (and very ambitiously) wanted to include a dolly zoom into our film. A dolly zoom is a cinematic technique in which the camera moves closer or further from the subject while simultaneously adjusting the zoom angle to keep the subject the same size in the frame. The effect is that the subject appears stationary while the background size changes. This is used to create an unnatural effect. The effect is quite emotional and is often used to convey sudden realisation, reaction to a dramatic event, etc. A famous example of this shot is used in Jaws. 

We use this shot in our film when Lola walks in and comes to the realisation that she is dead as she sees her dead body. This will be difficult as it will be hard to make this look realistic and to ensure that it is continuos, as we must zoom in whilst moving the camera back. 

Shot list for title sequence

Shot list for title sequence

Story board for title sequence

Story Board - Title Sequence

Shot List for out final film

Analysis of Video Questionnaire

Analysis of Video Questionnaire 

Press to watch the video questionnaire

From our online questionnaire, we decided to print it off and go around and interview our target audience about our film storyline. We interviewed 12 people in total both males and females aged between 12-21 to get a variety of opinions to help us improve our film as much as possible.

We used Sony HD professional camcorder to shoot the interviews, we used this camera because we knew it would give us a high definition video at the end. We printed the questionnaire of and started to look for people that matched our target audience.
Once we set up the camera and the background environment was suitable, we began to film people. We would firstly read the storyline out to each individual and then once they were ready to answer the questions we would press record and start reading each question out. We did this over and over again 12 times for each person. Sometimes the noise would raise from the background so therefore we would have to re-start the question and ask them again once the noise decreased. As we wanted our questionnaire to look at professional as possible.
From the variety of results we got, we then started editing these videos. We had to firstly attach the camcorder to the Mac computers so all the videos would sync onto Final cut express. Once all the videos were successfully on the computer we watched each clip and began to structure them by cutting the videos into smaller sections so we would then easily be able to find the videos for each question. We wanted to structure our questionnaire so that it wasn't just one person answering all the questions at once, but instead a certain amount of people would answer each question and so on. We though this way would look better as it would make it less boring. Once we structured the videos into a single video, we then re-watched it and thought the background for some people didn't look on point angle wise, so we decided to edit it by cropping the size of the video, by doing this our questionnaire looked a lot more realistic and organised.
Once we was sure that the editing for the questionnaire was completed, and we were sure that the editing was perfect we then rendered the video so that we could be able to post it onto youtube. We successfully uploaded the questionnaire on to YouTube and attached the link on to blogger so we knew where to find it.
Once the video was successfully uploaded we copied the link and posted it on blogger, so we will be able to find it without having to search for it.

The results itself in the questionnaire was very similar to the online version,as we got similar answers to most of the questions, which is great as that means that our film is on the right path and people will want to see it once it comes out in cinemas. For the first question on a scale from 1-10 what would you rate the story line? most of the people agreed it was 10 and the majority agreed it was 7 and above, these results were great as we now know people really like the story line and its unique.
For the second question 'What age certificate would you give this film?' all 9 out of 9 people agreed it should be 12/A which is what we originally rated it as anyway, so it was great knowing our target audience agreed with us. The third question which was 'Where do you expect this film to be viewed?' most people gave combined answers, mostly TV & cinemas was said and the rest said they would watch it on DVD or online. Its good that we didn't get similar answers for this question because that means we have variety options on where we could publish our film. Our forth question which was 'What genre do you believe this film is?' we got mostly Drama and supernatural, these answers were correct, which means that our storyline portrays the genre without any difficulty and its on point.
Question 5, 'Would you recommend this film to a friend?', the answers were all yes for all 9 individuals, this is great because if people did recommend our film on to their friends, which willbe our target audience age wise, it will mean our film will become more successful due to the reviews and people wanting to watch it from what they heard from their friends. Question 6, 'Who would you  imagine the main character looking like?' was another question where we got variety of answers, 6 out of 9 people agreed it should be Emma Watson and the rest agreed it should be Dakota Fanning and Susie Salmon, because we got a variety of answers for this question and not a specific one, we will not spend too long making sure that a character fits in with what our target audience agree with, because there are too many options. Our main character does have similarities with Emma Watson which is great, as most people chose her anyway. Question 7 'How likely are you to buy this film on DVD late?', all the responses were very likely and 1/2 said likely. These answers were superb as we now know our target audience would actually buy this film on DVD after watching it in cinemas, these rates will create a bigger impact on our box office which is great. Question 8, 'What is the most important factor in making a film?', we got variety of answers for this question also, 4 people believed that the writing is the most important element in a film, however the rest of the individuals believed that the special effects, cast, directing was the most important, from the results above we know that our audience believes that our writing is really good so far so that's great as they believe that's the most important element to a good film. Question 9 'How many pounds would you pay to buy this film?' was mostly £8 and above which gives us an estimate of how much we should sell ur film once its out in cinemas as we want it to be suitable and affordable for our audiences to go and see it. Question 10 'Is there any improvements you think should bee made to this film?' the responses were all no to 9 out of 9 individuals, as they all believed our film was on the right path and we just need to get filming now.

Our final film-Story Board Draft