This is my filming Schedule for 'Spinning Time.' I plan to film next weekend, and if all goes well I should be able to get it all done! (Maybe I'm being too ambitious... :$)
The two shots on the end are ideas I had to add into the trailer to make it seem more trailer-ish and introduce a world bigger than just Myles' house. After looking at the finished storyboard I was worried that the teaser will be more like an opening sequence than a trailer. These shots although small should place the rest of the footage in better prospective. If I don't use them, then no harm done :e
I had a few people in mind to be my leading lady and play the part of Myles Brown, and doing my Case Studies helped me make up my mind. I decide to go with Funmi Buraimoh.
I thought Funmi would be perfect to play the part of Myles as she is what I imagined Myles to be like; funny, bubbly and always happy. Funmi's personality is bright and bubbly and I'm sure this will translate on screen; this is why I chose her for the part.
Not fitting in with all of the leading ladies in my case studies line up is also what I think makes Funmi perfect for the role. Her presence will act as a unique selling point for the film. I believe she will attract an even bigger audience, as she is just as beautiful if not more so than the other teen stars, and the fact that she doesn't look like all of the other generic actresses out at the moment will act as a bonus and so people from all ethnic backgrounds will turn out to see the film.
I say this because, most recently, people from multiple backgrounds and ethnicities went to see Disney latest animated endeavour,'The Princess and the Frog,' as it would be starring the first Black Disney Princess. It took huge amounts in it's opening weekend 'marking it the highest-grossing start to date for an animated movie in December.'
I think this will be the case with 'Spinning Time' with Funmi as the star. She will be the first Black teen star since Raven Symone, and on par with Keke Palmer, and as such I believe, many from everywhere will turn up to see her in her theatrical debut.
I plan to film most of the teaser indoors, as doing so will make filming easier to schedule for everyone involved with the project. I will be amalgamating rooms from different houses together, to make it look one house with pristine rooms.
Myles' Bedroom
I will be shooting the bedroom scenes in my bedroom, as I think it is a good representation of a teenage girls room. With brightly coloured walls and furniture, and posters and pictures on the wall it reflects the fun, bubbly nature that Myles has.
The one thing that I need to add to the room for the film, will be that fated alarm clock that is in the storyboard. This is an important prop, so I have to find the perfect alarm clock. I have an idea of what I want it to look like, so I'll have to go out and find one before next Saturday, when I hope to film.
Myles' Bathroom
I will be shooting the bathroom scene in my friend Dahlea's bathroom, as it looks like one of the show bathroom's at Bathstore or IKEA! It is huge, and also brightly coloured and so it will make a better setting for the bathroom, than my own.
Myles' Kitchen
I will be filming the kitchen scene in Funmi's house. Her kitchen is huge and looks like a show kitchen, in comparison to mine and Dahlea's.
This was a made for TV original movie premiered on ABC. It's a chick flick aimed at High School/Secondary School students which is capitalised on by having 'High School Musical's Ashley Tisdale as the star. The genre is communicated effectively in the trailer, which I hope to do. The upbeat music suggests it is a comedy or feel good film. The character stereotypes presented in just the first 10 seconds - the hot boy, juxtaposed with the 'geeky girl' being bullied by the 'mean blonde' are all regular occurrences and chick flicks so this is following the recipe. The voice over reveals the whole plot, which is in keeping with chick flick style, the 'geeky' girl will, by the end of the film overcome the bully and somehow end up with the hot guy. completely unrealistic, and thus perfect ingredients for a chick flick.
True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet (2008)
Another made for TV chick flick. It's basically the Hannah Montana Movie on a lower budget. The plot is the same and so is the outcome - it all comes out in the end. Again the genre and target audience are similar to what I intend mine to be and the trailer does a good job of depicting what the movie is about.
Like the two trailers above, I want to clearly show the audience the genre of the film. I don't want to dress it up to be something that it's not because there's nothing more disappointing than being mislead by a trailer and thus disappointed with the film. I want the viewers to know everything they need to know to make an informed decision about whether or not they want to watch the film. However, unlike these trailers I don't want to give away the whole story. In the case of both the trailers, the are hardly teasers as they reveal the whole plot. Kernan acknowledges in her thorough study of American Film trailers that they must achieve two specific aims to be successful trailers: '"withhold the fullness of the cinema event" while achieving a "sense of heightened presence." as to combat the 'repeated accusation that film trailers give away all the funny bits or give away the story. Having watched both movies there is not much more too them than what is presented in their respective trailers. As such I want to keep an element of mystery about the actual happenings of the film whilst still clearly presenting the genre.
Structure
In an attempt to do what I described above the trailer below inspired me.
The Divide (2011)
This teaser for upcoming apocalyptic movie is a lot similar to Inception's, with practically identical score, titles and editing. It gives the concept of the film - Surviving the end of the world with a bunch of strangers - but it doesn't give away the whole film. In general terms you know what things are bound to happen as from watching over similar 'end of the world films' but this trailer doesn't disclose anything specific.
What I really like about the structure of the trailer is that all of the footage from the film is really just one scene, separated by titles - depicting all crowd trying to get out of a building, realising they can't and then trying to find the next best option. This I found really interesting as it was almost like having a little sneak peek of the film, as opposed it being sold to you, by showing you all the best bits. This is why I'd like to structure my teaser around this approach. Introducing the viewer to the protagonist, presenting the concept and showing a bit of what she can do, instead of amalgamating all the best parts of the film together.
Buried (2010)
Upcoming thriller starring Ryan Reynolds is a perfect example of what I would like my teaser to be like.
The teaser, in my opinion, is extremely original in the sense that it sets up the situation for the audience. Presenting them with a protagonist and his dilemma. The simple voice over reinforces 'Paul Conroy's problems. 'Buried' alive several feet underground, he only has three things to aid his escape before impending death in 90 minutes.
'Paul Conroy has a lighter' 'Paul Conroy has a mobile phone'
'Paul Conroy has a torch'
This I found really effective and chilling. Being introduced to the character, Paul Conroy instantly you emphasise with him and want to know how he's going to get out of this coffin, since even though the feat seems impossible, it seems unbelievable somebody would create this film just to make the protagonist die in the box.
Anyway this is basically what I want to do in my teaser, set up the film the for the audience. Introduce them to them to to the protagonist - Myles Brown - and show them what she can do. I intend to devise a voice over that is simple like this one to aid to set up the dimensions of the film.
Micro Aspects
Ramona and Beezus (2011)
This is a cinematic trailer, but I included it as this film has been a huge inspiration for me in terms of my own project.
I like this trailer because of the tone and fun atmosphere that is created in it from the shots, mise-en-scene and soundtrack. I would like to achieve this essence in my trailer. In practically every shot of the trailer the sun is shining, which creates this lovely feeling of a happy perfect world where the sun always shines, hopefully the sun will be shining on the day I film so I'll already be half way there to creating that bright happy atmosphere.
Dressing my protagonist brightly should also contribute to the atmosphere and tone of the trailer, like in this. Everything will seem more 'chick flick' ish and happy if she was wearing pink as opposed to if she was wearing black.
The music choice for the trailer will be very important to creating this atmosphere as there won't be much dialogue in the teaser. I've found most chick flick trailers feature several different songs, rather than a specifically composed score as in Inception's case.
Mean Girls
This teaser for the film is similar to that of 'Cemetery Junction'. My main interests in this teaser is the girls' costume, their clothing reveals a lot about the characters. Their figure hugging brightly coloured clothing, makeup and perfectly coiffed hair stereotypically suggests that they are all very obsessed with their appearance, boys and not much else. Although I want to dress my character in bright clothing and make her appear feminine I don't want to portray this kind of character as that's is not who she is. She's girly, and likes to look nice but she's not obsessed with how she looks or vain - so I'll have to think carefully about costume to accurately depict her personality.
So far, these are my influences for my teaser. They've given me a lot to think about, as far as styling my protagonist goes, that I hadn't thought about before. I had a few ideas about how I wanted to set out my teaser, but after seeing the teaser for 'The Divide' and looking at all the others I am definate about how I want to do it.
Naming characters is always something I have difficulties with. Being indecisive I can deliberate over little things like this for ages; but in an effort to move forward and progress - and sick of always referring to my protagonist as 'girl' - I made a decision and chose the name Myles.
It was a split decision, but one I think is quite fitting for my protagonist and the film. Traditionally 'Miles' is a boys name, but I decided replacing the 'i' with a 'y' made it feminine!
Additonally I noticed quite a few Disney protagonists have short/unisex names.
MitchieTorrez - Camp Rock Alex Russo - Wizards of Waverley Place Sonny Munroe - Sonny With a Chance Casey Carlyle - Ice Princess
Genre: Teen Chick Flick Target Audience: Teenage girls aged approximately 11-19 Plotline: A girl finds she can control time using her late grandfather's pocket watch but trouble and mad antics ensue when it falls into the wrong hands. Character(s): Female protagonist - Myles Brown
For my film I tried to keep the plot simple and not too complicated so that I could really focus on creating a authentic and effective teaser poster and magazine cover, for the genre and style of film I was working towards promoting.
My Raw Idea is: The possibility of being able to contol time, and the implications that will surely follow. This is not a very original idea for a film and has been done before, but hopefully, I think I will be able to make a trailer featuring some really 'wow' shots revolving around this concept.
Having this idea there were two routes to go with. Below are prezis featuring my two different action plans. After summing up the advantages and disadvantages of both I will make a decision on which to proceed with. :)
A teaser trailer is a short trailer used to advertise an upcoming film. In the following I will be analysing five very different teaser trailers in order to select aspects of teaser trailers that I like and hope to include in my own trailer.
Inception Released: July 2010 Directed by: Christopher Nolan
There is no dialogue in the trailer, however, the musical accompaniment is so carefully composed, the lack of dialogue is not noticeable. The music begins with frequent thumps, which are surrounded by more sounds increasing in volume and tempo as the trailer progresses. The synchrony of the ominous music with the puzzling footage of the film depicted on screen definitely builds anticipation within the audience.
The synergy of the titles are very effective and in my opinion the best thing about the trailer. Opening with the classical ‘Warner Bros Pictures’ Logo, adapted to correspond with the content of the film; grey with buildings erected from it, is genius and, as such, before the trailer has even officially begun an expectation of the quality and standard of the film has already been set - very high! The zoom into the buildings of the logo gives the impression of the audience being transported into a different world, a world where things don’t make sense, people fight on the ceiling and ‘Your mind is the scene of the crime.’
The font used for the titles, keeps with the theme of the film and looks like buildings – being square, with sharp edges and metallic grey. The harsh and minimalistic typeface sets a tone of professionalism and hence puts a weight and importance behind the few statements it displays. The font is as dramatic as the music and commands to be looked at.
This teaser trailer does exactly what it says on the tin, teases and entices the audience. It does so expertly, by keeping the audience on a strictly need to know basis. All of the footage of the film actually featured in the trailer, when isolated don’t have any real significance or give any of the film away, however, the footage shows enough to pique an audiences interest e.g. the two men fighting in a seemingly anti-gravity hotel corridor. The commanding titles punch in with the tempo of the music and boasts to the audience all they need to know:
‘From Christopher Nolan’ a name attached to several successful blockbusters such as Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and in time, Inception.
‘The Director of The Dark Knight’ reinforcing the gravity of the name Christopher Nolan. But also showing this film is on the same scale as something as huge as The Dark Knight.
‘Leonardo DiCaprio’ a name synonymous with huge monumental movies like Titanic, Romeo and Juliet and The Departed.
I really like this trailer and it's my favourite of the bunch. I saw the film before this trailer, but I can say with certainty if I had seen this teaser first it would've only made me get to the cinema to see it quicker!
Cemetary Junction Released: Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant Directed by: April 2010
Cemetery Junction is a slightly unconventional trailer as it doesn't feature any footage from the film. It is inclusive of writers of the film, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant introducing themselves, the film and star Ralph Fiennes.
It is a medium shot depicting the three figures on a white backdrop. There is no music whilst the dialogue is happening causing conversation to be the main focus of the audience's attention. The simple smart black costume of the actors against the white background also contributes to making the conversation the most interesting thing going on as the eye is not distracted by any visuals. The dialogue is quite humorous and consist of Gervais' signature dry humour suggesting that said film 'Cemetery Junction' will be a comedy, and that is played on by having Ralph Fiennes as a star "as he's not known for his sense of humour" and mainly stars in serious films, such as Schindler's List.
The titles are very simple and in no way as innovative as Inception's, though the stark contrast between the black font and white backdrop commands the same attention.
I do like this trailer as it different to the typical teaser. However, as I am not partically a fan of Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant or Ralph Fiennes it did not inspire me in any shape whatsoever to look do research into the film, or to go and see it. Now, if it had been the same trailer but with Micheal McIntyre, Russel Howard and Mark Ruffalo, then it would've been a completely different kettle of fish, and I would have been eager to see it! The trailer is similiar in style to the Toy Story 3 Teaser trailer.
Toy Story 3 Released: June 2010
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Released: March 2004 Directed by: Michael Gondry
The trailer begins with an advertisement of the fictional science lab 'Lacuna' which is featured in the actual film. In this a doctor explains the concepts of a new treatment that allows you to forget bad memories - which is the concept of what happens in the film.
From here footage from the film is introduced depicting notable stars such as Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet doing a range of seemingly crazy things and having a good time to manically happy music. The musical sound track coming to an abrupt end with Jim Carrey shouting I don't want to do this anymore' highlighting the problem with this 'Lacuna treatment'.
What I like about this trailer is that it teases you in a less obvious way. It doesn't hide everything from the audience, e.g. Inception, Cemetary Junction. It presents the concept of the film - the possibility of being able to erase bad memories - and then presents the audience with the implication of it all - being trapped in this world of good memories, and wanting to get out - leaving the film to fill in all the blanks.
Paranormal Activity Released: October 2009 Directed by: Oren Peli
Paranormal Activity has a very creative teaser trailer, in my opinion, as it actually depicts people watching the movie in the trailer, which is something I haven't seen before. Corresponding the reality of the film a with the reality of the people in the cinema makes it seem more powerful and intensifies the horror. This setup of the trailer puts the viewer in the place of the audience in the trailer that are watching the film, thus putting you into the trailer and making you apart of what is about to happen. You become the people depicted in the trailer as the audience as you are in the same position as them, hence making empathy with them easy and intensifying the horror of it all.
The choice selection of the scary footage of the film, followed by shots of the audiences reaction increases the horror of the trailer. This paired with there being no notable actors in the film enforces the idea that the audience are witnessing a legit home movie. It was a real couple and a real haunting.
The musical score is very similar to that of Inception, with its atmospheric building up as the trailer progresses before returning to its initial state. The ordinary household sounds such as, floorboards creaking and door slamming, are maximised in volume and played persistently which is really effective.
I think a really effective element of the trailer is that it challenges the audience to see the film, The trailer already puts you in the position of the audience seeing the film, shows you some select footage, and the proceeds to to challenge you to 'see it for yourself' after stating it's the scariest film of all time.
The cutting-edge approach gives the impression that the film could actually live up to it's claim of being 'scariest film of all time.' according to bloody-disgusting.com
Bring scared of all horror films, and anything resembling one, seeing this trailer would've definately dettered me from ever watching this film. Which basically means it was a successful horror film trailer. However, after watching the film on a bet I wasn't scared...and I'm scared of everything! On that note I think that several movie goers would've been dissapointed with the film as it most definately did not live up to it's claim of being the scariest film of all time.'
Live Free or Die Hard Released: Len Wiseman Directed by: June 2007
Live Free or Die Hard follows suit of other Die Hard trailers and action films in general, showing all the big, intense explosive moments.
No plot or storyline is exposed during the trailer, unlike with 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' and as such a viewer not familiar with the Die Hard series won't know what the film is about. However, those familiar with it can just expect more of the same, and would be pretty accurate in assuming so.
Ending with a humorous line from Justin Long's character, who is a newbie to the film to Bruce Willis "Have you done this before?"
Notable stars e.g. Bruce Willis and Justin Long having large fan bases will attract and guarantee a good audience attendance.
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