Animatic Storyboard

Following up my storyboard, I then created this animatic of my storyboard in order to actually bring the pictures to life, seeing what my trailer could turn out like or how I could even improve. To create this, I used the pictures I drew my self (which are already up on my blog) and then used iMovie in order to put them together. This task helped me a lot, as I was able to actually add the institution and distribution logos, inter-titles with my chosen text music and also crop the images to show a variety of shot types. I think the music I chose works but not as well as I thought it would as where there are transitions it isn't as fluid as I wanted it to be. Furthermore, I would like to make sure all the inter-title transitions and presentations are the same throughout. 

This task was very helpful for the reasons above as it enabled me to see both the strengths and weaknesses of my editing skills. I'm aiming to try and keep this particular sequence of shots as I think it works quiet well, however, I would like to try and improve on the weaknesses I addressed. 

Dairy Post 9: Change of font.

As seen in this collage (created on www.befunky.com) the first two are screen grabs of the font I had chosen for my inter-titles from the website Dafont but as I was creating my animatic story board I didn't really like how it looked. This is because once I started adding sentences rather than just word, I didn't realise through my research that this font has lines both above and below the text and I don't think it looks as effective as I was hoping. 

Through my font research however, I narrowed it down to 5 fonts, so I went back and downloaded them all and saw which ones worked best. My final font decision is as seen in the last two images on the bottom art of the collage and this is the font called "KG Why You Gotta Be So Mean" from Dafont. I think this works a lot better than the previous one as it is also clearer to read as it stands out a lot better and further adheres to the social realism genre.After deciding that I wanted that to be my final font, I then went back and changed all my intertitles font to that particular one. 

Story Board

This is my story board, I drew out the title on the first one and then scanned it in and stuck the scenes and inter-titles on each one, in the order I would like my trailer to follow. 

I drew out the pictures myself, but didn't however, draw them to the exact shot type I would like each one to be. This is because I wanted to firstly draw them out to see what type of footage I would have. I then decided what type of shot would be effective for each scene and why ( I tried explaining this in the first box next to the drawing). In the second box, however, I described what kind of sound/music I would like to include throughout my trailer and why this would be fitting to that particular footage/ scene. 

The only thing I didn't annotate on my story board are the inter-titles and this is because I wanted to preserve the visual attraction my story board had. I believe that the inter-titles I chose are very effective and have an important role in my trailer as they further give hints and insight to the audience about the storyline and themes that may be covered throughout my trailer. 

This task helped me as it enabled me to further think about why I chose these shots and how/why they help bring my trailer together in an way which will attract my targeted audience. To create this collage of my story board I used the website PicMonkey. 

Total Film: front cover analysis

• This magazine front cover is a highly effective one because of the balance between the amount of text and imagery used, making it both visually and written appeal. 

• The majority of the font is in bold and all of the text is placed in block capitals to make it more eye catching and further make all of the text stand out, showing that all things featured on this cover are equally important as the other things. 

• The mode of address of the main image is very clever as it addresses audience members from every single angle (left, right and centre) as each character is looking in a different direction despite their body language being the opposite of their glance. The central images used are further effective as the body language and composition give hints into each character type and their role. The AI is in the centre as she is mostly the main focus of Ex - Machina.

• The main theme of this magazine issue, similarly to the film, is of a futuristic and technological aim so the taglines and pugs all address films which cover the same themes through their narrative. E.g. "50 greatest movie robots and "The terminator 30th anniversary special". The issue date of this magazine is another generic convention this magazine has managed to use in a clever way to their advantage and this is because it says 2055 which is in fact thirty years after The Terminator was set in, both linking it to the tag lines they have included and further reminding us as an audience of the futuristic feel (as  it is a futuristic themed issue, it is set in a futuristic time, forty years in the future).

• Because it is a well known and established film magazine, it's illustrators were able to make the decision of covering partially some of the letters, however because it is well known, this doesn't appear to be an issue as it also serves as a brand identity so the magazines viewers know what it is called. A more independent magazine wouldn't be able to do something like this as it probably would not have a wide recognition like a magazine such as Total Film or Empire. 
• This magazine front cover was created in a very interesting way and I really like how they used generic conventions of magazines yet still made it a lot more appealing due to their creativity and the colours used all appear to work nicely together. 

Script

• After looking at various trailers of films within the social realism genre, I have realised that most of them use dialogue to help further entice their target audience. However, for my trailer I decided that it would be most effective if I don't embed any dialogue because I will therefore, be able to direct my viewers' main focus to the content of my trailer it self rather than what my featured characters will be saying. 

• As I have decided not to include dialogue, I will be able to use music and other forms of sound to my advantage as this will further help me build up suspense. An example of diegetic sound I would like to use is crying or a heart beat as these sounds could suggest that these sounds are coming from either the child or the protagonists themselves, which will also help build tension and help the trailer flow smoothly as these sounds complement and link with my narrative. I would also like to include the sound of laughter to include both sad and happy times that could be portrayed throughout my trailer. I think this will be effective as I will be able to control the sounds and record them as many times as needed in order to capture them the precise way I want to. As well as diegetic sound, I would like to include non-diegetic sound in the form of music (which will be non copyrighted pieces) to further help my trailer come together.

• Other than the sounds previously mentioned, which I will be able to control, I would also like to add some which are out of my control. These could include the natural sounds made by people in a shopping centre, I'm planning on doing this when I film in Birmingham. 

• Other than the points mentioned above, the main reason as to why I do not want to include any dialogue in my trailer is because I feel that it isn't really needed as I don't want to give anything away to my viewers. I especially think that through the body language and facial expressions of my characters/actors, my targeted audience will be able to get an idea of my narrative and will also be able to go through my characters' journey with them. I think that along with body language and facial expression, music and sounds in general will have a huge role in this as this will also enable my targeted audience to feel a variety of emotions as the music could either make them feel tense or sad. Lastly, I think that the intertitles that I am planning on including will also help the audience get an idea of what is going on or what will happen if the intentions of the footage it self may appear unclear for some of my viewers.

Title and Font Analysis

I firstly looked at the title fonts of other films within the social realism genre. I used Easel.ly in order to create this pin board/ collage. All of these texts are quiet bold and are all in capital letters other than the one small case letter in each Adulthood and Kidulthood film as they are part of the same sequence of films.  Catfish's text is also effective due to its simplicity and is written in all lower case. All of these fonts are Sans - Serifed and are either white or black or have a pop of colour which links to the films narrative. E.g. the red in "Shank" could foreshadow the blood loss captured throughout the film. 

After trying to then further brainstorm to find a final title for my film  that will be both suitable and effective, I found that another possible title for my film could be "Invaluable" and this is because it has an identical meaning to "Priceless" which I mentioned in my synopsis post that this was a possible title. Although they are both effective, I think that "Priceless" fits a bit better with my narrative and sounds like it could be the perfect title for my film as it leaves the audience wandering what the story behind it is. 

I then used the website Canva in ordert to create this collage of all the possible font types I chose from "Dafont.com".  I chose a variety of fonts some are bolder, longer, thinner etc. but I do think that all of these fonts are effective as they stand out and the title is easily readable.  My top 3 of these fonts are the third, fourth and sixth one.  

For my final title and intertile font I chose to go with Kenteken (above) as it is bold yet has a balance of thickness and is also has an edgy feel to it and is very eye catching. The gaps missing from "P" and "R" could foreshadow the only things the characters want in their life but can't have. The colour of my text will most likely be white, similarly to Fish Tank as it will stand out against the black background that I'd like to have both my title and inter-titles on. 

Breakdown of Locations

Untitled10 from elleniapanayiotou

I firstly used PowToon in order to create the presentation of the locations I would like to include in my trailer. I chose the locations that I thought would enable the audience to get an idea of what and why the narrative and the characters included in my trailer are like. I then exported it as a SlideShare document for easier access on my blog. 

Adulthood: Poster Analysis

• The main photograph of this poster is one of all the protagonists of the film and they seem to be placed in order of importance, with the most important one (Sam) at the front in the centre. As well as their poses, their costumes also suggest a lot about their characters. This is because Kidulthood was released before Adulthood and their costumes were carefully chosen effectively in order to show which characters have in fact grown and become "adults". Furthermore, through the addition of new characters, the audience want to find out what their relevance to the narrative is making them want to watch this part of the sequel to see if it has developed further in comparison to Kidulthood. The characters' facial expressions further suggest that they may be going through something tough individually or even as a group. Slightly to Sam's left (his left) on the floor next to him there is a baseball bat which is in fact the murder weapon he used to kill another character who was in Kidulthood. This makes the audience members wonder why it has been included on the poster, wondering if anything will happen to Sam for the crime he has committed or even if the same scenario will occur again only with a different person. The location of this shot further supports the films narrative as it is a long shot which in the background has a city's skyline which is stereotypically associated with inner city working class people and crime or violence within those areas. Similarly, because these particular characters are placed in front of it, this suggests that they are most likely in a run down or council estate area of this urban area. Adulthood's already established audience members will know this, however, this will help the new audience members gain a deeper understanding of the narrative. 

• The release date of the film is key in the marketing campaign of any film so it is therefore always included on the poster. "June 20 in cinemas Nationwide" is placed towards the bottom of the poster allowing audience members to gain the last bit of information they need to know about the film which is when they can see it. It further allows audience members a chance to promote the film through word of mouth (two step flow) as this gives them a date to look forward to. 

• Above the release date is the films website where audience members can in fact access soundtracks, DVDs, pictures etc. Above the website link and opposite it are the billing blocks which include the names of all the cast and crew members and companies which helped distribute or produce the film. For example, Pathe Pictures' logo was placed there as they were involved with the distribution which gave them an advantage as Pathe Pictures is a French media company which suggests that this gave them a good opportunity for advertisement abroad.  

• Slightly below the release date however, is a text messaging service which allows viewers to download Adulthood's official trailer for free on their phones. This is very effective as it is appealing due to its easy method and its easy accessibility. Furthermore, it is effective because it is attracting the right type of audience through the use of technology as this is something their target audience is interest in. 

• The title of the film has become the brand identity and makes it easily recognisable as it is written in bold and as a result, stands out. The blurb, along with the title of the film was placed on the poster above its main photograph. This makes it look as though it is overlooking the characters which claim to be "adults" (despite some of them being young teens) making them appear very small which links in nicely with the themes covered in the film as the characters are exposed to the harsh events that can occur in life. It is composed in a very clever way as it then makes the audience wonder and ask if these characters have actually grown up since Kidulthood. Underneath "After Kidulthood comes Adulthood" (which acts as a clear link between the two films as previously mentioned they are part of the same sequel). Underneath this, in even smaller text "A Noel Clarke film" is placed in the same type of font in the colour of black in order to stand out against the background. This name is important as he wrote, directed and starred in this film so he is one of the key people which helped make this film what it is. Next to "Adulthood", in slightly bigger font than the tag lines above and beneath the title, the film's age certificate is stated which is 15 y/o. This could attract audience members who haven't seen Kidulthood and would be interested in films like this. 

• At the very top of the poster are two different reviews written by critics of UK magazines and are placed in bold white text in order to stand out. This, along with the title are initially the first things that catch our eye when looking at this poster. This is effective as it draws in viewers, telling them that this film is worth watching. Such reviews include those from "The Mirror" which has given Adulthood an exceptional rating of four stars. The reviews that are usually included on posters, just like on this one are always positive in order to create a positive buzz about the film which is being promoted. 

• As a whole, in my opinion this poster is very effective as it keeps with the theme of the film and draws the viewer in as the colour scheme along with the compositional ideas work well together. The colours used are relatively dark and have been altered in this way so it can add an extra element of drama and mysteriousness. 

Character Plan

Throughout this presentation, I mapped out the ideas for the main characters of my film. I included a picture of characters from already existing films that I think my characters look like or should be like as I think they share character features and behave in similar ways. I further included a description of who they are (name, age, gender, physical appearance social status etc.) and their past, why this is relevant to their character type and how this will further help develop my films narrative. 

Institution Research & Planning

Through my research into Institutions, I was able to find out that a company can both distribute and produce a film. Throughout this Prezi presentation, I firstly researched both privately and publicly owned film companies in order to see which one would be fitted for me to include in my film/trailer. To then further help me decide, I looked into the Institution companies of other social realism films. Some of the films I looked at included: Fish Tank and This is England. I then decided that I wanted my production company to be UK Film Council and my distribution company to be Imaginary Friend Pictures. I wanted my production company to be UK Film Council because it is a well establish Independent British company which has created successful films such as The King's Speech (and other films I included in the collage  above that I made on Picmonkey.com) and although some are of a different genre, they have also created films similar to mine (Fish Tank). This suggests it fits with my narrative and it is also useful because they already have a well established audience within this genre and films with similar themes to mine. 

Here is a link of UK Film Council's logo which I will be able to include in my films trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv2QQ3scvUY.
As mentioned before, Imaginary Friend Pictures is a made up film company we previously found on the internet so I will be able to include this picture. 

Filming Plan

 I made this plan of when I would like to be filming. This will help me stay organised because I'm relying on four people to be in my trailer so it may be difficult. These are all the dates I managed to agree on as those were the days my characters were free. 

 I have included more days of filming with Athena and Chris as they have a key role in my film and are two of my protagonists, furthermore, I did this because I think the scenes that I have sketched out with them help the narrative flow smoothly and will therefore, hopefully help my trailer flow smoothly and take the form of a professional one. 

At the end of December / beginning of January I will be in Birmingham so I have included dates for when I can film there in order to include more locations in my trailer, as well as for Birmingham, I have included dates of when I will be able to film in London to further show the contrast between the two couples. 

I have also included the date where I think we will start editing so I should be aiming to have it all filmed by then, hopefully no changes will occur with my protagonists so I will be able to carry on effectively. 

Empire front cover mock up: First try at Photoshop of Yr 13

In this lesson, I attempted creating a front cover of a magazine that my film would be featured on. Whilst creating it, I searched for a photograph that would be similar to the one I would like to use and could link to my narrative effectively. I chose Empire because I thought the colour scheme links nicely due to the picture I chose, however, I don't think Empire is going to be the magazine I will chose for a feature of my film on a front cover as I don't think it links very well with the genre of my film. For my final cover I will probably use one such as Sight & Sound and Little White Lies as they target a more niche audience, which will be fitting to my film. 

The lesson after, I changed the main image as the one I previously had wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I then chose this one, because the position and the way the lady was captured through this photograph links very well with my narrative. So I think I could therefore, be looking to capture a photograph like this when filming or even in an separate photographic shoot dedicated just for the main photograph of both my poster and front cover magazine. I then tried to emulate one of Empire's already existing issue (on the bottom left) because the composition of the main image looked similar to the one I had originally chosen. I then experimented with getting the font identical to the one already used in order to make it look as realistic and professional looking as possible. The bar-code, issue date, price and the magazine's logo are all very important features which make a magazine eye catching and professional looking so I wanted to practise these more than anything else to get used to the compositional ideas and where everything should be within the margins in order for it to look like a professional and well established magazine.  

This task was very helpful as I now know what I will need to work one when I need to create the final magazine front cover that my magazine will be featured on. As a whole, I'm quiet pleased of how it went although it isn't finished. As I mentioned before, I like the photograph I found on the internet and used, this is because it looks like it could be the protagonist from my film. So far, I now know that kind of photograph I will be using as the main image and a possibility between two front covers. I would like to try  out my ideas and see which one I prefer most or which one works best. 

Adulthood: Trailer Analysis

 The trailer begins with almost a birds eye view but a medium close up of two characters lying in bed. The lighting in this shot appears to be quiet dark in order to create mystery and the non diegetic music played above it also helps do this effectively. It then smoothly transitions to a close up of the female character where a piece of dialogue has been placed also supporting the element of mystery as it makes us wonder as an audience why she has said that. We are then presented with a long shot of a city with lights on at night, suggesting to us that similarly to Kidulthood, we are still located in London for the duration of this film. Towards the end of this particular clip of the city lights, text is added on top of it which is the logo of the distribution company "Pathe Pictures", this has been put in place in order to give an idea to new audience members, most likely those who haven't seen Kidulthood what type of film this will be. 

As the trailer continues , the non diegetic music also increases in pace, creating more suspense and excitement as it also gets louder. This is effective as it makes us wonder what will happen next. There is then a quick shot shown which is of a scene from the previous sequence Kidulthood, attracting their already established audience. This shot includes one of the protagonists Sam hitting another character (Trevor) with a baseball bat (which is included on the poster for Adulthood. It then transitions from moving footage to a more illustrative one of the same shot which says "six years locked up" (as seen on the right). In this shot the lighting is quite dark and has contrast in it creating suspense as this now seems to bring an element of disruption to the somewhat calm that was included before (at the beginning). After that, there is another medium shot of Sam with the same lighting and illustrative technique while he is putting up his hood and is walking away from the camera/audience. This is effective because it creates enigma as it makes us wander if he is in trouble again and what will happen, especially as there is diegetic sounds of police sirens in the background further adding suspense. There are then numerous jump shots of different locations in London in a series of clips which seem to have longer screening time. The lighting here appears to be slightly brighter and there is then a low angle shot of another protagonist (Jay) with the same illustration used as the ones used for Sam with an inter-title which says "time to settle the score" which is again used as an opportunity to create enigma as we are left wondering what will happen next. 

The next series of shots are quick paced in order to create more suspense and these are action packed shots so this is effectively achieved. Some shots are of scenes which include themes of violence,drugs, sex and gang culture which link in and support the themes usually covered within a film of this genre. And in between these shots are some shots which again transition with the illustrative technique with inter-titles placed on top of them in order to add suspense and build tension. This is demonstrated where there is a shot of Sam crying with an inter-title saying "nowhere to run" and another shot of him running with an inter-title saying "nothing to lose". These create suspense and interest because as an audience we don't expect to see a character like Sam in such vulnerable situations, making us want to watch  the rest of the film to see what will happen. 

The trailer ends with a series of shots which still portray themes of violence and are heavily reliant on inter-titles in order to end it with an effective way. These are shots which create buzz as they are again action packed and have written on top of them "After Kidulthood" and "comes", then transitioning to a black screen which has written on it in white text the title of the film so the main focus of it is in fact the title as there won't be any distractions. It then cuts to another low angled shot of Jay looking down at someone, suggesting that he has power over them. However this creates mystery as the person looking down at isn't visible to us as an audience so this, along with the dialogue ("think I forgot you blud?") and music makes us wander what will happen next. The very last thing we see in this trailer is a black screen with white inter-tiles that say "coming soon", creating excitement for the audience and letting them know that the film will be released in short time. 

As a whole I think this trailer is highly effective as it uses all the traditional elements such as music, editing, inter-titles and dialogue to make the audience excited and look forward to seeing the film while giving them enough hints and general idea of the narrative without giving too much away.