Allocated Jobs:
Nitin: Script writer, Editing, Acting, Questionnaire, Editing Evaluation
Vishal:Storyboard, Acting, Camera Work, Anicillaries
Kabir:Questionnaire, Acting, Evaluation
Larhysa: Acting, Planning & Research, Storyboard, Locaion shots, Evaluation
Below are some pictures of my group in discussion and planning:
Vishal:Storyboard, Acting, Camera Work, Anicillaries
Kabir:Questionnaire, Acting, Evaluation
Larhysa: Acting, Planning & Research, Storyboard, Locaion shots, Evaluation
Below are some pictures of my group in discussion and planning:
Research in to Teaser Trailers:
Researching in media can help with ideas and methods of making a film. Therefore it was crucial to research into teaser trailers with different genres including various teaser trailers from different times, whether it was classic or modern films.
Original Ideas:
During a group discussion, whilst a questionnaire was being created; we discussed various ideas and genres for our teaser trailer. Although it is common to find teaser trailers for mainly Sci-fi and horror movies, we decided that we would like to challenge ourselves.
At first we thought to do a comedy spoof of horror films, we believed that this could be very fun and different; however we realised that it may also be very difficult for a comedy teaser trailer to actually come across as funny in such a short space of time. As another idea under the genre of comedy, we looked into a young light-hearted comedy to do with university life, however this would have been extremely difficult to carry out, as it would be difficult to portray our actors older than they are. Additionally it would be difficult to film on campus of a university and lastly the lack of a vehicle to film in for the journey.
As we didn't want to do the usual genre of films for teaser trailers; we all researched crime movies. However, instead of taking the typical and easy approach such as doing a modern crime movie using hoodies and hip hop music; we decided on taking one step further and we decided on creating a teaser trailer for a classic gangster movie. We not only chose to create a classic gangster teaser trailer but we also wanted to base it in the 1930's to 1940's as we believe that this is a great time to base a gangster movie. This is due to the historic and well know corruption in America at the time during the Great Depression after the economic boom of the 1920's, this was when wealth was at it's highest and also bootlegging alcohol was occurring at a time of the unsuccessful prohibition; the corruption was led by such powerful and respected gangsters such as Al Capone.
Below is some of the different genre of films and teaser trailers that we were influenced by:
At first we thought to do a comedy spoof of horror films, we believed that this could be very fun and different; however we realised that it may also be very difficult for a comedy teaser trailer to actually come across as funny in such a short space of time. As another idea under the genre of comedy, we looked into a young light-hearted comedy to do with university life, however this would have been extremely difficult to carry out, as it would be difficult to portray our actors older than they are. Additionally it would be difficult to film on campus of a university and lastly the lack of a vehicle to film in for the journey.
As we didn't want to do the usual genre of films for teaser trailers; we all researched crime movies. However, instead of taking the typical and easy approach such as doing a modern crime movie using hoodies and hip hop music; we decided on taking one step further and we decided on creating a teaser trailer for a classic gangster movie. We not only chose to create a classic gangster teaser trailer but we also wanted to base it in the 1930's to 1940's as we believe that this is a great time to base a gangster movie. This is due to the historic and well know corruption in America at the time during the Great Depression after the economic boom of the 1920's, this was when wealth was at it's highest and also bootlegging alcohol was occurring at a time of the unsuccessful prohibition; the corruption was led by such powerful and respected gangsters such as Al Capone.
Below is some of the different genre of films and teaser trailers that we were influenced by:
Title Names:
Attempting to find the perfect title for our teaser trailer was difficult at first. We wanted it to be short and straight to the point. After researching we decided to have the title the same name as our main character. However, the dilemma was that we hadn't decided on the right name for our main character. We searched many websites for Italian American names for men and women as we wanted the name to be to change to suit the different genders. For instance at first we were going to call our teaser trailer Paul as the main character would be called Pauline. However, this name did not suit the genre of the movie or the character. After searching even more we decided on a name that can be for males or females, Frankie. However even this didn't sound right, therefore we stuck to the name Frank, and made the "real" name Frankie as these were common names at the time. We liked the idea of Frank, because to be Frank is to get right to the point. (the reason we chose to put a full stop after the name). However, the main reason we chose this is because it is ironic, because as a woman, she is not being 'Frank' about herself.
Below is the main link used to search for suitable names as some names are also taken from gangster movies:
http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/underground.htm
http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/underground3.htm
Below is the main link used to search for suitable names as some names are also taken from gangster movies:
http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/underground.htm
http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/underground3.htm
Original Poster Ideas:
The first picture above is a drawing of an idea that we had for our teaser trailer poster; we believed this was a good idea as it was also to be one of our scenes as apart of the trailer; however it seems very cluttered, therefore we decided to also make a more minimalistic poster of just the character Frank.
Storyboard:
The pictures below illustrate the first draft of our story board for our teaser trailer. Throughout the teaser trailer there will be constant slow tilt from the feet upwards; while this is occurring we see flashbacks that are in black and white like the tilt. The first flashback takes place in an office, an over the shoulder shot from the main character's point of view is used to show the gangsters destroying the office and coming across as intimidating whilst the boss (Frank) is in charge; after panning to the knee there will be a long shot of a fight displayed in an alley and the shadows of the characters are clearly shown as well as a mysterious character's shadow standing and watching. Recently this idea has changed to a close up of a person's face lying motionlessly on the ground of an alley as footsteps are seen walking past and a POV shot of black gloves being thrown on the body. Then there is a tilting shot above the knee this moves on to a flashback revealing a close up of an exchange of a massive sum of money in return for a gun; finally after revealing the shoulders and an extreme close up of the bottom of the face; the last flashback is shown of the main character (Frank) from a low mid shot walking into another office and putting the gun on the table, to show that the job is done. The final shot is a close up of the main character Frank's head lifting, the hat is taken off, revealing the shock that Frank is actually a woman; therefore making our teaser trailer or potential movie different from the typical male populated gangster movie as we attempted to subvert the conventions.
As seen above in the final section of the storyboard the name Frankie is used, however this has been changed recently as we believe this name can be seen as feminine; therefore making the character's real name Frankie but the nick name and title should be Frank. Also, as we began to create the teaser trailer we realised that if we were to add all the flashbacks the teaser trailer would be too long. Therefore we replaced scenes, the second scene takes place in the same office however Frank has replaced the Vito, as he has taken over by force and the final flashback shows the loading of a gun, showing that violence is to come.
Influential Teaser Trailers:
Our original ideas were based upon the teaser trailer for Notorious(bottom left); we believe this teaser trailer shows a similar genre, as well as similar costumes and props to what we would like to portray in our teaser trailer as these reflect the fashion of the 1920's. Our tilting section was also influenced by the use of a still imgae of 'Notorious' and an edited background.
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One movie that inspired us and influenced our ideas of a classic gangster movie is The Godfather. The (above right) trailer for The Godfather contains ideas that helped us to create our teaser trailer. After searching for a teaser trailer for the Godfather we realised that perhaps there wasn't one. Therefore we decided to observe the trailer. We noted the use of sound, the instruments used for the background music give off a slow and intense feeling, which is similar to how we wanted our teaser trailer to come across as opposed to the modern day fast paced action movies. We wanted to make our teaser trailer different yet interesting whether it was to be watched in the early 1930's or in the modern 2000's.
Camera Work:
To help with the recording of my opening, I have looked up a variety of camera shots, angles and movements. There are many different shots, angles and movements which are used for different effects and would be very useful in a teaser trailer like ours. For example, long or wide shots would be helpful to view the actual location; they show where the film is based.
There are specific shots for movies such as classic gangster films; the main shots being high angle shots to make things look smaller and vulnerable, low angle shots to mainly make people look bigger and more intimidating, and close ups to show the expression in the actors face. Mid-shots usually contain a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes or to show some detail of action.
There are specific shots for movies such as classic gangster films; the main shots being high angle shots to make things look smaller and vulnerable, low angle shots to mainly make people look bigger and more intimidating, and close ups to show the expression in the actors face. Mid-shots usually contain a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes or to show some detail of action.
Camera Comparisons: Screen Shots:
This is an over the shoulder shot from The Godfather, the use of this shot is to show the godfather's facial expression during a confliction; the expression on his face seems threatening and as he is slightly leaning in to the man he is speaking to he seems even more threatening.
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Similarly to The godfather, this show is also a semi- over the shoulder shot, however as Frank is also intimidatingly leaning forward so that we can see the expression on Vito's face instead. Although this is opposite to The Godfather it can work to show how far the character is being intimidating, showing his facial expressions. In addition this is clearly a mid-shot, which is a usual camera shot for gangster movies as this scene is made to look like it contains dialogue.
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This is an extreme close-up from the trailer of Goodfellas; the close-up shows a gun being pointed therefore suggesting violence and that action will be taking place.
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In this screen shot of FRANK. it is showing a hand reloading a gun, soon to be pointed in a direction. Similar to Goodfellas, this portrays an action scene that is obviously violent.
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Another screen shot from Goodfellas shows a close-up of the man character smoking. As a moving image this was actually a tilt from the feet up, possibly showing off the character and what he has become; however the fact that he is looking away from the camera makes him seem indifferent and mysterious. He is also smoking and this is a typical tradition to take place in gangster movies.
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In comparison to Goodfellas, this is also a close-up of Frank. A tilt had also just taken place to slowly reveal the character and what she looks and acts like. Although Frank is also holding a cigar to symbolise the 'traditional smoking gangster'; the smoke in the background is to not only clearly represent the smoke from the cigar but also to add mystery to the character.
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Questionnaire & Results:
After producing 20 questionnaires to a variety of ages, our results proved that the majority of males aged 15-22 prefer the genre of a thriller; therefore showing our target audience and giving us a good genre to work with. We fused this popular genre with a classic gangster movie as we believed these genre's could work well together and because gangster movies in the past have been very popular. Below are three pictures showing the questionnaire that was produced and the results gathered:
Script:
The script produced is to be read as voice over's, even in the scenes of action because this will enable the sound to be edited and fused with background music, that will be a piano playng a soft but serious melody, adding to the suspense.
The idea of the voice-over was initially intended for the teaser trailer; however we decided that the teaser trailer will be more effective if just music were to be playing in the background and the only words of the teaser trailer were at the end, along the lines of "Here's your office Boss!" showing that after everything the Boos gets what she wants.
The idea of the voice-over was initially intended for the teaser trailer; however we decided that the teaser trailer will be more effective if just music were to be playing in the background and the only words of the teaser trailer were at the end, along the lines of "Here's your office Boss!" showing that after everything the Boos gets what she wants.
Location Shots & Props:
The above location shots show a green room where we had filmed not only our tilting section but also, we used this green room because we believed that this will enable us to create a suitable background for our teaser trailer by finding a background based in the 1930's to 40's to replace the green room. As shown in the screen shot in the middle, we chose for our background picture to be venetian blinds. We chose this because we based our teaser trailer in New York and we believed that the use of this picture gives off a feeling of the late 1930s. We also played around with lighting and unlike the tilt section that used just the three lights for the office scene, we used the 4 point lighting setup as demonstrated in the pictures on either side. This was necessary to allow us to adjust the lighting to suit the mood and to make sure that there were no shadows on the green wall was an extremely difficult task; this had to be done to ensure that our picture could replace our background effitiently. As illustrated in the picture on the right, annotations have been made to show the use of props clearly; after researching we chose to use a dial cradle telephone as it was the most popular telephone at this time, a desert eagle gun also created and used in the 1930s-40s, a whiskey glass bottle (the bottle was used to link to prohibition and illegal bootlegging) and the desk light was used to emphasise the office.
Tagline Ideas:
"There ain't much love on this Valentines Day" - We thought of using this as a tagline because originally 'FRANK.' was to have taken place either on or at a time close to the Saint Valentines Day Massacre.
"Is it a man's world?" - We resulted in chosing this as our tagline instead of "It isn't a mans world!" because not only does it slightly reveal that Frank is a female in power it is also a rhetorical question, allowing the audience to think.
"Is it a man's world?" - We resulted in chosing this as our tagline instead of "It isn't a mans world!" because not only does it slightly reveal that Frank is a female in power it is also a rhetorical question, allowing the audience to think.
Character Profiles:
![Picture](/uploads/2/9/1/7/2917647/9612500.png)
Nick Name: Frank
Real Name: Frankie
Age: 23
Frank is the main character and gang leader, however she is actually a female. Due to her bad upbringing as a child and the discrimination that was inflicted upon her because she is a female; she attempts to live life the way she believes that a man would. She constantly tries to prove herself worthy, striving to be the best by working her way through corruption, the war and prohibition to get to the top; proving that men and woman can be equal.
Real Name: Frankie
Age: 23
Frank is the main character and gang leader, however she is actually a female. Due to her bad upbringing as a child and the discrimination that was inflicted upon her because she is a female; she attempts to live life the way she believes that a man would. She constantly tries to prove herself worthy, striving to be the best by working her way through corruption, the war and prohibition to get to the top; proving that men and woman can be equal.
![Picture](/uploads/2/9/1/7/2917647/9856029.jpg?160)
Nick Name:Tony
Real Name: Antonio
Age: 27
Tony is Frank's right hand man, her best friend and loyal minion. He know's Frank's secret and has known her for as long as he can remember, he has been with her through everything and will die before he reveals anything about her.
Real Name: Antonio
Age: 27
Tony is Frank's right hand man, her best friend and loyal minion. He know's Frank's secret and has known her for as long as he can remember, he has been with her through everything and will die before he reveals anything about her.
![Picture](/uploads/2/9/1/7/2917647/4107087.jpg?164)
Nick Name: VIto
Real Name: Victor
Age: 33
Vito is a former gang leader, who ran the highly threatening Manhattan Mob, based in New York. However, as Frank took over the reigns from her father, she decided to bring Vito's gang to a fatal end, taking over what made his reputation.
Real Name: Victor
Age: 33
Vito is a former gang leader, who ran the highly threatening Manhattan Mob, based in New York. However, as Frank took over the reigns from her father, she decided to bring Vito's gang to a fatal end, taking over what made his reputation.
![Picture](/uploads/2/9/1/7/2917647/7282711.jpg?162)
Nick Name:Sergi
Real Name:Sergio
Age:22
The youngest and least important; he strives to be the centre of Frank's attention, he wants to be like Frank and idolises him as the gang feel like his family, the only place he ever belonged, he would never do anything to jepardize the only family he has.
Real Name:Sergio
Age:22
The youngest and least important; he strives to be the centre of Frank's attention, he wants to be like Frank and idolises him as the gang feel like his family, the only place he ever belonged, he would never do anything to jepardize the only family he has.