Location choice/shots

This are my chosen locations:

I chose them because....
They are very natural places which i need for my film- They also allow for great filming opportunities with open spaces etc. The only downside to having an outdoor setting is the weather issue but luckily I filmed on days of similar weather so it didn't effect the continuity of my trailer at all. 

Casting decision

Here is my choice of main protagonist: 

-Myself.


I have chosen to do this because: The lack of budget means I couldn't pay for professional actors or to pay to get my friends days off work so I just had to do what I could and focus mainly on location shots, CU's on key items and use a tripod for the majority of the shots of me and I also had a helping hand who just filmed a very minor section of the footage which takes up roughly 5 seconds of my trailer. It was the easiest option for me at the time due to my lack of time to organize something on a large scale and allow time for photo shoots etc. So I thought it'd be equally as effective and also easier to 'get hold of' myself than anyone else.
Given the time/avaliability I would probably cast someone else as the protagonist but I think that it still works well with me in it and also directing. Many directors have been known to be in their own films such as Quentin Tarantino 

BELLATRIX FILM POSTER

VIRTUE MAG COVER

Bellatrix synopsis

Bellatrix is a story of a teenage girl called Nina. Nina's father and mother are ex-CIA they get murdered- We do not see them in the trailer, we just see a switch from equilibrium to dis-equilibrium indicating the death. Nina has been trained by her parents to fight for herself this is how she survives. CIA come to destroy Nina, in case she knows anything that her parents have told her. She is living in the woods to keep away from them, but they find her. She in on the run from them then on, but- Who comes out on top?

-Bellatrix. 

Salt

Salt- 2010

The Salt trailer begins with a voice over telling the audience that there is a Russian spy woman- This sets up the story already in the first 13 seconds of the trailer which I think is really effective as it draws you in almost instantaneously without giving the whole story away. The trailer gives a good sense of location with the use of technology showing the 'neuro scanner' and the interrogation room. It uses a mixture of mid-shots and close ups and extreme close ups showing key items. Which I will be mirroring in my trailer with mid shots of the location, close ups on my protagonist and extreme close ups on the knife or gun. The trailer uses a crane shot/ High angle shot of america, This is in my opinion one of the most effective ways to establish the location as it gives the audience a true perspective on the vastness and density of a location, I do not have the equipment to do such a shot but I can do a few high angle shots by sitting on a tree branch/ on top of a ladder to try and replicate on a smaller scale. A lot of the shots in Salt are of action moments not really giving the audience much story line, some of these scenes I cannot create due to the lack of actors/stunt doubles/ funding in general for such fantastic props. I can however try to show elements of physical action between characters. There is a shot just before the 'SALT' title comes up where evelyn is turning and then point the gun at something or someone that the audience are unaware of who it is or what it is so this poses an enigma I really like this shot and I think it's very effectively placed just before the title as it builds up tension throughout and gets the audience excited and then at the optimum tension moment of the shots and music then title comes in, I think is very well done and is something I definitely wish to replicate.



 

Make-up

In the film 'Hanna' they have made the protagonist who is a female, look almost boy-ish with her clothing and make-up. They do not try to accentuate her female body parts in any way and she has either no or very natural make-up on. This almost eliminates her femininity which I think was the intention of the film maker. In contrast the protagonist in 'Salt' is slightly more sexualised, they give her rather stand out make-up and also not 100% figure hugging clothing but slightly more revealing than Hanna's clothing which mainly consists of jumpers up to the neck- combat style trousers- hoodies etc. 
Salt's clothing colours consist mainly of blacks this to me as an audience member highlights the danger and mystery of the character which I really like.

For my character I intend on just merging the two different characters looks to create my own. I don't want 100% natural make-up and I don't want really over the top make-up. I am just going to elongated Nina's eyelashes with false eyelashes as mascara can clump up and not look as natural. I also am going to dress my character in dark colours but not very feminine clothing just black leggings as they allow for easy movements and also a black t-shirt or a black hoodie or a red high neck jumper- the same sort of style as seen in Hanna but slightly more modern and bright red (signifying danger.)

Half way evaluation

story board- written

Stop frame

I felt that incorporating different styles for my trailer would be a good idea. I felt as though it gives my trailer a slight edge. I wouldn't use real people and then start going into animation although the film 'Hugo' incorporates both very well and smoothly I don't think that I could do it justice it also doesn't conform to typical thriller editing. 

I felt that stop framing would be the most successful way of incorporating styles of animation with classic filming. I decided to use the stop framing on my title 'Bellatrix'. 

I began with a blank piece of A4 paper and a black marker pen and just began to write out BELLATRIX bit by bit and take a photo after I drew a new section. 

Here I am editing my stop frame sequence on a simple programme- Windows Live Movie Maker. This is a simple programme to use and although it isn't what people use in the film industry I feel it works perfectly fine for my project. 

I decided to put every section on at a very fast speed of 0.1 second, this was so it'd flow very quickly and give the appearance of someone just drawing it or it even just appearing, also the fast speed is typical of a thriller trailer.

I am uncertain if I will be definitley be using this or not as it's not convetional of a thriller. This will be something I will decide in the editing process. 

shots

Semiotics

props and costume