Photo Shoot

09/03/13 - Today, whilst filming the final scene for our short film in which Blake is tied up as hostage, we used the opportunity of having the costume and propps set up, to conduct a photo shoot. The photos are presented below:

I really like the lighting in this the first photo on the left and the way that it casts a shadow across one side of the face. This has a mysterious and engimatic effect which I feel will capture the tone of the poster well. I also like that the photo is a mid-close up that feels a little too close and creating an uncomfortable feeling emphasising Blake's discomfort. This photo is a definite contender to be used though I think my favourite is the last photo on the right above as I love that it is a long shot meaning both Blake and the chair that he is tied to are both clearly shown in full. I also love the expression on the actor's face and the fact he is staring directly into the camera lens and making eye contact with the audience meaning they can clearly see and feel his fear.  

 

Film Poster Prototype

I have produced a mock-up of the basic layout for my film poster of how I would like the finished product to look. I have used images taken from the internet as inspiration though appreciate that for my final piece the images used will need to be my own work. I feel this design is appropriate for the genre of our short film as the main colour, black, indicates a dark and sinister tone. The central image is striking which should grab the reader's attention and is also enigmatic, creating many mysteries such as who the character are or why the male is tied up in the chair, which will hopefully entice viewers to watch the film. The ambiguous, hazy figure in the foreground gives indications of the supernatural aspect - alongside the use of the verb 'haunt' in the slogan, which, again, should intrigue audiences. The poster features subtle use of the colour red - a symbolism of danger - to draw the reader's attention to the important information, particularly the release date. 

 

Producing this prototype has been a very useful experiment as it has tested whether the design will be successful in its purposes of persuading the reader to see the film. Given the reasoning above, I am pleased with this design and believe it to be effective at achieving this purpose. The next step is to conduct a photo shoot to capture my own original images, inspired by those used in this prototype, to be used on the final version of my poster.

Film Poster Conventions

Film Posters

Ancillary Tasks

With filming well underway, it's time to start thinking about the ancillary tasks that I will create individually to accompany our short film. I have chosen to produce a film poster and a magazine double-page spread featuring a review of our finished piece which I will use to promote our film. I plan to create these using my knowledge of their conventions which I have gained through my studies from earlier in the year (I have already studied the typical conventions and style of posters according to genre as well as having looked at the conventions of films reviews and had an attempt at writing my own). Though to further develop my skills, I plan to study these media products a little further to ensure that my own creations are completed to a professional standard.

Beginning Filming

10/02/13 - Today we began filming the first scenes of footage for our short film. The filming took place at my house which we used as location for the 'ex-girlfriend's' apartment. Firstly, we filmed the expositional shot for the very beginning of our short film which sees the camera pan across a luxurious bedroom. We achieved this through attaching the camera to a tripod and securing into the right position we wanted it in for the start of the clip and then we slowly rotated the camera around using the lever provided on the tripod. Afterwards we moved onto filming footage for the scenes in which the 'ex-girlfriend' uses a laptop to check up on Blake social network profile. We are pleased with the footage we have shot so far and have planned to film more during our lesson on Tuesday.

Filming Locations

With a full script completed, we can now focus on each exact scene and begin thinking about the locations we are going to use to film the footage. Below we have produced a mind map of our thoughts and ideas on this situation: