Filming 10th December 2009

Today we finished doing the motorbike scene. The idea of this scene is to be quick and action packed with a comical twist, much like a scene from Hot Fuzz, where Nicholas Angel visits a motorway service station. Angel buys some very average, simple items, but the scene is given an action spin which gives it a comical effect due to the quick pace and 'over-stereotypical' action angles. For our scene, we needed to cast someone as Valentine's sidekick, and for this we needed someone smaller than 5ft 10'' in order for our main character (Valentine) to have some sort of visual status over Smith (sidekick), so we used someone else in our class.

We filmed two shots, one with Valentine and Smith pulling up at the school on a motorcycle which was fine in one take, and another scene in which Valentine prepares himself and walks away, with Smith following him with embarassment. This was done in two takes because we weren't happy with when the shot was cut, it was best to leave the camera rolling after Smith left the shot which could then be cut back in editing, this gave is better flexibility when it came to edit, so the shot was done again.

R.K.

Filming 3rd December 2009 - Outtakes

This was our first attempt at this shot. I did this scene with my jacket buttoned up first, before then deciding to unbutton it because that looked more dramatic and more suited to an action movie.

This next outtake is from the 'fall scene'. This was done in three takes. In this take, we discovered that I was walking too fast for Tom to keep up with me, and that Tom was running out of space for the tracking shot, so we made some changes for the final take. To remove the vending machine from the back of shot, we filmed on the opposite side of the corridoor and I delivered my line and then fell sooner. I didn't hurt myself much, althought my right arm was a bit sore for a while afterwards!

R.K.

Filming - Thursday 3rd December 2009

Today we were due to film four scenes from our teaser trailer, the 'Bike Scene', 'Lunch Box Scene', 'Corridoor Scene' and 'Fall Scene'.

The first was cancelled due to the poor weather meaning we couldn't film outside, and the second scene was cancelled due to not having the right props, we did not have a childrens lunch box, a water gun or a bananna. Instead we chose to film other scenes which required 'extras' in order to make the most of the time.

From 12:20-13:20 we filmed a scene where Valentine encounters a 'broken' door and two establishing shots which both required extras. The first one featuring students working through a window which was filmed as planned, for which we used other sixth form students to act for us. For the second shot featuring students walking out of a lesson, we changed the angle of the camera from a long-shot to a low-angle long-shot for greater effect.

From 15:15-16:00 we first filmed the a scene where Valentine is running down a coridoor with the lights flashing on and off. About 3 or 4 takes were done due to various errors, mostly due to objects falling out my pockets! Then we filmed a scene where Valentine walks along before falling over. This was done in 2 or 3 takes, excluding a few dummy runs in order to find out where the dialogue needed to be delivered and where I had to fall. This was critical because we were using a tracking shot and the section of coridoor which, although was wide enough to be able to film the mid-shot, was very short so the line had to be delivered before we ran out of corridoor.

Some out-takes from todays shoot will be available tomorrow.

R.K.

Our First Shooting Schedule!

3rd December - Outdoor scene - 11.20 - Bike scene

Characters
Valentine - Rob K
Ben Smith - Dani N

Costumes
Valentine - Suit
Ben Smith - suit

Props
Suzuki 125cc 4-speed semi-automatic bike
Trilby

3rd December - Indoor Scene - 15:15 - Lunchbox Scene

Characters
Valentine - Rob K
Evil Student - Tom F

Costumes
Valentine - Suit
Evil Student - Trousers, Shirt, Scruffy Face/Head

Props
Lunch Box
Nourishments
Water Gun
Bananna

3rd December - Indoor Scene - 15:45 - Fall Scene

Characters
Valentine - Rob K

Costumes

Valentine - Suit

Props
No props

This is the first part of our shooting schedule, we'll update this when we've filmed more.

D.N, T.F, R.K

Filming 28th November 2009

Today there was a chance to film some shots for the bike scene due to the relatively good weather. There was an issue with wind noise but because most of the sound in the trailer is going to be non-diagetic, such as sound effects and mood music, the diagetic sound is not as important.

The shot that we were attempting to do was a close up of the wheel of a bike stopping very quickly. This was done in four takes, two of the rear wheel, before deciding to do two focusing on the front wheel. The last take of the front wheel came out the best and therefore this one will be used in the trailer.

For this shot I was not in costume as I was not actually meant to be in the frame, the last few seconds with the close up of the wheel would be cut and only that would feature in the trailer. For the final take which has been chosen to be used in the trailer, I was in costume without my McLaren jacket and scarf just in case I ended up in the frame, but it is still likely the shot will be cut and cropped for the final edit.

R.K.

Treatment

A sixth form college has been taken hostage by a small group of students who have decided they have had enough of teachers and other students. Lives are in danger, and it us up to hapless secret agent Pierce Valentine to liberate the college. He has a plan to save the college but a series of mistakes and accidents along the way play into the hands of his enemies. With the help of his more intelligent but suppressed sidekick Ben Smith, the pair are able to defeat the villains and save the day.

R.K T.F D.N

Storyboards..

After going through all of our ideas for shots and scenes we compiled the ones that we thought were the best, and created the storyboard for our trailer:





T.F. D.N. R.K.

Storyboarding Meeting

Today we got all our story board ideas together and decided which ones we wanted to use, and in what order we were going to use them.

Firstly, we cut all our different storyboards up so we could then re-arrange them in the order we felt most suitable. The most crucial thing was that our trailer was to remain essentially in two parts, the first half where we wanted to tease our audience into thinking this was the teaser trailer for an action/spy movie, then there was to be a turning point, after which the trailer would clearly be a spoof of the action genre. This first picture of the storyboards being cut up prior to them being re-arranged.

Once we had cut out all our different ideas, we decided how we were going arrange them, considering the two different 'phases' of our trailer. This is me (left) and Tom deciding what order we were going to put different scenes in. We had about 15 ideas to work with but we wanted to cut this down to about 10 ideas so the trailer would be no more than about 90 seconds long, which was the time we were looking for to enable us to show off as many of our skill as possible, but also stay within the conventions of a teaser trailer, which is usually between 30-120 seconds long.

When we decided which ideas to use, we placed them in order on the floor so we could easily move them around, add scenes or take them away. After doing this, we added up the total time our trailer came to, which was about 80 seconds, but we figured that in editing this would change and would probably come out longer than this due to experience producing a film before, which was meant to be 4 minutes long but ended up being 10 minutes long, before it was cut down to 7 minutes. So bearing this in mind, a total time of 76 seconds was acceptable. Once we decided the final order, we glued the storyboard onto A3 sheets in order, marking on the timings and any slight changes we wanted to make to the shots.

These are the ideas for scenes we rejected. On the left are shots which include the title which is normally at the end of the trailer, but these were rejected because we already had story boards for these. In the middle is a scene taken from the James Bond films, where Valentine would've appeared in a circle appearing sophisticated, but then falling over in cominc fashion. This was rejected due to the lack of appropriate technology, like CGI, to produce it effectively. On the top right is a scene featuring Valentine using a gun that produces bubbles. The scene on the mid-right was changed to a scene which made it into the final storyboard plan, and the scene on bottom right features Valentine getting out of a car in half light, in pouring rain which would've been in slow motion. This was rejected because it would have been too complicated to produce because we would've had to set up a hose to spray water into the frame and we would've needed a cool car (such as a Range Rover as suggested in the storyboard) but both of these would be difficult.

R.K.

Ideas

These were the various ideas that we came up with for the teaser trailer. Some have been accepted whilst others have been modified or rejected.

School has been taken over and someone has to come and save the day. Hero has to be a bloke for comic effect, complete idiot. This is the centre of planning for the teaser and this is where further ideas have come from.
Bad guy defeated in a really odd way. Although this would be a good idea, a trailer isn't meant to show the outcome, so this had to be rejected.
Set in a school. This makes the shoot simple, as this makes arranging the shoots easier, finding locations is easier, there's no requirement to shoot on location and arranging the cast is much easier. Because the task of filming is much easier, a higher standard product can be produced. This was therefore accepted.
Must be funny and random over having a sophisticated plot. This is essential in all spoof comedies, the main focus is not on the plot but on characters dealing with their surroundings. This is a major influence in the creation of the treatment.
Villain is Austrian/Eastern European. At first this seemed a funny idea, as one of areas which spoof comedies draw humour from is regional accents, but we couldn't find anyone who would be able to do a convincing Eastern European accent and so this idea was swiftly dropped in favour of having evil students as the villains.
Borrow well knows lines from other films. This was discussed briefly during planning meetings and this has led to the idea for a James Bond style 'gun barrel sequence' with a comedic twist. Although this idea was good as spoofs do borrow features from other films of the genre they are intending to spoof, we were doubtful about whether we would be able to produce such a scene, and so the idea was quietly dropped.
Intelligent sidekick. From the start, this was our intention, the sidekick is intended to show up the main character for comedic effect, and the character of Smith the sidekick will be used to full effect in a number of scenes for this reason.
Couple of ‘agents’ in the school doing a talk when terrorist take over the school and they kick into action and save the day. Although there is nothing wrong with this idea, we came up with ideas for scenes which involved the agents arriving at the school, so this idea was dropped.
Roll a Mini. An idea put forward on a number occasions which was dropped due to lack of financially viability and possible health & safety issues.
Hero: Pierce Valentine. We wanted our hero to have a cool name which would contrast well to his nature, so this idea was accepted.
Sidekick: Ben Smith. This character is not meant to be significant and so therefore has a simple name, which, like in the case of Valentine, contrasts with his nature and personality, giving comic value to both characters.
Villain: Vladimir Cockoskii. Idea dropped with the creation of the evil students.
Valentine gets the woman at the end. An idea that commonly features in action movies which should therefore feature in our action-movie spoof, although with a few twists. The woman which Valentine gets in the end is featured in the trailer, but the two will not meet on screen.

R.K.

Film Certificate:

(As we are aiming our spoof movie for 15 and above, I have researched what can be included in a film certificated 15.)

Discrimination
The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drugs
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

Imitable Behaviour
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming)should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

Language
There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex
Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Violence
Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.

We understand the trailer we produce will not be able to contain many of these things as we are aware younger people could see it too. Scenes chosen to show in a trailer should be suitable for a younger age group than what the film is actually classified as, unless shown at specific times ie: after tv watershed.

D.N.

Spoof Movies...

A spoof movie is when comedy is used to imitate other films and ways of life while making it humorous. It also highlights funny characteristics that people take for granted. This is called parody. Parody and satire is always presented in a spoof movie. It keeps the audience entertained and keen to watch the whole way through.

Examples of spoof movies:

Scary Movie

Shaun of the dead

Austin Powers

Johnny English

Hot Fuzz

D.N

Research on 'teaser' trailers...

As our task is to make a teaser trailer, we looked into what a teaser trailer entails...

A teaser trailer is a short version of a movie trailer which is designed to pique the interest of the audience, getting them excited about an upcoming film. Teasers are released months in advance, sometimes as much as 18 months before the expected release date of the film, as they are used to build anticipation and curiosity about the films they advertise. Teaser trailers can be seen before feature films in some movie theatres, and they are also released online and shown on television.

Classically, a teaser trailer lasts between half a minute and a minute. It may include footage from the film, often in a rough stage, since the film has not been completed. In some cases, a teaser trailer is simply an abridged version of a regular movie trailer, including the film's tagline and key footage in a condensed version which is more television-friendly.

D.N.

Research on trailers...

We did some research into what a trailers is before we started to make our own...

Trailers are film advertisments for feature films that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema. They tell the story of a movie in a highly condensed fashion that must have maximum appeal. Trailers usually last two and a half minutes, the maximum length allowed by theartres.

Trailers consist of a series of selected shots from the film being advertised. Since the purpose of the trailer is to attract an audience to the film, these excerpts are usually drawn from the most exciting and funny parts of the film but in abbreviated form.

Most trailers have a three-act structure similar to a feature-length film. They start with a beginning that lays out the premise of the story. The middle that drives the story further and usually ends with a dramatic climax. And the last part usually features a strong peice of "signature music". It also may contain a cast run if there are noteworthy stars that could help sell the movie.

D.N.

What makes an action-spoof?

Observations from the 2007 film 'Hot Fuzz' which make up the basis of an action movie spoof comedy.

- Opening scene is tense, relieved with comedy in the following scene.
- The film depicts the police service in a cheesy and immature way.
- The response of a character to a situation is usually the opposite of what the audience expects.
- Simple dialogue.
- Music builds up to a tense situation, and then silence as the unexpected comedic response is viewed.
- Whip-pan camera angle during a comedic scene adds to humour.
- Simple camera angles.
- The film borrows stereotypical characteristics from other genres of film, such as horror.
- Very little soundtrack.
- Makes fun of different groups of society, e.g. teenagers. Use of regional accents. Rural communities.
- Huge contrast between different scenes.
- Normally only one or two main characters.
- Mise-en-scene is used for comic effect.
- References to popular culture.
- Characters names are usually silly.
- The two main characters are usually very different (e.g. Shaun and Ed in Shaun of the Dead, Nicholas and Danny in Hot Fuzz and Johnny and Boff in Johnny English).
- Unlike an actual action movie, Hot Fuzz shows very little between the action scenes.
- Use of comical sound effects such as cows.
- Tense scenes are dragged out for comic effect.
- Inappropriate soundtrack can be used for some scenes.

R.K.

A History of the Spy Film..

The spy film, or espionage film, deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a highly realistic way or more for fantasy. A common trait for spy films is the concept of the resourceful, witty and nigh-on invincible protagonist, who single-handedly saves the day, defeats the antagonist, and gets the girl. This trait can be most obviously seen in the popular spy film franchise the ‘James Bond’ series.

The spy genre began as a genre of film in the silent era, near the beginning of the First World War. Invasion Literature was big at the time and the paranoia associated with that caused the British to produce such films as the 1914 ‘The German Spy Peril’. In 1928, Fritz Lang made the film ‘Spies’ which contains many features that became popular in spy films many years on, including secret headquarters, an agent known by a number, and the beautiful foreign agent who comes to love the hero.

The Spy film was at its most popular in the 1960’s, when audiences Cold War fears were meshed with a desire to see new exciting and suspenseful films. At this point the spy film went in two different directions. One direction of the spy film was the realistic, serious direction. Realistic novels by espionage fiction writers were developed into serious Cold War thrillers, which dealt with some of the realities within the espionage world. At the same time, Albert R. Broccoli was adapting Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels into an increasingly farfetched series of tongue-in-cheek action/adventure/spy films, with Sean Connery as the star. These films dealt less with the reality of espionage and were largely fictitious.

Spy films had a slight revival in the late 1990’s, although these were mostly action films with espionage elements, or comedies like Austin Powers. Nowadays the spy films have moved away from fantasy espionage in favour of realism. This can be seen in the Bourne film series, and the more recent James Bond incarnations ‘Casino Royale’ and ‘Quantum of Solace’.

T.F.

Choosing Our Genre..

Within the world of film there are literally hundreds of genres for us to choose from for our trailer. Instead of going into all of those genres and sub-genres we simplified it down to five genres for us to choose from:

1. Comedy
2. Horror
3. Action
4. Spy/Espionage
5. Adventure

We narrowed it down to these five because they are 5 genres of film that we all appriciate as a group.

After not being able to decide what genre to focus on, we decided to throw a few of the genres together and decided that we should do an action/comedy/spy film, in the vein of Austin Powers or Johnny English.

T.F.

Our Journey Begins..

Hello and welcome to our production blog. For our A level media coursework we are making a teaser trailer for a film which may - but more than likely won't - be released in a cinema near you.