LO4: Evaluation (D2)

The White Room Trailer Evaluation.

Below I have attempted to explain our final product based on the original idea we had as a team. I have also showed using the software which we used how we have arrived at this conclusion.


1) Crosscutting sequence between Christopher Bates and Arron preparing to go out.

- Why did we include this?

The key part of both the first half of the trailer for our film and the start of the film itself was the idea of the protagonist and antagonist being contrasted to each other through the process of them getting ready to leave their homes. I personally had this idea based on the opening of Alan Moore's famous comic book series "V for Vendetta" and its film adaptation in which a similar process is used to introduce the narrative's two main characters. The sequence of shots we took for this part are included until the nine second mark (excluding the shot of Wayne's dialogue) where the second caption is shown. We decided that these shots would make the audience question the characters motivations as that several of them feature more suspicious props such as used bullet casings and a large knife.

- How did we achieve our desired effect?

In creating these shots we had to make sure that we could clearly distinguish the two characters from each other even in the shots where they were not included. In order to do this we made sure that the two characters homes would be lit in different ways. For example we used a polarizing lens on the cameras when filming some of the shots in the house of our antagonist Aarons house so that the shots would look much different to those in the home of Chris. As well as this we also applied some visual effects to the opening shot of Chris's face. This can be seen below.

2) Ticking clock sound effect over the trailer's shots

- Why did we include this?

This was one of the ideas which was also a pastiche from another trailer. In this case it was Christopher Nolan's 2017 film "Dunkirk." In this trailer the idea of using a ticking sound helped to give the trailer a sense of pace and meant that the viewer could anticipate the change of shots so that they felt more comfortable viewing it. We decided that we should use the same technique In our trailer as that it helps to convey the idea of time running out (in the case of our film this being until Christopher is kidnaped)

- How did we achieve or desired effect?

The process of creating this effect in the trailer was to be a complex one. It involved finding the right sound effect online and then using adobe premiere to speed up the clock ticking nearer the end of the trailer (this would escalate the tension)

3) Title shot

Why did we include this? 
When creating the trailer we decided that we wanted a dark final shot as that it would fit the themes and tone of the product which we were advertising. This shot would fit the conventional dark title that thriller films tend to have.


How did we achieve the desired effect?
The title shot at the end of the trailer Was made on photoshop by creating the text on a black background then deleting the background layer and cutting away the interior of the white lettering which I had used. This worked as that premiere supports transparent images. This meant that when I placed the image (which I had prepared in the same size of the frames of the trailer) over the final scenes of the trailer it appeared that the shots were beneath the lettering of the title. 

This was my initial sketch of this shot created for planning.

This is the final shot which was featured I'm the trailer. 

4) Slider shots.

Why did we include this?
The idea of using a slider shot came t me while watching the film "Bronson" which includes one near the end. The use of this shot adds to the tension of the scene which it is shown in. In this scene the title character is waiting for the door to broken down by the police. I decided that using slider shots and several were prepared in both Jacob and matts houses when we were filming. Some of these were used in the final film such as the ones on the window ledges of both houses and under the table at Cafe Creme however we decided to omit several which can be seen in my footage log of underneath Jacobs door.
I felt that this shot added to the tension of the final piece in a great way.

How did we create this effect?
I created this effect by positioning a camera slider on a tripod and making user that it was on a 180 degree angle with the floor and on the same level as the windowsill. The positioning of the windowsill was very important as tat I would need to transition between the two shots and are it look like a professional transition. Belo I have inserted an image with me setting up this camera setup for use in Matts house.

5) chosen dialogue 

Why did we include this?
The idea of having dialogue in our trailer was a contested idea within the group as that some of us (Me included) thought that too much dialogue would give away the ending of our film which would spoil the narrative and mean that people would be less likely to watch it based on our trailer. However, when we presented a version of the trailer which contained no dialogue the feedback stated that we should include some in order to give the viewer some more outlook on the story so that they knew what tone the trailer was trying to convey.
In the end the final version of our trailer does include some dialogue but far less than in earlier drafts as that as a group we decided to reach as compromise.
As for selecting the correct dialogue we decided that we should defiantly go with a line which would make the audience feel intimidated which s why we have used the character of Wayne asking Aaron "Do you know when the hit will take place?"

How did we achieve our desired effect?
There were several issues that we encountered when filming our dialogue scenes. The main issue being that most of our audio featured a loud hissing noise which had to be edited out. I did this in adobe audition. After this we had to cut the whole scene down to just the piece of dialogue which we wanted to use. This was done in adobe premiere.



Strengths of the final promo:

I feel that the way our trailer is paced well based on the other trailers which I have studied for the LO1 section of this blog. The main idea which we gained inspiration from was the use of the ticking clock in order to pace the trailer for Nolan's "Dunkirk". This idea we used and I feel we have utilised well.
I also feel that while we have matched our production to the storyboards we created for the film we have adapted our camera work while filming in order to create shots which are of a more professional nature. Through this I feel that our final trailer is of a higher quality than if we had simply followed all of our production plans exactly.

Improvements: 

There are several things that we were tasked with fixing in order to make the trailer in order to make a final version which would satisfy our client.

- "Do you know when the hit will take place" - The line has too much echo.

- Pace - Too slow last 15 seconds, needs to be faster both visuals and clock ticking.


In response to this feedback we decided that it would be of use to us to create one more version of our trailer which I have inserted below. I feel that this final version definitively addresses this feeback by tackling the issues presented.

There are several changes in this version of the white room's trailer. The first of these is that the ticking noise, I feel, has been made to sound far more professional. We have changed it by making sure that the ambient sound surrounding each tick is always there and never cut which was creating a skipping sound before. As well as this I feel that the issue of Wayne's echo has been dealt with as best as it possibly can be. 

Conclusion:
In conclusion I feel like my team has created a product which fits the codes and conventions of a movie trailer as well as the guidelines we laid out with our initial ideas. We have done this using a range of professional hardware and software as to ensure the high quality of final piece.