In the next few days, I plan to go out and film some shots for our final trailer. I will be taking any shots that include our villain (Slenderman) plus any other scenery shots I feel may be beneficial to our trailer. Here are some lists I have made to ensure the filming goes smoothly and efficiently.
Equipment List:
Video camera
Tripod
Slenderman costume
Storyboard
DSLR Camera (for taking photos of setting for poster and magazine cover)
Camera cases
Umbrella (To protect equipment in wet weather)
Shot List:
Longshot of woods to present location to audience.
Handheld running from Slenderman - focus on feet.
Quick zoom from longshot to extreme close up of Slenderman
Long shot/ Extreme long shot - Slenderman standing between trees.
In order to get a good idea of exactly what shots we are aiming for, we have created a storyboard. We will take this with us whenever we are filming so we don't forget any vital shots and maintain a clear vision of what our trailer should look like at all times.
I have created this test video out of very little footage - about 10 seconds worth - of a subject blinking. I used a close up shot to film as I think we will be using them a lot in our trailer so I wanted to get used to filming things at close range. In this sequence I have tried to create the impression of a dream like state, as though the subject is remembering something or daydreaming. I used effects such as 'dream' effect and raised the contrast of the video on iMovie, which created a light dreamlike effect. Making this has made me realise that editing can be used to make even the shortest and simplest of footage into something effective.
Going through our storyboard, a scene that stood out to me as being very important was the quick zoom up to our villain, Slenderman, as it is the first time he is seen in the trailer and if we pull it off effectively, it could be very shocking. In order to create this test video, I simply ran up to my subject holding the camera and then sped up the video on iMovie. After making this I have realised that when it comes to shooting this scene for real, we will need to steady the camera somehow, perhaps by purchasing a tripod with wheels, as the footage is too shaky when sped up without the aid of a tripod.
In our trailer, we are planning to include a lot of fast action scenes, so I decided to practice filming a scene that includes fast action (running). After watching several existing horror trailers, I have noticed that in order to keep the speed of the action going, the camera shots and angles change rapidly. Even if the same person remains in focus, the camera will focus on a different parts of their body every few seconds, for example, for a simple scene with someone running down a street, there may first be a long shot of them running to establish what it happening and then a close up of their face and then of their feet and so on. I have tried to do this in this test video by taking lots of raw footage from different angles and then editing it on iMovie so that the shot changes every few seconds.
In our trailer, we are hoping to include a small conversation, one a lot shorter than the example in this video. I knew previously that a shot reverse shot is often used to effectively film scenes including conversations, so I decided that it would be wise to practice this method so we can use it in our trailer to make it seem more professional. I asked two volunteers to talk about something while I filmed them from various angles, starting with a two shot including both subjects, then zooming up on each subject's face, then filming over the shoulder of one subject and finally switching to film over the shoulder of the other. Once I had my raw footage, I used iMovie to edit it all together and add music and sound effects. I decided to include a fake conversation sound effect, as the conditions in which I was filming were not quiet enough to pick up any real conversation without interference. I may at a later date ask my volunteers to come back and record over the film with the iMovie narration tool.
I have decided that it will be a good idea for me to take some test shots using a video camera and tripod, in order to trial and practice some of the shots that we will hopefully be using for our final trailer. After looking at our storyboard for the shots that we plan to include in our trailer, I decided to try out a conversation scene including a shot-reverse-shot, a scene of someone running shot from different angles including from a high angle and a scene in which post production editing would be needed in order to create a quick zoom effect. I chose to practice these shots in particular as they stood out to me as ones that could be very effective if done properly and I think it is extremely important that we get them right. By practicing these filming methods, I now feel more confident about capturing the same shots for our real trailer and will know exactly what to do when it comes to it, which will save our group valuable time.
On the completion of our prelim trailer, we showed our teacher and asked her to give us some feedback, in order for us to know what we need to do to create an even better real trailer. This is what she came back with:
The trailer looks professional and polished - good first attempt.
You have kept it basic and simple, focusing on the key aspects that make the trailer scary for the audience.
Try and remember that the fewer people you include in your trailer, the better, as this means less people to have to introduce and explain, which can be very confusing for the audience.
Film more while you are out filming so you have more footage to work with when it comes to editing - always shoot more footage than you need.
Include more shots in your footage, such as extreme close ups for dramatic effect and also take the same shot several times from different angles so you can cut between them for a more professional look.
Include more natural sound, rather than just effects. You could have used real breathing during the running scenes in your trailer, which would have been much more effective.
Receiving this feedback means we now know exactly what we need to do in order to improve our skills and make our horror trailer as professional as possible.
Our group has produced a prelim trailer in order to practice using the equipment needed to shoot our real trailer and also production and editing techniques. We decided to make a parody of our own narrative so we could get an idea of what shots we might use in our real trailer, without having to make it too serious. We tried to include as many different shots as we could in our trailer, including:
Long shot
Extreme long shot
Close up
Mid shot
Handheld
We also tried to experiment with camera angles, for example, at one point, the camera is angled upwards at the villain, giving the impression that the victim has fallen to the ground. This gives the villain a very dominating presence and makes it scary for the audience to watch as it emphasises the victims vulnerability.
By experimenting with shots and angles, we have learned what works well and what does not, which will make choosing what shots to include in our storyboard much easier. It will be vital for us to use a variety of shots in order for us to maintain the interest of our audience for the duration of our real trailer, so this task has given us a great opportunity to try and test several of them.
After shooting all of the footage we needed, we then edited it using the program iMovie. On here we could cut our footage and add effects, such as fast and slow motion, which is featured quite a lot in our trailer, zooms and titles. We were also able to add non-diegetic sound, such as music and sound effects. We chose to feature a heartbeat sound effect, as it creates the impression of fear and works well with the shots of the victim running. We also added psycho strings at the end as the camera quickly zooms in on the villains face. The contrast between the quiet, ominous heartbeat and the sudden screeching of the psycho strings creates a real shock factor for the audience.
Although making this trailer was good practice and a decent start, there is a lot we can learn from it and that we can improve to make our real trailer as professional as possible. Some examples of this are:
The font used for titles - The fonts we have used are not the kind of fonts that would be associated with Horror and make the trailer seem quite amateur. In our real trailer, we must ensure that we use professional looking fonts in order to create the desired impact.
Take much more footage - When we went to edit our prelim trailer, we realised we did not actually have much footage to work with. When we are working on our real trailer, we must make sure we have lost of footage to work with, as it is better to have too much that we can cut out than not enough.
We must remember to add details - Small details such as copyright notices and company logos will make the difference between our trailer looking professional or amateur. We have forgotten to put any of these details into our prelim trailer, so must include them in the real thing.
