A2, Post 22, So where have I been all this time?

Location, location, location.... A topic that has been dogging my every waking moment since the start of September... I was to create a trailer for a wildlife documentary, but where would I go to film the wildlife?

Naturally a few thoughts instantly come to mind such as the African plaines or perhaps the great barrier reef, but of course these were WAY out of reach, so I started to think a little closer to home with the following options:

1. The lake district

Admittedly not the best place for wildlife (To spaced out) but breathtaking potential for some panning or even time-lapse shots. Despite this potential though it was simply to far away and I had to find a compromise.

2. Breacon beacons

Not on quite the same scale as the Lake district but far more accessible, now, I DID manage to get here with filming in mind but tragically the camera broke on the first day, so I had to accept that my mountain shots were simply not to be.

3. The forest of Dean

By far one of the most beautiful places in the UK and perfect for filming wildlife up close and personal. The only downside being distance.. after quite the reality check I was forced to look even closer to home, but even still.. it's amazing what you can find when you look hard enough...

4. Blenhiem Palace

Hidden in plain sight was this architectural gem...but it was not the palace I was looking at, it was the 2000 acres of parkland surrounding it; complete with lake and waterfall, this was perfect:

(All below photos of Blenhiem are of my own taking)

The cascades provided the perfect level of drama for the production.

Even the parkland itself was breathtaking to behold and provided some magnificent panning shots

A view of the lake and the park gives a sense of scale to this magnificent location.

The parkland of Blenhiem Palace was used for a large amount of shot, not all of which made it into the final cut. But the setting of the lake was perfect for some stunning panning shots.

In addition to the Palace grounds I also took advantage of a road trip to Bournemouth in which I spent 6 hours in the local 'oceanarium', this provided the bulk of my shots as can be seen in the final out come of my project.

A2, Post 21, Ancillary texts

When I first chose these side projects I thought they would be a walk in the park to be honest. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

1. Make a film poster...
When reading this the first thing that came into my mind was Microsoft publisher, upon using that software I became aware of how amaturistic it looked compared to real world examples.

I enlisted Google images for a selection of movie posters with which I informed my work, I then faced the daunting task of putting it together. After painstakingly learning a new software I believe I have succeeded this to the level I intended.

I initially created a series of options from which I chose the best, and then I created 5 additional designs from that to create an overall piece that encompassed all the best bits from my research.

Below is the rough edit of the movie poster:

Overall I am very happy with this outcome as it has just the right levels of 'epic' and ambiguity to entice audiences, also, in a poll of roughly 50 people from all backgrounds (All year groups and staff), just over  40 said that this poster alone would swing the deal.

2. Make a film magazine front cover featuring your film:
This one was never going to be easy and required a lot of research, I could use 1 of 2 routes;
- Create a totally original piece ;
- Base project around existing publication but add as much original content as possible.

I opted for the second so that I at least had something to use as a template (I am a complete and utter beginner at photoshop).

I began by researching a number of film and media related magazines and ended up with "EMPIRE", a publication I have subscribed to.

Creating this piece was no mean feat, after about 3 months I managed to customise a similar font and format a layout that simulates the real thing to a high standard... all that remained was to add the actual 'filmy' bits.

Adding little magazine tidbits was fairly simple, but when it came to adding the section of my own film I hit a dilemma; do I make my production fill all the space or add it as if it was just another one of the films featured in this issue... I opted for the latter as covering the page in my film seemed to similar to the poster brief.

Below is the rough edit of the second ancillary text:

A2; Post 20, Research into similar products

I am aware that I have already posted some information regarding my inspiration but i thought it best to include some more just to consolidate my project.

In order to create a high quality film trailer I spent a good deal of time researching some trailers from around the film industry. As I was aiming for drama and suspense I stuck to action and fantasy movies such as Iron Man or Stardust. just to get a clear idea, are a few examples of trailers that I aimed to simulate:

1. Stardust (Fairly upbeat fantasy)

2. Pirates of the Caribbean 1/2/3 & 4 (Dramatic with gravitas)

3. Jurassic park (More sinister but great drama)

The above trailers are all very good at advertising films but are they right for my project? I'm creating a trailer for a wildlife film, so obviously a trailer for a horror film is inappropriate (Jurassic park out), but I do not want in to follow the same formula as other light hearted trailers (Stardust out). PotC is left, but what do I do with it? I can not just lift the tune... but I can look at how it is edited, with a slowly building crescendo of action and drama; that's what I will use. But now I needed to look at how wildlife trailers were presented, time for a trip to the BBC.

Time to pad this blog out...

With the dealdine just around the metephorical corner it's time to ensure that this blog contains all that it should...followiung this post will be a stream of entries to make doubly sure that I have met all criteria for this blog.

If all goes according to plan the following influx of posts will include:
- Research into similar products;
- Audience research;
- Locations;
- Shotlists (Hopefully I can get the scanner to work so I can upload the storyboard);
- Time Management.

In addition I aim to include a post detailing my ancillary texts and also to post my final piece.

A2, Post 19, Actual rough edit

Its been a while since my last post, this has been due to frantic levels of editing to glue both halves of the rough edit together, having now done that, here it is...

There are still a few minor timing issues but these will be sorted out in the next hour.
The final cut will be posted ASAP along with an evaluation and the finished ancillary texts

A2, Post 18, Rough Edit

Bit late but I have finally got together all planned filming and constructed a rough edit of sorts that is veiwable at the end of this post.

Only half of the piece is viewable as some of the file types are uncompatible with the software I'm using so after some converting I will be able to post the rest of it.

Please bear in mind that this is a first draft and there are some timing issues etc...

Rough edit 1:

A2, Post 17, Ancillary texts

Brief:

- A promotional package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together will two of the following three options:
          - A website homapage for the film;
          - A film magazine front cover, featuring the film;
          - A poster for the film.

I have chosen the second two texts (Magazine cover and poster) and aim to complete both of them inside of a week (I am aware that this is a tight deadline but owing to previous experience I believe I can achieve this).

I will repliate the front page of an edition of 'EMPIRE' magazine and work from that to create the poster.

The reason I have chosen this publication is that each issue features a vast array of items on the cover and keeps the eyes busy when reading it.

I hope to post a powerpoint showing my intentions in the near future.