Script Drafts

This was my second version of my final draft in which I made only a few minor changes to the script but felt it was necessary as it allowed me to improve the overall layout and produce a neater copy that was much easier for me to understand when copying up my final version.

 

 

Final Storyboard

 My final storyboard consists of 52 shots in which I have included what shot types will be used, what audio I will feature and what the main plot of that scene will be. After completing my draft, I made only a few small changes to my final version such as changing the order of a few scenes in order to fit the genre and overall storyline of the trailer.

 

Also, once I get to the editing stage I will include various credits and a film company logo within certain cuts between shots, this is something I have not included into my storyboard as I feel they will be more of a final touch and may only suit certain scenes within the trailer.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Storyboard Draft

 This was a few pages from my storyboard draft that I had completed after mind mapping and completing my research. Due to my planning of the overall storyboard I had not needed to complete a full length draft so then went straight on to completing my final version for the trailer.  

 

 

Montage Planning

 

When planning my storyboard, I knew from the beginning that I wanted my trailer to feature a montage near the end so to help me plan which scenes to put where, I used post stick notes that allowed me to draw out what I wanted in each shot and then swap and change scenes around that I needed to. Once I had finally placed all the scenes in the right places, I then finalised my storyboard by drawing them in with pen.

 

Camera Techniques Workshop

Over the last few lessons, as a class we took part in a camera workshop session in which I learnt some important rules and techniques that I should consider when filming my psychological thriller trailer:

• One of the first techniques we looked at during this workshop was the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is a concept in film production in which the frame is divided into nine imaginary sections. This creates reference points which act as guides for framing the image. Points of interest should occur at 1/3 or 2/3 of the way up the frame, rather than in the centre. This not always necessary but it is one of those rules that should be understood well before you break it.

• In regards to the rule of thirds, we then looked at breaking it by placing the subject in the center of the shot which makes the audience feel uncomfortable and creates an uneasy frame. This is an unconventional technique that some directors use which must be well thought out in order to be effective.

• Another technique we looked at is the use of zoom, we learnt that to capture an effective close up shot you must always use the zoom tool on the camera rather than just standing closer to the subject, this is to prevent the camera from distorting the subject.

•  We then looked at talking room and walking room to ensure that there is always a space in front of wherever the subject is talking or walking to ensure that it is a comfortable shot for the audience to watch.

• We also looked at headroom, where you should always make sure that there is not too much empty headroom above the subject so that the shot is not uncomfortable and unorganised for the audience to view.

• The use of tripods was another essential film making tip that we looked at to ensure that you get a steady framed shot. Furthermore by using a tripod, it helps to make the shot look more organised and professional.

• We also learnt about how to shoot two or three people in conversation, which would consist of a master shot - to establish the characters surroundings, and two over the shoulder shots - one from each character to allow the audience to see where they are in relation to each other.

Storyboard Planning

To enable me to create my storyboard for my trailer, I conducted some research into the symptoms and effects that psychosis and schizophrenia can have on a person, this helped me when creating my storyboard as it enabled me to gain a greater understanding of the mental disorder that my protagonist will experience.

 

 

Furthermore, before drafting my storyboard I began mind mapping various scenes which I had already planned to include within my trailer. This was done to help me work out which scenes should go where as I knew some of the scenes I wanted to include but was unclear on where I should place them in my storyboard. Therefore this also quickened the pace of creating my storyboard as I had planned my scenes in advance.

 

Conclusion of Survey Results

After reading through each individual response to my survey, the answers provided allowed me to have a deeper understanding of what the audience would typically want to see from a psychological thriller trailer.
For example,

• I have gained knowledge as to what type of locations I should incorporate into my trailer such as enclosed environments to show the protagonists confinement, abandoned buildings to create a sense of loneliness for the main character, places that are significant to the protagonists personal life and dark settings such as being outside at night. These dark settings which would follow the forms and conventions of a psychological thriller trailer would create a mysterious, more intense atmosphere for the audience.

 

• In regards to what style of music I should include into my trailer, most people have responded in saying that they would expect to see deep orchestral music that doesn't include vocals. By not including music with vocals, it allows the dialogue and voice over narration to be heard and understood by the audience more clearly whilst also making the trailer overall seem more dramatic and intense. The audience also responded in saying that they would want to hear loud, dramatic music that starts slow and then picks up the pace towards the end of the trailer to increase tension which would be representative to the tone of the scene.

• When asked how the use of voice over narration would help convey the storyline, the audience expressed that it would help to tell the storyline at a faster pace therefore allowing the audience to gain an understanding of the trailer and an insight into the main concept of the film. Further responses informed me that it would help to show the characters feelings and the state of mind they are in, which is particularly helpful for my genre as a psychological thriller trailer , it would also help consolidate the storyline when clips of the protagonist are in different locations.

• My audience informed me of how and why jump cuts and straight cuts would be more effective than using dissolves and fade in/outs, some answers stating that they would be more effective as they are more jarring and makes the audience feel more uncomfortable, they would also be effective because they would speed up things during the film and therefore make the trailer more intense and make it more relatable to the psychological side to the trailer. However, some responses informed me that although jump cuts and straight cuts will be effective, dissolves and fade in/outs will be too. For example, one member of the audience told me that both are effective as fading into black would build up tension and jump cuts would show the fast, scary parts of the film, therefore I have decided on using a mixture of both types of cuts throughout various stages in the trailer.

• In terms of which types of camera shots I should include into my trailer, the audience expressed that a wide variety of shot types should be used throughout. Extreme close ups got the highest number of votes, followed by close ups, high angle shots and low angle shots all gaining the same amount of votes. The audience also expressed that over the shoulder shots and master shots should be incorporated into the trailer, therefore I will use various different camera shots throughout my psychological thriller trailer to convey the main storyline to the audience.

• When asked whether high key lighting, low key lighting or a mixture of both should be used, most of the audience responded in saying that the would expect to see mostly a mixture of the two but that low key lighting on its own would also be effective for the genre I have chosen.

• I have also gained an insight into how the audience would expect tension to be built up, most responses stated that they would expect the tension the build up slowly over a length of time but have different levels of tension throughout the trailer to throw the audience and make it more uneasy and uncomfortable to watch. Other responses informed me that combining music with various shots will increase the tension whilst also adding in more close ups and extreme close up shots towards the end of the trailer will help me achieve this. Furthermore, cuts should become quicker and characters voices should become louder and more distressed to build a climax.

• In regards to how much dialogue should be used in my trailer, most of my audience would want enough dialogue to give an insight into what the film is about and because their voice tells the story of their distress and their emotions that need to be conveyed. However, some of my audience expect to see little dialogue so that the psychological effects that the protagonist is experiencing are portrayed through mise-en-scene and the various camera shots used.

• When asked what clothing the audience would expect to see in a psychological thriller, most responses revealed that they would expect a mixture of normal, everyday clothes and different coloured clothing to symbolise the characters personalities, also dark clothing that could possibly be torn or dirty to show their psychological state was suggested.

Overall, from analysing my survey results I have gained a wider insight into exactly what the audience are expecting to see from my psychological thriller trailer therefore I will use this information to help me in my planning for the rest of this project.