Codes and Conventions

Codes and conventions

Horror Trailer

• "Best bits” of the film is shown to attract viewers.
• A disruption to normality happens 
• The title of the film and the credits are usually shown at the end of the trailer.
• The music is indicating that a frightful moment is coming up. For example. The music quickens or becomes a higher pitch.
• Usually shown in a isolated location.
• The action is interrupted by credits on the screen.
• Dramatic angles show more of the character, high shot, low shot, close up.
• Commonly used dialogue, “who's there?”, “help me” and “what do you want?”.
• Dark scary atmosphere-stormy day, dark clouds or at night.
• “Well known” actors are usually used.
• High pitched screams and other noises.

Codes and Conventions of Film Trailers

1. Codes and Conventions
2. Film Trailers
3. 
   

Russian theorist, Tzvetan Todorov, suggests that all narratives follow a three part structure. They begin with equilibrium, where everything is balanced, progress as something comes along to disrupt that equilibrium, and finally reach a resolution, when equilibrium is restored. 

There are many codes and conventions of trailers, although all trailers are different, they stick to a general list of rules because they have been tried and tested and equal a successful trailer if followed. However over the years trailers have changed and evolved, as have their films and audiences:

•  Film production logos - usually within the first part of the trailer, the film production logo will be shown. The production company's reputation can benefit the film trailer, for example if people have seen and enjoyed another FilmFour film, then they may see the logo on a new trailer and decide to watch it because they enjoyed the last film they created. It also creates an idea of the type of film the trailer is trying to sell. For example people will see a DreamWorks logo and know that it will have a big budget, and they have a reputation of making family friendly films.
• Film Title - the film title is in every trailer, so you know which film it is you want to watch and it is generally at the end of the trailer, so that you see if after you are already interested in the film and you are more likely to remember it. The font, colouring and back drop are also usually a good clue as to the genre of the film. For example Kick Ass and We're The Millers look more comedic and light hearted because of their bright colours and friendly font, whereas The Conjuring is evidently a horror, shown by its dark back ground and ominous white font.
• BBFC Age Certification - any film released in the UK is awarded an age certification by the British Board of Film Classification, and the age is shown towards the end of a film trailer. This provides a guideline for the target audience age, for example if the film is awarded a U certificate, its a family friendly film, and therefore you will get many children going to watch it. It also means that people younger than the age certificate won't be lead onto think they can go watch the film in the cinema. Film certification is also very important because it can hint at the content of the film. If a film has a 15 certificate, the audience can guess that there may be moderate to higher levels of violence, sexual scenes and bad language, so if the audience member doesn't enjoy that type of film, they won't go to watch it, and vice versa they might enjoy that type of film.
• Social Media - a new convention of film trailers is to add website URLs, twitter 'hashtags' or accounts to follow, or instructions to 'like' their Facebook page. This encourages the audience to find out more about the film and also if many people are talking about the film on social networking sites word-of-mouth can become an effective advertising campaign. The popularity of Twitter means that millions of people across the world can tweet about a new film coming out, spreading the word and gaining the interest of millions of other people.
• Character Introductions - an important feature of film trailers is character introductions, whether they have big Hollywood actors or not. This is essential because an audience get pleasure from films by connecting and relating to the characters, by their individual similarities, for example if there is a prominent young female character, people from the target audience who are young and or female connect to the character and are more likely to go watch the film. Also if the film has famous actors and or actress', and the audience have enjoyed some of their previous films, or are fans, they might go watch the new film because they know that they enjoy the actor's work. If the actors are famous then they will often be accompanied by a caption with their name, so their reputation benefits the film.
• Music and Voice overs - music is a key feature, and can make or break the film trailers. They show the pace of film, genre and often the budget, for example a film may ask an artist to specially make a soundtrack for their film, the bigger the film budget, the bigger the artists on the soundtrack. And people may think that a bigger budget means a better film. Voice overs are important to guide the audience through the film plot and characters. A voice over can either be an external voice which is added on top of the footage, or the voice over can be sections of dialogue from the actual film.
• Name Captions - in every trailer there will be name captions, these can be actor's names, director's names or producer's names. This is important because an audience can see a director or producer which they are either fans of, or weren't. Directors like Quentin Tarantino and Tim Burton have particular filming styles, and having their name on the trailer allows the audience to decide if they like the style of the new film, and whether they will watch it. However often on a trailers, the captions can be deceiving, by saying things like endorsed by QUENTIN TARANTINO, and people will see his name and flock to the cinema to see the new Tarantino film, when in actual fact, he has just agreed to have his name mentioned in the trailer because he enjoyed the film. This technique is a clever way of attracting a large audience, when it may not star big Hollywood names or have a famous director of their own to brag about.
• Time Length - usually a film will have more than one trailer made, with different sections of the film edited together. There is always an official full trailer which lasts sometime between 1.30 -2 minutes, but often you will find, especially in horror, action or thriller films, they have shorter 10 second trailers which help build hype and will just have a short clip which may or may not have the film title shown.
• Release date - this is essential for attracting a large audience to the opening night of a film release. The release date is shown on trailers a couple of weeks before the film is released, giving time for a wide audience to have seen it, but close enough to the date that people can plan to see it soon, rather than forgetting about it by the time the date comes around. The release date is usually shown at the end of the trailer, like the film title, so that the trailer grabs the audience's attention then gives them the information they need to go see it.
• Different paces - it is common for a lot of film trailers to be fast paced, in order to show as many clips of the film as possible in order to give an idea of the narrative. However, sometimes the trailer starts slow paced and becomes faster, in order to build up tension throughout, whilst building up to a climax. For example, in the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ trailer, the beginning shots are commonly long, to show the fancy dresses and scenery which contrasts to the rest of the film due to the dark and eerie mood that is created. By having the beginning shots slower and building up the pace it creates more of an atmosphere.
• Shot length - the length of shots varies considerably, from less than a second, to a few seconds, to a longer period of time. Although a few seconds does not seem long, in a film trailer each second counts. If there is a shot that is intended to build up tension, for example in a thriller, you could have a shot of somebody heavy breathing, this could last longer to build up the suspense. However, you could then have a shot of less than a second showing a scary figure jumping out at the person. The effect of the shot length being short in a thriller is that usually these have the potential to make you jump, especially if it is before a long take, where the audience aren’t expecting it yet. Short shots usually show mini-clips of things in the film that may be important to the plot, whereas longer shots may be there to give more information about the storyline.

Vladimir Propp proposed the idea that in 100 tales that he analysed there were 7 set character types that can be applied to almost any other pieces of media. The Hero (seeks something), the villain (opposes the hero), the donor (prepares the hero, gives them something to aid them), the dispatcher (sends the hero on his way), the false hero (falsely assuming the role of hero), the helper (gives support to the hero), the princess (the reward for the hero but also needs to be protected from the villain) - Note: Sometimes a character can take up more than one character type

Equilibrium Typical equilibrium – the hero is at home/work/school doing their day to day business. Disruption Hero finds out about hidden power or quest and leaves to fix an issue or acquire an object but an enemy stands in the way. Return to Equilibrium Hero lives happily after resolving the issue at hand. Recognition of Disruption Devises plan to take down enemy and acquire what the hero set out to find. Attempts to Repair Disruption Battle with the enemy in a quest to gain what the hero set out to find.

Audience Research - Action

Audience Research

Action

As most would expect action movies attract generally a male audience as it's stereotypical for men to be drawn to violence and guns and gore. Women don't tend to see as many action films and prefer a film with romance or drama that isn't so far fetched and they could imagine their lives being like. Men also don't worry too much about an intricate plot, as long as there's a hero and got girls with lots of explosions and guns then they're usually happy.

Most male teenagers love a good adrenaline burst so watching a good movie filled with action which is sure to get your heart pumping would appeal to those who have not yet reached adulthood. This interest in the action genre could continue into adulthood extending the age range to 40+ zone however sometimes adults prefer to slow down from then which means the films loses those aged 50+. Action films appeal to the younger generation making them the majority and the primary audience.

People who go see action films are usually interested in gunfights, catchy quips, escapism, adrenaline burst etc. People who watch this film wouldn't go just because the could go, there has to be something that appeals to their interests. Be it there love for comedy, action, huge idea of escapism or the concept of all the action making your body brim with adrenaline through the action scenes.

Overall the type of person who like action is a male teenager to young adult who has an interest in gore and violence and they like guns or chase scenes etc (both conventions of an action film).

Audience Research - Romance

Audience Research

Romance

Romantic films are most commonly watched by girls instead of boys as girls as more interested in the idea of love and eternal happiness. Even if guys did like this it may be hard to announce that in this world, especially in front of friends who would probably laugh at you for it. A romance film has all the bits girls love, the idyllic settings, the cute guy and the loving relationship that defies all odds and manages to survive and provide them both with love and security - this is what girls aspire to have in their lives. Guys whereas are more likely to want to be the hero (like in action films) or the brave person (like in horror films) instead of being all soppy and romantic (like in romance films).

Romance films tend to attract more teen/young adult audience who aspire to have love in their life - older audiences either have love in their life and so don't need to see films about it anymore and would much prefer to see comedies or action or they realise life isn't like a movie and they will never find this love of their life and so find these movies a sham and refuse to watch anymore. 

Romantic films are generally watched by groups of teenage girls or couples, the genre is popular with couples as it creates a nice atmosphere for the couple to enjoy each other's company and to relate to what they see on screen. Traditionally less serious film fans go to romantic films due to the less artsy and more relaxed nature so the amount that win Oscars and such are very low. Rom-coms traditionally don't tackle as harsh subjects as dramas or even other romantic films as they incorporate the comedy aspects to it but still do combat subjects such as heart break or infidelity. 

Overall romance films tend to be watched by teenage girls aged 13-18 who are looking for love and a happy ending in life or couples who relate to what's on screen.

Audience Research - Thriller

Audience Research
Thriller

The target audience of thrillers tends to be fairly similar to horror as the films follow very similar conventions (low key lighting, dark plots, blood and guts etc) therefore just like horror films, thriller films tend to attract audiences of 15-25 with films falling either under the 15 or 18 certificate ratings. To gain a wider target audience and improve profits most thriller films (like horror films) tend to very rarely have an 18 certificate as you can still get just the right amount of violence and blood whilst keeping the film at a 15 certificate and therefore not blocking out over a quarter of your potential audience. Having said that a lot of the target audiences for Psychological thrillers are 18+ as they involve a lot of violence and psychological issues which would be disturbing for younger viewers, this could cause nightmares for younger viewers and cause them to be very scared for a longer period of time. Also Political Thrillers appeal to an older target audience of both genders, as it has more political interest which stereotypically interest the older generation rather than the younger generation. 15+ is usually the age rating so people above the age of 15, but also 18+ as you have to be over 18 to vote politically and be involved in publics so that has a factor. Action films normally attract a mature audience as most contain strong language and violence scenes.

Similarly to horror films audiences of thriller films tend to be groups of friends however there are key groups of audiences who often see thriller movies. Couples who are either on a first date or have been in a relationship for a long time but not married commonly go and see horror films. The comfort that is needed after a horror film is perfect to make a first date successful, also it's a good conversation starter after the film and therefore popular conversation choice.

One variation from horror films would probably be the gender who go see the film, horror films tend to attract predominantly male audiences whereas thriller films attract a more even ratio of men and woman. Research that shows that females are more attracted to psychological thrillers because they enjoy the story behind the events that take place in the movie, it has also been shown females like the intellectual side of strange psychologically challenging behaviour that features in psychological thriller. Action Thrillers tend to be most watched by males who like high intense action but also some women as most actors are male so if the female is attracted to the male character that could influence them to watch a action thriller and also vice versa if a male finds a particular female character in the film attractive. With Spy Thrillers the protagonist is usually a male which sets a role model for the male audiences, showing Maslow’s theory of Self Actualization from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. 

Overall the general demographic for an audience watching a thriller movie is an even split between men and woman and attracts both young and old alike but tends to lean more towards the older viewers as it tends to have more complex plots and younger people may prefer horror as they seek cheap thrills.

Audience Research - Comedy

Audience Research

Comedy

Statistics show that 64% of people like watching a comedy film showing it appeals to a wide range of people and is also the most popular out of all other genres (horror = 32%, romance 26%, action = 50%). Having said this the highest grossing films of all time are usually action or adventure films with comedy films slightly further down the list showing people might be more likely to go see a film at the cinema for its stunning visuals (common in action/adventure films) not often seen in comedies and therefore comedies don't perform as well as hoped and to be a massive success they have to attract wide audiences of all ages.

The usual age for someone watching a comedy movie is very dependent on the content of the film, for example children’s films labelled as PG’s or U’s can have comical scenes in which would link it to the comedy genre the films would appeal to young children as well as parents as they are often family film, however the audience would be completely different for a comedy film labelled as a 12 or a 15, these films have the target audience of the certificated age given to the movie as the base, the movies are likely to appeal to people over the labelled age of film simply because comedy has a large target market appealing to larger proportion of the comedy theme market. The final age partition of the comedy target audience is 18 certificates, these film although still based around comedy are often more explicit in terms of language and scenes, making the film heavily aimed at the over 18s. 

Romantic comedies tend to be incredibly popular with females aged 15-30 with action adventure films being popular with males of the same age but not as popular as comedies. Males of all ages prefer comedy over action, fantasy horror, science fiction and all other genres which surprises me as I would have assumed the most popular genre for men would have been action. This shows that comedies have a much bigger target audience than I first would have thought and appeal to old as well as young men. Females also love comedy films with it being the most popular genre above thriller, action, family and all other genres. Romantic comedies and drama were the only other two genres who were nearly as popular again showing that comedies appeal to a wide audience - more than just teenagers and parents.

Overall the target audience is much more broad than I first imagined with comedy films being very popular with the old as well as the young and appealing to both genders when at first I thought it may have been more for males. 

Audience Research - Drama

Audience Research

Drama

Drama films have become increasingly more popular in the general public’s eye as well as becoming commercially successful; films such as Titanic, Forest Gump and The Kings Speech are all examples of great dramas that have performed well at the box office and proved popular with audiences. Drama films appeal to several different ages for very similar reasons, people like to escape from their everyday lives, people go to the cinema to have fun and enjoy them self and see an idealised version of life.

People seem to like dramas as they make life seem interesting yet can relate to peoples personal situations, unlike other genres they captivate people because they’re realistic most of the time, people can imagine them self in the movie. Drama is essential in plays, movies, music, and even jokes.

Females more than males seem to be interested in dramas as there's less explosions and more heart felt moments which is more what women look for in a film whereas men tend to want car chases and shoot outs. For a man to cry in the cinema is not so common so dramas tend to be more aimed at women who are stereo typically more obsessed with the idea of 'true love' and having a perfect life. Men on the other hand 

Audience Research - Horror

Audience Research

Horror

The usual age for someone watching a horror movie is between 15 and 25, during young adulthood they are in the key stages of developing themselves and learning more about the world. They want to try new things and experiment with different emotions and feelings. They want to rush into life without being guided and therefore seek all thrill they can get, horror movies provide this thrill and can excite the young audience easier than an older one. The young audience are also less susceptible to being put off the film by violence or unnatural images which may make older audiences feel negative towards the film.

As we would expect males are more likely to watch horror films than females are, this is due to the stereotypical thrill seeker which is portrayed with a boy and the thrill boys seek to contest with there young adult hormones. Violence is also a convention of horror films which is often loved by males not females as they seek the thrill of violence, blood and got whereas females are more likely to seek love and security. Horror films are therefore more attractive to males as they seek the thrill horror films supply

Something which many wouldn't have thought of is which class films are aimed at, in this instance horror films are aimed at working class as the level of thrill and excitement which is gained from a horror film is high. Higher class tend to watch horror films as a sub genre on another genre such as romance or action as the higher class seek a higher level of satisfaction when watching a film.

The audiences of horror movies are often groups of friends however there are key groups of audiences who often see horror movies. Couples who are either on a first date or have been in a relationship for a long time but not married commonly go and see horror films. The comfort that is needed after a horror film is perfect to make a first date successful, also it's a good conversation starter after the film and therefore popular conversation choice.

The audience of horror films can often relate to the characters in the film, they often form a relationship due to the similarities and therefore have a stronger emotional pull to the film. The relation of the character also puts the audience in the shoes of the characters gaining a stronger horror effect.

Overall the general demographic for an audience watching a horror movie can be fairly broad however the majority of the audience will be young (16-24) males who seek a cheap thrill. Otherwise it's likely to be couples on a first date.

Genre Research - Action

Genre Research

Action

• Hero and a villain
• Good vs Evil
• Over dramatic settings and scenes with countless explosions and deaths all for the audience’s enjoyment. 
• Looks as if evil will reign supreme until an old character returns or some unforeseen event occurs causing good to survive
• One or more heroes is thrown into a series of challenges that require physical acts
• They quite often have extended fights and chase scenes
• They may have a resourceful character struggling against incredible odds such as, life threatening situations, an evil villain, and/or being chased in several ways
• Victory is normally achieved at the end through huge physical efforts and violence

Examples:

Expendables 3 (2014)

The amazing spider man 2 (2014)

Into the storm (2014)

Genre Research - Romance

Genre Research

Romance

• Two people who long to be together
• Dramatic events keep them apart
• Usually a happy ending where they end up together
• Rival love interest who causes issues 

Examples:

The Vow (2012)

The Other Women (2014)

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Genre Research - Thriller

Genre Research

Thriller

• Known to promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation
• Thriller and suspense films have similar characteristics and features.
• Dark colour schemes and low-key lighting to connote mystery and suspense
• Themes of isolation which shows the character as vulnerable in comparison to the antagonist
• Props such as guns which are used to signify terror therefore, creating suspense and tension
• Distressed appearance
• Settings that depict a normal and everyday environment, therefore adding to the suspense as the action is unexpected
• Suspense, fear and tension
• Constant twists in the plot
• Protagonist vs. Antagonist. With the antagonist initially having control over the situation and the power shifting half-way to feature the protagonist in control
• The storyline will be designed so the audience will think that it can happen to them, which will make them feel scared.

Typical character types in Thriller films:

There is almost always a hero type character who is usually a man and they re store the equilibrium. This person is probably just a normal everyday person who is ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’ or a police officer. Another word for this is a Protagonist

Then there is the antagonist (villain) who creates the narrative disruption and is usually psychotic but extremely clever

There is also the victim who is usually a female who is most threatened by the villain and they’re usually not really involved in the whole crime situation

You also have the donor, the helper, the dispatcher and the false hero

Typical setting in Thriller films:
Typical setting of a thriller is in an urban city, usually the main colours used will be grey, black and white to emphasise the helplessness of the first character we see. Thrillers can also be set in quiet country villages, where everyone leads poor and simple lives; often the villain will come from a small village. Usually only a small range of colours will be used, the main being black or grey if it is set in a city environment, to show how normal and mundane life is. However other strong colours are often used at particular plot points; for example if there is a lot of blue we can assume that someone has or is going to die, and if there is a recurring theme of red (i.e. alarms) then we understand the characters are in danger. 

Examples:
Inception (2010)
Divergent (2014)
The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

Genre Research - Comedy

Genre Research

Comedy

• Usually double acts or individuals whose lives fail for the audiences entertainment but who grow as characters without turning too much into a drama or action. 
• A plot is nearly always key but occasionally there will be little character development or it is very subtle so that the humour is the main focus of the film

Typical characters in a Comedy film:

Funny person/ not funny person (makes the funny person look even funnier)

The crazy person

The one who‟s always up for a good time

The boring person

Typical setting for a comedy:

Settings can be anywhere for a comedy film, however some settings contradict the fact that i's a comedy, for example; A dark forest may give the audience the wrong impression that the film is a horror film.

Examples:

Let’s be cops (2014)

Tammy (2014)

Last Vegas (2014)

Genre Research - Drama

Genre Research

Drama

• The purpose of a dramatic storyline is to move the audience emotionally
• Drama films depend mostly on the development of realistic characters dealing with emotional issues. 
• In most cases the film concentrates on normal character(s) that is dealing with a conflict or dilemma
• Dramas often give actors a chance to stretch into a role that other genres wouldn’t allow them to do
• This is because drama films focus on building up characters that the audience can engage with.
• Portrays a characters journey and developments
• Exhibits real life characters, situations, settings and stories
• Intense social interaction •Dramatic sounds and exaggerated performance

Types of characters in a drama are:

Police

Teenagers

The 'innocent one'

The one who gets the blame

Group of friends

Love Interest

Types of settings in a Drama: 

Western Opera

Hospital/ doctors surgery

Gambling

Casino

Police station

Park

Somebody's house

Examples:
Forest Gump (1994)
Titanic (1997)
Gone Girl (2014)

Genre Research - Horror

Genre Research

Horror

• Horror- a film that depicts the viewers emotions, worst fears, terror of the unknown, disgust and nightmares
• The horror genre is a genre that often feature scenes throughout the film that scare the viewer with the use of macabre and also that of the supernatural
• The genre also overlaps with many other genre’s such as fantasy, science fiction and thriller
• Most plots of horror films involve an evil force, event, or personage commonly of supernatural origin into the everyday world
• Elements that feature in horror films are often torture, gore, ghosts, demonic forces, supernatural organisms and serial killers

Typical characters in horror films:

The Main Protagonist, often the “victim/hero” of the movie

The Villain, often a monster, mutated freak, alien or serial killer

The stupid/immoral teenagers that always get killed

Creepy children

Police Officers that can either be good or bad

And many more: Ghosts, Zombies, Demons, Psychopath, Stalker, Weirdo, Werewolf, cheerleader and the list goes on

Typical settings in horror films:

Small communities or isolated places

Urban environments, dark streets and narrow alleyways

Large cities or run down ghost towns

Anything that connotes isolation or being alone

Often sometimes places with “dark” history, like abandoned houses, hotels and insane asylums

Locations for any good horror genre film could be: Lakes, Roads, Highways, Countryside, Barns, Farms, Dark Woods, Woodlands, Houses, Cabins, Cities, Subways, Gloomy Underground Tunnels, Creepy Hotels, Abounded Houses, Haunted Houses, Space-Stations (for Sci-Fi Horror), Graveyard (Or Cemetery), Dungeons, Deserted Ships at Sea, Space Ships, Alien Planets (Like Predators), basements, attics, meat factories, science lab, London Underground, Shopping Mall, Cornfield, Pirate Ship, Tundra, Asylum, Deep Water, Blizzards and many other dark locations. 

Examples:
Jaws (1975)
28 Days Later (2002)
Cabin in the woods (2012)

Analysis of AS productions

Analysis of AS Productions

What targets will you set yourself for G324 when you will make a trailer?

Our main problem when filming our opening two minutes was the weather, not only was lighting a major issue but since we were filming in winter the cold temperatures were also an issue. We chose to go after school to film as it saved us having to find a weekend when we were all free and it meant we could talk about what parts we were going to film that day on our journey to location. Although this was a good idea, we failed to consider that as the sun set earlier and earlier each evening it meant we had even less and less time to film. We did later on in our filming consider starting all over again and filming it later in the evening so it was darker but there were only about 20 mins each day where the location was dark enough to look sinister and scary but light enough so the camera could still make out everything therefore we chose to stick with the footage we had. For this year I think getting a better camera would be highly effective, especially if we continue down the horror route as then we would be able to film in more low key lighting and create a more scary feel about the film. The cold temperatures were also hard to deal with as it meant our patience wore down quicker and we weren't as thorough with the amount of shots we should have used, we ended up getting a 'good enough' shot rather than striving to create something unique and interesting, in the opening I feel we got away with it as there is just about a large enough variety of shots but for the trailer this year I would really like to experiment more with shot types and stretch ourselves to achieve something extraordinary and unique rather than simply 'good enough'.

Another issue was we didn't leave enough time at the end of editing to add the titles in therefore this part of post-production was quite rushed and was were we ended up falling down. Aside from having to physically produce the titles we also had to re-research types of fonts used in horror films and re-watch opening two minutes to get some ideas as previously we had done very little research on this. This was quite time consuming and so from this mistake I've learnt to do more research whilst I have the time and to make sure there is enough time for all aspects of post-production (paying special attention to titles).

The non-diegetic sound in our opening I'm extremely proud of as I think the music makes the opening so much better, so much more tense and scary, it ties together all the shots perfectly and makes the audience sit in the edge if their seats in suspense. The only downside to sound is the diegetic sound - although the rustling of the trees, the snapping of branches, the footsteps and the squelching in the mud work remarkably well (very proud of them) the conversation between the three girls is the only down side. You can hear what they're saying but it would have been much clearer if we had re-recorded over it, this can be a target for next year to make sure any conversations or dialogue is audible to the audience.

Something that I think our group can improve on this year is planning, although we had a storyboard and had planned some of the shots we wanted when it got to filming and we all had varying ideas on how to do things we ended up realising maybe we hadn't put enough planning into it. The fact that we all had different ideas of how to do the shots showed how maybe we needed a more detailed storyboard or a more detailed script. This was a major factor when it came to editing as we hadn't included time scale on the shots (on the storyboard) or how many extra shots we could have in between so by the time it was all cut together the original draft was over 4 minutes long. This meant we had to lose quite a lot of shots meaning more effective planning could have saved all this extra effort. Dialogue was another issue as we hadn't planned this beforehand so came up with it on the spot. Although this worked out okay it took up valuable time, especially when the temperatures were that low. 

Overall I feel the group worked well to achieve a good opening, we completed our filming on time and only had to re-shoot a few shots, we were able to keep momentum up on the cold Sunday mornings so we could get some good shots but targets for this year would be:

1) Plan in more detail to make the filming part of production easier

2) Research extra things that could help with production whilst you have the time as you may be short of it later

3) Get a better camera so we can shoot in darker lighting and generally have a higher quality finish to the trailer

4) Leave enough time to complete post-production to a high standard (with special focus on titles)