Magazine Moodboard

For my magazine cover I wanted to bridge the gap between GQ, Sight and Sound and Empire. I other words, I'd like to create a stylish magazine that looks at the cast and crew behind the films on a personal level, but also touches on the film itself.

I like the modern and smart appearance of GQ, it's not too cluttered and mirrors the stylish intent of the magazine itself. I will predominantly be basing my design on this, while taking elements from the other two aforementioned.

Poster Mood Board

Sound Considerations

I have been scouting around for some music that could at the very least give me more of a idea of what I want in my final piece, allowing me to further realise the end result. Two in particular stood out more than others.


This piece would be perfect for the ending of my trailer, fulfilling the "angelic vocals" that I mentioned in my plan.




This piece is has a few sections that could be useful for the bulk, action section of my trailer. The very start could fulfill the opening piano as well.

StoryBoard

This is my storyboard, detailing each shot of my trailer. This is the next step to visualising what the final piece will actually look like.

Storyboard from Vimaleon

Costume and Casting Analysis

Concept Art Sketches

These are some sketches I did of the most prominent characters in my film. This helped me develop a further understanding of what I wanted to achieve in terms of costume and general appearance.

Neith's appearance is predominately inspired by Lara Croft. The classic female action figure was always something that I planned to look at within a female character. Since the Lara Croft Films the torn tank top, combat trousers and boots and become an iconic appearance for female character in certain settings. I also considered Furiosa as an inspiration, and some of this comes through more so in her persona than her appearance.

Prophet's costume is mostly inspired by the Hunger Games combat suits. The ideal, all round clothing for action; flexible yet tough. His appearance however is my own concoction of what in my mind a perfect male human would look like. I had to compromise because of casting limitations, but for me the physique was more important than the facial details.

The bandit characters in the film are inspired by various characters from mad max. The make-shift style of clothing, that completely resonates madness was absolutely perfect for this role. I visualised them smaller than Profit, partially because of the idea of malnourished, but also to truly emphasis the size of Prophet as a human.

Journal Update 4

I apologize for the hiatus of these updates, planning has been a hectic section of production. The good news is that everything is now set in motion. Filming is set to begin on 1st of November, and everything ready to go!

Updates will be continuing over on our twitter account, that will be up in the coming weeks.

Letter of Request

This is a email I sent to a local, asking if I could use his property as a film set.


Dear Bishop Alan

Would It be possible for me to use your World War Two bunker, in your back garden for filming? I would turn up around 2 in the afternoon with a crew of 5 and filming equipment, and use your back garden until around 4:30. I may also be using a drone, weather permitting.

Your's Sincerely

Jake Powell

Location Scouting

This is a location I have scouted out for a potential set. I took photos while I was there in case I wanted to compare them to other locations, but was happy with this one, and will use it as one of the sets for my trailer.

Pros:

- The bunker itself has a lot of foliage surrounding it, truly communicating the amount of time that has past since the apocalypse.

- The set is very accessible for me. I know who owns it and have permission to use it. There is also access to electricity.

- There is room to attach lights to sections of the wall.

- The rugged, old brick denotes to the Mad Max colour scheme, which is perfect for the bandit jail settting.

Cons:

- There is an echo inside the bunker, meaning I may have to externally record some audio, which will also involve lip syncing 

- The bunker is quite small inside, and won't give us much room to move.

- The bunker doesn't look particularly futuristic inside

Inside the Bunker

Stairway to bunker

Bunker from the outside

Shot by Shot plan of the Trailer

This is a shot by shot explanation of what my trailer will become, if everything goes according to plan.

Dialogue/ Sound

Shot

Neith: Imagine if you never knew peace...civilisation…love…?  If all you knew was suffering, and death. If violence ruled the world, and hope was a thing of the past.  Wouldn’t you wonder… is there anything more? This section is accompanied by a delicate piano tune More dramatic music transitions in Neith: Who are you! Prophet: I’m a friend Neith: (Scream) Run! Neith: Common, We’re getting you outta here Music suddenly changes to angelic vocals Music fades to slow throbbing sound

The trailer opens with a picnic scene. An explosion appears, and the scene fades out in static. The screen remains white for a time, as the voice over transitions in. Slow motion pans of fight scenes fade in and out. Studio Logos Establishing Bird eye shot of Neith and Prophet running through a clearing, away from bandits, followed by a fast paced editing transition sequence:        -          Neith pushing prophet against a wall        -          Shot of Neith being tackled by bandit        -          Shot of Neith shooting a bow        -          Cuts back to Prophet pushed against          wall        -          Several Fight Scene Shots in the                  clearing        -          shot of Neith in a head lock        -          Shot of Prophet being hit in the face        -          Shot of Neith picking prophet up by his        clothes        -          More fight scene shots, in the bandit            camp in mixed in with close up shots          of insane bandit with increasing pace Prophet carrying Neith, walking into the distance, or rowing a boat if possible. Fades to black, with end branding

Setting+Costume Mood Board

This is a collection of images, that represents my inspiration for the setting and costumes of my film.

Relevant Theory

This post will discuss various theories that can be applied to my narrative.

Todorov's Theory of Equilibrium:

Although the story does not begin in a stereotypical state of equilibrium, given that it essentially starts an ends in the center of a global disaster, there is a clear difference between the five stages that Todorov theorized. The film also eludes to the old world, before the disaster, giving the audience that sense of equilibrium that is usually found in most narratives.

Other examples of similar occurrences could be the James Bond films. Most of the films begin with an action sequence that follows Bond on a previous mission. To any normal person, this is far from equilibrium, however within Bond's world, this is normal. This could also be said for our female character, as she has never known the peace and quite of the old world.

Stage 1- Equilibrium
Within this stage, the narrative will follow Neith on her day to day life, scavenging and surviving. Although this is only briefly touched on in the narrative, it serves it's purpose.

Stage 2- Disequilibrium
This refers to Neith's discovery of the Prophets bunker. Although this does not necessarily disrupt the world's balance, it does disrupt Neith's view of the world, and thus the audiences sense of narrative.

Stage 3- Realisation
This arc of the narrative follows Neith's experience of internal conflict, trying to find a balance between her savage instincts, and the new morals she has discovered. While also acknowledging their goal to reach the isolated civilization.

Stage 4- Repair
This section follow Neith and Prophet on a journey to the isolated civilization. In their attempt to repair the damage that has been done by the apocalypse. As this progresses, Neith begin's to further understand what it means to be human, enhancing this theme of repair.

This section also includes a plot twist, a common occurrence in the thriller genre. This opens a new arc, that follows from stage 2 through 4 once again as sub-stages. This will feature Neith being captured, Prophets attempt to save her, and their eventual escape.

Stage 5- Equilibrium
This part of the film features the ultimate goal of the characters being fulfilled, they reach isolated civilization. The finale will also include the classic convention of the thriller genre, that is often used to create tension. Neith's fate, in other worlds, whether or not she dies, will not be revealed until very near the end. Not dissimilar to the end sequence of Avatar.

Propp's Character Roles:

The characters within the film do not follow Propp's theory to the letter, but each displays elements of one or more of Propp's roles at some point in the story.

Neith

Ultimately Neith is the hero of the film, she is illustrated as the one who seeks the end goal, despite it actually being Prophet's inherent goal, through her natural curiosity, and new found hope in that one day the world will be better.

However, at times she also displays qualities, of the princess, and even the false hero. You see. Through much of the film, the audience will be confused by Neith's orientation, as she often displays unnecessary violence, as she battles with morality. When she is captured, she is illustrated as the princess, given that Prophet has become close to her, and wishes to save her. 

Prophet 

Prophet fulfills many of Propp's roles simultaneously. He acts as the helper, through his intellectual support of Neith, while also acting as the dispatcher, being the one that gives her the reason to go on the journey, and ultimately convinces her to take part in the adventure. Although this is arguably also the role of the bunker itself.  Through this knowledge that he imparts, he could also be seen as the donor, giving Neith the all important knowledge, that acts as her compass throughout the story. He also displays Fatherly intent towards Neith, however this is more subliminal, and he hardly fulfill the role the the Father stereotypically does.

Villain 

The villain in the film is essentially the world around them, for this is both what provides our heroes with obstacles, and it is what they have set out to overcome, and ultimately change. It could be said that the villain is also the bandits, but these are simply a result of the world.

Barthes' Codes

Action

Inherently, much of the film is filled with fight scenes, chase scenes and other action, more than fulfilling Barthes' code of action.

Enigma

The film often hints to how the world ended up as it is through Prophet's character. This presents a puzzle for the audience to solve themselves. The narrative also features a plot twist, in which something unexpected happens, throwing the audience off and acting as another enigma within the narrative. The end of the film also features a standard conventional tension builder in the form of a "will she live or die" scene, acting as another enigma, particularly because of the dark theme of the film, it would be entirely possible that she could die.

Symbolism and Semantics

The whole film questions what is means to be human, and whether are humanity is a fabrication of our culture and social code, of whether it is instinctive to us. In a way the film symbolises how close we are to chaos, attempting to illustrate that we are our own enemy.

Culture

The film look at historic western culture, while also introducing two fictional cultures, one built on violence, and absent of any intelligence, the other built on artificial pacifist ideologies, that may or may not be maintained as the story progresses. The latter relates to current pacifism, and other Utopian ideals.

Levi-Strauss' Binary Opposites

This theory is one very close to the narrative of the film. There is clear representation of good and evil. Evil being savage and violent. Good being peaceful and intelligent. Whats unusual about the film is these binary opposites also take place within the main character, as she transforms from the former to the latter.

Film Synopsis+Background Lore

Synopsis:

The story takes place in what used to be northern Scotland, but is now a wasteland, returned to a twisted, mutated nature, generations after a nuclear apocalypse. A young woman who was born into this nightmare is struggling to survive. She was taken in at a young age by a group of scavengers, who consisted of two small families, molded together for protection. When one of the families accidentally conceived another child they outcast her, because they could no longer survive in a group of that size.

 When searching for a place to shelter during the winter she stumbles upon a bunker, left behind by people of the old civilisation. Here she meets a very old man, created to outlive most humans, designed to lead an isolated civilisation, set up before the apocalypse to preserve the human race. He teaches her of the old world and begins to question her purpose in life, yearning for a better existence.

The time has come for the man to leave his bunker, and lead the new civilisation to a brighter future. Wishing for a a meaningful life,the girl offers to guide him on his journey. On the way she learns more and more of the world beyond the wasteland she was born into, driving her to deliver this prophet to his destination. Along the way they face the perils of the forest, including bandits and mutant animals, all driven insane by the world around them.

The girl, having learnt the ways of the old civilisation, asks the man to name her. He chooses Neith after the Godess of War and the Hunt. The Prophet had been educated in the history of human kind, and recognised the girls strength and knowledge of hunting and and killing.

Just as their goal seems in sight, they’re separated, as the girl is taken by psychopath bandits that have learned to live in harmony with the twisted landscape. The prophet knows he must continue his quest alone, but has come to care for the young girl. In grief he attempts to continue on, but can’t bring himself to leave the girl, turning back in an attempt to save her. He fails and is captured, but the girl escapes, freeing him, but is mortally wounded in the process. He believes that if he can get her to the new civilisation, they will have the technology to save her. They make it to the new civilisation in time, and she is saved by their technology.

Lore:

In 2054, China declared war on America, instantly throwing the World into a nuclear war. Inevitably, almost all life was wiped out, leaving the Earth a desolate wasteland, mutated by the radiation.

Anyone who wasn’t killed by the nuclear explosions was killed by the resulting famine, and fallout. The world slowly, but surely descended into madness. The few humans that were left turned to a primal violence, fighting for what little resources were left behind. Nothing is left of civilisation; very few people even have names, or understand a language.

As nature began to reclaim the world, it was distorted, and twisted by the radiation; most parts of the world are far from what the old civilisation had created. Mutated animals rule the food chain, while carnivorous, or poisonous plants prey on those brave enough to attempt change.

In the build up to the war America and other UN countries created a contingency plan. Expecting almost everyone to be wiped out, they saw it as an opportunity to create a “perfect” future, one that they would engineer as they saw fit. They chose a small group of women, chosen for their genes, and stored them in cryogenic stasis in an underground bunker on an isolated Scottish isle for 200 years. They also froze the means to create new life through these women, training them for the world they would wake up in, and informing them of the duty they had. They also created a genetically modified human male, designed to outlive any human, as a prophet for the civilisation.

Little did the American’s know, that the whole reason for the Chinese’ declaration of war, was for the exact same reason. The war was a suicide mission, to ultimately create a brighter tomorrow. They too had made a similar contingency plan, following their ideals, their idea of “perfection”. This of course, would inevitably lead to similar conflict in the future, when the two civilisations met.

The Prophet:

The male was created by the science of the old world to be a perfect human being, able to face the potential dangers of the world. He was left in a bunker in northern Scotland as an embryo. The bunker contained the means to develop said embryo into a human, raising it into the perfectly molded human being to lead the civilisation. This included information about the old world that he would discover at a certain age. The entire bunker was engineered to create what the American’s saw as a perfect leader. The prophet has only known what was fed to him by the bunker, which would lead to a “perfect” civilisation.

The contingency plan also includes multiple other males, identical to this one, but raised in a slightly different ways, in the event that one way, or another failed. They too were placed in other parts of Scotland, and Wales, if one failed, another bunker would open, instructing the male to find the original isolated civilisation. Of course, if one succeeded, the others would be left to rot. This particular prophet was the third in a line of others that had failed to reach the civilisation before him. The journey to the civilisation was meant as a final test for the prophet, teaching him of the potential dangers of the world, which were unknown to the people who made him. This, to his creators, would be the final piece in the puzzle that was his education, allowing him to lead the civilisation to a perfect future, one better than the old world.

The Girl:

The Girl was never named by her adopted family. They took her as a child when they separated from a bandit clan that had resorted to slavery in order to survive. Jeopardising their children’s safety in an environment they did not control. The clan was left without the man power to contain the few slaves they had captured. The slaves escaped, murdering most of the clan, bar its leader, and two followers.  The group that took the girl in consisted of two couples, one with two young children, the other with one, all a similar age as the Girl. The group lived a nomadic lifestyle, scavenging the landscape for survival. And the girl grew up with four parents, learning how to survive, how to kill. As the Girl was approaching her 16^th summer (or what summer had become) the second couple conceived another child. Knowing that the group would not survive in these numbers, they outcast the Girl, leaving her to her own devices. Although sad, realising that she had never truly been accepted as their child, she did not protest. By this time she knew only too well, how to survive, and understood their decision, knowing that she had a better chance of survival on her own. As her first winter alone approaches, the viewer finds the Girl searching for shelter.

Location, Equipement Prop and Costume Ideas

Location

I want to create a post apocalyptic scene, that has very little signs of civilisation around. I have access to various rural areas that would be perfect for this. Woods, fields, derelict bunkers etc. The idea of this being that nature has taken over, and man is no longer the dominant race, giving room for the characters to face peril and ultimately seek, and find purpose in life.

I'm currently in the process of negotiating the use of an old bunker that is in the back garden of someone I know. This would be a perfect setting for some of the shots I am planning.

Props&Costume

Most of the props in my trailer will be primitive weapons, perhaps pipes, old tools and potentially bows, which I have access to.

In terms of costume I will be using old clothes, which (if necessary} I will tear and dirty to add to the post apocalyptic feel- no one has been able to make clothes for years. I am also taking some inspiration from Mad Max. I'm considering the use of ski goggles and balaclavas for the bandit characters. For the more futuristic style of costume I'm considering wet suits, preferably plainer ones.

Equipment

I have some DIY ideas for dollys etc that involve Lego. I am also in the process of negotiating access to some filming equipment for a short period of time. This would include lighting, cameras, and potentially a drone, allowing me to get certain shots that I wouldn't otherwise be able to get, at a professional standard.

Institute Selection

I chose Legendary Pictures as my main production company because of other films in the thriller genre they have worked on. These include the Batman series, Watchmen, Inception and Interstellar.

Legendary Pictures often works closely with SYNCOPY and Warner Bros. who both worked on Inception. This led me to chose these as my associate production companies.

Institute selection from Vimaleon

Inception Trailer Audio Analysis

World War Z Trailer Analysis

This is the first of three trailer I have analysed for inspiration for my own work.

World War Z Trailer Analysis from Vimaleon

The Bank Job Trailer Analysis

The Bank Job 2008 Trailer from Dziaulis on Vimeo.

The Bank job is a 2008 action thriller, directed by Roger Donaldson and starring Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows. The film itself is an adaptation of the 1971 Baker Street robbery. The film conveys it's time period very well, along side a strong sense of class difference using sound, editing, and various iconography. This is clearly illustrated in the trailer alone.

For example the soundtrack to the trailer- the classic "London Calling", a great representation of the time period, but also the iconic London accent, which also hints at the class difference, truly bringing the viewer into 1971.

Another element that plays with the upper and lower class beyond the obvious east and west accents, is the costumes. The heroes of the film, or rather the anti-heroes wear leather jackets and turtlenecks, they even wear rolled up woolly hats in certain parts of the film, reminding the audience of the iconic appearance of the 1970s robber. This, all while the antagonists, wear bespoke suits and cocktail dresses, creating a clear distinction between both class and character orientation, which hints at the strong theme of the corrupt politics, appealing to an audience that enjoys the genre. Not only this, but it gives the anti-heroes, the protagonists, an underdog position, making them more likable, and relatable to the audience.

However iconography is not only used within the costumes. Within the trailer, the colour gold is very prominent, not only in the footage used from the film itself, but also in the cut in text, that narrates parts of the trailer. This combined with talk of princesses, cigarettes and shots of the tropical countries, eludes to wealth, and more importantly, banks themselves. For the audience this highlights a clear element of the plot. 

This illustration of the plot, is a stereotype of the thriller genre. Particularly when accompanied by fight scenes, and the classic snapshot editing styles, which is reminiscent of planning scenes from films with similar themes. This an the stars of the film, strongly appeal to fans of the genre, highlighting the real purpose of the trailer- to get people to come and see the film.

Distribution of Marketing Material

The main marketing strategy for films is typically based around the trailer. This is mostly shown before films at the cinema, because this is a captive audience, who is totally focused on the screen. Also they are almost guaranteed to be interested in films. They can also tailor the trailers that are shown to the film that the audience is paying to see. Cinemas are also hot spots for other marketing material like posters for similar reasons. Advertising at cinemas is generally far cheaper than anywhere else. This is because the cinema benefits from advertising films. The audience often returns to see the very films that have been advertised.

The internet is also a place rife with film advertisement. because of the communication capability within the internet it has become similar to word of mouth, only more effective, with a larger, more accessible audience. The purpose of other promotional material is to get potential customers talking about the film, this can often lead to them going to see it. Of course advertisement on websites like YouTube can be tailored to the consumer, making it more effective than other techniques.Other mediums include TV, Radio and sometimes Mobile Games. These are considered slightly less effective, with some exception for TV.

Survey

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Horror/Thriller Focus Group Video

This is footage of a focus group I put together as part of my research for a film trailer I plan to create. The information I gained from this process, will help me decide the details of my final product.

Timeline Plan

This is a timeline plan of the work I need to do in order to complete the trailer. This puts the amount of time I have left into perspective.