Trailer analysis and idea sourcing

Trailer Analysis

The 1st trailer I am going to analyse is for the BBC school soap Waterloo Road.

I decided to analyse this trailer as it is a teen drama like our production will be, also we wanted to portray teenagers using the group the stereotypes as delinquents though we also wanted to portray some as more socially acceptable individuals. We did not like the idea of gangs however so we intend to portray the delinquency through another form, in our case like the trailers for Channel 4/E4's teen soap Skins  where teenagers always appear to be having wild parties and  constantly appear reckless (at least in the trailers) we decided to base our trailer using the drunken party idea from Skins (though not copied as that's plagiarism.) 

The trailer begins with quite fast paced modern music, with a classroom scene of 2 teachers discussing a gang problem, there are then 2 (one is a medium close up, group shot to establish who they are and make them appear closer, therefore scarier)  shots of the school yard with a small group of 4 boys wearing balaclavas and hoodies, this is a typical convention of stereotypical teenage chavs (hooligans) there is then a "two shot" of an older man in the same kind of dress, intimidating a teacher on the yard and a fast, shot cut of a staffordshire bull terrier dog (another convention of chavs, as all chavs are depicted with owning this type of dog as as status symbol) there is the digetic noise of the dog barking, there is then a short montage of gang culture style shots (fist bumping) then a low angle shot of a teacher in a school conference, the low angle shot suggests he is in a position of power and is maybe a hero in the storyline, there is then a brief shot of  the school pupils marching down a corridor with their mouths gagged which shows they have been taken hostage by the gang, then there is a close up of a male school pupil with a presumed Muslim (head scarves and unrevealing clothing suggest this) female in the background, not all of his face is shown, suggesting that he is a somewhat shifty individual, thought the fact that he says "Its not over this" referring to the fight to save the school from chavs signals that he is a good character (enigma code?)

Shot List

Our group has decided on the basic shot list for the soap trailer, this list is basic but it is only the initial draft and will be updated and refined when required.

1. Crabbing shot of Zak and Paige (in bed, must see photo of Zak and
Brandon) phone ringing, lots of missed calls from Brandon. Zak closes
eyes - fade to party.

This is the type of shot we desire to recreate in our own project. 

2. Establishing shot, of keep out sign camera follows someone running
to party - pool with people - Karl at the top of the pool 'We are the
children of the revolution'

Children of the Revolution Scene

3. Low angle shot - general party

4. Pan - general party




5. High angle shot - Brandon and Zak - close up establish relationship




6. General party scene




7. General party scene (climbing out of pool.)




8. Running to church - lead by Karl.




9. Cut to inside church - (drugs in a separate room)




10. Ben walks off with Hannah.




11. New scene in bed, Ben wakes up, phone call 'it's positive' he says
'f***' he hangs up - he closes his eyes.




12. Hannah and Ben alone, 'suggestive intimacy' closes eyes.




13. Ben in room, phones Hannah -goes to voicemail.




14. Slo-mo of Karl and drugs.




15. Our "Effy" character Paige at the window, smoking. Zak leaves room
looking distressed.




16. Kiss.




17. Brandon texts Zak.




19. Hannah smokes pipe.




20. Paige walks towards Zak




21. Title.

New Role

For the soap I have been given the role of behind the scenes documentarian. My additional role is to film behind the scenes of our soap to show how we are researching, planning and shooting our film from another angle to show an insight into how such projects are actually created to add additional interest and perspective.
I will be going along to film sites and filming the film being filmed as well as the actors being briefed and research into existing programs being carried out.

New Sony Handycam which we now use for the main project
for a test I filmed the auditions with it.

I have initially started this role and have already filmed behind the scenes footage of the auditions and will very shortly be documenting script planning, storyboard development and location shots.

New Tripod for our project

Trailers: Codes, Conventions and Useful Miscellany

BBC trailer for teen drama "Waterloo Road"

A trailer is a short piece of footage that is used to advertise a film or television series, the timing of a trailer is crucial, if it is shown too early then the audience will forget about it and then forget about watching the program too. If it is shown too late then it will not be able to attract a big enough audience. The majority of trailers for television series tend to be shown about a month prior to the release of the program they are advertising, they are then shown regularly from then on until the program is released. For those wishing to see trailers they are commonly found on television and on the internet. Film trailers can also be found in cinemas.

Official trailer for 'Skins' on YouTube,
 it is appropriate as we are doing a teenager themed Soap.
We particularly like the blurred effect of the shot to show a drunken party.

     A trailer is not actually a mini-film piece but indeed a genre in its own right and like all genres, trailers have their own typical codes and conventions.

Trailer for an existing Teen soap "Hollyoaks"

     Some of these codes and conventions are.,- attention grabbing, (require 100% of audience attention to attract audience) they create mood and a atmosphere.) trailers are fast moving and have a fast pace, (they require it as they are only 2 minutes long or more often even shorter still so they have to convey a general idea of the storyline and interest an audience in a short time.) Sound is particularly important in trailers, especially the music as if the music is good then it will engage the audience, if the music is not appropriate then it will be likely to disengage the audience and put them off watching the program. Some trailers have voice overs as well, the above principle is the same if the voice is good then the audience will be interested, if not they won't be.

TimePlan

	Completion Date	Date Achieved
Research and Analysis
Teaser Trailer	September 26th
Listings Magazine Front Cover	November 1st
Poster	November 1st
Planning
Teaser Trailer	October 1st
Listings Magazine Front Cover	November 7th
Poster	November 7th
Construction
Teaser Trailer	October 30th
Listings Magazine Front Cover	November 30th
Poster	November 30th
Evaluation
Teaser Trailer	March 28th
Listings Magazine Front Cover	March 28th
Poster	March 28th

 This plan is workable and is liable to change due to factors such as weather, school closure, equipment failures and possible issues with location. (All Dates 2012)

Research

The Maerdy masquerading as the Barry Grand Hotel

All media projects require good research, we were fortunate to be in a position to get 1 of the best forms of research possible. We were permitted to visit the filmset of an episode of the 5th series BBC3 drama series "Being Human." The director gave us a tour of the site and showed us some of the sets that were being used for filming. The main people from the make-up and costume departments gave us a tour of their departments too. All departments were very glad to give us advice for our own production, in particular the health and safety nurse. We were advised about how important it is to follow safety precautions and that in order to be a health and safety nurse on television you had to be a mature person  who was a qualified nurse with at least 10 years experience. We shall be using all this advice when filming our own piece.

This curious machine is essentially a giant torch
 and is used to create the lighting effect of the sun

   One of the most exciting parts of the experience was actually watching a scene being filmed live with Phil Davies portraying a villain in a wheelchair. It was a unique experience and offered an insight into the world of what goes on behind the scenes of television, seeing the professional equipment being used was very interesting. One of the most extraordinary techniques they used in one of the sets (a hotel bedroom.) was a false window with a back drop of the sea fronts of Barry Island, the amazing part of this is, despite looking incredibly like Barry the hotel used is actually a hotel called "The Maerdy" in Pencoed (Suitably renamed as the "Barry Grand Hotel") as there is no suitable pub to be used in Barry, but for continuity shots taken in Barry the team actually constructed a 20 Foot high exact replica of the front of the hotel they are filming in.
     The woman in charge of health and safety was very kind in giving us a portfolio of her work. She has been involved with. the series 3 of "Being Human" a Tesco's advert and a medical advisor for Casualty amongst several others.

An actor being prepared in the make up department

2 of the lorries, these examples are the mobile make up and equipment rooms