See Initial Ideas Post for powerpoint of pitches
My focus group gave me very constructive feedback. They said that the first idea was very original and interesting; they had not heard of it before. They confirmed doubts I had about the mise en scene, the location would be fundamental to the success of the trailer.
For Idea Two, the feedback was positive, my focus group thought it would be easier for me to film. To make it more original, they suggested that I combine elements of idea one and two together. For example, keep the concept of the evil queen, but she is possessing children who are carrying out her evil deeds for her. When I mentioned that I didn't know how to make it more fantastical, they said I could keep the fantasy characters and decide whether I want to place emphasis on the horror element of dark fantasy.
For Idea Three, the focus group suggested that whilst the location would be obvious, they were in agreement that it would be difficult to create the fantastical elements. One member informed me that there was already a film similar to this, and it may be hard to make it different.
In the end, the group suggested that my idea(s) would probably be used best if I picked elements of ideas one and two and merged them together. This is something that I will consider going forward to making the product. I am going to plan this idea further to see if it works. If it does not flow when storyboarding and in other aspects of planning, then I will attempt Idea One.
Thursday, 8 September 2016
Sunday, 4 September 2016
Developing Initial Ideas - Idea Three
This idea encompasses the stereotypical view of fantasy films, other worldly and mystical.
Narrative (Synopsis)
Two teenagers lose their way whilst on a walk in the forest. Cynical and carefree, they joke about Hansel and Gretel to keep themselves amused. Little do they know, there is a weird and wonderful world that awaits them beyond the clearing...
Advantages and Disadvantages of choosing this idea
One distinct advantage of choosing this idea is that the setting is obvious (a forest). There are forests near where I live so this will mean that traveling to locations when doing a location recce and filming will be less time consuming. This idea also allows to explore and experiment with special effects. A disadvantage is that I would have to think creatively to create original characters. I would not want these to be too heavily influenced by other media products.
Narrative (Synopsis)
Two teenagers lose their way whilst on a walk in the forest. Cynical and carefree, they joke about Hansel and Gretel to keep themselves amused. Little do they know, there is a weird and wonderful world that awaits them beyond the clearing...
Advantages and Disadvantages of choosing this idea
One distinct advantage of choosing this idea is that the setting is obvious (a forest). There are forests near where I live so this will mean that traveling to locations when doing a location recce and filming will be less time consuming. This idea also allows to explore and experiment with special effects. A disadvantage is that I would have to think creatively to create original characters. I would not want these to be too heavily influenced by other media products.
Thursday, 1 September 2016
Developing Initial Ideas - Idea Two
With this idea, I can focus on and exaggerate the "dark"/scary component of the dark fantasy genre.
Narrative (Synopsis)
An evil force is kidnapping innocent children and leading them to an uncertain destiny in a world unknown.
Advantages and Disadvantages of choosing this idea
One advantage of choosing this idea is that I can experiment with different camera angles because I would want to maintain a sense of ambiguity surrounding the "evil force". Furthermore, I can develop my skills in using special effects. For instance, I could modify the footage of the children to give them demon qualities. This will allow me to touch on the concept of making innocent things and people scary. Another advantage is that being in school may make it easier to find willing cast members to portray children who are in danger (I would obviously need written permission from their parents and themselves first).
A disadvantage of selecting this idea is that it would perhaps be hard for the audience to identify the genre of the trailer. They may not be able to distinguish between horror and fantasy, so I would have to put a lot of effort into making sure that the genre was clear and that fantastical elements are present.
Narrative (Synopsis)
An evil force is kidnapping innocent children and leading them to an uncertain destiny in a world unknown.
Advantages and Disadvantages of choosing this idea
One advantage of choosing this idea is that I can experiment with different camera angles because I would want to maintain a sense of ambiguity surrounding the "evil force". Furthermore, I can develop my skills in using special effects. For instance, I could modify the footage of the children to give them demon qualities. This will allow me to touch on the concept of making innocent things and people scary. Another advantage is that being in school may make it easier to find willing cast members to portray children who are in danger (I would obviously need written permission from their parents and themselves first).
A disadvantage of selecting this idea is that it would perhaps be hard for the audience to identify the genre of the trailer. They may not be able to distinguish between horror and fantasy, so I would have to put a lot of effort into making sure that the genre was clear and that fantastical elements are present.
Developing Initial Ideas - Idea One
An evil queen serves as the antagonist. This adds the essential 'dark' element to the 'dark fantasy' genre.
Narrative (Synopsis)
An evil queen is banishing all fairy tale stories but her own, and is making people forget them. A courageous princess must prevent her from doing so before it is too late and they are removed from history. This character acts as the protagonist/hero.
Advantages and Disadvantages of choosing this idea
The main advantage of choosing this idea is that it is the first idea that came to mind when thinking of dark fantasy. It is the one that my instincts tell me to pursue. I would say that it is the one that I have developed the most so far.
The major disadvantage of choosing to pursue this idea is that it might be difficult to avoid clichés and execute the idea imaginatively. The locations could be a challenge. However, selecting this idea would allow me to explore the "classical" notion of fantasy - what you would stereotypically think of.I could also investigate the concept of innocence turning evil.
Narrative (Synopsis)
An evil queen is banishing all fairy tale stories but her own, and is making people forget them. A courageous princess must prevent her from doing so before it is too late and they are removed from history. This character acts as the protagonist/hero.
Advantages and Disadvantages of choosing this idea
The main advantage of choosing this idea is that it is the first idea that came to mind when thinking of dark fantasy. It is the one that my instincts tell me to pursue. I would say that it is the one that I have developed the most so far.
The major disadvantage of choosing to pursue this idea is that it might be difficult to avoid clichés and execute the idea imaginatively. The locations could be a challenge. However, selecting this idea would allow me to explore the "classical" notion of fantasy - what you would stereotypically think of.I could also investigate the concept of innocence turning evil.
Tuesday, 2 August 2016
Initial Ideas
TRANSCRIPTION OF POWERPOINT TEXT IN CASE OF POWERPOINT NOT WORKING:
I have decided to create a dark fantasy trailer. This mixes elements of fantasy and horror together. Examples of dark fantasy films include: Coraline (2009) Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) and Edward Scissorhands (1990).
Idea One
I want to explore the world of fairy tales and what happens when people stop believing in them. An evil queen is banishing all fairy tale stories and removing them from the memories of people, but the characters are real. A brave princess must stop the queen before the fairy tales are gone forever. The malicious queen will do everything she can to prevent her. I am most inclined to do this idea but it would take a lot of planning in order not to be cliché.
Idea Two
This idea leans towards the horror side of dark fantasy. Innocent children are being kidnapped and led to an unknown destiny by the epitome of evil. If I were to select this idea, I would be able to develop my abilities in using special effects, e.g. demonizing the children.
Idea Three
Two teenagers lose their way whilst going for a walk in the forest. To amuse themselves, they joke about Hansel and Gretel. However, unbeknownst to them a weird and wonderful world awaits beyond the clearing... The setting would be obvious for this but I would have to think about the fantastical elements.
Tuesday, 26 July 2016
Research: Dark Fantasy trailer analysis 1 Maleficent (2014)
Institutional Information
Maleficent is a 2014 dark fantasy film starring Angelina Jolie The and Elle Fanning. It was directed by Robert Stromberg and produced by Joe Roth. The production companies involved were Walt Disney Productions and Roth Films. Maleficent was distributed by Walt Disney Studios and Motion Pictures. The film was released in the UK on 28 May 2014, two days prior to the mainstream US release on 30 May 2014. The running time is 97 minutes. Maleficent had a budget of $263 million, and took $758.5 million at the box office.
Synopsis
Maleficent is based on Sleeping Beauty (French: La Belle au bois dormant) by Charles Perrault. Maleficent is the epitome of purity. When an invasion threatens her beloved land, she grows fiercely protective. A betrayal transforms her into a bitter creature craving revenge. She engages in a massive battle with the successor of the king who invaded the land. Maleficent curses his newborn daughter, Aurora. Unbeknownst to her, Aurora holds the key to tranquility in the kingdom.
Mise en Scene
The predominant colour in this trailer is black. This could connote both Maleficent's power and sophistication, as well as her darkness and mysterious personality. The green (mostly used in the special effects) is also significant. This is because it connotes envy. Additionally, it connotes nature. This links to Maleficent's love of her land. Therefore, through the use of these colours, the audience are perhaps subconsciously introduced to Maleficent before and while she is bitter. The director could have done this to create a preferred reading for Maleficent.
The lighting used is mainly low key to reflect the "dark" side to the trailer, resulting in a perhaps sombre mood. The proxemics of Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and Aurora (Elle Fanning) vary to mirror how they hate each other, but then realise they need each other's help. By placing the characters close together, it also creates more tension for the audience as it is made clear that they represent different things (good and evil).
Sound
The trailer uses a mixture of diegetic and non diegetic sound effectively. At the beginning of the trailer there is a slow tempo soundtrack which instantly gives Maleficent an eerie yet magical feel. The dialogue is quite loud to reflect the power that Maleficent possesses.
Editing - Titles
The typography used in the titles is a serif font. This could portray the rigid nature of Maleficent's outlook now she must protect her land. It could also relate to the fact that a lot of fairy tale stories are old, a lot of "old fashioned" writing uses serif fonts.
There is not much colour in the typography to reflect Maleficent's ice cold personality. Alternative connotations of blue are serenity. This links to the peace that both Aurora and Maleficent truly desire.
The above titles convey that the text is "cooling" because the colour and effect is transitioning from fire to ice. This could represent the climax, especially as it is near the end of the trailer. The fire could represent the action on screen, as it flows from the last scene.
Maleficent is a 2014 dark fantasy film starring Angelina Jolie The and Elle Fanning. It was directed by Robert Stromberg and produced by Joe Roth. The production companies involved were Walt Disney Productions and Roth Films. Maleficent was distributed by Walt Disney Studios and Motion Pictures. The film was released in the UK on 28 May 2014, two days prior to the mainstream US release on 30 May 2014. The running time is 97 minutes. Maleficent had a budget of $263 million, and took $758.5 million at the box office.
Synopsis
Maleficent is based on Sleeping Beauty (French: La Belle au bois dormant) by Charles Perrault. Maleficent is the epitome of purity. When an invasion threatens her beloved land, she grows fiercely protective. A betrayal transforms her into a bitter creature craving revenge. She engages in a massive battle with the successor of the king who invaded the land. Maleficent curses his newborn daughter, Aurora. Unbeknownst to her, Aurora holds the key to tranquility in the kingdom.
Mise en Scene
The predominant colour in this trailer is black. This could connote both Maleficent's power and sophistication, as well as her darkness and mysterious personality. The green (mostly used in the special effects) is also significant. This is because it connotes envy. Additionally, it connotes nature. This links to Maleficent's love of her land. Therefore, through the use of these colours, the audience are perhaps subconsciously introduced to Maleficent before and while she is bitter. The director could have done this to create a preferred reading for Maleficent.
The lighting used is mainly low key to reflect the "dark" side to the trailer, resulting in a perhaps sombre mood. The proxemics of Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and Aurora (Elle Fanning) vary to mirror how they hate each other, but then realise they need each other's help. By placing the characters close together, it also creates more tension for the audience as it is made clear that they represent different things (good and evil).
Sound
The trailer uses a mixture of diegetic and non diegetic sound effectively. At the beginning of the trailer there is a slow tempo soundtrack which instantly gives Maleficent an eerie yet magical feel. The dialogue is quite loud to reflect the power that Maleficent possesses.
Editing - Titles
The typography used in the titles is a serif font. This could portray the rigid nature of Maleficent's outlook now she must protect her land. It could also relate to the fact that a lot of fairy tale stories are old, a lot of "old fashioned" writing uses serif fonts.
There is not much colour in the typography to reflect Maleficent's ice cold personality. Alternative connotations of blue are serenity. This links to the peace that both Aurora and Maleficent truly desire.
Titles
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Camera
This trailer uses a variety of camera effects for effect.
Monday, 25 July 2016
Medium research - How it will help me
As a result of researching my chosen medium (dark fantasy) I hope to be inspired by the products I see and acquire ideas for the creation of my own fantasy trailer. It will also allow me to visualise some of the conventions I researched earlier, making it clearer what I need to include in my own trailer. I want to evaluate the effectiveness of the trailers to help me recognise the positives of the media product and where it can be improved. This can hopefully be translated into my own work.
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