Storyboarding

After completing the shot list we decided to draw up a storyboard in order to visualise the different shots we were going do and thus be able to view the trailer as a whole in a more adaptable way. We would like to turn the pictures into a moving animatic, whereby we can almost see the full trailer in it's simplest form. We split the three acts between the three of us and have now returned after half-term with all of the pictures drawn up ready to fit them together as an animatic.

After drawing the pictures for our storyboard from hand, we exported them into photoshop in order to add colour to the pictures. We wanted to do this in order to make the images more clear, but also for us when it comes to the filming stage as we can easily identify, which characters are in which scenes along with the help of our shot list. The colour not only improves the overall quality of the storyboard photos but provides us and early viewers with a clearer view of how our film will eventually look like. 

This part of the process was particularly useful for me as I was relatively inexperienced with using photoshop and it was a good way for me to get to grips with the workings of the programme before we moved into the graphics/research stage. Due to the fact that I was heavily involved in the credits & Ident research, being able to use photoshop was particularly helpful as we could sample a few ideas before finalising them.

Above are just a few of the many storyboard images we altered and then coloured in using photoshop. I found it particularly difficult to get to grips with the different layering involved on photoshop but am now much more confident when using it.

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Although sub-par, the below shows how we have utilised colour and a mixture of photoshop and drawing to create the images for our story board. Through the use of colour we are not only able to differentiate between our characters but also show the tone the film will take, with the prominent light and dark blue lighting being something we have wished to emulate since the start of our project, taken from such aforementioned films as Welcome to The Punch and The Dark Knight Rises. As well as using technology to colour we have also utilised google images in order to provide us with sections to our images, such as the world map in the centre-right shot and the face which the photo frames in the bottom right hand shot. By doing this we are better able to visualise the look of our trailer, meaning that when it comes to the day of filming we are better prepared to find the exact correct lighting and locations.

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Secondary Antagonist Actor

We have cast Joe Rose as our initial antagonist. Although central to the plot, this character has minimal screen time, but will be required to do a few different shots. We feel Joe has the right look for this role, who, despite being a younger criminal, is very intimidating and high up in the world of crime. This will give him a certain arrogance and swagger that need to come across on screen in a short space of time, and we believe that Joe should be able to pull this off. As we are relying on him for filming dates, it is also useful to us that Joe is free during the holiday period in which we wish to do our filming.

The above photos show that Joe can inhabit a casual or formal look and not appear uncomfortable or out of place. This is useful for a character whom we have yet to pin down a costume for, and could in fact be in either sort of clothing.

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Friend Actor

The character to play the role of the friend is going to be Max Twyman, one of my partners in

 the production of the film. Due to the limited time scale and the size of the part we thought

 that by having an already established actor playing the role of the friend we could kill two birds

 with one stone, having someone who is readily available and devoted to the production of the

 film and good at acting, emphasising the friendship side of the relationship as well as the

 aesthetic side. Seeing as he doesn't have a job within the police office he doesn't have to

 wear uniform and as such we can dress him in clothes which emphasise his age and looks.

The above photo shows his role in the most recent school play, Anything Goes. 

Taking centre stage in the photo, wearing the blue jeans and black shirt, this will be very 

similar to what he will be wearing within our film, due to the scene in act 2 being set within 

his own house. 

This is the most recent photo of max to show how his features can have him looking older

 than his age suggests, the costume which is planned is shown below. 

JL

Aaron Mays - Protagonist Actor

Due to the limited amount of people available for our film, even though we are considered to be the next big thing coming out of London, we have had to choose an older looking fellow student of ours instead of a more adult actor to play the protagonist of a policeman. The reason for this is because due to the narrative, a tale of revenge from some years ago, the actor needs to look like he has had enough experience at the job to have a position in the force such as this as well as being taken seriously. Strange as it sounds, the criteria we were mainly looking at were build and whether a beard was possible, which for our final choice, it was. Below are two images, both from before 6 months ago, showing how even then he would have been a relatively safe choice for the part.

Gabriel (Pictured above) was the easiest and most practical choice for the part, especially considering he is not going away during the Christmas holidays when we wish to get the majority of our filming done. He is also considered good looking, so the implied relationship with the girl which is first established in act two is also not so farfetched/has some tangibility. With quite a muscular build and a decent height he does not look too scrawny or short to play the part, and would gain support from our piers for the play due to being well known throughout other schools. A sort of South East London Ryan Reynolds. More posts are to come showing him in costume, with any props needed. 

JL

Actors

We have here come up with some options for the actors of the various characters in our trailer:

Aaron Mays - Gabriel Zedda-James

Main Antagonist - Danny Levart, Steve Twyman, Michael Hajiantonis

Damien Rowe - Alfie Mann, Michael Hajiantonis

Female Character - Lizzie Grice, Naomi Adeboye

Friend - Max Twyman

Extras - Georgie Ward, Joe Levart, Antonia Legg, Thomas Payne

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Character Names

In the process of casting for our film, we came to the realisation that we do not have any names for our characters. The only two named in the film are the protagonist and the first bad guy, so these are the only names we need. I came up with a list of potential names and the group discussed these, finally coming to the consensus of the name Aaron Mays for the protagonist and the name Damien Rowe for the first bad guy. The protagonists name depicts him as an everyman, but a good guy, whilst the name Damien Rowe is vaguely evocative of the sinister nature of the Damien character in The Omen, as well as being a good name for Mays to say in the opening scene.

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Narrative Graphics Influences

Welcome to The Punch - The narrative graphics used within Welcome to The Punch were a major influence of

ours, as was the film itself. The blue on black which is shown so much within the trailer is reflected within the narrative graphics, showing phrases which enhance the narrative along with the colours used, bearing connotations of big city life and mainstream films. The graphics use a blacked out png file with transparent text in the middle which is then placed in to a video editing software, overlaying the png on top of a moving/animated still of a city which has effects added to it. There are then multiple light and smoke layers placed on top of the black screen, which connote mystery and add to the aesthetic effect of the graphics. There is a slight reflection of the text in certain areas of the blacked out background which shadow the moving image which animates the graphics, and the words get closer to the foreground of the screen as they go on. This highlights their importance as well as emphasising the technical skill needed to make it, bring the audience closer to the animated background and smoke overlays.

Only God Forgives - These narrative graphics are similar to Welcome to The Punch in their use of colour to bear connotations of the film, as well as their use to enhance the storyline. Apart from this, however, there is not much similarity at all. The use of dark red/neon colours throughout the film is reflected within these narrative graphics, connoting danger, lust, death and love. These are shown within the shots in the film, however the Oriental feel really comes out within the first two narrative graphics especially, showing these neon style text segments overlaying a traditional Samurai pattern on a paper wall. The final narrative graphics, which introduce the actors, don't replicate this use of traditional oriental design in the background and as such suggest something concerning the film, a sort of out of place-ness. The director is also introduced within the graphics, labelling himself as "Visionary"and referencing previous films he has done, of which Drive is his most famous. The fell of the graphics are very similar to the tone of drive, which can be seen later in the post, and as such builds up a fan base of stylised high budget crime thrillers. As previously, the text and background image come towards the audience, bringing them in to the film and increasing appreciation of the style of the film.

Hummingbird - The graphics within Hummingbird are very different to the previous two examples/influence. They prefer a clean and easily readable style which again connote things which are going to happen but are done much more plainly, perhaps referencing the lower class/dangerous background in comparison to the previous two examples. The text is a sans-serif font with an outer glow and written entirely in capitols on a black background, again utilising smoke and light overlays to stop the graphic looking completely plain. The fragmentation of the words, as can be seen in the first example, bears reference to the main characters past and in hindsight is a quirky and interesting touch on behalf of the director, which only the active audience members ail pick out. This is reflected within the fact that the text is not centred on the screen and enforced through the shots shown prior to and post-graphic, leading the audience to experience a complete feel for the film as something more than just a mindless Jason Statham action movie. As the pace of the film picks up, the overlays on the background become more and more vivid and the text becomes bolder and with a greater glow radius, showing how what is says is becoming more and more important.

Drive - These graphics are the most different from the previous three examples. Instead of being overlaid on top of a black background which has some form of effect on it they are overlaid on a panning ariel shot of the city. This would imply, along with the simplistic font and slight effects on the text, that what they are saying is more important than the connotations of knowledge of the city and sense of direction which come through. The reference to the actors Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan are therefore implied to be the films best selling points, along with the strong narrative which is established and the stylised and slightly Only God Forgives-esque neon/city feel. Because of this simplicity there is less to talk about due to the majority of the narrative telling being done within actual shots, and as such are not so much influences, but an option which we may be able to consider. We will probably not use this design however, as due to our lesser film making abilities, require the narrative graphics in order to enhance the narrative to a similar extent than our shots do.