Diary Post - Filming Day 1

Today I went round to my friend Lucy's house to film some scenes with her sister, Daisy and her sister's friend, Tilly. Daisy and Tilly will be playing young Casey and Ellie in the trailer. I took a tripod and my camera to Lucy's house and we filmed in Daisy's bedroom. At first, the girls found it a bit difficult to stay in character as they kept laughing. However, it was okay to laugh in most of their scenes because they are supposed to be natural and like kids. Overall I filmed the beginning scenes where the girls write the list and then one of the end scenes where Casey says "We're going to be best friends forever". I also kept filming as the girls did things that they would normally do, like making music videos and playing with bears, so I might try and find space for these scenes in my trailer. The shots I got look great and I can't wait to edit them!

Filming Plan

I have put in some dates of filming that I am planning. I had to make sure the actors were all available on all of the days. Hopefully, there won't be any changes and I can stick to my plan so I can begin editing as soon as possible. When I am in America, I will probably film bits and pieces randomly if I feel it fits with the film, therefore this doesn't really need planning.

Lighting research

Lighting research from elliesmith1201

I did some research on lighting in films similar to mine, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and If I Stay. Both of these films differed in the way they used lighting to convey different emotions, however both used a sort of sterile white light because of the clinical settings and darker, warmer colours for happier scenes. I concluded that I wanted to use similar techniques in my trailer and I would do my best to achieve this in filming and editing.

Animatic Storyboard

This is my animatic storyboard for my film. I drew the pictures myself, taking into consideration camera angles, shots and locations. Then I used iMovie to edit them altogether and added intertitles that I might add in my film. I also added some music, however I am aware that this is probably copyrighted and thus, I wouldn't be using this in my real film. I added the music to get an overall feel to my animatic. One thing that I need to work on is the title screen at the end as I didn't think this one really fit or looked like a real film trailer. I want to make my trailer look as authentic as possible, so I will work on this.

I will try my best to stick to this and include all of the different shots and angles to make my trailer varied and interesting. 

Practice poster

Today I developed my Photoshop skills as I have never used this program before. I learnt how to add layers and pictures. I have used a picture of Casey and I, who are the main characters however for my real poster I will use a still from the film or have a photo shoot. I also found a picture of a notebook page and added that at the bottom where my title would go. This would link to my film as the plot revolves around a list/notebook, I used a fade option on this to integrate the picture into the poster.

I also learnt how to add text to the picture. I put the actors names on the heads of the actors, which I think may be a good idea to use in my real poster. I used the font that I got off the dafont.com website called, End of the Dream. I haven't definitely decided on this font but this looks really good. I also added the date however I need to look more into the placing of these details on real film posters.

As a first time using photoshop I think I did quite well and I have decided I will use this program when I am creating my real film poster and I can't wait to get better at it!

Costumes

I made a PowerPoint on emaze to display what I thought about which styles each character would wear and some examples of some outfit. I will try to match these outfits to ones the actors own and that they can wear whilst filming.

Shotlist

I created a shot list so that I could take it to the different shooting days with me. I have printed them out so they are easily accessible when I am at my locations and I can also tick off when I have completed each scene. The shot lists also really helped me to try and get a variety of shot sizes and angles as well as some movement. This will help to make my trailer more interesting for the audience. I wrote a brief description about each shot so that I knew what the actors had to do in each scene.

Variety Magazine cover analysis

• I have chosen to analyse this magazine cover as Variety is an entertainment magazine where actors and films are featured and this particular cover really caught my eye. This cover is different to many other as it has a unique style with the overlapping of the two images. This was achieved because of the similar colours in both images and also perhaps with a green screen dress so that the dress has the facial features on it.

• The masthead is in-between the two images and this seems like a popular design for magazines to have the image over the text. This shows that this brand is recognisable even when partly covered, so draws in the audience. 

• The colour scheme is bright with light pink tones which could attract a more female audience because of the stereotypical feminine colours. Women would also appreciate the makeup and outfit more therefore it's important these are the main subjects.

• There is a lack of text on this front cover, only about the main story and not about smaller articles in the magazine. This is maybe because the main story is the most interesting and eyecatching, or perhaps the simplistic look of the cover would seem too cluttered with text all around it. However there is a small line of text at the top which people who want to can see what is inside.

• The text about the main story has a bold title and then a small description which gives the reader more information about what is included in the story or magazine as a whole. There is also a small puff of text with the date for the magazine. The font is classy and traditional to go with the attire of the main subject.

Magazine cover anaylsis - The Hollywood Reporter

• Although this issue is about beauty and not film, i chose to analyse this magazine cover as the magazine does cover a lot of films and actors and the 2 females relate to my film as my main characters are both female.

• The title of the magazine has been changed to a pink colour, this is effective as it shows the clear target audience of this issue which is females as it is a beauty issue. This colour will attract mostly females as this is a stereotypical feminine colour. 

• Both of the main subjects are looking at the audience, using mode of address to catch the eye of passers by who might see this magazine in a shop. This connects the magazine and the audience together as they feel involved or perhaps more encouraged to buy the magazine. The way they are positioned and holding themselves gives a sense of power which is in culture at the moment of women gaining more power especially in the media. This could relate to other women who are in positions of power or perhaps want to be.

• The two ladies are wearing smart outfits which could draw in older, professional women. The costumes are elegant and classy linking the whole of the cover with the traditional text. The dress is feminine but in a black colour to suggest power and Drew Barrymore wears a smart casual outfit with a blazer suggesting a business feel.

• The text is at the bottom of the picture like a sort of summary to the image, the audience will look at the text of beauty and relate it to the picture, enticing audiences into finding out the beauty tips and secrets that these women use to look as elegant as they do. The other text is places around the edges and is fairly small. This shows sub articles which are shown to be less important that the main article of Drew Barrymore and her stylist. I don't think this is very effective as some people want to know about other articles other than beauty, but since the other text is small, it would be difficult to catch the eye of those who wish to read about these topics. Although the text is small it used imperative verbs, for example 'meet' so that the audience will feel obliged to meet this person. I also like who the image is over the masthead 'The Hollywood Reporter' as this shows that it is a recognisable brand even when partially covered and also gives a 3D effect, making the character jump off the page and pulls the audience towards it.

• The colours are warm and inviting, again drawing people in to read the magazine. There are many brown shades with dark pinks to bring in femininity, however there are also blacks and greys to include the professional, business side of it. The lighting is quite dark, to suggest a secretive feel, as if the reader is being let into beauty secrets. 

• The prop of the chair makes the scene seem relaxed as if we are friends sharing tips and advice. It makes the audience feel apart of it and doesn't put them off like other magazines might with models in bikinis which could be seen as unrepresentative of 'average' women. It is vintage which is contrasts the modern outfits that the two women wear but is still stylish and is now trending again.

• My favourite things about this poster is the colour scheme and the positions of the subjects in the image. The colours provide a warm, alluring feeling, making the audience engage more. I especially like the pink as it really draws in on the fact that the issue is about femininity. The positions of the women are also effective as they represent power but also normality at the same time.

• With my magazine cover, I want to use the dark pinks as my film is surrounding two girls, however I would like to use more light colours than this cover as my film is quite happy. In addition, I think I will choose to have both of the main characters on the screen sitting next to each other maybe on a chair or sofa like this. I think mode of address is effective but I would also like to experiment with maybe the characters looking in different directions and laughing maybe to highlight the theme of friendship in the film and it could also draw the audience in because they want to know more about the girl's friendship. I think the whole cover compliments itself throughout and would attract its target audience easily.