WWW: I feel that I've captured the bold, bright colour design typical of BI covers, and thus is very eye-catching. The mast head is prominent, the focal image is large and fills up the space. The headline "Marvin Singer" is bold and easily readable.
EBI: Have more of a variation in topic of the inside stories other than just music and artists. Perhaps try out different colours and textures of text other than just white. Wear a different costume, one with brighter bolder colours so as to fit with the background more.
My Role
I was involved in every aspect of production, such as script writing, story boarding, set dressing, producing, directing,camera operating and editing. In addition to this, I was also acting as character Jerome.
Factors We Took Into Account When Planning, Filming and Editing
In planning, we had to schedule our shoot in the lobby so it didn't clash with the other group. We needed to rehearse the blocking of the scene with the actors to make sure they walked, stopped, and sat at the same places and positions for the sake of continuity.
When filming, we tried to stick to these positions and actions so that the shots connected together to have a good narrative flow. We also had to take into account the space of the room, and where the camera could be placed so that the tripod could fit, and to avoid having the camera show up in reflective surfaces.
When editing, we knew from our brief that we couldn't use any additional music or audio-visuals, so we tried to use the silence or "atmos" of the room for comedic effect, showing the over-the-top tension between the characters.
How Successful?
I am very happy with the final product and believe that we fulfilled the demands of the brief. There were plenty of moments of match-on-action and we demonstrated shot-reverse-shot, all while sticking to the 180-degree rule. The story and character relationships were mostly told visually, with minimal dialogue. The story, while a bit silly and odd, makes logical sense and the characters are stereotypical but realistic. There was one discrepancy in continuity when the clock in the background of two shots showed a skip in time of ten minutes, when mere seconds had passed in the story. Additionally, the framing of Jerome's mid-shot (OTS of Ms. Perkins) could have been better.
What I Have Learnt
I've learnt to always be wary of the background and changes in it that can break continuity. I've learnt that it is important to spend time to ensure that framing and composition look good. For future tasks, I would be more aware of the aforementioned things, and would like to experiment more with creating visual comedy, as well as writing a good script.
The trailer opens with a very familiar and relatable situation - the family dinner. As well as establishing the film's theme of family life mixing with superhero life, it appeals to family audiences (Disney 4-Quadrant Marketing Plan)and gives the audience a sense of the ordinary with only a dash (no pun intended) of superpowers, preparing them for the extraordinary things they are about to witness. The sibling rivalry in this scene provides comedy, and is again, very relatable, but with a superhero twist.
After setting up the family dynamic, the audience is shown a montage of the inciting incidentand first act of the film, where Elastigirl is recruited to spearhead a publicity stunt to regain the public's trust in superheroes. This montage will appeal to female members of the audience, giving them a powerful (literally) action-hero role model. The rising cinematic action hits in the soundtrack reinforce the superhero genre, and create a triumphant atmosphere, perhaps suggestive of the sequel finally being released into theatres - the wait is over.
Immediately after this, the iconicIncredibles musical motif plays, while the institution information is displayed in an intertitle. The music speeds up, indicative of rising action, and we see the comical gender role reversal of the dad having to stay at home and take care of the kids while the mum is out working. The fast-paced and dramatic music here suggests another of the film's themes, that parenting is just as much of a heroic act as stopping supervillains.
Then, as the trailer reaches its climax, the music and editing pace building, while intertitles saying "It's time to get back... to being Incredible" would appeal to the nostalgia of general adult audiences and hardcore Disney fans, as they would remember the original film from their childhoods. The return of beloved characters Edna Mode and Lucius (Frozone) would also appeal to fans of the original.
The climax of the trailer is interrupted by an almost-fourth-wall-break, as the film's main villain, the Screen Slaver, hijacks the trailer. This creates intrigue and mystery, as the audience would want to find out more about this powerful new villain whose powers have leaked into the real world.
In my opinion, the trailer for The Incredibles 2 is highly successful in selling the film, as it appeals to a broad range of audiences, doesn't give away too much of the plot, and remains faithful to the original.
The Story
Megan wants to cut out a dashing model from a magazine, so asks to borrow a pair of scissors that Hugo is playing with. He obliges and throws the scissors over to her, only for it to stab into her hand! She screams and Hugo reacts in horror.
How We Attempted to Achieve "Narrative Flow" (Continuity)
- We made sure to follow the 180-degree rule.
- The film opens with a wide establishing shot, which then moved closer in, to Mid Shots, then Close-Ups.
- Dialogue used to help to make the character's goal (to get the scissors) clear.
- Used a quick pan to "follow" the path of the scissors in the air, giving it a sense of speed and motion.
Did We Achieve Full Continuity?
Almost. Megan's position is slightly different when we cut from the wide to the mid shot, and there is a very jarring jump cut when we move into Hugo's mid close-up from the mid shot.
In Hindsight, What I Would Change/Improve
I would change Hugo's mid close-up to a big close-up of just his arm and the scissors, so the cut isn't as jarring. For that shot, I would also set it up on a tripod and whip pan out of it, so that it transitions seamlessly onto the next shot's whip pan into Megan's bloody hand.
