Final promotional package

Here is my finished promotional package; ancillary tasks (film magazine cover and poster) and main product (teaser trailer).



                                                 

                                                                   Magazine cover



Poster

                              

Trailer

Final storyboard

Final Storyboard

1.       Institutional information- MPAA

2.       Spotlight Productions

3.       Black Stallion Films

4.       Shot of computer screen showing findmypast

5.       Text on screen

6.       Computer screen with mouse on “get started”

7.       Sarah on the phone

8.       Close-up of the newspaper clipping

9.       Sarah walking through the trees

10.   Sarah going into the house

11.   Text on screen

12.   Sarah walking along the corridor

13.   Text on screen

14.   Sarah stroking piano

15.   Text on screen

16.   Walking over to table

17.   Lifting lid of box

18.   Text on screen

19.   Over the shoulder shot of her reading the letter

20.   Over the shoulder shot of Frances writing the letter

21.   Shot of Frances from the front writing the letter- tilt up to her face shows that she’s crying

22.   Text on screen

23.   Frances dancing with Peter

24.   Frances praying

25.   Frances walking down the staircase

26.   Text on screen

27.   Frances looking out over the balcony

28.   Peter walking up the steps

29.   Peter walking over to Frances

30.   Confrontation scene between Jon and Peter

31.   Jon reaching for Frances- he tilts her head upwards

32.   Text on screen

33.   Frances looking through keyhole

34.   Jon walking over to Peter- shot shows only their legs so facial expressions cannot be seen

35.   Frances drawing back from keyhole in shock

36.   Frances dancing with Jon

37.   Match being dropped

38.   Text on screen

39.   Frances running along the corridor

40.   Frances in bed- unsettled sleeping shows she is having a nightmare

41.   Frances running down the steps

42.   Frances running along the gravel

43.   Frances running down more steps near the lake

44.   Quick shot of fire

45.   Film Title

46.   Match burning the paper

47.   Institutional information

48.   Match burning paper- shot fades out with music

As there are now over 40 sections to our storyboard we felt it would be easier and clearer if we typed it up rather than drawing it out. This shows how much our ideas have developed since our earlier storyboards were created.

Final trailer and feedback

Here is our final trailer:



We are quite happy with the end result, and we think that all the hard work we put into it has payed off. Here is the audience feedback we have had:

Trailer feedback on Prezi

Overall scenes/shots we have decided to add and remove

Here is the overall list of shots we have decided not to use, or to remove or change:

• The drunken scene

WHY: We all agreed that it didn't really add anything to the narrative, and could therefore cause confusion.

• The nightmare scene

WHY: We were told to remove this as it had connotations of a horror film and could therefore cause confusion. (UPDATE: We have now re-added this shot, but we have cut a considerable amount of the footage from it and slowed it down, so it now fits in with the narrative a lot better.)

• The party scene

WHY: Because we did not have sufficient transport to take the number of actors we would need for this scene to the locations. It would also mean casting a lot of people. We also felt that it didn't add much to the narrative.

• The makeup scene

WHY: We changed this shot to Frances writing a letter, as this would add more to the narrative and link in with the title of the film.

• Shame scene

WHY: We filmed Frances, Peter and Jon praying in the chapel, but did not have them being spoken to by a minister, as we could not get the correct costume. Furthermore, we decided that simply having the shot of Frances praying on her own looked the most effective.

• We changed the concept of the diary to a letter

WHY: Because letters would show more of an exchange between the three 19th century characters; this would not be possible with a diary, as a diary is very private and personal, and would therefore only show Sarah the point of view of one of the characters.

• We added shots of Frances running towards a cross in her nightie

WHY: Because we wanted to make the most of the location (there was a large metal cross in a hallway at Kilpin Hall), and it also added to the connotations of going against religion and creating scandal. The fact that Frances is wearing her nightclothes suggests that at night she is troubled by her sins (which is emphasised in the nightmare scene).

•  We added shots of Frances running down stone steps towards  lake

WHY: Because we wanted to make the most of the location (Aske Hall), and the shot looked dramatic and effective, particularly as the wind is blowing in her hair, and the weather is moody and overcast. These shots are also similar to those in the Jane Eyre trailer, which shows that we are following conventions, and also helps to suggest that Frances is, literally and metaphorically, running away from the situation she is in, showing that she is tormented by it.

• We replaced the shots of Frances flirting with the rich man and the poor man at the party to different shots of her with each man

WHY: Firstly, we had decided against the party scene. Secondly, we felt that these shots had more impact on the viewer and also meant that we could make the most of the locations.

• We cut down the confrontation scene so that it was simply an over-the-shoulder shot of the poor man, with the top hat and part of the face of the rich man showing

WHY: Because it was extremely difficult to get a smooth shot of this; as we were outside on uneven terrain it would have been difficult to have the camera on wheels for a tracking shot, so the camera therefore had to be handheld. We consequently thought that it would be better to get a shorter shot that was smooth.

• We changed the shot of the old and modern newspaper clipping to simply a shot of the modern one

WHY: Because we felt that having two newspaper clippings was confusing and difficult to read, whereas the modern one gave away enough information for the viewer to still have a good idea of the narrative.

Changing text of trailer

We showed our trailer so far to our media class, who all agreed that the narrative was still a little unclear. They suggested that this was due to the text in the trailer being too vague and not specific enough; text such as "It can change you morals" was, they thought, simply being used to convey emotion, when, in fact, the soundtrack helped to convey adequate emotion towards the viewer. They therefore suggested that we use a more direct approach and write clearer, more specific text which explains the narrative better, as well as rearranging the order of some of the shots. This is the final text:

• Have you ever wanted to delve into your past?
• What would you do...
• If you uncovered a dark family secret...
• That would take you back...
• To the past?
•  Hidden for centuries
• And only now
• Will you discover
• The truth

We feel that this conveys the narrative in a much clearer way, but doesn't give away too much of the storyline. We are therefore much happier with this text.

MPAA green screen

From watching other trailers, we have learnt that many of them include a variation of this green screen at the beginning (see below), which is a confirmation by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) of who the trailer is appropriate for. However, as our film is a British film, we set about researching to see if there was a British equivilent. Unfortunately we couldn't find one, but, what we did find out is that most British films that are distributed in America also tend to have the green screen by the MPAA. As our film is obviously featured in film magazines, it is therefore extremely unlikely that, in real-life circumstances, it would not be distributed in America. We have therefore chosen to include a green screen by the MPAA at the beginning of our trailer.

Making the film company logo on Adobe Flash and Adobe Photoshop

Making the film company logo on adobe flash

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