The document provides details about the pre-production process for a student film project. It includes:
- An explanation that the project will be a trailer for a thriller film about a serial killer and a poster.
- The purpose is to gain experience for university film studies and a short film would be too ambitious.
- The target audience is 30-49 year olds, inspired by directors like Scorsese.
- The trailer will be shown before films in cinemas and on streaming platforms.
- Breakdowns of the trailer story, script, storyboards, and shot lists are provided to plan the production. Style sheets are also included to plan the visual design of the trailer and
2. Pre-production
• What are you making? (explain what you have been asked to do)
I am making a trailer for a feature film and a poster. The trailer will be around a minuet to two minuets long
with a short thirty second teaser trailer. The film is about a serial killer confessing to his crimes and saying
where he has hidden the bodies of his victims as he retells how he committed the crime.
• Why? (What is the purpose of making your Film)
I am making a trailer as I am wanting to go onto university to study film and I felt as though making a short film
at this point would be a bit too much for me and as though a film trailer was a better place to start as I do not
need a full complete story and I can get away with using friends in my trailer easier than if I was making a short
film which would require more acting.
• Who is it for? (Audience)
I am aiming my film at an audience in the 30-49 age range as I am taking inspiration from directors like Martin
Scorsese who's main viewing audience is around this age range.
• Where will it appear/on what? (How will audience see it)
In a cinema before the film you have gone to see plays and on television during adverts on film television
channels such as film4 etc. the trailer would also pop up as a short 30 second add before you watch a YouTube
video or something but this would only be the short trailer.
Reflection:
3. Pre-production: Break Down
Beginning – Opens with the adult serial killer sitting at a table having an interview with detective.
Middle – Something about the serial killer’s story starts to seem fishy and some of the details of the story
don’t make sense.
End – The serial killer reveals he never killed these people it was his brother and there is then a phone call
from the detective’s house saying that the real killer has gone for the detective’s family.
Adult Serial Killer (fake) – Something about him seems off and as if he isn’t telling the truth about each
murder and as if he doesn’t actually know what happened. He is left handed while the real killer is right
handed.
Teenage & Child Serial Killer (real) – Are both right handed as they are the actual younger versions of the
killer. They seem a bit more normal than the fake serial killer.
Detective – A stereotypical detective.
Trailer Break Down – Open seeing the interview then cutting to seeing various murders committed by the
younger versions of the killer before ending back with the interview where the serial killer (fake) is going
crazy.
For the murders there will be quick flash backs of the child killer at the park following a small girl and the
teenager version of the killer eyeing up a teenage girl possibly with a boyfriend.
4. Pre-production: Rough Script
Prison cell is opened to reveal prisoner and he is walked down the hallway to an interview room.
Killer - Where do you want to start?
Shows the youngest version of himself at the park trying to kidnap a child.
Detective – Why did you kill?
Killer – Because I could…
Teenage girl running as we see the teenage version of the killer committing his murder.
Killer – and I enjoy it.
Shows the killer disposing of his victims bodies.
Killer – You will never stop me killing!
Detective – But we already have.
Flashes of the killings.
Title card.
Final close ups.
6. Pre-production: Shot List
Close up cell door
Close up hand cuffs
Close up killers feet walking
Medium shot Killer taking a seat
Medium shot Detective taking a seat
Close up objects on desk
Close up killer
Close up child killer
Long shot child playing football
Close up bloody hands
Long shot grandma looking for child
Close up Detective
Medium shot teenage girl running
Close up teenage girls feet running
Medium shot teenage killer
Close up teenage girl
Close up teenage killer
Medium shot shovel
Medium shot killer
Close up killers eyes
Close up child bloody hand
Close up teenage girl being chocked
Close up teenage killers eyes
Close up child killers eyes
Close up left hand on table
7. Trailer Style Sheet
I really like the dark blue colour grading
from these films and I want to take this into
some of the scenes in my trailer. I feel like
most of my scenes which are set outside in
the day time will look like the shot below
from the film The Departed.
8. Poster
Style Sheet
I like the simplicity in
these film posters
and think I will make
my poster similar to
this sort of design. I
think I will make my
poster most similar
to the The Green
Mile poster as I feel it
gives the viewer a
good look at what
the film is about but
still leaves some stuff
unknown.
I really like the use of
lighting in the
cinematic
photography I have
on this slide I think I
will try to light my
scenes similar to
these pictures.
9. Poster
Style Sheet
I feel as though this dark red colour pallet would work really well for a simplistic poster
design as it would allow me to put all the focus on the image on the poster as there are not a
lot of colours for the viewer to look at. The red can also represent the anger in the main
character and it could also represent blood. The darkness in the colours would also show
what the tone of the film is like.
This colour pallet is a mix of greys and light blues which I feel would great a cold feel within
the poster which could make the viewer uneasy and maybe send shivers down their spines.
This metallic colour pallet could be linked the the bars of the prison cells and the hand cuffs
on the killer in the trailer but could also represent death as being cold and lonely.
This colour pallet has some reds and a turquois blue sort of colour in it this could give a cold
feeling like the colour pallet above but just not as strongly. I don’t think I would use the
green as it looks like a sick sort of colour and I do not think it would work well on a poster.
The red in this colour pallet is a bit lighter and there are more colours in this colour pallet to
work with. I like the blue in this colour pallet as it is dark and not as washed out as the
second colour pallet I looked at. The orange in this colour pallet I feel I might be able to work
with but the green again I feel I would not use in my poster.
10. Resources
Equipment/ Props/
Costume needed
Locations needed
Orange jump suit Prison cell
Hand cuffs Interrogation room
Shovel Public park
Sound recorder Woods
Paper work Field
Camera
Shoulder rig
Handheld audio recorder
Tripod
11. Contingency Planning
Potential Issue Solution
Actors drop out Film scenes and shots which that actor is not in
and come back another time to film their parts.
Weather e.g. rain and wind Move the location of the scene if possible or try
to wait it out.
Equipment breaks Have spares of equipment if possible.
The public Try to move to a quieter location if possible or
try not to get things that could change in shot
for continuity reasons.
Losing equipment Lose of memory cards etc. having backups of
equipment if possible.
12. Health and Safety
Potential Issue How will the issue be
avoided?
Wet surfaces from rain. Tell people not to run.
Rocks and sticks in the woods could lead to
people tripping up.
Tell people to be carful were they step and clear
sticks and stone off of the path if possible.
People tripping over wires. Use tape to keep them on the floor or on the
boom mic.
Food and water Make sure there is a break on a long shoot and
bottles of water on set for actors and crew.
Toilets Make sure there is access to toilets for
actors and crew.
13. Production Schedule
Day/Lesson Tasks
Friday 3rd May – Sunday 5th May Shooting days for the park scene and woods.
Tuesday 7th May – Friday 10th May Editing footage and seeing if I need to do
reshoots for any scenes that weekend.
Friday 10th May – Saturday 11th May Prison scene and possibly reshoots
Tuesday 14th May – Friday 17th May Finishing editing and getting all colour grading
finished and text finalised.
Tuesday 21st May – Friday 24th May Making film poster.
Editor's Notes
Use this space to document whatever pre-production work you did for your project. It will vary from person to person and project to project.
Use this space to document whatever pre-production work you did for your project. It will vary from person to person and project to project.
Use this space to document whatever pre-production work you did for your project. It will vary from person to person and project to project.
Use this space to document whatever pre-production work you did for your project. It will vary from person to person and project to project.
Use this space to document whatever pre-production work you did for your project. It will vary from person to person and project to project.