A production diary documenting the processes when creating my film trailer and ancillary tasks , Media A level.

1. Film trailer
production diary
Paige Hadaway

2. Entry 1 .
To begin my production I needed to decide what brief would fit my ideas best ,
I decided to create a film trailer package including the trailer , poster
advertisement and a film magazine cover. After doing some research I decided
that the trailer should be roughly 2 minutes long and I had started to brain
storming ideas for the film and what the image could be for the poster. I have
chosen to go ahead with this brief as I feel it uses a medium that will enable
me to utilize my skills to the best of my abilities, As well as allow me to create
the most professional outcome.
Furthermore I believe will be able to come up with a lot of good ideas and
creative shots for a film trailer as I can reference and research films in the
specific genre chosen. This option interests me the most as i have previously
researched into it and feel I am able to come up with the most creative ideas
for this option.

3. Entry 2.
• I started my research and planning by looking at similar films in the genre of
drama , my genre will be addressing social realism giving the audience an
idea of what really goes on in ‘gang’ culture within urban cities. I decided to
look at some trailers for films such as top boy, brotherhood , shank and ill
manors this was helpful as it enabled me to see what type of shots I should
include. It also gave me a really good understanding of the type of music to
use , for thisIi found instrumentals work well and some sections where
there will be rapping alongside music in the background. Research also
enabled me to find out how many people would be appropriate for my cast.

4. Entry 3- Filming the dog scene.
• To begin my film trailer production I made a shot list in which I can follow to
make sure I use the most creative shots possible. This also enabled me to
choose the correct amount of shots needed to make 2minutes of footage all
together. Additionally to this I made a story board in which helps me know
what o film and where the camera should be placed. To begin I decided to
film the dog scenes first as I felt this may be the most difficult to get right as
it can be hard to get the perfect angle and get the dog to behave in the way
I needed. In order to get the dog to appear slightly aggressive and look
although he was pulling on the lead I took a ball and threw I behind the
camera to allow for him to get excited and tug on the lead. I also wanted to
get a mid shot of the dog running , in which I will make slow motion when
edited to make it appear more intense. I feel these shots were fairy
successful and will work well within my trailer.

5. Entry 5 - Filming the gang
together.
• This time shooting I filmed some shots inside a room of the 3 boys in the
gang the room is filled of smoke which helps to represent there bad
smoking habits as well as there disrespect for the house. It also gave a
eerie feel to the scene further connoting a sense of misdemeanor . To
achieve the Smokey effect in the room the characters filled the room
with vape smoke. Another reason for filming this scene is that I wanted
to show the boys relaxing together inside this shows that they spend
time with each other helping to represent the closeness of there
relationship. This day of filming I also filmed a tracking shot of Rory
walking into the room as I thought this would be effective, the tracking
shot then changes to him sitting down and holding a bag of drugs , this
helps to represent what they do with their time. next I filmed footage of
one of the boys arranging a line of white powder, this helps to further
show the gangs association with drugs , the fact it’s a close up shot
shows the concentration the character has on the task at hand.

6. Entry 5 – Confrontation
scene.
• To go ahead further with filming my trailer I decided the next shot i
should work on is the violent /fight scene in which helps to give
some insight into the action within the film , this should intrigue the
audience more. At this point in the story Lil’Ace and Woodsy had
found out that Rory had betrayed their trust. In this scene it shows
the boys ambushing Rory by asking him to meet them at a derelict
place, little does Rory know they are here to fight him and teach him
a lesson. I first filmed a mid shot of Rory standing in the derelict
space , this shot was of him taking a phone call letting Ace know he
is there. I next clip I filmed being a tracking shot of the boys coming
down an alley towards. Furthermore when filming ,I shot a close up
pan of the characters holding weaponry before ambushing the ex
gang member . I also filmed an over the shoulder shot of the two
boys confronting Rory with them pointing the weapons. I feel these
shots were successful as I wanted to portray the characters in a
dangerous and carefree light . In order to achieve this effect the over
the shoulder shot I made sure the characters faces were aggressive
so the audience could see the anger and resentment the boys had
for Rory.

7. Entry 6 – Wheelie scene
• For this shoot I filmed the main character on his push bike I
decided this would be an important to include this clip as it
helps to show that Lil’Ace uses a push bike to get around on
road , push bikes do not have number plates so this made it
more realistic as it means police wouldn’t be able to easily
identify him when in a chase . I took a long shot where Ace
was riding towards the camera , I then changed shots to a mid
side shot where he rides past the camera wheeling . I felt that
having the character wheeling would help to connote the
cockiness and boldness of the character.

8. Entry 7- Establishing shot
• Next I went up to the top a multistory car park in which was
high enough to view the town of Dartford. During filming I
used a a tripod to the tallest it could stand , I then attached
the camera and tilted it down slightly to make it look although
it was looking down the town. I decided a pan would be a
good camera movement as it enables a lot of the landscape to
be seen in one shot. I also waked around the town and took
some clips of the popular places such as near the train station
where there is a lot of people and council building , I felt this
would help to start the story and helps to connote a certain
mood to the film. By the fact it was dark it connotes that this
is when the town comes alive and crimes are more likely to be
committed. The fact it was dark also gave a really picturesque
feel as it enabled all the streetlights and car lights to be seen.

9. Entry 8 – Alone scene.
• I decided I needed some more clips when it was night time as
this is when most gang culture comes to life. So I took a pan
shot in which shows an estate of flats , the shot then shows
Lil'Ace sparking a cigarette in the dark , the fact its dark puts
emphasis on on the cigarette being lit. As character is alone it
could connote that the character is contemplating something
or it may seem although he is waiting for someone to do
business. I felt this was an important shot , although ace is
part of a gang , it could show he is still a very independent
character that doesn't’t actually need the help of a gang but
uses the protection of a gang to help take him to the top of
the business and become top man of the town.

10. Entry 9- Money .
• I felt for the genre of the film trailer it was crucial to include
money as a prop as it is a key element of the crime industry
such as drug and weapon trade. I wanted to show a match on
action shot of money being handed over to Lil ace , in
exchange for a bag full of illegal contraband. This will be
included towards the end of the trailer with Ace in a car , this
helps to show how he’s identity is constantly changing when
he is trading , earlier within the trailer it shows him riding a
pushbike by day , however by night he uses a car to ensure
safety of his belongings and Himself .

11. Entry 9- Fight scene.
• This being one of the last scenes will film this is one of the
main issues of the trailer. Ace is ambushed in hidden alleyway
by his rivals Dee and Shivvy. This scene includes a point of
view shot in which ace gets punched round the face , the
camera jolts in the direction of the punch helping the
audience to fee although they are part of the scene. A also
used a tracking shot of Lil'Ace being chased down the alley to
help the audience feel although they are experiencing the
action too. I filmed a shot in which I tried to make it look
although Shivvy had picked ace up and thrown him to floor ,
he then in a separate shot stamps ace to unconsciousness, this
is all filmed as a point of view shot.

12. Entry 10- Sound.
• I used royalty free music and sound effects from websites such
as soundbible.com and YouTube audio library. When finding
the perfect sound effects I thought about the effect they
would give to the audience and weather they would be
effective or worth adding. For example I decided to add a
chain clink during the dog scene as it adds extra emphasis on
the fact he is using a chain lead , I also thought adding police
sirens would be fitting to the genre of my trailer , this helps to
add tension as well as further illustrate what type of town the
trailer is set in. Finding the best websites to use for my trailer
was not too difficult as I have previously used these in past
productions ,the source was reliable and sound effects were
realistic.

13. Entry 11 – Editing.
• To start my editing in Final Cut Pro X, I took all my important
clips I wanted to use and placed them in a rough order , I did
this to allow for room to tweak the placement of some of the
shots if I wanted to change the order. I added the clips of
music over the top where I knew it would defiantly be placed ,
this gave me a better idea of the mood the scene would have,
without the background music it didn't’t have very good pace
to it so it was vital I had music running through the whole
trailer. However at certain points of my production the music
is a lot quieter as I wanted import sound effects as well as
some speech to be heard , so I used the blade tool to cut the
music exactly where it need to be quieter and pulled down the
volume. This was the most effective way.

14. Entry 12 – Editing.
• When adding titles and credits to my trailer , I decided to start
by adding a film distribution label , by doing so it immediately
makes the film look more professional and realistic. I
brainstormed ideas to come up with a new film distribution
name as I wanted it to be unique from the others such as 20th
century fox and Warner Bros. I come to the conclusion that
“Reloaded Entertainment” sounded best , I though it was very
fitting to my genre and I feel if it were to be a distribution
label then it would distribute films similar to my own. When
placing the credits and names of the actors I included
everyone and decided to place names in the bottom right-
hand corner as this allowed for the text to Be seen easily. This
way it was also nearer to the character who's name was
appearing on the screen.

15. Entry 13- Narration.
• After looking over my rough edits closely I came to the conclusion
the story would be clearer if I had a short narration to give the
audience a rough idea of who the main character was. When writing
my narration I was careful not to give too much of the story away I
wanted it to draw the audience in rather than give a description of
the story. When recording the narration used a Sony IC recorder and
I ensured it was filmed in a quiet room in which had no echo , this
would make the recording appear better quality. Then I added into
in Final Cut , choosing to place it near the beginning I felt it would
work adequately over the top of my establishing shots of the city
almost setting the scene and story at the same time. I used the
blade tool when placing the narration in as this allowed me to set
the pace of the narration myself , allowing for pauses where it fit
best , I also felt at times the narration was a little fast. In order to
change that I slowed down the speed of the narration clips ,
customizing it myself to fit the pace of scene.

16. Entry 14- Film Magazine Front
Cover
• In order to make a start to my first ancillary task I went out
and used a digital DSLR camera to photograph my main
character and he’s dog from my film trailer. The images I shot I
would be using for both my ancillary tasks. I decided I would
use Adobe InDesign to create my film magazine front cover as
it usually used to publish newsletters, magazines and posters
with texts, this allowed me for easy placement of any texts or
images. I started off by creating my background using an
image taken of the main character, I then thought that
working on the fonts , colours and sizes of the film title and
magazine name would be the most important and eye-
catching. This meant that I could work around the important
text and really experiment with layout to see what was most
effective.

17. Entry 15- Film Poster
Advertisement
• I started on my film poster advertisement, after much analysis of
other posters I knew exactly what I would need to include within
mine to make it bold and informational. I started by using an image I
had previously taken for my background , which helps give the
audience some insight to who and what may be involved in the film.
• I decided on using Photoshop for this production as I felt I could get
a much more professional outcome , this also meant that I could edit
my background images adding filters where needed so my poster
was fitting to my genre. I then placed and wrote all the relevant
texts onto the page so I could experiment with layout. I really
thought carefully about my text used and fonts as some text needed
to be a lot smaller (Small Print) and some text needed to stand out
more or appear bolder. Colour scheme is also an important aspect ,
so when adding glow to some text I changed the colour to match
colours in the background image to add harmony.