Marketing

This post is purely to understand how I would market my product, and how this could potentially shape my idea and the development of my project.


Potential distribution companies 

                    -

Small English TV production studios

                    - CPL Productions - although more based around panel shows on TV, both are series based, and so I plan to study the links between each episode in order to further my understanding of how series work and plots develop.


4OD (exclusive to online) -

                    - Due to their other similar releases such as Green Wing, which is a series topical comedy show set in a hospital, and can be found online in the archive section, this proves Channel 4's online community to be popular in order to store shows from 10 years ago. Similarly the BBC have a number of short series, spin-offs from popular English TV shows such as 'Sherlock' and 'Dr Who'.

The term 'webisodes' stands for episodes of which have been released on the web, normally as a side or spin-off to the main tv show. 



Print/Online Marketing

- mock up of poster using stills/footage stills
- online advert distributed through YouTube/social media channels
- popularity of target audience 18-30 are high users of social media.
- analysis of colours related to theme and genre
- conventions of posters theme and genre - analysis








Looking into film companies, I would definitely use a niche, independent cinema type company to back my film as it is an independent type film, filmed in a specific style for a variety of audiences, similar to Legend. 

Advanced Specialist Production Skills: Summary

Editing Refresher


- close cut editing
- layering sound over image
- choosing the best footage for cuts
- lowering audio levels (pic in grad folder)
- how to introduce a documentary style piece
- how to do a quick rough edit
- keyboard shortcuts
- removing audio from footage and vice versa
- the importance of atmosphere throughout for continuity
- title tags of interviewees - how to fade in and fade out a title tag

- only problem with refresher so far was that it is hard to define specific editing techniques based on everyones' individual projects, and so we had to use an old piece of footage we had come across in first year editing which was an interview/news style programme.

This still is from the editing workshop which I used to differentiate the specific panels that are used when editing such as the 'Source' panel and the 'timeline'. Having not owned my own editing software, I feel that editing will be a challenge for me to overcome due to the lack of practising time I have compared to others. On the timeline, the footage we selected from the 'In/Out' function in the source panel I moved over to the timeline and using the cut tool, separated the specific clips in which needed to be edited. We did a number of techniques including rectifying overexposure, colour grading (using fast colour corrector tool), keyframes, stabilisation, exporting singular frames to photoshop, and motion tracking. 

When exporting singular frames, we looked specifically at using the first frame of the edited clip in order to line up the image exactly where the footage starts. This enables us to avoid overlap from the unedited and under/overexposed image, as well as making the process of motion tracking more precise.

When colour grading the scene, the Sony VG20 which was used, alters the light exposure mid film, which makes the shot develop from blue through to orangey tones. To alter this, we used the colour corrector of which the pipette tool was used to single out a more equal skin tone for the scene. This was then masked using a cross fade transition which slowly enabled the 'magnitude of the colour to decrease from e.g. 27.8 to 0.00 over the transition (found in the effects control panel).

In terms of finding and using effects, when stabilising shaky shots, the effect 'warp stabiliser' was incredibly useful. It stabilizes the shot but zooming in the frame slightly so that it can hold four points of interest at a more stable rate than the unzoomed edit. We also discovered that if you cut the clip in half after doing this, there is a slight jump where the zoom adjusts itself where it is unedited. This can be rectified by either using another clip or using a cross fade transition to make the jump less obvious.

Editing Workshop Slideshow

Advanced Script

- logline - developing with the aid of a third year scriptwriter (find in script post)
- understanding the stages of writing a script, from logline, first paragraph, to beat sheet, to a one page developed piece.
- elevator pitch (upload slides from presentation of ideas)
- character development
- how to include all detail into such a short period of time
- how to adapt an idea based on the output/final product
- formatting a script professionally (need some work on this)

Editing Techniques Research

Looking into potential editing techniques, I am really interested in creating a silhouetted effect with the characters, however not completely opaque. For this I would nee a three way angled window that lets different gradients of light in to create an uneven silhouette. A similar style example I found within this music video 'Against the wall' by 'Ill Nino'. Although the location is different, the half silhouetted figure is similar to what I would like to produce in an interior setting.

In terms of artificial light I feel this would expose the character too much and created a harsh effect, even after colour grading on Premiere Pro.                                                                                  

Click to enlarge

Despite this being a heavy metal music video, the editing technique and lighting are still relevant to the short features I want to achieve. To match this found style, I located a window which would create the desired effect within a housemates' bedroom, and luckily they agreed for me to have a look and take some pictures to see if I could use it.




Link to the Music Video Website: http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=61501


I don't want to go too overboard with a high number of techniques, however as my project has changed, I'm debating whether to just create a shorter piece of 5 minutes of which I can play with filming techniques, artistic influence and create a stronger message about mental illness and to explore my already strong basis of production skills.

Looking at editing techniques which I learnt in my refresher workshop, techniques such as blurring, colour altering and correction as well as stabilisation will come in handy.
Due to the nature of my project having a handheld camera, the stabilisation technique will definitely aid in making my project look more professional. Furthermore due to my gangster theme, the use of vibrant emotive colours would not be a wise decision as this doesn't fit with my genre's conventions and overall style and would fit more of a childrens theme. This is an editing technique I will incorporate into my final project piece.
When talking to Adrian Butterworth, I found it highly useful to see how quickly a new edit could be put together considering they have a short amount of time often between filming and distribution. 

Coursemate Collaboration

Lauren - I helped Lauren with brainstorming ideas during the scriptwriting process. We met up and discussed through 'forms of flight' which can be found in the household/garage, with creative purposes, i.e. not just an airplane/helicopter. After thinking of the first few by herself, I suggested a duvet cover which could act like a parachute. Seeing as her main character is a child, I felt that this also relates to younger childhood memories/games of playing with parachutes. Lauren liked this idea and took it onboard to help further her plot and finish her turning point.

After helping Lauren with Idea contribution and development, I agreed with her to attend a meet and greet with one of the potential actors for her short film. I plan to take notes of what is said and give Lauren feedback as to whether I think he is suitable, helping her creative decision.



Becca - Due to Becca doing her placement throughout November, she was unavailable for coursemate collaborative tasks during this time, however when she returns at the beginning of December, I plan to help her with scriptwriting, idea development and casting in order to help her quickly develop her project up to standard.




Matthew -




*photo evidence of involvement and contribution* 

Scripts - From Drafts to Final - Development

In my advanced specialist skills workshop, I worked on my logline and the development of my script in order to reveal all information about the main character in a short timeframe. I consulted with a third year scriptwriter who read through my premise, and delved in to the main plot of my project in order to get the key points for the logline, alongside the theme and main character, we found "Black Comedy", as well as the style of the project i.e. "Webisodes", and most obviously the "Main Plot Point".

This was my first attempt at a logline for my script (picture below). I intend to produce a first premise paragraph next, developing into a page of descriptive informative bullet points as to what goes on (Beat Sheet), and finally a One Page run down of the events within my project.

Logline 1 - Click to enlarge

 My first attempt at a logline reads as follows: A modern satirical exposure of an iconic english gangster, at the height of infamy, mismanages betrayal at the heart of his operations. 

When reading through this, I found the nationality of the gangster to be less important. The audience would find out through watching the episodes and don't necessarily need to be told outright. I used english to describe the gangster due to the very different 'types' you get, i.e. English Kray based gangsters like in Legend (2015), or American mobster gangsters, as in The Departed (2006). 
Power words included; exposure, iconic, infamy, heart. These strong words create powerful visual imagery of which upon consulting with my lecturer would be of use to involve in order to set the tone of the piece.

To develop the first idea of my logline, I then jumbled up the sections of information to give a different perspective and to twist the idea on its head. This resulted in a reversed version which sparked new ideas.

Logline 2 - Click to enlarge

Reads as follows: At the height of his infamy, an iconic gangster deals with betrayal.

This really took the flesh out of my logline and gave be a better understanding of the features of my project I wanted to force into a short 25 word limit (or there abouts). Going back to my earlier point of finding key phrases to include, I then jumbled up the words themselves in order to join new phrases from what I originally had, and so that I could give a format and context to my piece. The third year Scriptwriter who I spoke too suggested it might hold a stronger logline if I were to reveal a bit of the storyline through mentioning a 'personal' or 'innercircle' betrayal. I felt this could be used to my advantage as I knew I had to try to get the tone of my piece across.

I came up with three key phrases:

1. An infamous gangster
2. Opens the heart of his operations
3. Personal betrayal

I then used these to develop my final logline draft so far, which I'm 95% happy with and so will return to shortly.

Logline 3 - Click to enlarge

Final Logline draft from the session: A webisodical black comedy focusing on an infamous gangster who risks everything to open the heart of his operations, exposing paranoia, personal betrayal and an unstoppable force. (27 words).

In terms of creative writing, the use of the rule of three makes the logline question what could link those three issues together.

Analysis of Chosen Equipment

Canon 70D

- Issue of recording sound

The only challenge I may face when filming is failing to get a good quality of sound. For this reason, I plan on recording the audio twice on the Camera, using on body microphones, and through a TASCAM recorder. This enables me to have backups to play with and alter in the editing process using an audio editing software such as Audacity. However, due to my first person filming style, the Camera will be close to the persons face for the most part, and so sound recording may prove to be less of an issue. Another flaw with using a boom is the transportable nature of it, when as a student, I don't have a car to hand in order to take it from location to location. Also, due to the close nature of my chosen filming style, to have a boom right in the actors face in close scenes seems a little unnecessary.

- Tripod/Arm brace for stability

I researched into the issue of stability within the usage of DSLR cameras to film feature type footage. The issue was the cameraman/woman would struggle to stand still for a long period of time. This in time creates a shaky image without a smooth and solid finish which can look amateur-like if unintentional.
To rectify this problem, I looked into possible hardware which I could rent or invest toward in order to get a more solid finish to my images. In terms of stills, this was not a problem as the image is already stationary. I found a 'Arm Brace Stabilizer' of which acts like a sleeve on the forearm, attached to a stabilizing pole and weights to balance out the weight of the camera. This then acts like a steadycam to give the strong framed finish desired of good amateur film-makers.


- Tascam/on body microphones

After discussing the potential problem of sound, and factoring in the weather, I decided to use a TASCAM recorder to record the sound more than once as a back up. This enables me to edit the audi and be able to choose which to use. Due to my first person camera filming style, the camera will be near the character speaking most times, and so should pick up the sound easily. Also due to the fact I am adopting this filming style during production, a majority of camera shots will be away from the characters face and will be focusing on what they are talking about rather than if the image syncs and matches the audio. This will be a challenge, and is a main flaw of not using a boom, however due to the close nature of my filming set-up, I feel that this could work perfectly fine.


- Editing software 

Hopefully when I begin the post-production section of my project in the new year, I will have saved enough money to buy Premier Pro editing software of which I am sitting refresher Seminars for in order to develop my editing skills. In earlier terms I found it difficult to keep up with the teaching of editing due to not having had much experience in it before.

Specialist Skills Workshop (Refresher Editing)

Within my refresher editing skills seminars, I am learning not only basic skills, but also asking about how to overlay audio, how to colour grade and how to change audio levels within the software. Although we have a set schedule, I am learning new editing skills of which I would ideally like to apply to my final piece during the post production stage. It is important that I learn basic audio editing in order to apply to my sound in post if necessary to enable a higher quality of film.
During my first seminar, we edited an older news footage piece together with interviews, audio overlays, matching spoken sound to what was seen on the screen and furthermore creating a quick news package. I've learnt how to make a flush cut so that the sound and image start with a 1 second interval which gives a sharp snappy entrance without atmos buzzing before anything starts. Although I sometimes struggle to keep up with the speed of the seminar being taught, I am able to grasp the key concepts from the workshop.




I did some research into the type of camera I wanted to use, and looked at the pros and cons of using such camera. I was aware I would have to get a tripod for stability purposes, but my main reason for using a smaller handheld DLSR, is because although it still gives amazing image quality and sharpness, it is easily mobile from location to location when filming. This really appealed to the nature of my shoots, as I would only be shooting 2 minutes of scripted and storyboarded footage in each location, so therefore knew exactly where and when I wanted to shoot my scenes.


Here is a quick summary of my chosen camera; Canon 70D on TechRadar: http://www.techradar.com/reviews/cameras-and-camcorders/cameras/digital-slrs-hybrids/canon-eos-70d-1162746/review

Incorporating humour

Reflecting on the media texts I have researched, I notice that my idea has focused on the negative aspects of gangster lifestyle, and mental illness, and have ignored other conventions within the film/tv shows. I feel like I should try to include some humour within my scripting drafts to try and make the scenes lighter hearted.
This led me to look into the TV Show Green Wing which is a comedy hospital drama, of which some of the things they say and do when interacting with each other questions their mental health significantly. Mainly focused around the comedy genre however, this would be straying from the former gangster genre. I could try to incorporate these two genres together, to make a series of short sketches.

 I feel that a series of short satirical sketches based around the gangster genre could make the project more interesting for people to watch and enjoy seeing as comedy is universal. Also maybe having less based around the first person camera style I was planning to adopt.
I may lose the representation of mental health aspect, however I plan to watch some short clips of Green Wing, as well as both series to try and find some relatable comedy of which I could script up into a few short 2 minute scenes.


      


Furthemore I looked across the ocean into some short snappy american TV show texts with a similar theme to mine (being Spy/Gangster/Police/Crime based).
I found  a TV show called 'Archer' of which was a very humorous take on an american Spy company. The show features main character Archer in a number of different situations. This took me to the idea of changing my idea to be a series of short sketches in which represents the gangster lifestyle but in a humorous way through my main characters scripted lines.
Although Archer is an animated TV programme, notably the quick camera cuts and using the camera to set a scene/setting in which the episode ensues is an important feature I wish to try include into my work.

Within my Advanced Specialist Skills workshop for editing, I learnt how to layer speech audio over visuals in order to advance the storyline/plot further without using classic 'two head' interaction. This also keeps the audience interested for the full two minutes if the scripting is snappy and to the point.