Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 3

Our chosen genre is gangster and our target audience is predominantly males aged 16 upwards due to the fact that males are more suited to violence and  are obsessed with the illusion of being a gangster. With this in mind we tried to interview and film the reactions from a wide range of people even though some didn't match our target audience criteria.

We asked people after watching the trailer, 'what genre do you think it is' some participants suggested the genre was action but the majority stated that the genre was gangster. They explained that they knew this through the representation of Vlad (a godfather) like character and his followers (his crew). They also stated that through key parts of the dialogue 'these aren't the kind of people you want to mess with' they were able to know the genre was gangster. Furthermore through the display of key gangster conventions, the presentation of a wealthy lifestyle cars, money and women. Also the illusion that crime pays shown through the status of key character Vlad.

From the interviews carried out we were able to infer that various participants when asked 'what could be changed about the trailer' stated that the sound was one of the main aspects that needed improvement, they felt that in some parts of the trailer they could barely hear the dialogue, particularly in the poker scene. Other participants stated that the titling at the end of the trailer needed some improvement, they felt the font could have been changed though they quite liked the smoke effect used

Evaluation Question 2

Evaluation question 1b

Evaluation question 1a

Trailer: First Reactions

Trailer Final

Trailer Draft

Post Production: Process of Editing

Trailer: Meeting Planning and Communication

Trailer Music

In order to create the perfect mood for our trailer, my group and I decided we would use dark and mysterious music which creates a sense of foreboding for our exposition scene. Using the website http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/ we have found a song called String Impromptu Number 1 which perfectly matched the church theme of the first scene, we decided that due to the serious and rhythmic tone we'd carry the same song on until the montage.

string-impromptu-number-1

Another Royalty free song which we have used was "The Escalation" which has a faster beat and which we began to use for the build up of the montage.

The most crucial song in our trailer,which added a professional touch to it was a original song by  Randy Valentine called "Suspense" which we was able to obtain due the fact that  this artist is a close family friend of mine. This music works very well with our trailer as it's got a fast beat and interesting vocals which is a unique feature of our trailer. We thought by combining raw violence seen in the trailer with a calm and subtle song we would create some sought of contrast between the two that would work perfectly.

Production day 6

Day 6

Kitchen scene

In order to develop a more complex plot we have tried to show the relationship between the characters of Vlad and Vanessa. By showing a scene of her getting fed up of this lifestyle and wanting some sort of change.

Park bench scene

 To show that Vlad and Jason are in competition we have decided to include a "love triangle" between the characters as both Vlad and Jason are after the same girl which is clearly a dangerous thing for Jason to do.

Jason's office

After taking drugs Jason has a mental breakdown as he realizes what Vlad has influenced him to do.

Production day 5

day 5

Jason's and Jake's office meeting

In this scene we established the relationship between the two adopted brothers to show the differences in terms of character personalities.

 Alleyway scene

We have taken a lot of footage in this alleyway as not only does Vlad trap Jason here to give him the choice of paying up with his or his brother life but also that's where Jason kills Jake in order to mimic Vlad's actions to suggest that he wants to be like him.

Production day 4

Day 4

Car boot scene

Most gangster films show a lot of violence and brutality, in order to conform to this convention we have took the minimalist approach towards violence as it's hard to replicate but have shown people being kidnapped, tied up and thrown into a boot of a car. 

Church scene

Due to the fact the Church was closed at the time the actors arrived at the scene we had to improvise and use the school chapel instead. I personally think that it worked well as it still had all the religious symbols in the background. Which yet again we've found as a common convention in gangster films. In order to reflect this we decided to show the opening scene of a trailer as a flashback to Vlad's youth where he decides to kill his father in the Church after being kicked out the house. This scene reinforces the idea of importance of religion to Vlads father and therefore influencing his upbringing as well as suggesting that he is different and shows no remorse for his actions.

Production Day 3

Day 3

Poker scene

This is the reason why Jason get into trouble with Vlad's gang. We have chosen to film this in the school basement as it creates a very cold atmosphere. This sort of location is also seen in many gangster film as they prefer to remain hidden and not be out in public. This portrays the underworld of London and how although on the outside it may seem nice there's also a darker side to the city as well.

Another reason why we have chosen to do a poker scene is because it's a very common convention of the gangster genre as many of the themes are based on aspects of running casino's etc. We couldn't film in a real casino and that's why decided to recreate at least the gambling aspect of it.

Basement scene

Due to the great location we decided to reuse the same location for different parts of the movie where we could see gang members hanging out as well as torturing people down in the basement 

Production day 2

day 2

Shisha scene

We decided to shoot this scene second as we have figured it would be difficult for us to get permission to film etc. however the lounge that we went to were happy for us to film without a problem and we was able to proceed with the production

We decided to film in a Shisha lounge because of the dark and mysterious atmosphere it creates, we feel as if this conforms to the conventions of gangster films because most are often found hanging out at their favorite lounges and bars.

Production day 1

Day 1

Office scene

We have began our production with shooting this scene first as we had easy access to it, being the headteachers office in our school it was simple for us to get permission to film there. We choose this office in particular because of it's size to show off the rather luxurious and opulent lifestyle of Vlad.   

This scene is a follow up to the exposition scene of Vlad's past which is meant to reflect the contrast between his youth and modern day. 

Script

SCENE 1 - CHURCH
(YOUNG VLAD IS PRAYING IN A CHURCH AND IS JOINED BY THIS FATHER)
YOUNG VLAD: (kneeling in prayer and whispering to himself) Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed by Thy name...
(PRAYER INTERRUPTED BY FATHER)
FATHER: (in polish) You are on the wrong path, you are a disappointment to this family. Get out my house!
(FATHER DROPS HEAD TO PRAY AS YOUNG VLAD STANDS UP AND REVEALS A GUN)

SCENE 2 - OFFICE
(VLAD IS READING A NEWSPAPER)
MOB MEMBER 1: You own everything. You run this city. What more could you want?
VLAD: (lowers newspaper) It is not what I own but who is trying to take it away from me. I have to protect what's mine.

SCENE 5 - BASEMENT
(JASON LOOKS AND CARDS THEN PLACES ALL CHIPS IN THE PILE)
JASON: I'm all in.
(JAKE TRIES TO ESCAPE BUT IS FORCED DOWN BY BODYGUARD)

SCENE 6 - OFFICE
(JASON RUNS INTO JAKE'S OFFICE)
JASON: Jake, I'm in trouble. I need your help!
JAKE: (concerned) Take a seat, what's the problem?
(JAKE SITS DOWN)
JASON: I was playing poker with these guys and I lost all of my money. I think they're after me!
JAKE: Jason, I can't keep saving you. You're on your own this time.
JASON: Fine! I deal with this on my own!
(JAKE LEAVES OFFICE)

SCENE 7 - ALLY
(VLAD AND MOB MEMBER 2 CORNER JAKE IN ALLY WITH GUNS)
VLAD: If you can't pay in cash you pay with a life. It's yours or your brothers. You decide. 

SCENE 8 - ALLY
(JAKE IS SURROUNDED BY MOB AS JASON POINTS A GUN AT HIM)
JAKE: Jason?! Whoaa Jason?! Jason you can't do this! We are brothers!
JASON: Shut up!

(JASON THROWS JAKE TO THE GROUND)

SCENE 9 - LOUNGE
(VLAD AND JASON AND SMOKING IN A LOUNGE)
VLAD: I'm very impressed by your work. You will do well in this business. 
(VLAD HANDS THE PIPE TO JASON)

SCENE 10 - RESTAURANT
VANESSA: You don't know who you're dealing with. These guys are dangerous. Be careful.

Storyboard

As a group we have come together to being the initial planning of the trailer using a storyboard to get a rough idea of how the trailer should look like we began by looking at the shot list which we have created previously and have carefully considered what sort of shots would be the best for each take. We will use this as a plan on each day of shooting in order to get the best possible shots, however there is a high possibility of us changing some of the shots on the day. 

Shot list

We have began our planning by sitting down and discussing what sorts of scenes we need in our trailer, We have came up with a list of scenes which we do need in order to tell the story effectively and keeping the audience entertained.

On the 1st shoot we will film the 2nd scene which we will be shot in Vlad's office, for this we will use the head teachers office in our school as the location and will need at least 1 mob member talking Vlad as well as his bodyguard.

On the 2nd shoot we will film the 9th scene which we will shoot will be at a Shisha lounge, for this scene we will need Vlad as well as Jason who will be smoking shisha together as a sign of trust and respect.

On the 3rd shoot we will film 2 different scenes which will all be located in the basement of our school. 3rd scene would be of Jason playing poker with the mob, for this scene we will need Vlad, Jason, a card dealer, a bodyguard and 2 extra mob members. We will also shoot the 4th scene where we have Vlad torturing a mob member of his gang who has disrespected him. 

5th shoot will be located in a restaurant and this scene will be a conversation between Vanessa and Jason and Vanessa will be warning Jason of the people that he is dealing with this will be the 10th scene of the trailer. 

On day 6 we will shoot the prologue scene in a near by church, for this scene we will need Vlad's father (played by my actual father) as well as younger Vlad (played by my brother). On this day we will also shoot the car scenes where Jason exists the car with his mob as well as Jason executing someone in the boot of the car.

On day 7 we will shoot the scenes located in a alleyway. First of all scene number 14 where we have Vlad and his bodyguard trapping Jason in the alleyway and then pointing a gun at him giving him the ultimatum. Secondly the scene where Jason is killing Jake, for this scene we will need the full mob's participation which means that we will need all of it's members. 

On shoot number 8 we will film Jake's office scene where Jason runs to him asking him for help this scene follows the poker scene and will also be shot in school but using a different teachers office.

Lastly we will film at someones house, In this scene we see Jason going crazy after taking drugs. For this scene we will only need Jason.