BILAWAL Proposal

For Empire; a review for Nuts an interview. If Nuts is our second magazine then we should go to the interview front. Nuts is known for their action movie interviews (in terms of movies) and it's the most read part of the magazine. It will promote our magazine to our main audience who are in the 16-25 age democratic.

However we need to reach our wider audience. We should post an interview with the director in Vanity Fair, a magazine read by older people and more women read it despite it being focused on both genders, I think I don't know. If we have an interview with an actress in our produiction or with the director then our wider audience might be tempted to watch it knowing they might actually be satisfied with the movie.

I don't know which one to do, with Nuts informing our main audience who might know about it and Vanity Fair reaching our target audience who don't know about it.

Bilawal's post

Trailer Progress and Print Production

We have now completed 1 minute and 40 seconds of our trailer. That includes soundtrack, voiceover etc. So we are actually on our way to have a high quality trailer, however there is work still needed to be done. After getting feedback from Miss Holliday we still have to adress our wider aduience.

The trailer focuses on out main target audience and from what we've found it only appeals to one gender. However we also noticed that the opposite gender still like the trailer as it's entertaining. We need to add a love interest so that we reach that wider audience who can relate to the trailer and decide to watch the movie. We have used up all our shots, which was to be the case as we're doing an action trailer.

On Monday we'll finish the remainder of the filming and by wedensday with all my frees and Jaspal's frees (including after school etc) our trailer should be completed. As I have the most frees I've had the most time to invest in the editing however I discuss what to do before with the group. Me and Jaspal worked on the editing and Gurvider and Sam focused on the Magazine.

In terms of the magazine I spent time with Gurvinder write his part of the article. I also spent some time with Sam as he used a template for the magazine as he completed it on Friday. It looked really good. I think overall we're producing some really amazing work, the amount of effort everyone puts in is a lot and we are on course to complete the work on time but also efficently.

Progress report on editing (Gav)

Editing is going extremely well as we are working ahead of the plan. At this stage we should be at the 90 second mark, we are 10-15 seconds forward which is positive. Not only that but our trailer at the moment is looking good and may not need to make any changes to what we have done so far.

Comments from media mentors, other media students and teachers have been positive although there is still room for improvement. Some have said to include a love interest as it isn't really attracting a mass audience. This has been taken to consideration and filming for this will take place at some stage next week. Other advice was on editing which was to make clear fades should only be used when the setting of a shot has changed.

From one of my previous posts I mentioned aspects of the trailer that needed to be concluded. A number of these aspects have been sorted out. Such as the soundtrack and voice over have been put in the production. The institution has been introduced in the trailer at a good timing. Also we had more shooting to do which we have done and shots from Jaspal's phone have been uploaded which are set to be included in the trailer. The main task which we focused on was making sure we had a clear order of our shots in the trailer which allowed the trailer to make sense yet still not give too much away.

Progress Reports - Sam

Print Production
So far we are putting the finishing touches to our review of our film for Empire magazine. I think so far the article looks really good, we used features form the current Empire magazine layout and recreated them in Adobe Illustrator. I found Illustrator much easier to use than Publisher. I worked on the design of the layout and the construction of it. Me and gav wrote the copy which also needs a little more work on it. Bilawal and Jaspal both contributed really good ideas

Editing
So far we have edited about 1:35 of our trailer, we have added the soundtrack and the trailer is looking really good now that all the elements are coming together. We still need some additional shots, also we got feedback from Miss Holliday who suggest that we need widen our target audience as our film would only to appeal to the 16-24 male audience as it states in the brief we need to try and widen our audience appeal. I think we are making good progress and will be completed before the end of the deadline.

Progress report for print production (Gav)

We have completed a draft for the article. At the moment it looks appealing and suits a film magazine like 'Empire'. Also the layout is a huge strength at the moment. As the images have been put in the right areas. Generally as a whole the layout makes the article seem realistic and believable. However the copy still needs work as not all of it is up to a high standard although there are parts in the copy which are really good.

Sam worked on the layout and used Adobe Illustrator to do this. Me and Sam both wrote the copy which still needs work although is on the right track to being an impressive article. At the moment I am aiming to ensure that the language used in the article is consistent and flows. As it is for 'Empire' magazine it going to be more informal. Bilawal and Jaspal have helped in terms of proving sum ideas to take into consideration.

Techniques have been used such as alliteration, rhetorical question and a great amount of detail used with adjectives. However more techniques that need to be used are puns and really short sentences that create impact.

Progress report for editing - Jaspal

I have worked really hard to make the trailer the best it could possibly be, and I've taken up most my time from free periods, lunch times and even after school to make sure the trailer is up to date and that it is ready to be shown as our final piece. My job was to construct the whole trailer and i think I've done a good job at doing this. Bilawal had helped by importing the shots onto the software and sat by me as we discussed the whole construction of the trailer. When the editing sweep was free i would come in and see what each person had done to the trailer, and i looked over it and made it better by placing the shots in different orders and adding special effects like guns shots, dip to whites, cross fades, dip to blacks and the soundtrack. The soundtrack was found by Bilawal and us two decided to try it out and put in into the trailer. i then placed it in a certain place where the logo 'Prime times' appeared and luckily the whole trailer went in time with the shots i had constructed. I believe that i have contributed a whole load to the editing section of the trailer and i am proud of what we have achieved. We have also shown what we have done so far to a few other people and they are saying our trailer may be one of the best theyve ever seen, so i am looking forward to the feedback we recieve and it would be an ashame if we didnt win anything for the hard work and time put in to create what we have created. Nevertheless, we have not finished yet. We have realized that we still got 20 more seconds to complete and we have run out of footage. Therefore we will work the hardest we can to get more footage relating to the narrative, and even though the trailer was intended to be a action packed mens movie, we understand that we need to include a love interest so we will do that.

detailed proposal for print production 2 - Jaspal

for our second print production i think we should include an entertaining and detailed interview from the cast and producers themselves so people reading the magazine will be able to get to know everyone involved in the production a little bit better. It will also keep the readers entertained as we could include jokes about the production and times when ridiculous stuff happened e.g Biliwal getting punched!. I believe this would be a brilliant thing to do and it would be something different than the normal review of the film.

Watchmen Review Summary - Sam

The Watchmen review is 3 pages long. It starts off by quoting the director of the film and his feelings on the state of film at the moment. “Do we need anymore shitty films in this world”. This also links with his previous works V for Vendetta and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Then goes on to talk about the Watchmen comics. Tells us parts of the plot. Talks about the different perceptions of viewers who have read the novels and those who haven’t. Uses some elements of comedy. Informal language is used. Star rating 4/5.

working titles

1) Raging Redemption: A Blaze of Glory
2) A Blaze of Glory: The Year of the British
3)Raging Redemption Strikes Screens
4)The Real Slumdog- The Future Oscar Winner?
5)Redemption: More action than a Bruce Lee movie
6)Movie causes extreme mayhem
7)Low budget, Big hit!
8)Hottest independent film since slumdog
9) prime times hitting big screens
10) another low budget film in the spotlight

working titles :

PROGRESS EDITING - BILAWAL

On the first day I had free periods on Thursday so me and Sam captured all of our production so we could start filming. I left earlier than Sam since I had to attend lesson but it was only 15 more minutes of capturing from the two hours or so we did.

On friday I started working on the begining of the trailer and had produced the first 15 seconds of it. It looked exactly how we wanted it and planned it to look. It was good as in that first week we did a huge chunk of the trailer.

On Monday I wasn't in, so I didn't edit at all. History Trip.

On Tuesday I came for an hour after school as that is my shift. Then I checked on all the updates that were made on Monday and as far as I can tell it was good. I added some shots in the middle to make it smoother.

On Wedensday I came at lunch with Jaspal and we discussed everything that was done on monday. We then edited some things around and added more fades etc. After school I stayed until 5.30 and added more shots, now we have just over half of the trailer completed.

Factors of the trailer which need to be concluded (Gav)

There is still a lot to do although we are going in the right path to making a successful production.
Aspects of the trailer that are yet to be added:

• Soundtrack
• Voice over
  
• A few shots still to be done
• How the title will be introduced in the trailer
• A clear order of our shots from beginning to end.
• Some shots needed to be uploaded from Jaspal's phone.
  

progress report- jaspal

So far i think we've worked really well in the past few weeks. We have a majority of our footage uploaded onto the computer and have already edited these shots into parts of our trailer, and together we have created the first 50 seconds of our trailer. We realize we still need more shots to have a 2 minute trailer, so we will record more shots on Saturday and upload them the following week. We still need to include sound effects which will go with the action seen on screen, and we need to focus on the audio throughout the movie. Also we need to finish the ending sequence of the trailer, and include things like the production company and create the title with different fonts etc. Another thing we need to do is download the soundtrack and add it to the trailer, and finally make sure that the trailer makes sense and goes well with the soundtrack. I think that we've spent most of our time on media during the past few weeks, and we are all hoping to achieve a high result which will reflect our effort and time spent on the production.

Progress Report (1st Week of Editing) - Sam

So far we have captured all of footage we have shot and uploaded it onto the computer. We have also edited the first 50 seconds of our trailer including edits and effects. We have changed around the order of some of our shots and arranged them in order. After doing this we have realised that we may need a few additional shots which we will film on Saturday. We also need to record some voice overs to help explain the narrative. So far I think our production is going really well and is up to a high standard. We haven't faced too many problems so far apart from realising editing is a painstaking process. We are working at a fast rate with everyone going to editing everyday since last Wednesday. Whilst editing we have experimented with different effects and explored some of the features of Adobe Premiere. We have also asked for second opinions on our trailer and these were all positive with only minor changes needed so far. We are also hoping to add a soundtrack in the next few days. We have worked really well as a group, with everyone contributing their ideas and individually editing, whilst also brainstorming new ideas as a group.

overview of the half term filming

we have all worked very hard over the half term and put the production work as a priority. over the half term we filmed many shots and now we feel our shots needed for the trailer are all there. we have recorded shots which show the main character and his best friend who is dragged into the action, and we have shown shots contrasting both characters from the beginning of the story and at the end of the story, and how both characters start of as nothing but a couple of low life street gangsters but end up taking over the crime business they were dragged into.

the main sequence we are all proud of as a group are parts of the montage, especially the robbery scene in the shop.we got up early in the morning to record this scene, and we worked efficiently from 8am-10:30 and finished within 2 hours. this scene is really important because we feel its something thats never been done before, and we had the right costumes for the role and props e.g shotguns and balaclavas. we hope this scene really engages the audience into the trailer and makes it something exciting for them to watch.

as a group we still think we need to include more shots into the montage, so the trailer really looks like a action movie. i think we needed more props as we could only use the same ones, but we were very creative and included many things in the trailer which we hope the audience will like. we could still include more shots showing the rival gangster ( sundeep) and the two main characters, which is a stupid mistake as we should have done this already. we still need to include voice overs which will help tell more of the narrative.

The Overview of what we shot on saturday Bilawal

• On saturday we did the big scene that is going to be in our trailer.
• We had all the actors etc ready
• It went successfully
  
• Took a while to complete the filming
• I was filming with the camera and we used a variety of shots from low angle to point of view
• Now we have to wait until some of our props come so we can film some of our big scenes in the trailer
  

What has been achieved so far

As a group we have done shooting on scenes that we hope do condense into the trailer. These particular scenes are meant to be shown just before the montage in the trailer. These shots have quite a lot of dialogue compared to other shots that we are going to film. The shots are aimed to build tension before the montage. Also to get some sort of an idea on the main characters.

The shots were mainly of the gang leader who was portrayed by someone outside the production group. We did this because we are attempting to carry out the shots where other people are needed first so we have time to do tasks where only the group is needed. Also if any scenes need re-shooting they can be done.

What the group as a whole were aware of is that one particular scene needs to be shot many times to get it right. This is because we know shots need to be perfected and also we have choices to consider. The same scene may have been shot in different angles as well. This is done so we can look back and see which is the right shot for out trailer.

We found out that there were more bad shots then good, however we know that only one shot is going to be selected for the shots that are the same. Also we found out that lighting is going to be an important part of getting the filming right. This may need to be addressed more next time around.

As a group the props and the setting make it look more realistic and believable. As we have chosen props that are associated with our genre. Also we have a good view on what kind of costumes the characters are going wear. Such as the high class gang leader wearing a suit.(gav)

story board part 1

characters in the trailer

• the two main characters will be played by Gurvinder and Jaspal. Their names in the trailer will be Raj and Sukh. These names have been chosen as they seem tough and we want the characters to be portrayed as tough characters who start to enjoy the way of life that they get into. These names are often widely reconisgned as Indian names, which will help attract a wider audience as people know that these are popular names.
  
• the main gang leader's name will be Pav and he will be portrayed as a high upper class gangster, who has taken pride in his status and what he has achieved. He will be shown as dangerous and untrustworthy, which the main characters will notice. He will be much older than the two characters showing his superiority and the audience will be able to tell that he is a upper class gangster from his jewelery and suit.
• the trailer will focus on the first impression between the main characters and Pav, and how they respond to the way he treats them
• the audience will also focus on the deteriorating relationship between Sukh and Raj and how the fact that they get involved in crime changes both characters, as each one looks for greed and more wealth than the other.
  
• the other characters which will be shown in the trailer include the street gang members which will just consist of people from school, and only a few of them will be shown in the opening clips of the trailer.
• to widen our audience appeal we have chosen to include females in the trailer, in particular a girlfriend for one of the main characters so females will also be attracted to the film.

why this trailer will be given a rating of 15

this trailer will include alot of scenes inappropriate for younger audiences, and we have chosen to keep the age rating for viewers aged 15 and over.
the trailer will include:

• scenes of moderate violence e.g. punches being thrown
  
• the presence of alcohol
• props which look like drugs but the audience will be able to tell they look like drugs
• shots of guns
• shots where an enemy gang member is blindfolded and tied to a chair so the audience will be able to tell that they are being tortured
• armed robbery
• however, the trailer will include no blood or make up because we haven't got the equipment to do that, so scenes where there suppose to be blood will be shot at night, and low key lighting will be used so the audience cannot see the wounds which supposed to be there.
  

sound effects needed in the trailer

we do not want the trailer to look cheap so we will only use sound effects which are really needed, which will create a greater atmosphere for the action seen on screen. Some of the chosen sound effects which will be needed in the trailer include:

• a range of gun shots
• glass smashing
  
• guns being reloaded
• car engine roaring
• someone falling down onto the ground
• a punch
  
• police sirens

Shooting schedule

• we aim to complete the shooting as quickly as possible, so we can spend more time on editing and re-thinking about the shots taken and the overall look of the trailer
• in the first week we hope to shoot all of the opening shots, which will be a maximum of 15 shots. Each shot will last longer than that of the montage, but the shots wont be as complicated as the montage and will only include medium /long shots.
  
• we will start filming the opening on Wednesday 4th February. we aim to finish by Saturday 7th February so we can reflect the shots taken on Sunday.
• we aim to start filming the second scene which will lead up to the climax, and will only consist of roughly 7 shots on Monday the 9th and finishing by Wednesday 11th.
• Most of our time will be spent on the montage which will show most of the action in the movie, and we aim to make this piece perfect. Therefore we will start filming sections of the montage on Thursday 12th February and finish by Thursday 19th.
• the last scene which will see the trailer coming to an end and showing the caption 'coming soon' will be filmed straight after scene 3, and we aim to spend a lot of time reflecting on the shots taken and how we could improve the trailer by re taking shots.
• the voice over of the main character speaking will be recorded as soon as possible and we will then use the half term to connect all the shots together, and if needed will we re shoot some of the shots.
  
• we will then start to think about editing and the exact timing of the shots for the trailer, as we want the narrative to be clear and the shots to reflect the voice over, but we aim to not go over 2 minutes 30 seconds.
• this is just a schedule and obviously we may not be able to stick to it, as some members of the group will be busy on some days and not everything will go to plan, but we are putting this coursework forward as a priority, and we aim to achieve the best result we can.
• overall most of the shooting will be taken during school time and after school, and the half term will be used to reflect on our trailer and re shoot any shots which need to be replaced

costumes for the characters

• the street gang shown in the opening of the trailer will wear large white t-shirts and blue jeans, along with urban trainers. This will reflect the fact that they operate on the streets, and this is their 'turf'. this will show the audience that the upper class gangsters have control over the street gangs, and have made them organised so they can strike in fear when people come through the town, as they will know that these gangs control the area.
• the upper class gangsters will wear suits, mainly the same suits and red ties, which will show us that they are wealthy from the business they do, but the red also connotes the blood which is lost through the violence caused by living this kind of life.The audience will be able to see that these gangsters are not the typical street gang gangsters who worry about turf, but these gangsters actually mean business, and they are in a high status because of their organization, discipline and tough attitude.
• the main characters will wear urban clothes in the opening sequences of the trailer, as they are not involved in the underworld business yet. However, we are thinking that as they progress through the trailer and gain a higher status in the business, they may wear more wealthier clothes like suits with ties.
  

Props thought of so far which will be used in the trailer

• balaclavas
• a range of gangster weapons e.g. shotguns, handguns and Uzi's
  
• a bag to keep all the money in for the armed robbery
• baseball bat for the torture scene
• mobile phones
  
• blindfolds for the torture scene
• briefcase full of money for the transaction of goods scene
• fire extinguisher
• chair for the torture scene
• sunglasses
• chain
• gloves

the main outline of the trailer - Blood Money

Our movie is an action thriller which explores the life of the two main characters, played by members of the group and how they get caught up into a life of money, drugs and armed robberies while living in West London. The trailer will last for about 2 minutes and will give a brief overview of the plot. This is where we hope the audience will get pulled into the movie, and once they are engaged we will show a sequence of fast paced shots in quick succession which will reflect the genre of the movie and the action scenes involved in the movie. The opening of the trailer will start of slow, and we will include a soundtrack which reflects the pace of the shots and the things shown in the shots. This will enable us to attract the audience and we have chosen to use a voice over to give away most of the narrative while shots are shown to the audience. However once the trailer reaches the climax, which is where the main gang leader offers the two main characters a position to work for him, the soundtrack will fade away and another one will begin. The new soundtrack will be played to reflect the quick past of shots which are shown and all the action involved. We aim to leave the audience intrigued by ending the trailer with the phrase 'coming soon', wanting them to come see the film in cinemas across the country. The title Blood Money was chosen as it reflects the way the gang operate in the underworld business which the two main characters realize, and that they get their money from committing crimes such as armed robberies in shops, selling drugs and even weapons. Some of the content will be shown but we will use props instead, so there is no misunderstanding if people think we have actual guns or drugs. The audience will be able to pick out the dramatic irony in the trailer, as the two main characters will show the audience that they realize how the gang achieve their high status and money, but they don't want anything to do with it, but throughout the trailer we will begin to see how the characters become influenced and transformed into something that the main leader has never seen before, and how they plan to take over the gang's traditional business.

Key Factors of a trailer need to be reflected

Aspects that are essential to a compelling trailer need to be considered. Such as what particular events of the plot should be shown in the trailer. As the aim is intended to follow the typical and main conventions of a film that is of the same genre. However still needs to have its own unique way of sending a message across to the audience.

As our genre is going to be an action drama the actual trailer shouldn't give a great deal of the plot away. Instead should focus on shots that will allow the audience to take notice of the trailer. In this type of trailer there should be more shots that show action that may not directly relate to the plot but yet the audience are kept guessing with what is going on. This may create an enigma; so it is significant to not just focus on the plot in the trailer as it is different to the actual film.

Aim: After a clear, appealing and understandable plot is made, events need to be selected that are going to be well presented in the trailer.

gurvinder...

The Pitch revisited

We are thinking of changing some key elements around in our film pitch. Instead here are why Prime Time would want to watch our movie:

• The reason why Prime Times would want this film does everything that it would want for the “16-25” age group.
• Young people can relate to the film as the setting will be similar to where they live in everyday life.
• Young people also feel comfortable watching gangster films as in our society that genre is more appealing to today’s youth.

NEXT BEST STEPS:

Change some of the key elements around by actually changing the plot.

- Bilawal

feedback given from the film pitch and action plan

feedback-

• change the whole plot of the trailer, and drop the idea about the bloods and crips, as the idea seems like a ' sci-fi' film as stated by Mr bush.
• include a theme which a wider audience can relate to.
• decide on the main characters and their names etc
• decide on a genre which suits the main plot
• agree on a plot which doesn't seem to vague
  

action plan-

• come up with another genre and a whole different plot, which will be much more interesting so a wider range of ages can watch the trailer.
• decide on the main plot of the trailer, and what is to be shown in the trailer
• come up with the main characters and what type of characters will be used in the trailer
• come up with another film pitch
• use a better setting which will help relate to the genre and plot
  

- bilawal

props and costumes are going to be important for the trailer as it will help to indentify what genre it was i.e. action code. camera shots are also important when making it. as the story has drama elements we can use a point of view shot so that they can relate to it for example.

Reason for this genre (gurvinder)

The reason to do a gangster film was because these are the type of films that the 16-25 age group are mainly interested in and usually watch. It's also something they can relate to as some of the issues that are pressed are what they might be involved with. As they are used to watching movies that are similar to this genre they're more comfortable and familiar with the narrative.

Also as we are in this age group we will be aware of the typical conventions involved with this type of genre and what may make it successful. Therefore it is more straight forward for us to carry out a trailer on this particular genre.

creating media blogs

short outline of the project-
A few years ago the American government wanted to finally put an end to ongoing gang violence, especially in central Los Angeles. it set up a scheme where ex convicts and criminals previously belonging to powerful street gangs like the bloods and crips would be kicked out of their country and shipped overseas to start a new life in another country. unfortunately, the UK was foolish enough to agree to host their country as a new life for the gang members, but the UK police force was no match to the power these gangstas had on the streets, and even though they were a long way from home, almost 1000 miles away, they still possessed the contacts and people to supply them with deadly firearms and drugs to corrupt the UK like they did to America. the project will show us how an innocent little town of Southall in west London, once full of respectable, smart, talented students had become a victim to gang violence, and how people were now scared of even walking outside by themselves during the day. it will create a powerful message aimed towards the youths of today to step away from this sort of life, and no matter how many problems you may face when your growing up and even though everyone else is joining in with something bad, you must stay away from this sort of life, full of drive bys and innocent killings, as it only created more problems. it will also show the government how they must use all their power to stop gangs from taking over the streets, and destroying the peaceful life of its citizens.

information about the research carried out-
we've already looked at a number of documentaries showing how life is like in ghettos ruled by gangs such as the bloods and crips in Los Angeles. This has let us see what kind of things to include in the trailer, and what not to include. From the documentaries we have seen the way the gang members talk, how the gangs look and the similarities and differences between the gangs which will help us with creating a more powerful narrative.We are planning to fully analyze films which are similar to what we want to create, and see the techniques used by those directors and what effect it has in bringing out a sense of gang life.