Filming Session 1

We decided on certain scenes we could do on certain days because of availability of people we needed in individual scenes and the locations we knew were free. Firstly, we decided to film at an old warehouse entrance lay by down Station Road. We felt that the area was secluded and old enough to tone in well with our 1980's style for this scene as it was when the police officer met the informant. This was an effective location for us because it was away from the centre of Whittlesey and we filmed it to make it looked like an abandoned area. Firstly we set up the car on the end of the lay by so we could set the camera up on the tripod in the boot so it was in a safe, stable position. We then got all of the props together and made sure that everyone had the props that they needed for the scene. We then issued ourselves into our starting positions and waited for the go-ahead from Michael who was directing this part of the scene as he wasn't in it. It was difficult at the start as we had a road next to the lay-by and cars kept on passing by when i made my entrance which meant that we had to start again. When we managed to get past this point to when DC Summers met Toby, we had to start again and decide certain lines as there were big pauses when one of the actors thought about the next line as we did not script any of the lines throughout the trailer. Once we decided these, we managed to film that scene after 3 or 4 takes. We stopped after the handover of the document and moved on to the next scene where DC Summers left just before an armed criminal called Billy sprung out surprisingly and fired two shots at the informant. This was done successfully on second take after the informant failed to react fast enough to the fired shots on the first take. The third part of the scene then started with DC Summers attending to a wounded Toby. We added make-up and blood to Toby to show the wound that he had suffered. The audience will now want to know if he survives or not and with DC Summers trying to close the wound, will he save him?

Our next scene we did was opposite the Ivy Leaf Club down Gracious Street. We used this scene to film the start of the trailer which was DC Summers chasing a suspect down the road and with him eventually caught by his colleague round the corner, DC Curtis. We wanted to start a low shot of feet running to open the trailer as it immediately grabs the audiences attention as it is quick and direct. This took about 3 takes to complete as both DC Summers and the criminal had to make sure that they ran at a distance so that the criminal could be caught before DC Summers caught up. This scene was filmed by Robin and directed by Michael. A long shot was used to show the running until the criminal turned the corner which is traditional of a chase scene as they are running directly towards the camera and the audience feel involved in the chase as they are closing in on them. We then changed angle to a medium shot of the action but behind the action and behind DC Curtis so the audience can expect what is to happen next, which is that he gets caught. This final scene was filmed in three takes as the criminal did not react to getting caught and the camera angle had to be changed because it was in the way of the action and didn't get the best view of DC Summers and the criminal entering.

Also down Gracious Street, we did a news reporter scene where the reporter was interviewing DC Summers on capturing the robber. This was a scene we found challenging as we had to find a backdrop which suited the environment of the piece and we had to space the characters quite far apart so that the news reporter could introduce himself and then bring DC Summers into shot. The news reporter found it difficult to work with the noise of the traffic and he did not remember some of his lines so it took a considerable amount of time for him to introduce himself and ask the correct questions to DC Summers. Once we managed to get past the reporter's part of the interview, we completed it pretty rapidly.

The next scene we decided to do was down the alleyway that we entered the start of from the last scene as it seemed logical to do it when we were already there. It was from the opposite end of the alleyway and was another chase scene with DC Summers chasing Billy down the alley to try and arrest him. This was a difficult scene as it was tough to interpret how fast to move and the actors had to rely a lot on the director in this scene. Also this scene was filmed near a public area so it was difficult for us to film and create a tense atmosphere which was especially needed for this scene. Also during this scene without being pre-planned, a police siren was used in the background during the scene which we tried to incorporate live within this scene, but we didn't like how the scene went so we had to re-film it. We decided to film on the two corners and show both characters trying to look for each other in order to build suspense.

We filmed the next scene down Richardson Way where an under-cover DC Summers met Billy to buy drugs. This was a difficult scene as the powder we used as drugs could only be used once as when it is given to DC Summers, he throws it back at Billy and arrests him. If we did not get this scene correct the first time, the bag would have split and gone everywhere and there would have been a big white mark on the wall behind Billy. We did this particular scene in a small space in between the garages because it was compromised and Billy would not be able to escape DC Summers. It is also away from the public eye and traditional of where a drug deal would take place. We managed to complete this in one take as we carefully pre-planned our camera angles and what we would do in the scene. This was very successfully done and we were happy with the outcome.

Also down Richardson Way, we had the two policeman walking towards the camera. This took a few takes as we improvised with our character's and stuck on a walk that showed their personalities best. This was quite simple to film as we were doing a scene where there would be no distractions and once we decided on a bodily stance for our character, we could complete it quickly.

Framing and Shot Lengths- What we will use

As we have now structured which scenes and trailer we are going to produce, we have come up with certain framing and shot lengths that we will use in particular scenes in order to create the right emotions and effectiveness.

Close-up shot: To be used when DC Summers is handed the document by Toby.
To be used when DC Summers is talking to Billy.
To be used when DC Summers and DC Curtis are talking in the car.

Medium Shot: To be used when DC Summers talks to Toby and treats his injuries.
To be used when Toby is given a gun by the Drug Lord.
To be used when DC Summers and DC Curtis kick down the door.
To be used when DC Summers attempts to catch Toby.

Low Angle Shot: To be used when DC Summers is chasing Tommas.

Two Shot: To be used when DC Summers is chasing Tommas.
To be used when DC Summers and DC Curtis are walking towards the camera.
To be used when DC Summers is talking to Toby and treating his injuries.
To be used when Billy shoots Toby.
To be used when Toby meets the Drug Lord.
To be used when DC Summers and DC Curtis kick down the door.
To be used when DC Summers attempts to catch Toby.
To be used when the car explodes.

We are going to use a lot of two-shots throughout to show the relationships between characters. For a lot of these, it is either DC Summers and DC Curtis or DC Summers and Billy. This shows the main essence of the story and that these characters relationships are important for the audience to follow.

The other shots were decided by how we felt we wanted the scenes to come across, for example a close-up of the exchange between Toby and DC Summers showing the importance of the letter.

Camera Angles and how we used them.

We took pictures of different camera angles that we are planning to use in our trailer. These are some images of the images and techniques that we used to film certain scenes.

For images one and two, we used the car as a base to hold the camera in a stable place so that there was no shaking and that we could just tilt, pan and shift the camera in any way we wanted to during the scene. We used this angle for when DC Summers met Toby to get the secret information, and when Billy arrives and gets shot by Toby. This is also used when DC Summers and DC Curtis are walking towards the camera.

Image three is for scenes when we need to do filming of scenes in limited spaces or down narrow pathways/alleys. It is connected onto the window of the car to keep the camera stable. This angle was used for when DC Summers exchanges secret information for drugs and then arrests him. It is also used when the Drug Lord gives a gun to Billy in order to protect himself.

Music Permission

We knew that the use of music was vitally important in this trailer and through research of other action genre films, the music often set the tone for what was to happen, even in other genres like the horror deconstruction I completed. We emailed all the relevant companies who hold the songs on their labels.

Music used:
Frankie Knuckles- You can't hide
The Beastie Boys- Rock Hard
Michael Jackson- Beat It
Duran Duran- Union of the Snake

















These are the images of the emails that were sent to each label. These are to prove that we have gained permission from these labels to use their music legally in our trailer. These are all famous and iconic 1980s tracks and we feel that each of these songs gives a certain message and tone which meets our objectives for our piece. The Frankie Knuckles song 'You can't hide' gives off connotations for the policeman to the druggies, the song 'beat it' by Michael Jackson is the message the policeman are giving to the druggieas well. The other tracks are carefully picked for the scenes that we are going to complete.

We also had to gain permission for using the Japan image that we gained from Google images for our poster background. We felt that this was a vital part of our poster as our slogan was 'clearing up the streets' and the street was empty, therefore emphasising this view.

Props for our trailer

We have decided on props that we will use for our trailer. In other action films in the 1980s era, props were used a lot and this had a big impact on their products. We feel that props will give a more dramatic effect to the piece. Here is an image of the props that we used: The gun is a vital part of the trailer as it is a piece of equipment used by police, so both DC Summers and DC Curtis will own one. DC Curtis uses the gun to symbolise him as a character, being the dominant and strong person that makes him seem powerful. Whereas DC Summers only uses it in emergency situations and this shows how he is more mature and sensible with his job. The only scene in which he uses the gun is where he is chasing Billy down the alleyway and is unsure of where he is. He uses the gun as protection. Billy will have one when he shoots Toby and uses it literally as a weapon in order to get what he wants. The use of the document is also important for us to use as in a police action film, the informant is a key part of them. For example in Starsky and Hutch, the informant is a key part of the story and we wanted to mirror this in our piece. In our piece, Toby is going to hand over the 'secret information' to DC Summers about Billy, who then jumps out of the wilderness to shoot Toby for parting with the vital information. The bag of powder is also used to show a vital part of the movie, as the notorious bad/evil characters live by dealing drugs. This is used in the scene when Billy is trying to deal drugs to DC Summers, but gets arrested. The binoculars are also used as they are a key part of the policemans attire and are used in a lot of police films in order to look for criminals whilst in the safe area of their car, which is what we have done in our trailer. Then there is also the camera, which is for taking pictures of all the locations, and filming the trailer.

This is a picture of the blood used in the scene when Billy shoots Toby after he gives away the secret information to DC Summers. This was created by Robin, and was created through research from the internet. This is how it was made:

Cornflower, Water, Oil, Red Food Colouring.




We aimed to make this seem as realistic as possible and we realised that this aim was realised when the general public near the scene became concerned and called the police.

This is another image of further props used: The wig used by the criminal at the start of the trailer, the sunglasses, the gun and the handcuffs all used by DC Curtis and the interview equipment to be used in the evaluation section. This shows the amount of props that we have used and how important they have proved to be in the film trailer.

Costume

I had to choose the choices of costume within this piece, and i took inspiration from other film trailers and films in the 1980s era which was police-based. For the character of DC Summers, as he was the model policeman and the smart and by-the-book policeman, I tried to model him on a similar sort of character from other films or television programs, and what this sort of character would traditionally wear. As he is the smart and successful cop, I have put him in a suit and tie, with a coat over the top. This shows that he is dedicated and serious about his job and wants to keep his professionalism. For DC Curtis, I wanted to keep a similiar sort of attire, but add a couple of differences to show the difference between the two cops. I have made DC Curtis wear sunglasses, wear trainers and not wear a tie. These simple alterations show that he is not as professional as DC Summers, and shows that he is not as dedicated about his appearance as a policeman. For Billy, I have chose to make him wear a leather jacket, a white shirt, jeans and trainers. Leather was a piece of attire that was commonly used in 80s police films, and i felt that this resembled a 'drug user' very well. I dressed him in a smarter sort of way because I didn't want to make it seem obvious to the audience straight away that he was this type of person, as I wanted the audience to follow the story and find this out. For the Drug Lord, I have picked similiar costume, but have his leather jacket zipped up to show more secrecy and show that he is the character that is most at risk at being caught and because he is the 'top dog', he cannot be caught, so remains under-cover so he does not get caught by the cops. For Toby, I made him wear a black overcoat, which as it makes him seem protective, also shows that he wants to remain undercover and secretive in order not to raise suspicion. These costumes were picked specifically for each character to show their individual personalities in the trailer and I feel that the costumes gives across their characters.