The names of my 2 main characters require a bit of thought, as the names not only have to suit the character but the face of the actor. I would also like them to be short, or at least names which can be shortened.
The boys name should be something angelic, what with him being an angel. Here are some names I like:
- Nathaniel - Means 'Given of God'
- Eric - Means 'Ruler' or 'Prince'
- James - 'The one who follows'
- Brendan - Means 'Prince'
- Sebastian - Means 'Revered'
- Daniel - Means 'God is my judge'
- Luke - Means 'Light'
- Oliver - Means 'Affectionate'
- Sam - Means 'God has heard'
- Andrew - Means 'Warrior'
Nathaniel is my chosen name; it can be shortened to Nate if needed and it's not a particularly popular name, which, being an angel's name, I don't think the name should be common.
The girls name should be pretty sounding but strong. As she's essentially just a normal person I have quite a bit of freedom with this name. Names I like:
- Amani - Means 'Desires'
- Effie - Means 'Well-spoken'
- Cara - Means 'Dearest'
- Sara - Means 'Princess'
- Eva - Means 'Life'
- Sienna - Means 'Reddish orange-brown'
- Ruby - Means 'Ruby'
- Abby - Means 'Father's joy'
- Olivia - Means 'Olive'
- Emily - Means 'Hard-working'
Eva is my chosen name; it sounds pretty and I like the irony that the name means life but she dies at the beginning (she comes back to life too).
This post is mainly on the make-up and hair of the main protagonist.
I like the idea of having a 'halo' of hair around her head when she is in heaven. She will also have light make-up - gold and white - and defining eyes. Possible hair ideas (Heaven):
And how to do it:
Although I quite like this style idea, I would like some of the hair to be down. So I won't be following this exactly.
Possible make-up ideas (heaven):
As you can see they are all innocent, light and pure. This will help create the heavenly feel in my trailer.
How to do it:
When on earth she will simply be casual, hair either up in a pony tail or down. Her makeup will be minimal. Possible hair ideas (Earth):
And how to do the pony tail:
Make-up ideas (Earth):
How to do something similar:
FOR THE ANGEL:
Of course, the angel is a boy, and as such will not require any make-up, however, his hair will need to be styled, so here are some styles I quite like (the style will remain the same throughout the trailer, as I see no reason to change it, what with him being an angel for the whole thing and not having any drastic costume change like the girl.):
These are props I will need when filming.
- A car - for the scene in which the girl gets run over.
- A table - for the refreshments table in the first scene, and the desk in purgatory. There may well be other uses for it too.
- Chairs - for the first scene and other uses throughout.
- Coffee machine, cups & cookies on a plate - for the first scene.
- Angel wings - about 6 pairs, for heaven.
- Posters - one for the first scene and one for purgatory.
- Heaven & hell signs - for purgatory.
- Magazines - for purgatory, preferably really trashy ones.
- Joke toys - e.g. an arrow through the head headband.
- A defibrilator - or something that looks like it.
- A clip board - For the leader to hold in the AA group
Here I will look at the age classifications requirements in the UK. Using this I can decide which age certificate to put on my trailer when it is made.
The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) has 7 age certificates; R18, 18, 15, 12, 12A, PG, and U. This is what each one is certified by:
U: The BBFCstates that "The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over." and that "Films or DVDs with this BBFCinsight should raise no significant issues in terms of discrimination, drugs, horror, imitable behaviour, language, nudity, sex, theme or violence."
The sorts of themes that are passed at U:
"A U film can explore most themes, as long as the treatment is appropriate to a young audience. This doesn’t mean that all films rated U are children’s films – many adult films, especially older works, are rated U because they don’t contain any strong issues.
A children’s work at U will generally contain positive messages about loyalty, honesty and friendship, particularly amongst children. The film or DVD will have a happy ending for the child and the overall tone should be one of reassurance.
U films are unlikely to contain discriminatory language or behaviour unless it is clearly disapproved of."
PG: "PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children. A PG film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. Parents should consider whether the content might upset younger or more sensitive children."
12A and 12: 12A: "12A means that anyone aged 12 or over can go and see the film unaccompanied. The A stands for 'accompanied' and 'advisory'. Children younger than 12 may see the film if they are accompanied by an adult (eg someone over the age of 18), who must watch the film with them."
12 and 12A are basically the same, this is the difference according to the BBFC; "The 12 certificate is just for videos, DVDs and Blu-rays. 12A is for films at the cinema only."
The tone of the film can dictate the classification of a film, e.g. "a work which has a very dark or unsettling tone which could disturb the audience would be less likely to be passed 12A even if the individual issues in the film were considered acceptable under the BBFC guidelines. Similarly, if a work is particularly positive or reassuring this may stop it being pushed up a category from 12A to 15."
15: " No-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a ‘15’ rated DVD. 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age."
"15 works are stronger than 12 or 12A rated works and could include any of the following:
strong violence
frequent strong language (eg 'f***').
portrayals of sexual activity
strong verbal references to sex
sexual nudity
brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
discriminatory language or behaviour
drug taking"
18: "Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy/rent an 18 rated DVD. No 18 rated works are suitable for children."
"18 works are for adults and can contain strong issues such as:
very strong violence
frequent strong language (eg 'f***') and/or very strong language (eg ‘c***’)
strong portrayals of sexual activity
scenes of sexual violence
strong horror
strong blood and gore
real sex (in some circumstances)
discriminatory language and behaviour"
R18: "The ‘R18’ category is a special and legally restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas, and video works may be supplied to adults only in licensed sex shops. ‘R18’ videos may not be supplied by mail order."
Looking at this I believe that my trailer will come under either a PG or 12 rating as it shouldn't be disturbing to viewers and will have a generally light feel to it. Having a lower classification means that more people are able to see it and as such my film would be more popular and would be able to be advertised more freely.
I have gone around my school and the surrounding areas to find possible places to film parts of my trailer. This is what I have found:
These are places which I could use for the ascent in to heaven:
These are various lifts I could use. With a bit of sprucing up I feel that they will be fine to use. However, I would need a place with an open area in front of it to use for the purgatory waiting room. I will state which ones don't and which do.
This lift has vertually no space in front of it and bad lighting. Because of this it will be no good to use.
This lift is not the correct style for the type of lift I want to use. Despite the open area in front of it the lift isn't suitable to use in my trailer.
This lift has ok lighting but hardly any space in front so isn't good for my use.
This one has good lighting but very little space in front,however, the lift itself is very good in style and cleanliness. Therefore, if I am unable to locate a better lift I shall use this one and green screen it in to the background of the shot.
I could use a staircase for the ascent. However, I don't like this idea as much as the lift.
This is the only staircase with adequate lighting, however, the displays posted all over the walls mean that it wouldn't be suitable to use in my trailer.
When the girl gets run over I will need a road. These are places which I could use:
I like this road as it generally has very few people hanging around it. It is secluded but has a road meaning that I could easily film what I need without much traffic interfering.
This road is also not vey busy, however, due to it being a residential area I would have to ask permission from the people living there to film outside their houses.
Extra:
I don't know what I could use this area for but if I find a use for it then I will use it. It is here as a back-up location.
After finishing my storyboards I feel I can create some costume designs for some of the settings, e.g. Heaven and Earth for both the main girl and boy.
Sticking to the whole 'white and pure' angel ideals I have created a mood board with pictures from Google to help me design my own costumes, focusing on angels, purity and heaven, I will refer back to these pictures when drawing out my own designs.
Here I have my costume designs for the main female role whilst in heaven. They will all be white, and the length of the dress will be either past the knee (to the floor) to be decent and wise, or above the knee to be innocent and pure.
From the top left hand corner going across:
-The first dress is far too flamboyant to be realistic for use in my extremely low budget trailer. The use of the feathers for trimming on the boots, end and collar/shoulders of the dress, as well as the cut, including the draping sleeves and knee cut, would mean that the dress would be very difficult to locate or tailor, and would cost a lot of money. The knee cut and the low neckline mean that the dress is not well suited to its purpose as it is not decent enough to be angelic.
-The second dress is gown-like. This is more appropriate for use in my trailer as it is simple. However, the style of dress woud be difficult to locate. One way I could use this dress design is by buying a long strapless dress, sewing on the straps using folded piecces of white fabric.
-This dress would be good for use in my trailer, a dress similar to this shouldn't be too hard to locate and the style itself is quite cute and innocent, perfect for use as an angel.
-Although this dress is similar in style to the previous dress I feel the long arms would be better for its purpose as it is more modest. It would be made from light fabric so as to keep a flowy, angelic feel about it. This dress is cute, however it also shows wisdom as it looks like something aan older student would wear. The collar is rather angel-like as it is similar to a feather style, I also had an idea to use a white feather belt on this dress to pull together the angel feel of it.
From the bottom left hand corner going across:
-This dress is very simple and as such has a feel of being pure. Despite the fact that I like this design due to its simplicity, I feel that it wouldn't be right for use as an angel's dress as it isn't light and 'pure' enough to be so.
-The summer dress feel for this design is too 'mumsy' to be used for an angel. Because it doesn't look heavenly enough, and in fact has a very down-to-Earth type of feel I don't think that it would be right for its role.
-This dress is long and has a sophisticated look. I feel that it would be good for use in my trailer as it would fit in with the angel look. However, the style of the dress would mean that it would be expensive to procure and as such it isn't realistic for me to be able to afford it.
-As with the previous dress I feel that this dress is well suited to an angel role as it is long and flowy. However, the style of the dress means that I wouldn't be able to afford it.
My favourite design for use in my trailer is the dress in the tope right hand corner of the designs. I feel that the style is perfect for an angelic dress, and with the correct accessories it could be made better. Also the style is not so difficult that I wouldn't be able to find a similar styled dress.
These are my costume designs for the main male role; the angel which the girl falls in love with.
Again they will be white, however, I wish to maintain a casual feel for this character and as such I want his costume to be smart-casual.
From the top left hand corner across:
-This design is far too flamboyant for use in my trailer. The long overcoat would be extrememly expensive and the feathered cuffs and collar of it is too unrealistic for something that I would be able to buy or make.
-The design here reminds me of a surfer, it has a very casual feel to it, with the t-shirt underneath and the shirt lazily thrown on top. I feel that this design would be good for use in my trailer as it portrays a casual, laid-back person. However, perhaps it is too casual, as I still want to maintain an air of proffesionality for him. After all, the role he plays in the film is the angel's job.
-I like this design as it looks smart enough to be used. The business style jumper creates a proffessional air for the man without looking too casual. Also to clothes here would be fairly easy to get, provided they were in white.
-I think that this design is far too smart. The buttoned up blazer makes him seem too involved in his job. This doesn't fit around the character that I want him to be. I will not use this design.
From the bottom left hand corner across:
-This design fits in very well with the whole smart/casual feel. The blazer and trousers are smart, however, the t-shirt underneath the unbuttoned blazer gives a very casual look to it.
-This design makes me think of a musician. The unbuttoned waistcoat thrown over a messy shirt gives a 'I don't care' look to the whole design. However, I don't feel this is right for the character as I want him to care about his job.
-This design is sweet and simple. It is a simple shirt and tie tucked in to trousers, the thin tie brings the body in, and makes him look slimmer. The rolled up sleeves and unbuttoned collar give a casual feel to the outfit, and make him look proffessional without being too messy.
-The final design uses a pull-over jumper over a shirt. This design makes the character look smart, almost geeky. Because of this I won't be using this design as it is too smart and clever for my character.
I have decided to use the 3rd design across on the bottom row. This design will be perfect for the sort of character I want to portray in my trailer; a laid-back guy who still cares about his work. The clothes for this design will also be very easy to procure.
Here I am going to look at the average length of a RomCom trailer and analyse a few RomCom trailers. This will help me to decide how long my trailer will be and what to include in it.
Love and Other Drugs
This trailer is 2:36 minutes long
Starts off with production logos, then male lead and his typical life, 'Meet Jamie' comes on screen. Music is faster, then he meets female lead, she doesn't fall for his tricks. Music changes to be more meaningful. Shows how happy they are together, sadness, then break-up. Shows actors names at end, then title and release date. Ends on a funny bit.
Lighting is typical sunny daylight, soft. There are lots of reverse shots, two shots, long and medium close-ups.
There is a mix of voice overs and 'real' sound.
Friends With Benefits
2:39 Mins
Starts with age certificate, then 'Bad relationships' shows, followed by the male and female roles breaking up with their respective partners. Then 'Good Friends' followed by the leads together, and their agreement to be friends with benefits, which links the title into the trailer. Humorous bits come after, then the music changes to be more meaningful. 'This July' shows when it comes out, 2 more music changes. 'Friendship' precedes shots of the two of them together, 'Is a Four Letter Word' comes next, more shots of the two of them, then them apart, supposedly broken up. 'Friends with benefits' describes the name of the film, a humorous bit, then 'July 2011' shows the release date again, to ensure the audience knows it. Trailer ends on a humorous bit.
Medium close-ups and long shots are most popular, as well as reverse shots.
There is a mix of voice overs and 'real' sound.
Lighting is mostly soft daylight, but there are a few evening scenes.
13 Going on 30
2:34 Mins Long
Knocked Up
2:31 mins
Age certificate & production logo. Happy music, female role in everyday life, it is very professional, 'This is Allison's life' shows. Cut to male lead in everyday life, music change, it is much more boisterous, 'This is Ben's life' shows. They are both very happy, each one goes to the same club, they meet and hook up. 'Their story was supposed to end' shows, then the tow of them, 'After one night'. Morning after confirms what happened. 'But eight weeks later' she calls him, they meet, she tells him she's pregnant, followed by everyone's reactions to it (they are negative). The two of them try to make it work. Shows how everyone is helping. Then humorous scene, followed by title & release date.
Mix of voice over and 'real' sound.
Medium close-ups, long shots and reverse shots are mostly used.
The lighting is soft daylight, and darker night scenes.
Monster-in-Law
2:30 mins
The Wedding Planner
2:30 mins
Yes Man
1:53 Mins
Shallow Hal
2:06 Mins
Production company logo. Happy music starts. Shows male lead in normal life and his problems. Music changes, shows change to see girl's inner beauty. Two of them together, happy. Humorous scene, then title, then cut back to scene. Credits and release date.
Medium close-ups and long shots.
Soft daylight lighting, mixed with darker indoor night lighting.
Voice over and 'real' sound.
27 Dresses
2:31 Mins
Age certificate. Shows female lead 'The dress is perfect', cut to her in wedding dress. 'The cake is wonderful' cut to her with wedding cake. 'The wedding is all set' cut to people sitting down at wedding. 'There's only one problem' cut to her in dress, a call woman says "it's the bride". 'She's just the bridesmaid' cut to wedding, she is pushed down by another woman trying to catch the bouquet. Music change, introduce male lead as he helps female lead up. Shows them together, they don't get along. Production company logos show. Cut to female lead in her bridesmaid roles, then to her in everyday life. She loves boss, boss meets sister, they hit it off. Shows lead planning sister's wedding to man she loves. Shows male lead giving her inspirational speech, then actors names. Shows the two of them together. Humorous scene, and finally the release date.
Mix of indoor night light and soft daylight.
Mainly long shots, reverse shots & medium close-ups.
Voice over and 'real' sound.
Definitely, Maybe
2:13 Mins
From those which I have analysed I have found that:
a mix voice over and 'real' sound is used frequently,
there are often written interjections,
the lighting tends to be soft daylight,
medium close-ups, reverse shots and long shots are used most often,
the trailer usually starts by showing the two of them separately, then ends up showing the two of them together,
the trailer often ends on a humorous bit,
the production company logos and age certificate are shown at the beginning,
the release date and title are shown at the end.
I will take these into account when I produce my own trailer.
The average length of the trailers is 2 minutes 41 seconds long. I will make my trailer approximately this length.
