Trailer 2nd cut with changes made

This is the second draft of our trailer which we created using our previous feedback. General feedback this time was positive, saying that our music choice suited the different plots within the trailer. However, our music needs to make use of better transitions where we joint different bits together, as everyone who watched the trailer picked up on this detail.

Feedback regarding the footsteps throughout the trailer was positive, but it was said that the ones used in the very first shot are too heavy for the stiletto heels that Helen is wearing and so we will try to re record this. It was also suggested that we carry the footsteps on throughout the whole trailer, as opposed to just in parts of it.

We were told that the audio levels needed to be lowered in the part where the two women are speaking because they are drowned out by the volume of the music, so we will change this for our final trailer.

It was noted that the reveal shot of Dannielle being pregnant was far more effective with the music in place and so we have decided to leave this shot in our final trailer.

Virgin Airline Advert Analysis

When putting together ideas and storyboard for our soap opera trailer, one of the main existing products that inspired us was the Virgin Airline 25 Year Anniversary advert. The way that the air stewardesses are portrayed is very glamourous, with them wearing red suits and heeled shoes, with red connoting lust, passion, love and sexuality.


Because of this, we decided that the first shot in our soap trailer would be a close up of our main character Helen walking down the road in bright red heels, replicating the start of the advert. Another way in which we drew inspiration from the advert is how we plan on including shots of people going about their every day lives and stopping and staring at Helen as she walks past; in the Virgin Airline advert, men in particular stop everything they are doing in order to watch the women pass them. Our character Helen is intended to be a sexually desirable figure and so by having other members of the cast watching her, it connotes the possible storylines that will arise from her appearence. We will also include women watching her to show how the women of the soap opera react to her.

Filming Day 2, 19/11/2010

Today we were meant to be filming the scene with the three boys outside the pub and the reaction Helen causes. We were also going the film the parts with Helen walking down the road herself. However, due to the weather conditions being very heavy fog, we were unable to film because the conditions were too different to that of yesterday. We will now have to try and fit in these shots in our whole cast session tomorrow, or reschedule for Tuesday the 23rd of November.

Filming Day 1, 18/11/2010

Yesterday we had our first day of filming in Great Leighs, and for this we had Tamer, Jasmine and Hannah. We were filming the reveal shots at the end of our trailer where Helen's children are seen for the first time. We also filmed the part where Deano realises Danielle is pregnant. Because of conflicts with Jenni's tiemtable, she was unable to take part in our trailer, and so we have replaced her with Jo, because it is a minor part in the trailer and so not much acting is actually required. Jo has similar looks to Jenni, who we casted originally because of the fact she looked right for the part, and so we will get the over all look we want for our trailer. We did have time contraints because of the light, and so had about 40 minutes in which to film these scenes; however, we filmed each part several times and from several different cameras and so I think that we have all the footage we need. We tried to make use of a variety of different shots, including shot reverse shot and a reveal shot, but we were also keeping in mind that in soap operas, the majority of the time they use midshots or two shots, so that characters expressions and reactions can be seen clearly.

Filming Schedule

I have produced a filming schedule showing which cast members are required on what days and at what times. This is good because it shows that we have carefully organised our time and have also left ourselves enough time for editing and any necessary re-filming.

Filming Schedule

Final Costumes

Today in our meetings we discussed and finalised our costume ideas. We tried to do this in accordance with the verilasimilatude used in soap operas so that the costumes represent the type of characters we have. We have written out letters to each of the members of our cast telling them dates they are required for filming and what they need to wear, which is here on the group blog.The costumes are as follows;
Helen
-Black Dress
-Red Shoes
-Red lipstick, full makeup
(prop: red suitcase provided)

Deano
-Grey Tracksuit Trousers
-White poloshirt
-White cardigan
-Trainers

Courtney
-Skinny blue jeans
-Ugg Boots
-Green/white striped jumper

Danielle
-Tracksuit trousers
-Coloured vest
-Large oversized hoodie

Stephanie
-Tunic top
-Black leggings
-Full makeup, natural looking

Richard
-Smart Jeans
-Dark poloshirt/shirt
-Smart shoes

JJ
-Blue jeans
-Coloured poloshirt
-Plimsolls

Aaron
-Checked shirt
-Jeans
-Plimsolls

Maxwell
-Coloured poloshirt
-Jeans
-Plimsoll

Initial Shot List for Trailer

I created a shot list for our trailer as a basic guide to aid us during filming. The reason that this is beneficial is because it ensures that we don't miss anything out when we are filming, meaning that we are unlikely to have to go back later and refilm. This is our initial shot list, and will be updated with filming dates when we know when we will be filming.

shot list

Lighting in Soap Operas

As a low budget school production, our soap opera trailer won't have a lot of the same technical qualities as a real soap opera; because of this, we will be using mainly natural lighting and so will need to plan filming schedules during hours of sunlight in order for the trailer to be the best possible quality. Also, we can film inside under artifical lighting, which again, isn't necessarily the way soap operas would normally be filmed but is a way for us to get around lighting problems.

In a soap opera, a "three point lighting" set up is made use of as a cheap but efficent way of lighting the set. The reason this is cheap to do is because the whole set is lit up and lights arent specifically changed for each shot, meaning fewer takes are needed. This means that less time is spent filming because the acors can move freely without havung to adjust lights and therefore less money is spent. In a film, this type of lighting set up wouldn't be used because it can look a far better quality and more natural by training specific lights on people, and films have a much larger budget.


(Information gained from http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/58468)




(http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2008/04/)

This is an example of a soap opera set, where it is clear that the lights are fixed and do not move to track actors.



(http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035565178@N01/316688438)

This is another photo that shows how the lights are used on a set.

Initial trailer ideas

Media Initial Ideas

Ideas behind Casting

The people we cast for our soap opera trailer are very important because the soap trailer relies on their credibility. Because of this, we will hold auditions and audition as many people as possible in order to try and find the best people for the job. Because our script has no speaking parts, our audition will consist entirely of their acting ability and how they come across on camera, for example if they are confident and believable.

The type of characters we need are as follows;
Helen Should be an attractive woman in her thirties - forties, quite glamorous and very confident, trailer should be reminiscent of a catwalk

Deano Teenage boy, aged between 16-19, quite 'cool' looking - polo shirts, jeans and Nike trainers, tries hard to be cool and fit in - in audition needs to be flustered when he sees Danielle is pregnant, maybe tripping up a little and staring as he walks past

Courtney Teenage girl, between ages 15-17, clever (straight As in exams) typical girly girl, hair and makeup immaculate - in audition imitiates her mother, tries to get the attention of the men outside the pub - flicks hair?

Richard Man in his early twenties, quite suave, dresses in suits and shirts, top few buttons undone - shows his laid back lifestyle and personality, reckons himself as a 'ladies man' - in audition he stares as Helen walks past and winks, maybe pushing his wife slightly out the way

Stephanie Young woman around twenty years old, bubbly character, quite a quirky fashion sense, 'statement' hair as she is a hairdresser - in audition her face drops as Richard pushes her away and she turns and slaps him, starts shouting at him?

Danielle Teenage girl, aged sixteen, very pretty, blonde hair symbolising innocence, contrasts with her pregnancy - in audition have her smiling over her shoulder to Deano and then turn around, revealing her stomach

Aaron Male aged 19, fairly good looking, a 'lads lad' well dressed, in audition stood outside pub with his friends, as they all look at Helen and Courtney, he's watching JJ longingly

JJ Male around twenty/twenty one, the 'jack-the-lad' character, dresses smart casual, quite cheeky/mischievious, in audition raising pint glass as Helen walks past, cheering