Critical Analysis of the Animatic Process

An animatic is the technical process that follows storyboarding, which acts as a “mock up” of the trailer. This is a series of still images edited together and displayed in the sequence with rough music and dialogue placed over top. This allows you to see if the trailer will work visually. From the animatic, the group was able to decide what shots worked and what didn’t, in terms of camera angle, location and props. When taking the pictures, being on location gave us a better idea of what each shot would look like, where it gave us new and better ideas throughout the process. Another important function of the animatic is that the group was able to see if the plot could be identified in the trailer without giving too little or too much away. It also prepared us for time management.

   The first step to the animatic process was to ensure we had a clear storyboard of our ideas, as this meant we were able to plan our time effectively, and the whole group shared the same ideas. From this we made a shooting schedule, segmenting the shots according to locations, as this would be most time efficient, and meant we could organise all the necessary props, costumes and actors needed for the shoot. However, we were unable to stick to this schedule as we were limited as to when we could take these photos as a result of the weather. The group then took the photos, where through this stage we took several photos of the same shot from different camera angles. This allowed us to see which worked most effectively visually. These photos were then taken into the editing suite where the group took general discussion of how the plot was panning out and if our ideas were effective. It was at this stage the group realised we needed to make changes to our plot. Although we plan to revise our ideas, it made us familiar with the editing software and transitions, which will be helpful when we come to produce our new ideas.

   Creating and developing the narrative of the animatic all stemmed from the use of the storyboard. This was beneficial as it meant there were no conflicting ideas and every member had a general point of reference. It gave structure to our work and gave the group order. When in the editing suite, we got a clearer idea of the narrative being portrayed, where it was decided to remove some shots and change the order of some. For example, there were two shots of people running, which the group felt was unnecessary.

   Four shoots took place in total, at four different locations. The only props used were the rope and the phone, the rope being the iconographic image. The actors were chosen due to visual appearance and mainly due to reliability, by choosing members of the group we were prepared to take the responsibility and we would all take the roles seriously. As a result of several shoots, particular changes were made to the angle of many shots, this down to the location and which we found was most effective. Several shots were missing from our animatic, as we were unable to take the certain photos, these being the opening shots of the train. This wasn’t realistic to do because of timing and the cost and so decided we would wait until we started filming to include this.

   When it came to constructing the animatic we uploaded all the photos on to the software and then placed them in the correct order. Once we had done this we then adding transitions, intertitles and then incorporated our soundtrack.

   Choosing the length of shots began at the storyboarding stage where we gathered a rough idea of how long we thought each shot would approximately last. It was in the editing suite we then got a better idea after seeing the images physically where we cut many shots down. Many originally lasted around five seconds which we felt was too long, taking too much of an emphasis on particular shots. We also changed the length of the shots where we wanted to change the pace and create momentum. Changes were also made to the transitions. As a group we weren’t aware of how to create flash transitions using the software, and so used fade to black transitions instead. This turned out well, creating a bigger impact and it adopted a more conventional feel.

   The font used for the intertitles was Ariel Black, this chosen because it would emphasise the seriousness with it being a rather bold font. The intertitles were written in white placed on a black background making the text stand out. We used intertitles in order to strengthen the messages we hoped would get across in the trailer. The name of the film “Retribution” appears in red. This was to show the elements of violence and rage that are involved within the film.

   Overall the soundtrack chosen was effective, for example the non-diegetic sound of the heartbeat emphasised the idea of death and created a tense atmosphere. The music also added to and emphasised the pace of editing. At the beginning the music was very slow and created a great sense of suspense, and then the music speeds up as the action builds in the trailer, creating momentum. The only issue we had with the soundtrack was that we were unable to add dialogue. This again was as a result of lacking knowledge in how to do so.

   Our target audience was predominately male, between the age of early twenties and thirty five. This is reflected through the choice of actor, the majority of these being male, and the action element would appeal strongly to a male audience. However, this film could also appeal to a small amount of the female audience, due to the psychological aspect of relationships which they may be able to relate to.

   Before beginning to make the actual moving image trailer, we plan to revise our current plot. When in the editing suite the group realised our ideas weren't capturing or reflecting our chosen film genre of psychological thriller. This was down to lack of research, where we have now closely looked at more examples of trailers and films of this genre to get inspiration and a clearer idea, where we particularly looked at “Shutter Island” as a group. We are currently working on the new plot which aims to stay truer to the codes and conventions of a psychological thriller.
  My main contribution to the task was developing the storyboard. Here I gave a lot of input in which order I believed would effectively work. When it cam to taking the photos, rather than taking practical responsibilities, I contributed more in that I gave guidance or gave advise. In regards to our new ideas, we have taken our ideas back to my original plot, where I am currently writing up the plot in which we plan to work from. 
   
Below are five key images which create meaning for the audience:

This image creates a sense of unease as the man in the picture is presented as extremely vulnerable. This will cause the audience to question why and make them feel concern for the man.

Here the audience are made aware that the man is scared, creating suspense as they will want to keep watching the trailer to find out more.

This image is effective as this shows the death of the friend, which will cause the audience to feel sympathetic for the other character.

 

Above are the two images in which reveal the alter ego aspect of the film. These shots are cut fast, intriguing the audience as it causes them to look twice. It allowed us to show this element without giving too much away. 

Animatic Process

Through the process of producing our animatic, the group found that our ideas and work so far had not captured or wasn't reflecting our chosen film genre. We feel the main reason for this was our lack of research. For this reason, we will develop our research further and come up with a new idea for our film plot.

American Psycho Film Poster Analysis

 

“American Psycho” is the name of the film, this is obvious due to the clear font, this being the main piece of text on the poster catching the audience’s attention. “Psycho”, a shortened term for psychopath or psychotic, brings to mind irrational and ‘mad’ behaviour, suggesting this to be the cause of danger and disorder in the film. The title also sets up the scene as taking place in America.

   The main image is of what appears to be a businessman holding a knife, where we see his reflection in the blade.  Stood with his head tilted as if hiding away, creates a sense of mystery around the man, the audience presented with an intriguing character.
   The knife acts as an iconographic image, this suggesting a violent aspect to the film. This suggests to the viewer that people are going to be in contact with danger. The reflection of the man also brings about possible features to the film. This could be hinting that there are two sides to the man, having two personas. The idea of reflection also makes you think about the mind and soul, this referring back to the title, American Psycho.  Through the iconographic images, more than one genre can be expected, both horror and psychological elements.
   The names of the stars are not included on the poster. However, there is an emphasis on just one character in the poster, suggesting the man to be the main character and protagonist to the film.
   The man has tilted his head, as if hiding his face. There is a lot of shadowing on his face, making again his character to appear mysterious. He is dressed in a smart business suit, suggesting he has a professional persona. The use of the knife as a prop contrasts against his mode of dress here, making him appear a conservative and professional man, where in fact there is another side to him.
   The poster carry’s the movie’s tagline, “Killer looks”. This suggests to me, after analysing the imagery, that the man is rather materialistic, fitting in with the american lifestyle, yet has another darker side to him.
   The billing block appears conventionally at the bottom of the poster. The director and producer of the film is Mary Harron, who doesn't appear to be that widely well known, so this doesn't appear to be a unique selling point. I think the film's appeal here, and it's unique selling point it the mysterious element. The poster gives very little away, yet gives several hints towards the ideas and concepts behind the film.