Mise en Scene - Artwork

After looking at the survey results and seeing there was a high vote that we include drawings of Jacob done by Matt, we included this as mise en scene for several scenes within our trailer.

I painted/drew from several photos of ‘Jacob’ (Shammael) and left one unfinished for some of the footage, so we could show ‘Matt’ at work on them if we wished to include this.

I later finished all of them and made copies so we could include shots of ‘Matt’ ripping them up to portray strong emotion such as anger for part of our disequilibrium.

MISE EN SCENE: Costume Ideas/Research

MISE EN SCENE: Costume


Our trailer will be focused on our two protagonists, their friendship and how its abused through online fakery on Matt's part etc. But first and foremost through the difference in costume between the protagonists, we intend to subtly suggest the difference in character but yet still portray the different types of stereotypical  teenage 'lad' of today.

We want to portray the males, in terms of costume in the most conventional way that will be suited to not only the different locations and actions but the different roles they take up in within the films aswell.

For our research, we looked into costume of the typical teenage boy of today on Britain's street before then looking into the costume of said males in films, preferably british films. Our research showed the following aspects:

It really depends on the type of style and personality of the male and also, very importantly, the roles the said male takes on through a film e.g. a son, a schoolboy, a team member, the boyfriend, a gangster etc
Their typical costume in films can normally go a number of ways that I personally believe reflects the personality of the character more often than not:

- 'The Trendy One': fashionable (Collar tops, Chinos, Aztec Print, hightops, converses, vans etc)
- 'The Quirky One': trendy, unique (mens accesories, coloured slim fit jeans, trainers/lace-up shoes, demin shirts, pattern tops etc)
- 'The Simple Lad': plain, simple (Monochrome Colours, Plain round/V-necks, plain jeans, loafers)
- 'The Sporty Guy': baggy, loose, (hoodies, tracksuit, printed/branded tops, trainers etc)
- 'The School Boy':  smart or scruffy, fitted (shirts, suits, tailor trousers, ties,  etc)
- 'The Preppy Lad': smart, casual (shirts, polos, shorts, toms, cardigans)
(Others include looks/costume that reflect social groups e.g. emo, goth looks, rock looks, hip hop looks etc)

'The Preppy Boys'

 

'The School Boys'



'The Quirky One' 

'The Simple Lad'

'The Trendy One'

For the character of Matt, we intend to keep his costume pretty simple perhaps even class it as a bit quirky but very much the simple lad. His costume definitly wont be too trendy or portray as the very fashion conscious type as that doesn't align with his character at all. Simple costume like jeans, t-shirts, no accessories etc. For the shots in school, both our protagonists costume will have to obviously be suited to the location e.g. uniform costume.

For the character of Jacob on the other hand, simple costume as well but influenced alot by the 'school boy' look whilst keeping it plain aswell.

We don't really want much distinction between the two protagonists costume as we want them to seem similar to each other afterall they are friends and we want them to also seem relatable and realistic in terms of their clothes. We couldnt achieve this if we perhaps allowed their costumes to be heavily influenced by any other look.

POSTED BY TOSIN

STORYBOARD

Storyboard

Part of the planning stages for our final trailer is having a brief and drawn out draft of our storyboard; clips, shots, props, actions etc we intend to include in the trailer. Here below is the very first draft:

(The storyboard shots aren't necessarily in the final order but it gives the main gist of what we will include)

'Credits/Production/Director/Actors information'

Above is just examples of the typical conventions we intend to include in our trailer amongst the fast-paced cuts e.g Motion Picture Association Rating, Actors, Directors names etc

Equlibrium

The voice will first begin (girls voice and the content will be scripted)

These shots are most likely going to be at the beginning of the trailer, (after the movie rating, a black out followed by a close up of a facebook chat box accompanied by the diegetic sound of the chat notification)

The rest of these shots set the equlibrium which in this instance is the friendship between Matt and Jacob. So shots that showcase them doing typical 'ladish' activites together:

• Extreme Close up of Matt and Jacobs face as they talk and interact like normal etc (perhaps slow motion)
• Shots of them in the boys changing room in a school (in preparation for a football match)
• Mid shot of them playing a game console (x-box together)
• Long shot of them 'mucking around' and walking through a corridor in a school

Disequlibrium

These shots will be more fast paced and followed by non-diegetic sound that we have yet decided, but rest assured it will be synchronous with the trailer's happenings.

The very shot that essentially shows the disequlibrium is when Matt and Jacob are sharing a bed, innocently and Matt's body language and inability to sleep but rather stare at Jacob, suggest something deeper about Matt. Without revealing too much, we want this shot and the ones following to show that something just isn't right with Matt. But we still want the audience to understand the dilemma and how much its largely based around the internet. Other shots that will aid this are:

• Close ups of Matt's computer screen and the fake facebook profile he made
• Extreme Close up of a 'Friend Request'- the friend request that started it all off
• Close up of Jacob's computer screen and chat dialogue box
• (Editing technique) Matt standing still in the midst of a busy street (fast motion). This could be linked in with and represent how socially isolated the character of Matt feels.

Other

Other/Extra extreme shots of facebook notifications and another editing technique- split screen showing Matt and Jacob both talking to eachother on facebook but through different technolgy mediums e.g iPhone and IPad etc

The last shot will be an extreme close up of Matt's mouth but the lips will be moving according to the female voice over's last words and a black to signify the end of the trailer.

POSTED BY TOSIN

Mise en Scene - Matt's Bedroom

Technology

We want to keep our mise en scene up to date with modern technology, therefore, apple products will be vital as they have social links to the current products which are popular and most symbolic of the latest technology. Props such as an iPhone and iPad will be most significant in doing so as they are very recent and popular. This will also be the best way to show communication and social networking for our characters.

Xbox

To help portray the age and masculinity of Matt's character, items connected to the Xbox could be placed about the room such as games, controllers, a headset or the Xbox itself. This is a current form of gaming which has a social link to what interest teenagers today. It also helps to represent the character of Matt as a masculine teenage boy with common interests such as gaming, subverting the stereotype of a typical, homosexual character. Games such as 'Call of Duty' or 'FIFA' are popular today, and again, we have chosen games that will portray a masculine image of the character. I also placed some Wii games on the shelf as most teenagers of today will have more than one console, and these will also link in with the other hobbies we are trying to show for the character, such as 'Guitar Hero', which will help to portray his interest in music and instruments, supported by the guitars we will place in his room. We will also use this mise en scene during our trailer to show Matt and Jacobs friendship as they play on the Xbox.

Hobbies and School Work

After focusing on the Xbox, which has important aspects to point out, we also want our character to show other hobbies and ways of representing his age and role as a school boy (sixth form college student). We want Matt to appear quite creative/arty/musical, therefore we will include shots of guitars on the wall. Other items can be placed about the room to show his interests such as posters which could be of bands or TV shows etc. as well as a 'Top Gear' calender; a popular show among young males today. To make the room look less planned and more disorganized, homework can be scattered about which will also help represent his age.

Extras

We want the room to look cluttered and genuine as opposed to organised and planned to add a greater sense of realism to our teaser trailer. This means scattering items about that you might find in a college boys room such as coins, a wallet, his phone, door keys, half empty fizzy drink bottles, or possibly alcohol bottles, CDs and other props which portray his character such as guitar plectrums or a capo. 

Test Shots - Bedroom 1

Two Lamps

I used the basic settings on the camera for this shot along with two lamps; the one seen on the bed frame and another placed behind the camera. This was far too bright for the sinister image we wish to create. As this room is for the character of Matt, we need to compose a shadowed, dark setting which will suit his mysterious, shady character.




One Lamp

Again, I used the basic settings on the camera for this second shot and the only light source came from the lamp which can be seen in the frame. It formed a very natural clear image with more shadowed areas than the previous shot, however, it does not create the dark, ominous atmosphere we would like to portray.



No Lamps

For this shot I turned off all the lights and used the natural lighting of the room, which mainly came from the street lights outside. Although this forms a very dark setting, it is much too dark, causing too many shadows and making it unclear.

Blue Lighting

After realizing that basic lighting was not enough to create the atmosphere we are aiming for, i decided to experiment with the colour. By using one light behind the camera and placing a blue carrier bag over it i managed to create this shot. I chose blue as it can be seen as quite a cold, ominous colour and would make the shot more obscure. Despite this, I found this technique appeared too blue and did not cast enough shadows about the room.



Camera Effects
As I have already experimented with lighting on a basic camera setting, I thought it would be interesting to attempt different shots using settings on the camera. I decided to use the lamp on the bed frame, as this produced the best level of lighting for the shot. I found all three of these successful in creating a sinister, dark setting that suits Matt's character and portrays his obsessive nature and his emotions.

Incandescent - This was the first setting I used which had a blue tint. Again, this creates a cold, ominous atmosphere.

Fluorescent 2 - The second setting i used had a more natural tone to it but still created the same dark atmosphere with a shadowed surrounding.

Fluorescent 3 - This last shot has a more blue/purple tone to it which is a more toned down image of the first camera effect i used. This still manages to create the same sinister setting on a more subtle level.

Recorded Test Shots

I decided to film the test shots using the camera effects as they were most convincing. This was necessary as it gives a better idea of how these shots will turn out if we were to use them in our teaser trailer and will ensure they are as effective as the photographs.