Pre-productuion process for photoshoot

Pre-production plan

For my final project (G321) I needed to create a pre production plan for my photo shoot, explaining why I am shooting, what I need in it, clothes and makeup etc. This was important to get down for my photo shoot as I was able to look at my pre production plan and use my notes for further research to develop a detailed photo shoot which fits in with my charity.

Location Recci for charity trailer

For my final product, (G321) I had to take pictures of the location of where my charity trailer will be located and explain why it is located here and how I am going to use this area to look professional in terms of a trailer.

I will be locating my trailer in a concrete and bricked housing area because I know of certain spots which will look good for a charity trailer, especially for a homeless charity as the location needs to be outside. I will be filming my trailer at this spot preferably mid day. when the lighting is bright and I can get all the shots clearly. There will not be any traffic or people around so there will not be any background noise that would interfere with my filming. I decided to use this area because it is local meaning it is close and easy to get to as well as a well known place which I know doesn't have any background noise. I will use this location as a homeless persons home, in my case a young boy, and record him lying down and looking sad which will attract my target audience as they will feel deep pity for him. In order to explore my shooting location in more detail, it was imperative that I photographed the location so my actors were aware of where they will be filmed from a high level and how they should prepare themselves for it.

Test shots for charity trailer

Test shots

For my final product, (G321) I practised my type of shots with a friend so when I come to filming, I will be able to film each shot by having the knowledge on where and how to shoot each shot. I did these test shots to clarify the different types of shots I will be using in my charity trailer and to practice how to use the camera I ordered to borrow.

I practised taking these 6 shots on the camera as I will be using these on my charity trailer. I will be using these certain shots as they will be getting my audiences attention as my trailer is for homeless people. By having close ups and extreme close ups of a young homeless boy the audience will feel sorry for him as the direct address sets a side an emotional side.

This was a good exercise as it shows how the shots show different emotions to the audience. The long shot focuses on setting the scene e.g. a school yard. The extreme close up is used mostly to show the target audience the real emotion of the character, these shots would initially be used in my charity trailer by my actors. 

Representation and stereotypes to fit with my charity trailer

For my final product (G321), I did some research into gender stereotypes and how men and women are represented in the media. This knowledge helped me further on my charity trailer because I was then able to interpret how my characters will look in the trailer, whether they fit the stereotype or not.

Photo shoot

For my final product (G321), I created a photo shoot, getting shots of my actors who are in my charity trailer and charity website. The photo shoot consisted of my actors getting into character and me taking shots of them, showing each detail of how they will look on both the trailer and the website.

I also constructed a photo shoot of the volunteer and a homeless child which will appear on my charity trailer. The images are able to appear on my charity website, showing the help we get in the organisation as well as plan a detailed idea of how the volunteer and child would look in my charity trailer. 

Evaluation of charity website production process

When preparing fir my final product (G321), I had to evaluate the process of my charity website, showing what I changed and why I changed. I had the original template of the website and I show how I have changed the template into my own, making my website how it is now.

I have evaluated the changes and the process of my charity website, from the previous design to my final design now.

Short movie for website (Charity website conventions)

For my final product (G321) I prepared a short movie which shows each convention of a website and how I have used them in my own website. This research has been done to show the conventions of a charity website, not just overall.  Using movie maker shows the examiner my skills in the technology and also my knowledge in different media software, the evaluation of different conventions has been expressed in a different way rather than a word document or a simple blog update.

This research was also done to create my knowledge further on the conventions of a website as well as learn whether these conventions apply in terms of my website.

Proof of casting for charity trailer

For my final product (G321), I had to record proof of casting, so I emailed the actors who auditioned for the roles of each character in my charity trailer telling them they have the part. I thought it was necessary to record the email because it shows the examiner the profession of my product, making the roles seem realistic.

These images shows the proof of casting for my charity trailer, as I am recording my final product next week, I will need to make sure my actors know they will be involved and when.

Holding an audition for my charity trailer

For my final product (G321) I had to hold auditions for my charity trailer. As I have two characters in the filming, I had to get the right roles for the part. I recorded some students that I know and asked them questions on the roles they were auditioning for.

1.       What’s your understanding of each character in your trailer.

2.       How would you portray the character your auditioning for?

3.       What would you bring to the role your hoping to get?

4.       How can you make use of your time at home, once given the role? How would you prepare yourself?

These are the questions I asked the students who were auditioning for the roles. I have evidence of these interviews here;

Questionnaires for my charity (responses)

When preparing for my final product (G321) I had to create a questionnaire to make sure all my products of my charity are up to a substantial quality. I handed out my questionnaires to different social groups like ages, gender, personality etc. I thought it would be a good idea to think about who to give the questionnaires too so the results are different and I get a rough idea on how my charity products should be.

 Here are a few examples of my questionnaire being filled out, I have responses from different people which I believe is helpful.

Research on music to use for charity trailer.

When preparing for my main task, (G321) I had to research into music which isn't copyrighted. As it is not aloud in the spectrum, to use a song which is copyrighted I felt like it was necessary to do some researched into music that I will be able to use. I looked into different websites on google as well as YouTube videos to find the best music for my charity trailer.

Copyright-free music = I felt like this website was good help on what music I am able to use, this website gives me suggestions on the best websites for finding the appropriate music and so I took this advice and further looked into the website.

Royalty Free music = This website is a very good website to help me find music which isn't copyrighted as you are given an option to whether you want to search a song or browse the site to find the right music for your purpose, mine being a charity trailer.

As charity trailers are usually quite sad or dismal, you need music which reflects this mood. It is a convention of a charity website and is used to get the audiences attention and make them feel sorry for whoever in the video. I searched through different musical genres to find songs which I believed would go with my trailer.

Here are some options I could chose from for my charity website.

I quite liked these songs for my charity trailer however I will decide the song once I come to edit my trailer.

Allure   -Classical Human Drama     Original Compositions Production / Film Scores

Brightside Studio

Radiance  -Classical Human Drama      Original Compositions Production / Film Scores

Swan Productions

Chopin - Nocturne Op. 9, No. 1 in...   Classical Romantic Period

James Lange in

A Glow      Easy Listening Human Drama Orchestral Hybrid Pop Production / Film Scores 

Dan Phillipson

Sunset Hues      Human Drama Production / Film Scores              

Swan Productions

I also researched non- copyrighted songs on YouTube, I felt like the more research I did, the better my charity trailer would be.

This is an example of research through YouTube.

Production schedule

For my scheme of work (G321), I had to book a camera and a tripod for my charity trailer. I thought it would be better if I hired a camera from my school as the quality of my filming will be up to a better standard. I have chosen to film my charity trailer from Monday 12th- Sunday 18th of December. I have chosen this week so before I break up for the Christmas holidays I have time to edit my trailer and put my chosen song in as well as my black backgrounds and texts. I will need to add voice overs also when editing.

Shot list/types for my photo shoot

When researching for my photoshoot, I had to find out the different shot types and what they show to the audience. I researched into other charity websites to see the different shot types, I thought this would help me as it would give me an idea of what shot types a charity website/trailer needs. I created a word document evaluating different shots on charity websites as well as expressing examples of shots I am going to use for my photoshoot.