Trailer Development; Developing Shot Ideas

As we have begun to film our teaser trailer and are gathering shots, we are at a point where we feel the footage we have is good but we want to develop it as we know when we develop our editing, most of the shots will be dramatically cut in length. As a group, we feel that currently our trailer is lacking some 'oomph'. Something that will leave a lasting impact on the audience. Obviously, we have not finished filming and we have got some scenes already planned to shoot but we are still trying to develop some more creative shots.
I have decided to look into shots from established films for inspiration.

Below are stills from a number of British Drama films and other genre films that I feel are very effective.

Fish Tank;
This shot of Mia is slighting raised (almost a high angle shot) makes her look very vulnerable. This is emphasised by the streak of black eyeliner running down her face which clearly shows the viewer that she has been crying. The contrast of the black eyeliner against her pale skin is very effective. The closeness of this shot creates a feeling of intimacy with Mia and this may be useful to use within our trailer as we want the viewers to feel sympathy towards our character at times. However, we may contrast a shot like this (which makes the protagonist look vulnerable and weak) with an low angle shot of Daisy looking aggressive and violent which will throw the audiences' sympathy.

Thirteen;
This shot is effective as it contrasts greatly against the rest of the trailer, it is especially noticeable because of the change in colour in comparison to the rest of the trailer. This would be easy for us to re-create as we change the colour gradient of shots on imovie. Also, as the main character on the left is noticeably much lighter than the background it makes her stand out more drawing attention to her facial expressions and the situation. This may be effective for us to use within our teaser trailer. We are developing some shots of our protagonist lying on the grass and taking some shots from directly above (aerial shot). The green background of the grass will be effective as most of the other shots are dull or grey.

8 mile;

Although 8 mile is an American film, it explores the difficulties of homelessness and living on the streets. Therefore, it is important for us to look to this film for inspiration. This shot is very useful as symbolism as it reflects that the protagonist spends his time, watching and observing the desolate city he lives in. It is effective at portraying how 'run-down' the area is and the effect this has on the local people, as the audience can see out the window at the run-down area, it creates sympathy and understanding towards the protagonist. The audience begins to understand that the protagonist see's this on a daily basis. The fact he is sat on a bus is also very symbolic as it is a very normal and every-day thing to do and the audience can understand the mundaness of travelling to work. Although it may be difficult for us to film effectively on a bus (it would move and the shot would be unsteady) we may be able to recreate a shot similar to this. Perhaps with her looking out a building window or through a window to an ideal situation. Reflecting what it is that she longs for.


Requiem for a dream;
This shot shows one of the female main characters in the foetal position. This holds connotations of being vulnerable and childlike as babies are. This reflects that at this point in the film she is weak and needs someone to protect her. The aerial shot that this is taken from gives a feeling of superiority to the viewer. this has a very powerful impact with the viewer as their sympathy is thrown towards this character. Also, the mess and desolateness of the characters surroundings reflect that she has given up and does not care for these insignificant things. This could be a powerful shot for us to use within our teaser trailer. Although, it would be very difficult for us to get a shot from such a higher angle as we do not have a jib or other equipment to create this successfully. However, we may be able to develop a similar shot from a different angle. We will have to explore this as a group.