Superhero Film Poster Research

Superhero film posters

View more presentations from Bobbie Brown.

Actor Casting

I needed an actor who could be taken seriously as a Superhero. I had to think carefully about who I was going to cast as I do not want my trailer to be a comedy. The person I have chosen has good height, and a good body structure that I think can be taken seriously. I will have to take into account his height whilst designing the costume.

Self-Evaluation

Research

•Soundtrack research (non copyright music)

•Costume and location research

•Actors and props photos

•Audience Research (typical audience member and similar films)

•Uploaded YouTube videos of teaser trailers and titles analysed in detail

•Uploaded YouTube videos of similar genre films analysed in detail

•Institution research (Paramount etc)

•Certificate research

•Font research for magazine/poster etc

•Film Magazines researched and analysed

•Teaser posters researched and analysed

  Planning

•Own film idea brainstorm

•Own film treatment

•Shot lists

•Questionnaire (and feedback)

•Photos etc of filming

•Diary of filming/editing etc with photos and screen grabs)

•Mood board

•Storyboard - animatic

•Script

•Practice titles created and uploaded

Self Evaluation

- Need more actor and prop photos

-Film magazines researched and analysed

-Teaser posters researched and analysed

-Upload comparable trailer (student made)?

16/20 marks.

Superhero Word Moodboard

If My Superhero Idea Developed Into a Film

The Tornado (Film plot) on Prezi

This would be the plot of my film if it developed further than just a trailer.

Superhero Formula

Almost every superhero movie follows a formula, walking us through the good guy's origin story and introducing his (usually his) entire universe. Clueless loser. Gets superpowers. Shirks his destiny. Faces his destiny. Meets super-baddy. Loses. Faces his darkest hour. Fights super-baddy again. Wins. The end. Yay! Or else they're sequels, in which there's less "journey of discovery," and multiple bad guys.

This was taken from the website: http://io9.com/superhero-movies/

I think that this formula is fairly accurate, however, there is usually a love interest mixed into the equation somewhere. I also think that there are a couple of exceptions to this formula like the ones analysed on this website.

I want my superhero story to follow the traditional formula to some degree but I want to find a unique selling point that makes mine original and different. This may be difficult to achieve as there have been many superhero films released so finding a USP that has not been used may be a challenge.

The Tornado's Back story/ Past

http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/the-tornados-past




This is a timeline I created using an online website called time toast. It shows the Tornado's past in chronological order. It shows how the Tornado was born. Please click the dots in the order they appear to read full information.

Shot list

Shot List

1.      Close up of grass blowing in wind

2.      Extreme close up of single leaf  blowing on tree

3.      Begin pedestal shot starting at feet until knee/ thigh height

4.      Cut to close up of superheroes cape

5.      Cut to mid shot of villain being punched

6.      Close up of the punch

7.      Cut back to pedestal shot from thigh to torso.

8.      Cut to close up of sword/ superhero weapon

9.      Long shot of sword fight

10.  Close up of sword fight/ swords clashing

11.  Return to pedestal shot from torso to head

12.  Mid shot of superhero’s pet

13.  Close up of superheroes eyes.  

Institutions: Marvel

Many superhero films are produced and distributed by Marvel. Marvels biggest competitors are DC. I have the option of using the DC logo but I have chosen Marvel as I think its much more recognised. Both institutions create comic books and films based on superheroes. Marvel have created many popular superheros like Spiderman, Captain America and X-Men. I intend to use their production logo at the beginning of my trailer to make my superhero look more realistic and serious. Marvel create serious looking superheroes and so by using their production logo, my superhero will be portrayed as more austere.
This is the production logo I intend to use:

Certificate Rating

These are the certification categories given to UK films by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification).

I have decided to give my film a rating of 12.

I was previously going to categorise my film to be a PG-13 but after researching the British classification system, I have realised the closest mine could be is a 12. This is an extract given from the BBFC 12 category. 12 is awarded where the material is suitable, in general, only for those aged 12 and over. Works classified at these categories may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable for them'.

This is the criteria I am allowed to follow.

Discrimination

Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly condemned.

Drugs

Any misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give instructional detail.

Horror

Moderate physical and psychological threat may be permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not frequent or sustained.

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied, or appear pain or harm free.  Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

Language

Moderate language is allowed. The use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’) must be infrequent.

Nudity

Nudity is allowed, but in a sexual context must be brief and discreet.

Sex

Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers. Frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable.

Theme

Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers.

Violence

Moderate violence is allowed but should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated, and must have a strong contextual justification.


My trailer will contain brief action sequences where mild violence may be shown but I think it will be easy to stick to this criteria. Violence should be the only theme that has some concern in my trailer so far as I am yet to work on a story line for my film.

Audio blog of Superhero's costume

Superhero Costume by BobbieBoy1000


Script:

Hi there! I thought I would do a couple of audio diary blogs so everything isn’t just text. I’m using an online programme called sound cloud to do this.

I will be talking about my superheroes costume in detail in this post. I want to stay to the colour scheme of green, blue and purple. None of them are really bright colours and that gives my superhero a dark, mysterious look to him. I have noticed that many other superheroes don’t break away from the three colour schemes so I will also try to keep to this.

I will need boots, trousers, long sleeved shirt, sword, bracelets, cape, mask and possibly a cigar to create the image of my superhero. I can find or source suitable boots, trousers and a long sleeved shirt from my wardrobe or borrow some clothes from my friends. I can purchase a fake cigar from a shop and the sword would usually be difficult to get but fortunately, I know someone who I can borrow one from. I have a friend in textiles who I can ask to make a realistic looking mask, bracelets and cape. The cape is key to my superheroes image as it makes him look more original and realistic.

Once I have gathered all of the superhero costume, I will take photos of the outfit and compare what it looks like to my generated image of my superhero.

I will have to tailor this suit around whoever I choose to be the lead actor and take into account height and weight.

I think this costume will be relatively easy to tailor for and I hopefully will not have to make any changes.

Thanks for listening!

Use of Slow-motion

I intend to use slow motion within my film. Slow-Motion is commonly used in Superhero movies. I intend to use slow motion during an action or fight scene. Slow-motion can be used to demonstrate skill or style, show a natural phenomena or recapture (or show more clearly) a significant point in the film. The use of slow motion in this trailer stresses a moment in time. The audience are kept in suspense as they wait to find out what happens next. Super man's skill and style is highlighted with the use of slow motion and I intend to give my superhero the same effect.

Analysis of my Animatic.

A friend of mine studying art helped draw the frames for each shot in my animatic. I coloured the frames in with the colour scheme I wanted my Superhero to have. The colour scheme is quite dark as I wanted my superhero to be ominous and mysterious.
The first few seconds begins with a wind howling sound effect. This emphasizes that it will be windy as well as the long grass blowing in the wind and the leaves on the trees rustling. This sound fades out and dramatic music fades in. The dramatic music was sourced from you tube and I chose it because it built up suspense nicely during the pedestal shot.
In the animatic, I showed a superhero being punched in slow motion. I intend to use slow motion in my trailer but whether it will be done using a punch is still under decision. I will include action scenes between the pedestal shot similar to the ones shown in the animatic.
I tried to make the animatic realistic by using similar time frames as what I will do in my real trailer. For instance, the second to last picture of my superhero is shown for 4 seconds whilst he has his eyes closed. The next and last picture of my superhero lasts for 1 second as he opens his eyes. This is to create anticipation and then tease the audience by only showing a second of the Superhero 'awake' or 'focused'.
The main pedestal shot type is broken away from several times to show different action scenes, significant mise-en-scene of the superhero and also the superheroes sidekick. I gave my superhero a side kick of a bird as my superhero has the power to control wind and so the the bird flying would fit in with his power. The use of a pet sidekick is somewhat different to other superheroes and although I'm trying to make my superhero similar to other superheroes, this is what makes my character unique.

My Animatic

This is my animatic. I have annotated the video. If you wish to view the video without annotations, just press the 'turn off annotations button'. The dramatic music was un-copyrighted and sourced from you tube.

Location Shooting

These are some photos of Ashtead Common. Ashtead Common is one of the possible locations I could film. I  took these photos when it was cloudy and windy. I had to take these photos quickly as it began to fall dark quite soon. I intend to film whilst its cloudy to make my character seem ominous and mysterious. As it is autumn, there are not many leaves on the tree. This is perfect for the shot where I want a single leaf to be blowing in the wind. There is long grass which sways in the wind. This is a favourite shooting location of mine to film my superhero.

The Tornado Mood Board Prezi

This is a mood board of my Superhero 'The Tornado'. It contains images that relate directly  and indirectly to him. I chose a grey background to set the tone of the character and the smoke/ tornado/ cloud aspect of him.
We can see a picture of 'The Tornado' and the pictures surrounding him relate to him. For example, there are two pictures of tornadoes which he can summon and create freely as he has the power to control the wind, hence the name 'The Tornado'. We can see a single leaf on a tree and the long grass being blown which is also to do with the wind.
The picture of the Eagle is like his pet side-kick which we can see sitting on his shoulder in the picture of him. The sword and cigar are also significant parts of his costume.
The person holding the sword looks like he may attack which insinuates the idea of a sword fight or action scene. I may include this idea in my trailer.
Many of the pictures and ideas shown here may become reality in my teaser trailer as part of the action scenes in between the main pedestal shot type.

Superhero Mood board Prezi

This is a new online programme I have been practising with. It is called Prezi and it is a new way of making presentations. I decided to make a superhero mood board with it. I used images of many different superheroes looking dark and mysterious. Many of the images are of posters promoting the films. Not much is given away by these pictures as it is supposed to create a sense of mystery and make the audience want to go see the film. An example of this is the Batman image at the end of the presentation.
The superheroes I used give the general image of how I want my superhero to be portrayed. Many of the superheroes look menacing, dark, mysterious and serious at the same time. That look will be perfect for my superhero.
This is just a general superhero mood board. I will create another mood board targeted more at my Superhero and his qualities.

Diary Post: Practise Prezi

Today, in class, I practised using the online programme called Prezi. It is an interesting, new way of creating presentation and project ideas. I plan to create a few Prezi's to demonstrate some of the ideas and thoughts I have about my trailer. I think Prezi will become useful as it is a more interactive way to get my idea across. The online tutorial shows you how to move across the blank canvas, whilst adding, moving, cutting, rotating, enlarging   and shrinking images and text. I learned how to use shapes, frames, brackets and highlight text effectively. I leant how to embed my own pictures and you tube videos into them aswell. After adding the required content, you can create a motion pathway for your presentation to follow through. I will create some Prezi's using the different tools available to show ideas for my coursework.


http://prezi.com/index/

Good analysis of trailer conventions Bobby - what you have learned about superhero trailer editing and how this will influence the editing of your trailer?

Ironman Superhero Trailer Analysis

This is the trailer for the film 'Iron Man'. Iron Man is a successful superhero film. The narrative is about a billionaire industrialist who is captured and forced to build a devastating weapon. He builds a high tech suit of armor and escapes instead. This is how the superhero Iron Man was created.
The trailer starts with a dramatic action song called 'Hell above water' by Curve. This genre of song implies that the trailer is going to be action packed with the possibly of many fight scenes and explosions. The trailer ends with the iconic Iron Man theme tune. I intend for my superhero to have a recognisable theme song like this.
The billionaire begins to talk to the army at 0:13 seconds onwards and so it is suggestive that there will be war or corruption of some kind within the film that he will be involved in. We see the construction of the suit being built with many mid shots and close ups of the main protagonist. The sweat and look of determination of his face emphasises the hard work he has put into this suit.
 At 0.12 seconds we can see the title of Marvel studios. We can tell that the film is going to be a Superhero film as that is what Marvel specialise in.
This trailer is not a teaser trailer as the plot is outlined well within this trailer whereas my coursework piece will be a trailer and the storyline will be mysterious and ambiguous to the audience.