MI5 LOGO RESEARCH - SI5 LOGO CREATION

The MI5 is a very well known intelligence agency in the government. They work to protect the UK against threats to national security. Their role is defined as "the protection of national security and in particular its protection against threats such as terrorism, espionage and sabotage, the activities of agents of foreign powers, and from actions intended to overthrow or undermine parliamentary democracy by political, industrial or violent means".

This is the symbol for the MI5.

Our trailer idea involves a secret agency within the government that aims to complete a similar task: to protect the UK against threats. We wanted to make a logo of our own so that we could use it as a prop on a badge for our trailer. 

We used a logo making website and started off with two shapes: a triangle and a circle. We then wrote out 'SI5'. We decided to make the logo dark to indicate that this agency was dangerous and could cause harm. We chose to use blue, grey and black because the colours all go well together.

We then fit all of the components together and realised that the 'SI5' wasn't as visible as we wanted it, so we ended up making the font a lighter shade of blue to the logo was clear. We also made the triangle a shade lighter as well.

Below is the final logo that we produced. It is very simple, but we will use it as a prop for our trailer to make out agency appear real.

Sources:

https://logomakr.com/

https://www.mi5.gov.uk/what-we-do

Theories of Narrative

These are two theories of narrative which I have researched about the structure of narratives. They are very popular and we will use this in the creation of our film trailer, as one of the aim of a film trailer is to set up a narrative.

TZVETAN TODOROV'S THEORY

He states that most story's follow the same pattern, consisting of 5 steps:

• EQUILIBRIUM - The first part of the film, where by everything is balanced and in order.
• DISRUPTION - A problem will arise in the story to disrupt the balance and happiness. 
• REALISATION - The characters realise that something is wrong in the story.
• RESTORED ORDER - The characters will attempt to fix the problem.
• NEW EQUILIBRIUM - The final part of the story, where balance is restored and the problem is resolved.

This theory follows the idea that the narrative of films is a repetitive pattern of harmony, disruption, and then harmony again. This is evidently true for most films and therefore we must assume that our film will also follow this theory. We must make sure that the elements of our film trailer (music and lighting) can set up the equilibrium of somewhat peacefulness, but we must also make sure that we add a sense of darkness to create some unease.

VLADIMIR PROPP'S THEORY

He developed his theory by noticing a pattern in characters in folk tales:

• THE HERO - Usually seeks something.
• THE VILLAIN - Struggles against the hero.
• THE DONOR - Helps the hero or gives them a magical object.
• THE FALSE HERO - Perceived as good but emerges as evil.
• THE DISPATCHER - Sends the hero on their way.
• THE HELPER - Helps the hero on their quest.
• THE PRINCESS - The person who marries the hero.

This theory states the characters in a film help to move the story along. Our film trailer will include around five of these characters. We must try to make it as clear as possible who they each are separately (e.g. who the hero and villain are) so that the audience are aware of who they should be 

Pirates of the Caribbean Film Scored Analysis

This is a very popular piece of film score music. It was composed by Klaus Badelt and is the theme for the film franchise Pirates of the Caribbean produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and. It could be argued that the Pirates of the Caribbean theme is Badelt's best and most admired film score. The music composed for the first film of the franchise (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) wasn't favoured by Bruckheimer. It was first created by Alan Silvestri, but once shooting was finished, Bruckheimer wanted a replacement score and had asked Zimmer to do it. However, Zimmer had other commitments so the task was given to Badelt; Zimmer was the music producer of the film. Bruckheimer went with Zimmer's team because they were frequent collaborators and they had a good work relationship. Zimmer was then hired as the composer for the three subsequent films in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), collaborating with Rodrigo y Gabriela for the latter.

 It was created on a big budget and so involves many instruments, which include percussive instruments and string instruments that happen to suit the genre of a action. String instruments carry on throughout the theme for the melody. This helps to create excitement for the audience because of the upbeat notes and the fats pace of the theme. this can make them look forward to the film more.

Although the theme song is for the film, it is not used in the film trailer. This may be because, although the theme is upbeat and excites the audience, the producer of the film may have wanted to use a more dramatic theme for the trailer that can vary with different scenes that they wanted to include in the trailer. For example, adding a loud drum sound when a character says something dramatic. The trailers score is much more intense, as it is supposed to be the first time the audience are introduced to the film and what its about. It definitely helps the audience know that the genre of the film is action and gives them an indication about the different events that will take place.

For our film trailer we will have to find an already existing piece of music, as we do not have the equipment or skill as of yet to produce out own score. This will ultimately save us time, as we won't have to spend time making and developing a piece of music. However, it may take some time and some testing to figure out whether the music that we choose is correct for our genre and plot. We will most likely choose an upbeat piece of music, similar to the Pirates of the Caribbean theme so that we can create excitement for our audience when they watch it.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirates_of_the_Caribbean:_The_Curse_of_the_Black_Pearl
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Badelt

The History/Elements of Film Scores

The History of Music in Film

Before the 1930s all movies were silent. Music was commonly included in theatre productions and was brought to films to add some depth to the images shown on the screen for the audience as well as for tradition.
The majority of silent films were accompanies by full orchestras, organists, and pianists. Various books of music were published to provide ideas for scene music to have an affect on mood, element, or event. 

During the 1930s, music was established as a vital element within film. Sound within films was usually Western Classical Music (from the 19th century) would play over the film. However, original scores started to become a normal thing. Mas Steiner was the first to write a completely original score for King Kong (1933). Composers began to develop their own styles of supporting film.

In the 1940s, composers began to evolve in their work, and one of the most important and influential composers was Bernard Hermann (who I have mentioned on a previous post). He was able to create music to enhance the films that they were made for.
Jazz music had become common in the industry from the 1950s. It required less musicians, so orchestration was less expensive. James Myers and Max Freedman wrote the first rock song to appear in a film (1953), as the use of different genres was experimented with. The 1960s and 1970s included perfecting previously learned techniques and uses and also a few highly memorable scores.

The first widespread use of synthesized sound took place in the 1980s, which stemmed a film score revolution which made it a more popular choice. it became possible to score a whole film with only one performer for the very first time, using a synthesizer to product the sounds of various instruments. This caused popular songs to be produced and used as film scores.

Today, with the ongoing development of new technology and knowledge, film composers have the ability to create the perfect film score. This enhances the film and transforms it into an experience for the audience.

Elements of a Film Score

TEMP TRACKS

This is an existing piece of music score, which is used during editing to guide the mood or atmosphere. Composers are often asked to recreate or imitate a specific composer or style in the temp track. Sometimes directors like the temp score more than the original score and choose to reject it.

STRUCTURE

Films often include different themes for character, events, ideas or objects. these can be played in different styles or variations depending on what they represent. For example, John Williams' score for the Star Wars Saga includes different themes that are associated with different characters: Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia.

SOURCE MUSIC
Most films have around 40 to 120 minutes of music. Some have very little, and some have music that plays throughout. Source music is music that only comes from an on screen source that can actually be seen, for example music playing from a TV or a radio.

Lighting, Editing and Sound - Research

Lighting:

• HIGH KEY - The lighting is bright and may include mixed white colours. I may use this lighting here and there, but I want the audience to feel tense so I may make the lighting more dramatic.
• LOW KEY - This lighting is dark and may include shadows and dark tones. I might be using this lighting because it will create a dark and serious vibe, but I don't want my trailer to come off as a horror so I might opt for something a bit less harsh.
• COLOUR FX - Different colour combinations depending on the atmosphere of the film. Examples are black and white or sepia, as well as blueish effects or warm yellow effects. I might use this lighting as opposed to the low key lighting. This is because I can make the sequence dramatic and tense but not too scary so it can be seen as a an action film.

EDITING:

• CONTINUITY EDITING - Film sequences normally follow this type of editing in order to make them flow and transition in a believable way. Only cuts will be used in order to make scenes more realistic. 'Cross-cutting' may also be included, which is when two different pieces of action are shown at the same time during a sequence, but it still maintains a flow to make it have a 'real life' affect. This is the main common editing style in film, however trailers include a lot of cross-cutting with a combination of different parts of the film that don't follow a continuity structure. I will therefore be using montage editing.
• MONTAGE EDITING - The opposite of continuity editing, whereby the cuts in the sequence are noticeable and don't have a flow of time. This is the perfect editing type for my film trailer, as there will be different scenes from throughout the film being shown, not necessarily in order.
• CUT - An image is instantly replaced by another without a noticeable transition. I will be using this because it is used in montage editing.
• CROSS/DISSOLVE - One image dissolves into another.
• FADE UP - An image fades in from black. I will be using this to transition from one scene to another to make the trailer more suspenseful.
• FADE OUT - An image fading out to black. I will use this after throughout the trailer because some scenes will fade in and out.
• WIPE - One image replaces another and the border between the image will move across the screen.

 SOUND:

• DIEGETIC SOUND - Sound that is involved and is part of the film world e.g. cars or birds. I will be using this for various sound effects.
• NON-DIEGETIC SOUND - Sound that is not part of the film world and is not part of what is happening on screen e.g. a soundtrack. I will be using a soundtrack in my film trailer.
• SOUND BRIDGE - Linking two scenes together through sound. I may use this in my task.
• SOUND EFFECTS - Sound which is added on which is not dialogue or music. Sound is added during post-production e.g. a voicemail on a phone.