Flim poster analysis

You can see below my previous movie poster which I spoke about in my video, and the alternative idea I didn't go with. As you can see, both are not as aesthetically pleasing as they should be and you can see that the small font size makes it really hard to read 'pixelpoiiz'.

Film poster fonts

To tightly connect my film poster with the film itself, I know I wanted to use an analog-looking text. I started off by visiting dafont.com which has a large variety of brilliant font types. I looked under the 'analog' section and found a couple I was quite fond of - but, before I did this I browsed various fonts and tried them in replacement of the analog fonts but found the analog ones were more suited to the theme.
The fonts that were in the running-up to the one I finally decided to go for can be seen below:

I chose not to go with 'XTREEM FAT' simply based on the fact that the lower case font was far too hard to read when the text was made smaller and I didn't like the way it sat in the position of the poster no matter how many times I moved it around.

'KG Ways To Say Goodbye' was initially my favourite but I found it quite bland on the poster and it really didn't have the effect I thought it would. I was looking for a more 'full bodied' text and its settings wouldn't allow me to make the font any bolder.

04b_03 seemed to have the potential of my chosen analog font as its heavily pixelated and would go well with the pixel effect I used on my image but it was far too bold and dominated the page heavily which isn't what I wanted or felt fit the mood of my poster.
FINALLY, I found what I was looking for!

'Pixelpoiiz' was by far the best analog font I found after scrolling mercilessly though hundreds of other analog fonts. The font puts love hearts in replacement of semi colons and on certain letters which really gives it a girly edge. As the song I'm making the poster for is made for predominantly female listeners I thought this would draw in girls and make them want to watch the video. I also asked the main character and this is the one she prefered and said it looked 'kawaaii' which is one of the adjectives she would describe her music as. This made it easier to use the font and it complemented the main image.

Film poster design ideas

In regards to the poster for my film, I have chosen to use one of two possible photos. Both taken on my i-Phone (one during filming and one from a vacation the main character and I took), the photos would be my best choices as one is a natural shot whilst filming and the other one has a bright colourful background which represents the characters personality quite well. They both catch the main character in a natural state, no over-zealous posing or artificial lighting used (or required) and this shows good continuation onto my film as the majority was shot using natural lighting.
Here are some examples of what I've been working on:

Production diary: Week 12

This week I have been working on ideas for my film poster. I had a mini photo shoot with India and took some interesting shots. I wasn't really focusing on her features - but on her as a whole. So I decided to take an unconventional route and only photograph segments of her on a balcony which left the illusion that she is only a small part of all the things around her which essentially 'make' her as a whole. Focusing on only a part of her also implies that she's mysterious and ambiguous (quite like her music) that there's so much more to see of her but she won't expose herself fully as she is a new and upcoming artist. With the music industry also being quite explicit I wanted to create an image for India which wouldn't conform to what is expected of her from the cut throat music industry.

Production diary: Week 11

Due to weather conditions and minor crew/cast set backs - I've decided to lessen the radius of where we will be shooting as I had to take into consideration costume changes and how certain members of the crew can get around difficult areas. To avoid further set backs I used locations more familiar to myself and my main character which also further helps represent the song as it is the main character herself and she feels comfortable in these surroundings which is reflected in the film.
The new locations are as follows:
Nelson Square Gardens (SE1) which happens to be located behind my apartment
Westfield Stratford City Car park 9th floor (E20)
Southwark station and surrounding areas under 1 mile again (SE1)
I ran these changes by India (my main character) and she felt a lot more confident with shooting in familiar (just as effective)locations, she also appreciated the fact that she was able to get ready in her home away from home (my house) which is always a positive thing as I wouldn't want my main character to not be content with how she looks before filming.

Alternative filming idea

I now have a back up plan in case I don't get the results I want from my new camcorder (although I'm confident this time I will!) A friend of mine recently was given a task to produce a quick video for a rap artist, and he edited it with a twist. He used After Effects to create a VHS-esque feel to the video. I enjoyed the fact that he used modern filming and incorperated the VHS style to it. So I've decided to do the same, but only if worst really comes to worst.
You can check out his video and editing techniques below:

Filming setbacks

I recently purchased a Sharp SlimCam VHS camcorder from eBay which I hoped to film with. (camera seen below)

On getting the camcorder, I made the mistake of not testing it out randomly around the house before actually using it to film. So, when it came to filming my first scene on the 2nd of November I made the startling discovery that the battery was completely useless. It would die within about 30 seconds of filming, and as I was filming outdoors - it was a real hassle having to find a charging point to keep the camcorder alive. I returned it to the seller and I'm now on the hunt for finding a new (perfectly working) VHS camcorder.

Kyoto Gardens - Storyboard

I've drawn up a quick storyboard for the first scene in my video, it's just to give me and all the other people involved a vague idea of what we will be shooting and the types of shots we need to get.

Call sheets:

Production notes: filming & editing

Some of my favourite music videos (or films as he likes to call them) are directed by Nabil Elderkin who is an American filmmaker/director. He edits and shoots his films as if the viewer is in them. Some of his shots are so extraordinary yet they still have that point of view touch which really engages viewers in what their watching and truly makes them feel as if they are a part of the happenings. One of my favourite examples of this by Nabil is the video he directed for Alt-J's Hunger of the Pine. This is a fantastic music film with it's effortless sharp cuts to it's tremendous birds eye views which cascades over a forest and the camera angles really work into the grooves of the pine trees. Also, the slight tilting and jolting of the camera whilst the man being filmed is running really makes what you're watching so much more realistic and makes you feel as if you are running with the character.

Production notes: styling & make up

To continue on the theme of subtlety and coyness I don't want the styling to be too overbearing or remarkable. I still do want my character to look well dressed but the focus should be far from what it is that she's wearing. I do know that I want to keep the colours neutral and quite 90's high school student casual (which will complement the analogical filming but give it some quirky-ness as everything else being shown is quite modern. Here's a visual example incase it's hard to envision:

As for the make up - again, I want it to be very natural, light (not heavy), tidy make up which will be done by a friend of mine who is a make up artist.

Production notes: characters

My film (already as unconventional as it is) will only have 1 main character (and potentially a few extras floating in and out of scenes) but none of them will have any lines so none of them will speak. In most music videos we see artists lip syncing the lyrics to their songs - but I've always found this a bit odd especially for those filming, which is why the artist in my film will not lip sync. Although I think it may be nice to partially have her say some of the words to the song, but very subtly like the camera isn't watching her do it. The song itself is quite a mellow ballad and I think by doing this it will only compliment and emphasise the lyrics and their meanings.
This is the artist's artwork for the song which was photographed by me:

As she looks quite shy and bashful on the cover I want to carry out this attitude throughout filming, I want her to move in the way we see models do in their portfolio reels but the camera will be focused a little less on the main character's face but mostly on body parts and the locations around her whilst filming. Although, the background is quite loud and outstanding and it's a great juxtaposition of how she is perceived to be in the photo, I still want the locations in the film to be vivid as it takes some pressure off of the character whilst filming and still allows her to be gentle and subtle in her movements. Here are some examples of the model reels I'm talking about:

Production notes: location

For my music video/film, I've looked at a couple different locations. I really like the shot from the 'Scene Girl' video when the rapper is walking down the road of a suburban neighbourhood so I've decided to to the same - I will begin by filming in the residential park located across the road from my house.

I'm also going to film on the rooftop of the Westfield shopping mall car park located in Stratford, East London which is where the main character resides. The empty car park will create an ambiance and sense of seclusion which the lyrics in the original soundtrack will be complimented by. Another great thing about the rooftop location is that there's a special view of London in the background during scenes.