For Better For Worse Animatic

Our Animatic was extremely useful when it came to helping the entire group see things much more visually. We had already produced a storyboard which allowed us to decide how long each shot would last for and because of this preparation, we were able to edit the timing just like we would do with our real piece of film. In order to produce our animatic, we had to use a flip camera. We wanted to make it as realistic and as close to our final piece as possible and because of this, we attempted to draw and position each sketch in the way it would appear on the real piece of film. We also tried to use colours for the distributors so that the film would look somewhat professional, even as an animatic. We also included black sheets of paper in between certain shots so that we would be able to see whether the transition would give the animatic a dramatic effect that can usually be a convention in other teaser trailers. Whether we incorporate a black transition between particualr shots is something that we will still have to decide as a group, but knowing that the animatic will enable us to see what things will look like as a whole will help us in the development, creative and planning stages. I therefore feel that creating this animatic was extremely worth while and will certainly benefit us in future decisions.

Our Storyboard

Above is the storyboard that we created so that we could plan each shot step by step. This particular storyboard was immensely helpful when it came to clearly setting out what shot would go and where, as well as helping us understand which video and audio clips would be displayed. This also helped us decide how many seconds each shots would be and it was therefore an excellent guideline for the group when it would finally come to editing our filming and giving our teaser trailer the desired dramatic effect. It allowed us to see what each shot would look like visually and also gave us the opportunity to put certain aspects, such as institutions and distributors in order, before we produced our complete animatic,which meant we were conesequently able to change anything that we really wanted to. Most of the seconds were 2, 3 or 4 seconds because we wanted to stick to the teaser trailer convention of quick sharp cuts to each shot as much as possible, so the result was relatively professional.

A Teaser Trailer Influence

What was the main teaser trailer that influenced our own trailer?

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There were a few cuts in our teaser trailer, however there was a lot of black transitions which we wanted to add in our own for dramatic effect (had a black and white theme like ours) like ours, to shock and hit the audience and prolong the thinking time of the viewer, therefore giving the impression that things are unclear. In my opinion, the dramatic effect caused by the black slides successfully represents the drama genre, which consequently makes this particular trailer one that is extremely useful for developing our own trailer.
It was also very similar to our own teaser trailer where voiceovers are concerned. Like this specific trailer, we would be able to incorporate non diegetic sound over the top of what is happening allowing an oppurtunity for intruige without giving too much away.

I also liked the way that the main character's face is the last thing the viewer sees at the end of the trailer, because it is exactly what we wanted to have in our teaser trailer at the very end. We also decided to have a face staring right at the viewer because we could make the viewer connect with and identify that character instantly and effectively imply that something big will happen involving that particular person, giving subtle hints about the plot which will consequently engage the viewer.

We also planned to have the same sequence of the face being the last thing before the title 'For Better For Worse' and then the date 'Autumn 2012', which again, gives the viewer the main information without exposing the plot and other film elements.