Limitless: Trailer Review

Things that make this trailer successful:

1. Narrative: This trailer is very fast paced. It gets the viewer exited and focused. It uses many quick shots and transitions in order to catch the viewers attention and keep them interested. It uses dialogue to convey the plot. It does it in a way that tells you a bit about the story line but doesn't spoil anything. This is very important when creating a trailer. You don't want the viewer knowing the whole plot but you also don't want them confused over the storyline. This is key in a trailer and Limitless's sure pulls it off.

2. Mis en Scene (or Setting): This trailer gives great use of setting. It shows different locations, from urban slums to tropical islands. The trailer contains scenes in office buildings to night clubs. The use of setting draws the viewer in and shows them the nature of the film and where it takes place. using interesting settings such as a lit city or beach gives the viewer a feeling of excitement.

3. Cinematography: Different styles of cinematography are used throughout this trailer. For example, there is a scene of the main character in his room with a birds eye view from the wall. This kind of camera technique is not commonly used and expresses a warped reality showing us scenes we couldn't see through our own eyes. Shots like that add interest to the trailer and show us that the movie isn't flat. Complex camera angles and techniques draw in viewers and add interest.

4. Edit: Edit is used quite a lot in this trailer as well. In a way the editing compliments the cinematography and conveys messages not as easily sent without it. As an example, while the main character is walking, we see through his eyes in his point of view. We see warping around the buildings and people. This shows a warp in reality hinting that something isn't right or normal. Use of edit can really tie the knot of a trailer. It can really draw in the audience watching it

5. Sound Design: Music was always present in this trailer. it starts out average but follows the plot and soon gets fast paced. As conflict arises it stops for a moment showing the mood of the scene. It then moves onto a piece that is face paced and energetic again (Power - Kanye West). The music helps convey the theme of the piece and helps the audience understand what they are watching.

Fashion: A Changing World, Preproduction.

Purpose: The purpose of this documentary piece is to discover what's new in the world of fashion and design, who the leading competitors are, and predictions for the next season of clothing.
Contact: In order to get this piece in effect, i will need to contact The Fashion Institute of Design and Media in San FranciscoQuestions:
What role does fashion play in the world today?
What's new and upcoming in the world of fashion?
How are these changes impacting you as a designer?
Who are the designers that are in “the lead”?
Do you have any predictions for what we will be seeing during the spring/summer 2013 season
Shot List:
Shots of the Institute, Runway Footage, Designers at work, Fabrics, Classes Being Taught, Interview Shots, Various B-roll

General Flow:
“Fashion is an ever changing topic, you may think you know what's new, but as soon as you blink that changes. In order to cover some of the trends and fashion movements where better to go than San Francisco’s very own Fashion Institute of Design and Media. “FIDM” for short has around _______ students on their San Francisco campus alone, some of which may grow to be the next big things in the fashion world. We’re going to talk to a few to get their insights and opinions on varying subject related to the fashion world.For Example, What role does fashion play in the world today?”
Person 1 ____________
Person 2 ____________________
Person 3 _____________________
next set of questions follow and the people being interviewed answer them and so on

“We’ve learned a lot about the ever changing world of design. I hope you look forward to watching the world of fashion twist and turn as time goes on”
endScript:

Start off with quick shots of the city. Then a transfer to various runway shows, as well as the fashion institute. A shot or two of the people being interviewed	“Fashion is an ever changing topic, you may think you know what's new, but as soon as you blink that changes. In order to cover some of the trends and fashion movements where better to go than San Francisco’s very own Fashion Institute of Design and Media. “FIDM” for short has around _______ students on their San Francisco campus alone, some of which may grow to be the next big things in the fashion world. We’re going to talk to a few to get their insights and opinions on varying subject related to the fashion world.”
People being interviewed answer and shots correlating to their answers are shown. Cu of students interviewed.	For Example, What role does fashion play in the world today?” People being interviewed answer
People being interviewed answer and shots correlating to their answers are shown. Cu of students interviewed.	“What's new and upcoming in the world of fashion?” People being interviewed answer
People being interviewed answer and shots correlating to their answers are shown. Cu of students interviewed.	“How are the changes going to affect you as a designer” People being interviewed answer
People being interviewed answer and shots correlating to their answers are shown. Cu of students interviewed.	Who are the designers that are in “the lead”? People being interviewed answer
People being interviewed answer and shots correlating to their answers are shown. Cu of students interviewed.	Do you have any predictions for what we will be seeing during the spring/summer 2013 season People being interviewed answer

Production schedule not necessary (using wills concept due to lack of time)

Happy

Figure 1

What does it mean to be “happy”?

Figure 2

Happy is a documentary that aims to answer that very question. What makes one happy and how can we find this emotion most effectively? This purpose of this documentary is to profile many different individuals and find the answer to what makes us happy, and how we can get there. Whether you’re eight or eighty, Happy is the kind of film that will make you reevaluate your lifestyle and how you view the earth. This documentary makes great use of interview and scene location. Location is used throughout the film, and we see shots in unique places. For example, while interviewed about what makes him happy, a Louisianian tour guide is interviewed on the bayou itself rather than in a room. (Figure 2  & 3)

Figure 3

This film focuses on what is really important and each scene has a deep strong message tied to it. There are few “Filler Scene” or scenes used to take up unnecessary time. The documentary Makes great use of Matching Audio and Footage as well. For Example, If a Person is talking about their pet, you can expect to see shot of the pet following the audio. The footage used has deep meaning to it. Going back to the example of the tour guide. We see shots of nature and open space. These shots are used to convey/symbolize freedom of mind and inner happiness. The documentary uses spontaneous interaction as well as scripted interaction. Throughout the film we see transitions being used. One unique transition is in the form of quick interview. Random people on the street were interviewed and asked “What they want in life?” all of them shared the same answer: “To be happy” (Figures 1, 4, and 5)

Figure 4

Figure 5

Not only are random individuals and accounts used for interview, but expert testimonies are used as well. Psychologists are often interviewed in this documentary in order to back up the claims by others. These “experts” give scientific proof to strengthen the points of others. Animation, charts and visuals are also used to show information. Use of narration is present in this film. A Narrator is present throughout the film and gives the audience facts, introduction to characters, and background information during the documentary. This documentary’ s main focus wasn't as much making an argument, as it was informing an audience about a subject. The documentary focused to teach viewers about happiness and how to achieve it.
The camera work on the documentary as a whole was not too major. They used a lot of still shots and handheld shots. Scenes had light pans and focuses but nothing too radical. From a filming perspective it was shot rather safely and this works. The nature of the film did not require intricate camera movements or techniques and worked fine without them.
Overall, I would say that this film was very effective. It taught viewers a lesson that benefited them. Its a documentary that really makes you ponder what you know and how you think. It teaches viewers about being thankful and what they can do to better enrich their lives. After watching this documentary i really did think about how i was living my life. If you’re looking for a documentary that'll make you think and give you that “feel good” attitude, look no further.