Material below was adapted from the 2019 IB Film Teacher Support Material

Project Description

Create a trailer for an existing feature film of their choice

• Select a range of appropriate clips from the film and reassembles you in order to create a 30–60-second trailer
• Attempt to capture the tone and feel of the feature film in these clips and be true to the original
• As an extra challenge, try to remake your trailer in order to suggest a genre that is in opposition to the original feature film
  • For example, making a horror trailer for a film that was originally a comedy

Steps

• Create a blog post titled, Movie Trailer
• Copy and paste these headings into the post:
  • Summary
  • Inquiry
  • Action
  • Reflection
• Complete the Inquiry section
  • Review the Director’s Journal tools and resources (at the bottom of the Director Journal page)
  • Review the other Production Roles and the Production Form
  • Include some evidence from the Evidencing the Role section of this project
  • Include what you found when researching how to make an effective trailer
• Complete the Action heading
  • Include some evidence from the Evidencing the Role section of this project
  • Embed the final film in this section
  • Write what skills/choices you performed/made are observable in the film in the Action section
• Complete the Reflection section
  • Reflect on how this activity has shaped your understanding of how an editor can positively or negatively shape how a film is perceived through your work in post-production
  • Include some evidence from the Evidencing the Role section of this project
• Complete the Summary section
  • Describe the what and why of the project

Evidencing the Role – Director

Students are likely to generate the following types of evidence for assessing their work in the role of the director:

• Evidence of research into the notable directors and genre or style of films that helped influence the vision and overall concept of the film
• Notes from any collaborations with other production team members such as brainstorms, lists, emails, storyboards, photos and drawings for each phase
• Evidence of location-scouting documentation and permissions
• Notes on casting, costume, prop and set-decorating decisions
• Evidence of timelines, shooting schedules and call sheets
• Diagrams of blocking and actor movement
• Scripts with director notes (including justifications for any changes made to the original scripts)
• Storyboards
• Production notes for each day of shooting – before and after: a set of expectations for the day and a list of what was achieved or not achieved; notes on ways to solve problems
• Post-production notes regarding length of scene, transitions, pacing, colour, special effects, sound choices and other noteworthy elements to be handled in post-production
• Notes and reflections after test screening

Required Components

Inquiry

Reflect on watching, discussing, and/or writing about films in preparation for this project
Identify areas of filmmaking that excite and inspire you about this project
With your team, develop filmmaker intentions you would like to achieve through this production work

Selected a film production role
Research/Acquire techniques required to work in this role
Plan for practically exploring the chosen film production role in order to acquire, develop and apply skills, and to fulfill stated filmmaker intentions

Action

Undertake a range of practical production activities in the chosen film production role
Experience working both individually and collaboratively in film activities
Grapple with the skills associated with the film production role
Attempt to effectively fulfill stated filmmaker intentions

Reflection

Make clear links to the identified films and filmmakers that inspired this work
Reflect on explorations and on the impact this learning has had on your understanding of the film production role and the extent to which they fulfilled their filmmaker intentions.