Cutting a trailer – 5:13

I’ve spent the last couple of days cutting the trailer for 5:13 with director, Arivind Abraham.

The one thing that actually really annoys me about trailers, in general, is how much they tend to give away.  It’s at the point now where I actually AVOID trailers as much as possible.  Especially when it comes down to scary films – I want to go and see a film and jump at the scary parts.  I want to be surprised.  I don’t want to sit there and know what’s coming up.  I want to experience the film with the characters.

Examples of decent marketing campaigns would be Taken and Cloverfield.  Taken’s trailers tended not to feature anything that happened outside the first 20 minutes of the film (for the most part, they featured just the phone conversation between Liam Neeson and the kidnappers).  Cloverfield was pretty much a teaser campaign – going into the cinema, I didn’t know what the ‘event’ was.

I think it’s been several years since anybody’s gone to see a film solely for the special effects.  That might have washed a few years ago with Jurassic Park, but I think the audiences are (more than) aware that great visuals don’t guarantee a knock out film.  That’s sort of why I don’t understand it when film makers fill trailers with all of the killer moments from the film.  I mean, sometimes trailers are treated like a “3 minute version” of a film.  And that’s bad.

So, going into the 5:13 trailer edit, the idea was to make the audience want to go see the movie.  We didn’t want to give away the story, we didn’t want to blow the “jumpy bits” in a trailer.  The goal was to present a minute-or-so teaser that leaves the audience wanting more.

Trailer to follow soon.

Post Production Updates

Youch, it’s been a while since I’ve posted here.  Last time would have been about half way through the S’kali edit.  So, yes, an update is long over due.

We’ve been cutting the trailer for 5:13 over the weekend.  I was hoping to have some video blogs for you on the editing of the film, but there’s been all sorts of issues with codecs, editing software and formats, that it’s been a little bit crazy.  I’ll blog on this at some point in the near future, but I guess the down side of using the latest technology is that you’re often in uncharted waters – that’s certainly been the case here, with all sorts of issues early on in the edit, typically regarding brand new camera, the format they output to, incompatibility (or, at least, inconsistencies) between PCs and Macs, codecs, how editing software handles file formats…  You name it, we’ve come across it.  And of course, using the latest technology means that there’s very little documentation out there (even on the interweb).

The end result is that we’re using a Sony Vegas suite now, and the edit is running smoothly at long last.  In fact, we’re about two scenes away from having the first rough cut of the film (minus sound treatment), which is pretty exciting.

Sony Vegas itself is rather new (relatively speaking), and certainly not nearly as well known as, say, Final Cut, Adobe Premiere and Avid.  But, rather oddly, it’s the only suite that’s been capable of handling what we’re throwing at it.  It’s audio facilities, incidentally, outclass any editing suite I’ve come across, which – seeing as we’re working on a horror film, warrants its usage alone.  It’s also creeping its way up the Hollywood ladder at the moment.  For me, the way it has allowed me to cut in HD without the need for rendering, and to run with such a smooth frame rate on an external monitor, has been a treat.

Anyway, the first cut of the trailer is doing the rounds with the 'higher-ups’ today.  So, we can hopefully bring that to you very soon.  It’s all rather exciting.

Oh, and if you fancy a peek at the editing suite, it’s covered from head to toe (or, rather, door to window) in storyboard….

I’ve booked a weekend on the crazy farm once I’m done with the edit…  Surrounding myself in pure blue horror can’t be healthy…

Ali

Some Pictures From The Set Of "5:13".

Perantauan Entertainment & Befour Media are currently midway through the shoot of new horror movie "5:13". Filming has been progressing well and below are some shots from the rushes. Enjoy.



Cast member Samantha Tan getting prepped for her scene.



Cast Member Iki Putra.




Arshad contemplates.



Vivien recovers.

There'll be more pictures and hopefully some video blogs to come as well so keep dropping by.

Cheers,
Perantauan Entertainment

Leading Male Actor Required for New Horror Film "5:13"

Perantauan Pictures and Befour Media UK, the team behind S'kali are now casting for their new feature-length horror/drama, written by Arivind Abraham and Keith Leong and to be directed by the former. Details as follows:

Title: 5:13
Genre: Horror/drama
Looking For: Male actor, playing age of 20-27 years, Malay/mixed race (or whose looks could pass for Malay/mixed race), slim/average build, very fluent English and excellent acting ability. Acting experience good but not essential. Professionalism and a great attitude are a must.

Shoot Dates: 5 May 2008 to 24 May 2008
Filming will comprise of night shoots between 2000hrs and 0500hrs, and the individual hired will be needed for 12 days within that date range. We are happy to negotiate whether these days are continuous or spread out, depending on your availability and our scheduling needs.

Fee: RM1,000 lump sum, to be paid at the end of the contract. Food, petty expenses and transportation will also be covered for the duration of the shoot.

To apply, please email your CV and headshot to perantauanpictures@gmail.com with "5:13 CASTING" as the subject.
No time-wasters please, we are auditioning for a main character with specific qualities so only individuals that fit the description above need apply.
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Please note that shortlisted candidates will be required to submit a video clip as the director is currently based in London, however we will provide details for this later on and there is no need to do so until we have informed you that you are selected.

GOOD LUCK and we look forward to hearing from you!