Trailer and Background Research

Our teaser trailer’s main aim is to attract a British audience, although our love story could be universal as many American’s are at war at the moment in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is also timeless as its a classic tale of a love affair amist the bombings of world war two. It is based on a World War 2 love story, focusing on the home front and the clashing of class boundaries. We are trying to re-enact something that may have typically happened back in the 1940’s, where hundreds of women’s husbands died in war or were believed to be dead, and it was not uncommon for them to go and have an affair with a good friend, stranger or an employee. Locating it in the deep Kent countryside and basing it around the greatest war that we could ever have won will immediately draw the British in. This is also true to say for the Americans, as they helped us to conquer Hitler. Also, it is going to be produced by Film Four, which is an British Independent film distributor.

Atonement

Atonement is a 2007 film adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel, directed by Joe Wright, and based on a screenplay by Christopher Hampton. It starred Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. A mischievous girl accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit, only to find that her words have irrevocably and permanently changed the lives of all.
Its 1935 just before World War 2 sets in, Cecilia and Robbie, the housekeeper's son, a childhood friend and recent Cambridge graduate, fall into a dangerous love. When Robbie and Cecilia are caught by Cecilia's scheming sister, she makes up an unspeakable transgression for which the boy is wholly innocent, the repercussions of her unfounded claim threaten to affect all three for decades to come.
Atonement explores the themes of clashing class boundaries between Robbie and Cecilia, where Robbie is of working class, and Cecilia is of middle class in a unruly love affair. Robbie the innocent man blamed for a wrong deed is sent away showing how poorly treated the under class were in that time. We liked how a working class man dabling in middle class water could lead to harsh consequences and we like to think we can bring this into our trailer.

The Edge of Love

Two feisty, free-spirited women are connected by the brilliant, charismatic poet who loves them both.The only thing more dangerous than war in this film is love.

We have found a few clips in The Edge of Love that we wish to adapt to our own film, as it focuses on a betrayal which affects many people in the narrative. We liked the idea of betrayal, somehow we will put this into our film. The idea of a middle class man being sent off to war and a working class man undermining him. Maybe his best friend or even brother.

We chose to research this film, as the time setting and themes were very well connected to our orginal idea. After watching this film together, we were inspired by many ideas..We got fashion , music and character ideas from this film. The idea of the love triangle was something which we liked, and incoporated this into our own trailer, however, rather than using the idea of two men and two women which would be a very hard thing to portray in a few minutes without the audience getting confused, we used the idea of one woman, and two men. This gave her the power, and we liked the role reversal here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLsQSVuNsRg

Battle of Britain (Film Four)

Historical re-enactment of the air war in the early days of World War Two for control of the skies over Britain as the new Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force determine whether or not an invasion can take place. It is 1940, and the diabolical mind of Adolf Hitler is planning to bomb England into submission to his warped dreams of a 'Fortress Europe'. Standing between Britain's freedom & Hitler's terrifying plans is the R.A.F - dedicated pilots who took to the skies again & again in the face of overwhelming odds.

We may try and use one of the “bombing” scenes or and the airplane flying over as a special effects scene for our trailer, as this is something that we do not have the funding or equiptment to do. We are going use that shot as a director would use special effects due to a very low budget. A shot of a common world war plane is iconic to any World War 2 film, shots such as this one is certainly paradimical to our film.

Mrs Miniver

This was made in 1942.
The Minivers, an English "middle-class" family experience life in the first months of World War II. While dodging bombs, the Miniver's son courts Lady Beldon's granddaughter. A rose is named after Mrs. Miniver and entered in the competition against Lady Beldon's rose.

This film gave us the idea of maybe putting some or all shots in black and white, maybe make it look like an old film. However, some of our group didnt like the thought of it being made to look old as it would come across as if we had made it back in the 1940's. Although we may put some black and white shots in to get across the feeling of how the main characters life goes from normal into exciting and chaotic.

The Land Girls

During World War II, a new regiment called "Land Girls" was formed in England for recruiting women to work at farms where men left to go to war. Three women of different social backgrounds - quiet Stella, young hairdresser Prue and Cambridge graduate Ag join the Land Girls.

It is England in 1941 in the glorious Dorset countryside. Three beautiful young women, Stella, Ag and Prue, arrive on a remote farm. They are the 'Land Girls' - city girls who have volunteered to take the place of young men who have gone to war. They are an unlikely trio: Prue is vivacious and sexy; Ag is quiet and more reserved; while the dreamy, beautiful Stella is in love with Philip, a dashing naval officer. Despite their differences, they soon become close friends. The film follows their relationships with each other and the men in their lives in the face of war.

This gave us some more fashion ideas and watching it gave us some pointers to how the film should be set out in that time. How people acted and what sort of language they used back then.

Pearl Harbour

Pearl Harbor is a classic tail of romance set during a war that complicates everything. It all starts when childhood friends Rafe and Danny become Army Air Corps pilots and meet Evelyn a Navy nurse. Rafe and the nurse fall in love but quickly rafe has to go and fight with Danny in the war.
The classic story of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor is told through the eyes of two boyhood friends, now serving as officers in the Army Air Corps.

This was another reference for a war time love story, however this concentrates more on the actual war. Where as we want to focus around the love story and the back drop is world war two and it changes people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIPBtP02yKc