Photos of Location used

An isolated place, with no escape is usually the conventions that a film producer follows when producing a horror film. The characters often feel trapped and they end up in the isolated/mysterious place unintentially. A forest is used for the isolated place in many horror films, but sometimes it could be an abandoned house. This is an image of the location that we shot our murdering scenes at. We believe that it works well with the horror conventions as when it is dark the trees produce many shadows and with the trees being there, it builds the tension and atmosphere of people hiding behind them. It is also quite an isolated area where you can picture a horror film being produced.

Main characters...

The Murderer...

We chose Jodie for the murderer as she has blue eyes and they would be easier to distort. Also as we wanted a female murderer to challenge the conventions, she fits in well with what we wanted.

The group of friends...
Miranda - The loud one

Natalie - The stereotypical 'dumb' one

Chelsey - The geek

Philippa - The survivor

Kelsey - The 'Tom-boy'

Film magazine analysis - Empire

Empire Film Magazine Front Cover

Film magazine analysis - Total Film

Total Film Magazine Front Cover

Film magazine analysis - Empire

Empire Film Magazine

Re-shoot/Re-edit

The first time we recorded any footage, we did not upload and save it directly onto the mac computers and as a result of this our work was lost and we then had to film the car scenes again. This did not take us too long as we knew the shots that we wanted. When uploading them onto the computer we gradually began to edit the pieces again and put them into the right place on the timeline.

We put together all the footage that we had but when speaking to a member of our target audience they said that the trailer was good but it left th

em a bit confused on if the murderer (me) was really hurt from being hit in the face, therefore a few of the people i our group got together and filmed another piece of footage to show that my eye had been hurt and that I, as the murderer in the trailer, was not happy with the outcome of the incident.

Re-shoot/Re-edit...Images for magazine and poster

We took several images of the survivor in the film trailer and decided that she would be the one who was the core image on our magazine. After uploading the images to the computer and editing them, we came to the conclusion that something was not right about having just a picture of her. After trying the images of her in different poses, we decided to go back and re-take images of the whole group of girls this time that are in the film. That way the people purchasing the magazine would now if they have seen the trailer or poster that we are trying to promote the same film in the magazine.

Detailed Storyboard

After putting all our ideas together we produced a detailed storyboard, we will follow this when recording our footage for the film trailer.

Filming schedule

Our group began our filming towards the end of November, however as we did not save the footage straight away, when we went back to edit it, it had been deleted. Therefore we learnt from this that as soon as the footage has been taken it has to be uploaded onto the Mac computer.

1st December 2010 - As it was the car scenes that we lost we had to re-film then on Lieutenant Ellis Way on this date. Hannah and I stood on the bridge that it is over L.Ellis and did a high angle shot looking down on the car driving off, this created a birds eye view and it would then act as an establishing shot. We filmed this is a long shot but it was mainly focusing on the car driving down the road. The first time we recorded the car footage it was in sunny weather and therefore came out a lot clearer on the camera but around the time that we realised we had lost the work, it had snowed and that is how we had to film the new footage, this therefore did not have the same effect.

3rd December 2010 - We gathered the entire cast together and we all went to the forest location that we had chosen to do our murdering scenes. The weather was great for the atmosphere as it was raining and it was dark. We filmed lots of different shots for the murdering scenes including, long, medium and close up shots of all the characters.

4th December 2010 - As we shot some of the car scenes in the day light we wanted some of the others to be in day light too but when we found a place we were happy it had started to get dark and therefore we did some shots from inside and around the car.

13th December 2010 - All of the bullying scenes were filmed in classrooms and corridors at school. These scenes contain lots of different shots, including close ups and medium shots of me being threatened, tripped over and being hit in the face with a paper ball.

14th December 2010 – We went to Cuffley to film our final car scenes down a small road and we then also recorded the shot of the girls walking towards the gate.

15th December 2010 – This is when we filmed the very last piece of footage, the bit where I am standing in the mirror holding my eye.

Target audience

When I was defining my target audience, there was many different things I had to consider. Firstly, was the genre of the film that I was going to base my film trailer on. There were a few different genres that my group and I considered, some of them being horror, thriller, dance, romance and many more. I also realised that each of the different genres would have different target audiences, whether some of them being wider or more specific to a gender or age range. In the end I chose horror for the genre of my film trailer as it can attract people from an extremely wide age range, starting at fifteen years old and reaching around fifty/sixty years old, sometimes older. Moreover I then had to decide what age the people would be representing within my film trailer which was quite didficult because of the difference in ages. Therefore I looked at some conventions in other horror movies and have decided that the main characters will be around the age of eighteen/nineteen and it would consist of girls and boys. This is because if it was all boys then it would limit the audience to mostly male viewers and vice versa with all girls, therefore by having both genders inclided in the film trailer it broadens the viewing audience.
Although my film trailer is aimed at almost everyone above the age of 15, students and yound adults are more likely to watch a horror film, this is another reason for why the actors will be around this age.

Initial storyboard

Before we started filming and could create our detailed storyboard we have to take into account what shots we would use in our film trailer that would work effectively. This could only be decided, however when we had chosen our genre and the stroyline.

After the decisions were made that we were going to be creating a horror film trailer, we did basic sketches on the initial storyboard, and after discussing as a group what would and wouldnt work, we put together our ideas and developed a detailed storyboard.

Location and character brainstorms

Initial ideas...

As a group we decided that the film trailer that we was going to produce would be a horror one. We then got together and brainstormed our ideas.

Plot - 6 friends have just finished their A-levels so decide to go on a camping trip to celebrate. On the way there their car runs out of petrol and they become stranded in the middle of no where, with no signal on their phones either they decide to set up camp where they are and wait until the morning to try and find help. They then all seperate to collect wood etc and gradually they all begin to get killed. This happens in an unconventional order as the clever charcter dies first and then the blonde one is the survivor. At the end the auidence will find out that there is a twist as it turns out to be a female murderer and it is a girl that they have bullied in the past, and now she wants to get revenge.

Characters - We decided that all our characters would be female and we went round it uncoventionally. A couple, a geek (but one that is not very clever), a blonde (who turns out to be quite clever) and a loud one.

Location - The main murdering scenes to be done in a forest and down country lanes and Luittenant Ellis Way bridge for the car scenes.

Editing - As a group we have decided that the beginning of our trailer will have quite a slow pace, however at the same time be able to portray the storyline, by doing this it is important that we still make it interesting as the audience will get bored and not want to watch the rest of the trailer. We will then make the pace faster as the murdering happens to create and tense and horror like atmosphere. At the beginning of the trailer we are thinking of doing it in black and white so that everyone can realise that it is set in the past and that when it turns to colour it is then in the present tense. When editing and concluding our trailer it is also important that we set the music into place so that it flows well with what is shown on the screen.

Film Titles - Trapped, Revenge, An Eye For An Eye.

Analysis of film poster - The Skeleton Key

The Skeleton Key Film Poster

Analysis of film poster - Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty Film Poster

Analysis of film poster - Final Destination 4

Fianl Destination Film Poster

Detailed Analysis - Scream 4

The trailer begins with a young girl answering the phone, and if the viewers have seen the previous Scream films then they know that when somebody gets a phonecall from a man then something bad is going to happen. It then cuts to a serious of mid-shots of the woman from different angles but it has now become a voice over of the mans voice rather than her actual voice. As it goes from shot to shot there is a delayed black screen shot, this builds tension and an atmosphere for the audience watching the trailer. As it then cuts from shots of different people the mans voice is leading us as the audience to believe that the people that are appearing on the screen are people that have survived in the other Scream movies and that because they have survived he is now out to get them. Within the film there is a group of young adults, this is conventional in a horror film, especially as they are a mixture of male and female. When the mans voice over begins to laugh and then two of the young girls scream, again this builds tension as the audience does not know the reason for the scream, thereofre they would want to watch on. When the caption appears on the screen it says 'One film redefined fear' by them using the word 'redefined' it is like the producers of the film are trying to say that in this film there is a new definition to fear, therefore the audience will now expect it to be extremely scary. As it cuts from this caption there is a bright flash which insinuates trouble. Suspense is built again when it goes from a normal classroom scene with students talking to them outside screaming because a body has fell from somewhere and landed on a car. There is then a series of quick shots showing one of the young girls getting chased around her room by someone with, what is known as 'the scream mask' on. With the next caption appearing 'Comes a new generation of terror' links in with one of the previous captions when it mentions about the 'redefined fear'. If you get somebody watching this trailer that has never heard of or seen any other of the Scream movies then by adding these captions helps to create the horror/scary atmosphere. A bit further into the trailer, when it shows the young brunette girl looking into a camera, the audience can see, clearly that there is no body behind her but as she turns around the music gets a quicker pace and becomes louder as the person in the scream mask comes towards her with a weapon. You then see a close up of the girls face as she says 'go on then if you have the guts', this attracts people to watch on as they want to see what happens. It is also the sort of thing that is said within in a film and the audience are left shouting at the screen. 'Don't say things like that!' At this bit within the trailer the lighting has also be changed and it has become darker with a red tinge to it. This also helps to build an atmosphere. When one of the characters says 'Well its time for someone else to dies' the music becomes faster and louder and there is also a series of fast shots that have been cut to portray different moments in the film. The sound of the weapon being used is extremely emphasised in the trailer and this creates the scary side to the film as well as many other things.

The trailer ends in the murderer running towards the screen with the knife showing as if it is coming out towards the audience. This gives me an idea of doing something very similar in my own film trailer as it leaves the viewers wondering what is going to happen next.

Detailed Analysis - One missed call

At the beginning of this trailer the music starts at a slow pace but the audience can tell by the beat that it will most probably get a faster pace as the trailer gets further in. It then cuts to a caption that says 'Every day 2 billion cellphones ring'. This links in with the title of the film as it is called one missed call, it also leaves the viewers/audience wanting to watch on as they will want to know why they are telling us that is the amount of 'cellphones' that ring on one day. It then cuts to close up of a phone ringing and in the background you can see a long shot of two young girls. By then adding the caption 'Sometimes you answer the call...' again leaves the viewers wanting to know where the caption will lead to next. By putting the '...' (ellipses) portrays that something is going to happen as the sentence is not yet finished. There is then a close up of an open mobile phone that says on the screen '1 missed call', this again relates back to the title of the film. With the next caption 'and sometimes you shouldn't' portrays to the audience that something bad is going to happen. There is then two close up shots of women on a phone with a non-diegetic scream over the top. It then cuts to a blank, black screen for around a second and a half, this builds tension and an atmosphere for the audience as it gives them time to think of different things that might happen. When it cuts to a close up on the dark haired woman's face we can see her facial expression and it shows that she is maybe a little bit scared and puzzled. It then cuts to a low angle shot of the blonde woman where you can sense her fear as we are now looking up at her and the phone is still in the shot, this low angle shit then cuts to a close up shot of her face, which again portrays her fear by her facial expressions. By her walking behind the pole could portray to some of the audience that she is being watched, when it then shows the pavement in which she just walked up again can portray that there might be someone following her or that she is being watched. After this there is a some fast shots of the blonde girl, the brunette girl and a distorted figure.

After this it looks as if there is a variety of other different shots done quickly, however they are all based on the same piece, they have been cut and put into slow motion. It begins to explain some of the story line by cutting quickly between shots, as it is going from shot to shot it fades out into a black screen. Throughout these shots there is a mixture of close up shots and long shots, these help to set an atmosphere as the long shots show the characters body language whereas the close up shots show the facial expressions.

When the young girl enters an abandoned house the music is playing at a slow pace but from the different angled shots that the viewers get creates an image/thought that something is going to happen, there is then a flash of a bright light and a bang and then girl starts to be dragged along the floor. Again there is a mixture of long shots, in which you can see the murderer dragging her along and close up shots of her face whilst she is screaming and crying. The idea of one of the characters being dragged off by the murderer has given me an idea for when I am creating my own film trailer, that this is one of the ways in which I will film one of my characters being taken by a mysterious figure.

There is then another caption which says 'What will it sound like' as this does not really make any sense to the viewer/audience they will want to watch on to see what they next caption will say, the next caption comes up after some fast close up shots of the woman's face and the 'murderer'. The caption says 'when you die?' This is a rhetorical question as nobody really wants to know the answer or knows what the answer actually is.

For the next 9 seconds in the trailer there is a concoction of quick shots with a fast pace music, this again creates the atmosphere of a horror film. After these quick shots the same background on which the captions appear on, the title of the film is shown. 'One Missed Call'.

All of the captions and the main title of the film have been produced in the same font and font size. The style of the font looks as if it has been typed on a mobile phone and this links in with the name of it.

Grid of 9 - Mirrors

Grid of 9..Mirrors

Grid of 9 - Saw 3D

Saw 3D - Grid of 9

Focused Analysis - Locations

We are planning to use part of the school for our filming, this is for the scenes where the victim (later becomes murderer) is being bullied in addition to doing the other filming in a forest, this is because the forest is a dark iscolated place and it is also used within the conventions of a horror movie. The school is good for filming as many different classrooms/coridoors can be used and a school is the place where somebody a little bit different is most likley to be bullied.

Focused Analysis - Mise-En-Scene

Mise-En-Scene is another convention to help us to understand what genre a film is, for example if we were to see a film trailer with characters in futuristic clothing we would presume that the film was a Sci-fi genre.

Focused Analysis - Sound/music

The music in a film trailer is similar to the Mise-en-scene, as we know when watching the film what the music is representing as the genre. For example if we were to hear an upbeat pop song, we would presume that the genre is comedy. Non-diagetic sounds used in film trailers also build suspence and keeps the audience engaged. A horror film trailer's music should be eary, cold and be able to create an atmosphere to point out its genre and although the audience may be frightened, they will not be able to keep their eyes off of the trailer and they will want to continue to watch the film. Special effects in the sound, such as echoing also creates more suspense and a horror like atmosphere as it is un-clear to where the echoing sound is coming from.

Mood Board

The narrative structure of a film trailer

Aristotle identified the basic linear plot structure in 350 BC as a simple triangle of beginning, middle and ending. He observed that the middle section might involve some form of crisis, resolved by the end of the story.
In 1863, the German novelists Gustav Freytag published Die Technik Des Dramas in which he outlines his pyramid structure for the plot. Adapting Aristotle's basic triangle he added the idea of the plot complicating, introducing conflicts and building to a climax point, after which it falls away when the conflicts are resolved, the mysteries are also solved and we are finally left with a satisfactory resolution.

Exposition: The start of the story, the established situation before the story begins.

Rising action: The series of complications, conflicts and and layers of mystery that build toward the climax.

Climax: The turning point and the point with the highest intensity, emotionally or through action.

Falling action:

Action following the climax and pieces of the jigsaw falling in to place to solve the mysteries.

Resolution: Any disruptions caused by the rising action are returned to a state or 'normality', the mysteries are solved and as far as possible the established order of the start is returned. However where it can not return to the established order, justice is served.

This structure was the further developed in 1960s by Tzvetan Todorov in to his theory of equilibrium - disequilibrium - equilibrium.

Freytag's structure is noticeable in Hollywood output and is striking feature ofHollywood film trailers. The form of the triangle used below best represents the timing and the structure used in many film trailers where a quiet opening builds to a punch in the music, followed by rapid action and a falling away to a quiet sound and the credits at the end.

Many different types of media that tell a story e.g Music video, films, film trailers and novels follow Freytag's theory as it is a very effective way of creating drama. If they do not follow this theory it is very unconventional.

Narrative Theories

Tsvetan Todorov - Equilibrium.
Todorov felt that all stories start in a state of equilibrium, which is then disrupted,setting in a motion of chain events. The resolution of the story is the creation of a new/different equilibrium.
E.g. Titanic
Rose is engaged, she then leaves her fiancee for Jack; Jack dies. then Rose continues her life as an independant woman.

Levi-Strauss - Binary Oppositions.
Meanings, including narrative, depends on binary oppositions. He explores these in terms of underlying paradigmatic themes rather than events.
E.g. Titanic
Rich/poor
Artistic/materialistic
Brave/cowardly
Irish/English

Iconography - symbolic/symbols used in cinema/film to express an underlying meaning. They are used as shorthand by film makers.
E.g. Ditzy blonde
Space ship
Maked man
Isolated house
We become familiar with some icons because they are repeated over and over again.

Silent Hill movie trailer and teaser trailer

This is the Silent Hill teaser trailer it uses the conventional features of a horror genre film.

A teaser clip is designed to give the viewer a small taste of the genre and film without giving you too much of the story-line away. They are designed to give you just a short amount of clip to persuade you in to watching the movie.

This is the theatre trailer for the film Silent Hill.

The Campaign...

Inside film distribution:

It has to have a unique selling point.

the advertising can be done through many different ways, for example on the television, on the internet and big film posters in the the City.

You have to think about:

Is it somebody in the story?

Is the story sellable?

Cast? (famous actor)

Is it an easy watch?

The film Trailer is the most important part to a campaign.

Synergy has to be considered when producing a magazine front cover, a film poster and a film trailer. This is because every element of the campaign has to be the same so that the viewers/public know that they are all part of the same film.

The font on the poster, front cover and film trailer has to be exactly the same. If there is not a connection made between the three of them then you are asking the public to do too much and if they are not attracted to it within three seconds then you will lose their concentration. The poster must also make the genre extremely clear to the public.

The Trailer:

The trailer to a film is all about what the public will experience when watching the film on a big screen.

The teaser trailer is produced very early into the production process or before the film has even been started.

The theatrical trailer gives away a lot about the film and is usually released when the film it is for is at the cinema etc.

"Copy" is the word used in the media industry for the words that appear in a trailer. The captions that are added into a film trailer create a mood in the viewers head and creates the atmosphere of the film genre, for example in a scary film by the silence and just a caption on the screen creates the scary atmosphere for the viewers.

A voice over should never be put with a caption in a film trailer as it does not give the viewer time to read it and then think of the different things that could happen and again does not create the right atmosphere.

TV Spots:

These are only around 20 - 30 seconds long.

They should include the films title, who is in it and when it opens. There must also be a web address at the bottom of the trailer and poster.

Publicity:

Reviews:

The reviews that the film is given go on the poster and magazine front cover. This is so that the public can see what others think before going to actually see the film.

Tracking:

This is the publics awareness of the film. The question asked is do the public know about it? If it is not well known by majority of the public within four weeks of it being released then the film may not be as successful as the film producers want it to be.

Word of mouth:

The moment that the film opens, it will only be successful through word of mouth.

Opening Weekend:

A film is always released on a Friday and therefore it has a three day opening. The Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Introduction...

In this blog I will be showcasing my A2 media studies coursework. We could choose from designing a music video or a film trailer. Therefore I decided to design a film trailer as within my group we decided that a film trailer would be more challenging and you can also get a lot more ideas into a film trailer than a music video. We also have to produce a film poster and magazine front cover, however this shouldn't be too hard as this is similar to the AS coursework.

Camera Media!

At the beginning of the year for our A2 Coursework we were given a list of shots with times and places in which we had to film them. After completing all of the shots below we had to work out were the footage we were filming was based from. We managed to work out that it was from Back to The Future.

From filming this, was our way of practicing how the video cameras work and conveyed to us the mistakes and problems that we should avoid when filming our Film Trailer or Music Video.