Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Ancillary Text 2 (Front Cover) Research and Ideas
The Front Cover above was our initial front cover, but after feedback on it from both students and our teacher we decided to scrap this version and start afresh as their were so many things wrong with it. We had got a vital piece of our research wrong in that one of the posters we looked at we mistook the background to be block colour but in fact it was the sky and the ground. Also the red circle didn't look very good and the colours were a bit bland.
This next poster (above) was our second attempt and when we got feedback this time we had a lot more positive responses all round, however, there were still a few things pointed out especially by another group in our class who had had to make a few changes to their own poster. From their feedback we decided to make a few more changes to our poster. The main thing they said was that we needed to include some more pictures. So we set about making these changes to create our final front cover which you can access via the link below. http://snowden-alexa2.blogspot.com/2010/03/ancillary-text-2-front-cover-final.html
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Mise en Scene, Props and Casting
CAST
Above is me, Director, Editor, Screenplay Writer and Actor along with Ben Garvey shown below.
Above is Ben my media partner who i also worked with last year for my AS coursework. Ben and I both feature in our film if one of us is acting the other will be behind the camera filming. Last year we had our film screened at the Bradford film festival and we aim to do the same again this year.
Above is Tom Hunter who plays one of the main characters. We chose Tom to be in our film because he is 18 around the age of the target audience for our film so therefore the audience can relate to him. It was useful to have Tom as and actor because he finished collage at midday on most days so he was always available to film, he also has a car so he helped get us to our filming locations at times.
Above is Theo Wightman, he is in our media class and is also making a horror film teaser trailer. He is also 18 which like Tom is the perfect age to reach out to our target audience, Theo also studies Drama so we hoped he would have some good acting skills. We were not disappointed.
PROPS
We wanted to use a typical movie style kitchen knife as it follows the conventions of a real media product. The knife helps people to easily identify what genre (horror) the trailer is. The main influence in the using of this knife was Halloween which made it iconic to the horror industry.
This is the black hoodie/mask we choose for the murderer to use in our film. There are two main reasons why we used this hoodie. The first reason is because it was black and this is very traditionally used in horror films. The second point is because it zips fully so hides the identity of the killer creating a narrative enigma. We wanted a hoodie that covers the face because in our horror research we watched a film called Dead Man's Shoes by Shane Meadows in which a mask is used by the killer near the start of the film and it made him look wierd and menacing.
Above is me, Director, Editor, Screenplay Writer and Actor along with Ben Garvey shown below.
Above is Ben my media partner who i also worked with last year for my AS coursework. Ben and I both feature in our film if one of us is acting the other will be behind the camera filming. Last year we had our film screened at the Bradford film festival and we aim to do the same again this year.
Above is Tom Hunter who plays one of the main characters. We chose Tom to be in our film because he is 18 around the age of the target audience for our film so therefore the audience can relate to him. It was useful to have Tom as and actor because he finished collage at midday on most days so he was always available to film, he also has a car so he helped get us to our filming locations at times.
Above is Theo Wightman, he is in our media class and is also making a horror film teaser trailer. He is also 18 which like Tom is the perfect age to reach out to our target audience, Theo also studies Drama so we hoped he would have some good acting skills. We were not disappointed.
PROPS
We wanted to use a typical movie style kitchen knife as it follows the conventions of a real media product. The knife helps people to easily identify what genre (horror) the trailer is. The main influence in the using of this knife was Halloween which made it iconic to the horror industry.
This is the black hoodie/mask we choose for the murderer to use in our film. There are two main reasons why we used this hoodie. The first reason is because it was black and this is very traditionally used in horror films. The second point is because it zips fully so hides the identity of the killer creating a narrative enigma. We wanted a hoodie that covers the face because in our horror research we watched a film called Dead Man's Shoes by Shane Meadows in which a mask is used by the killer near the start of the film and it made him look wierd and menacing.
Monday, 22 February 2010
Target Audience & (Notional) BBFC Classification
Age
The age rating in our film is a 15. We chose this because later on in our film it will become gorier and there would be some strong language. Under the BBFC ratings its says that a film with strong language and scenes of a moderate violence should be rated at a 15. Also the actors in the film are within the age range, the main characters are 17 and 18 years old so it helps appeal to an audience of 15-24.
Ethnicity
In our trailer the characters are caucasion as this tends to be typical of the horror genre, However we have not specifically just chosen to have caucasion actors it's also due to the fact that we couldn't get the actors. If we could get actors of different ethnicity we would as it would help to widen the appeal of the trailer.
Gender
Generally a common convention of horror films is to have a female as the protagonist who comes through the evil and ends up victorious .However we are challenging this convention a bit as did the film Dead Man's Shoes. Their is a risk that we could decrease our potential as we do not have a final girl in our trailer but it was also partially due to the lack of choice in actors and actresses that we decided to not include a final girl, the girls in our group were busy so much that it was too hard to find a day which suited them.
Economic groupings
I think our film will appeal will appeal to upper middle class (C1) and lower middle class (C2) and working class (DE) groupings because horror films are not usually aimed at upper class, they normally watch period drama or films of a higher intellectual level.
Nationality/Region
Our teaser trailer will appeal to an English audience because the actors and settings are English. Horror movies usually have a heavy American influence and are generally high budget if they do. The lower budget British horrors will appeal to a more niche audience primarily because they don't have any American actors. Also on a regioal scale our trailer will appeal to a yorkshire audience as it features a famous yorkshire landmark, the Cow and Calf.
Fans of
Fans of our trailer will probably also be fans of films like Halloween because the well known horrors were a big influence on the making of our trailer, we studied their shots as they have obviously been very successful in hope that incorporating their camera techniques will help us to get a better finished product on our horror film. Also fans of a britsh film which incorporates scary elements such as Dead Man's Shoes by shane meadows, the film isn't a horror film but has some very scary scenes and we have tried to use some of its ideas and camera shots. Also another group of fans who may enjoy our trailer would be fans who enjoy movies with a twist and riddle. We didnt want our idea to be straight forward, we liked the thought of the audience guessing through as it will keep them more interested, again links can be made towards Dead Man's Shoes as it was the inspiration behind a twist ending.
Sexuality
Our trailer has hetrosexual actors as this seems to be more typical of the horror genre, The trailer is prodominantley male based but we have considered for example adding female characters or homosexual characters in order to widen the appeal our trailer has but the lack of avilability of actors and actresses makes this aspect difficult.
Phychographic profile
Someone who i think would enjoy our trailer would be someone who likes gritty realism film such as Sweet Sixteen. I want to keep the trailer as real as possible and stray away from more american style big budget films with a hollywood feel. The fact that we have an extremely low budget works to our advantage in this area.
The age rating in our film is a 15. We chose this because later on in our film it will become gorier and there would be some strong language. Under the BBFC ratings its says that a film with strong language and scenes of a moderate violence should be rated at a 15. Also the actors in the film are within the age range, the main characters are 17 and 18 years old so it helps appeal to an audience of 15-24.
Ethnicity
In our trailer the characters are caucasion as this tends to be typical of the horror genre, However we have not specifically just chosen to have caucasion actors it's also due to the fact that we couldn't get the actors. If we could get actors of different ethnicity we would as it would help to widen the appeal of the trailer.
Gender
Generally a common convention of horror films is to have a female as the protagonist who comes through the evil and ends up victorious .However we are challenging this convention a bit as did the film Dead Man's Shoes. Their is a risk that we could decrease our potential as we do not have a final girl in our trailer but it was also partially due to the lack of choice in actors and actresses that we decided to not include a final girl, the girls in our group were busy so much that it was too hard to find a day which suited them.
Economic groupings
I think our film will appeal will appeal to upper middle class (C1) and lower middle class (C2) and working class (DE) groupings because horror films are not usually aimed at upper class, they normally watch period drama or films of a higher intellectual level.
Nationality/Region
Our teaser trailer will appeal to an English audience because the actors and settings are English. Horror movies usually have a heavy American influence and are generally high budget if they do. The lower budget British horrors will appeal to a more niche audience primarily because they don't have any American actors. Also on a regioal scale our trailer will appeal to a yorkshire audience as it features a famous yorkshire landmark, the Cow and Calf.
Fans of
Fans of our trailer will probably also be fans of films like Halloween because the well known horrors were a big influence on the making of our trailer, we studied their shots as they have obviously been very successful in hope that incorporating their camera techniques will help us to get a better finished product on our horror film. Also fans of a britsh film which incorporates scary elements such as Dead Man's Shoes by shane meadows, the film isn't a horror film but has some very scary scenes and we have tried to use some of its ideas and camera shots. Also another group of fans who may enjoy our trailer would be fans who enjoy movies with a twist and riddle. We didnt want our idea to be straight forward, we liked the thought of the audience guessing through as it will keep them more interested, again links can be made towards Dead Man's Shoes as it was the inspiration behind a twist ending.
Sexuality
Our trailer has hetrosexual actors as this seems to be more typical of the horror genre, The trailer is prodominantley male based but we have considered for example adding female characters or homosexual characters in order to widen the appeal our trailer has but the lack of avilability of actors and actresses makes this aspect difficult.
Phychographic profile
Someone who i think would enjoy our trailer would be someone who likes gritty realism film such as Sweet Sixteen. I want to keep the trailer as real as possible and stray away from more american style big budget films with a hollywood feel. The fact that we have an extremely low budget works to our advantage in this area.
Teaser Trailer Definition
A teaser trailer, or teaser is a short trailer used to advertise an upcoming movie, game or television series.
Teasers, unlike typical theatrical trailers, are usually very short in length (between 30–60 seconds) and usually contain little, if any, actual footage from the film. Sometimes, it is merely a truncated version of a theatrical trailer. They are usually released long in advance of the film they advertise. One of the reasons for the name "teaser" is because they are shown usually a long time (one or one and a half years) before the movie comes out, so as to "tease" the audience.
Teasers are also commonly used in advertising. (source, Wikepedia, Teaser trailer)
Teasers, unlike typical theatrical trailers, are usually very short in length (between 30–60 seconds) and usually contain little, if any, actual footage from the film. Sometimes, it is merely a truncated version of a theatrical trailer. They are usually released long in advance of the film they advertise. One of the reasons for the name "teaser" is because they are shown usually a long time (one or one and a half years) before the movie comes out, so as to "tease" the audience.
Teasers are also commonly used in advertising. (source, Wikepedia, Teaser trailer)
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Codes and Conventions (Trailers)
Wolfman
Starts with a couple of seconds of eerie music.Quick cut to a man and a sudden loud biting sound.
Shot of a man running a claw comes into shot, dripping with blood.
Low tone voice over.
Universal world image turns to a full moon.
Fades to black between each shot.
Quick Cuts.
Title appears in the moonlight.
Then a final scene where the Woldman turns and see's its prey.
Halloween 2
Boom sound as title appears.
Long sounds.
Semiconscious half drowned out sound.
Music builds in intensity.
Flashes to black with a bang.
Thunder sound (echo).
Black and white camera shot is used to show flashbacks.
The Edge of DarknessStarts with a phone call.
Daughters voiceover through answer phone.
Shots of dad doing daily things.
Fade out to a title screen with text.
Then fade into whiteish/blury image of father with young daughter.
Fade back to present shot of father meeting daughter.
Fade to black as car pulls in and eerie music played for a sec.
Quick flashs of a shot fire, father and a shooter.
Shot of father holding dead daughter.
Lots of fades/cuts to black after the death.
Lots of fast cuts aswell.
Babysitter WantedLong slow choir sound to begin with
Fades from black
Slow start
Magazine review comments in-between cuts
Dark scenery used
Sound of broken phone line
Music tempo builds
Finishes with scream
Awards and nominations dominate the screen
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Starts with 4 medium length shots of an abandoned area/street.
Can hear a person panting (from running)Then he comes into shot being chased by 4 cars.
You see him chased into a house.
One of the chasers yells abuse at home and calls him Kruger.
They torch the house and you see him starting to burn.
Then cuts to black and the directors name appears in blood.
Cuts between 4 or 5 different shots of a girl talking, snaps to
black inbetween each shot with a thud.
Cuts to black with a thud between almost every shot.
Slow zoom onto a sign "Elm st"
Cuts to black near end, says name of film in blood then
cuts to one last shot scary shot.
Then finally cuts to the release date in blood.
The LegionStarts with a shot of the sun rising.
Voice over from a young woman.
Shots in a bar, gentle calm music played and an old woman comes in.
Suddenly screaches and bites a mans throat out.
Man behind the bar gets a shotgun out and shoots her.
Cuts to a black screen with the production company on.
Silouetted shot of an angel, with a male voice over.
Shot of street lights going out one by one.
All the shots get darker and sudden noises to make you jump.
Flashes illuminating lots of angels come to kill.
Lots of fast cuts with a song rising to a crescendo.
Cuts out suddenly and snaps to a two shot of a girl asking if there safe.
He says no.
Common Conventions/ Summary
After analysing a few various film trailers (mainly focusing on those of the horror genre) i have noticed a few common features in most of them. First of all, sound is used in every trailer in various forms. In those of the horror genre music is used to create suspense and and keep the audience glued to the screen. A voice over is frequently used in horror trailers, this is to create ancourage and to get viewers heart rates up. Generally the horror films seem to start with a quick pace before slowing down and then speeding up once more towards the end of the trailer. However, ina couple of the horror trailers there is a slow start which then builds up to a fast paced climax. Both of these work well and do a good job in creating a scary and thrilling film trailer. Titles are also used in some of the trailers to either explain something to the audience or promote the film with comments on the film or the realease date.
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