Drafting and Planning: Narrative of the whole film

Beginning

The film will start with a flash back of the main antagonists childhood.
It seems like he is a fairly normal boy who has been brought up by his grandfather after the death of his parents in a car crash when he was quite young, which he doesn't remember.
His grandfather owns and lives above a small clock shop and so he helps his grandfather with mending the watches. His grandfather is his world. But all that changed one night. He was running late home from his army cadets on a Tuesday night due to it being busy his usual route home as it was Halloween. When he arrived home, it was getting late and as he went to open the front door with his key, he noticed it was open already. He entered the flat to find everything was smashed and then he noticed some blood. And lying motionless on the floor, he saw his grandfather with a knife sticking out from his chest.
The police finished their enquiries and couldn't charge anyone because there was no evidence. The police suspected it was a robbery gone wrong. The only thing the police had was the eye witness that said a gang of girls and boys had been up yo mischief for the last few weeks in the local area. The man knew it was those group of teens. He wanted to get revenge and make them pay.

Middle

He finds the group of teens. There's about 10 of them. He photographs them and turns them into a profile on each of them. He goes after them one by one, stalking each of them and kills them leaving a clock next to each dead body. He takes a missing poster for each victim and uses them as a trophy in his room and puts them a round his clock.


End

Once he has killed them all and avenges his father's death, he knows the police are closing in on him so he kills himself at his grandfather's grave. He leaves a note saying "Time Ran Out For Them".

Drafting and Planning: Storyboard

To help me with my film trailer, I have started created storyboards showing what is happening throughout the trailer. I have made a picture to show what is roughly happening in each scene. The storyboard is created using pictures from the internet because I can't draw but the information underneath explain more about how the scene is going to happen.

Drafting and Planning - Pitch

I have created a pitch to present to my class about my film trailer. It states the plot line for the whole narrative story, what should be included in the film trailer, genre, age classification, and my storyboards that I posted earlier in my blogs. This will be so I can recieve feedback on my film trailer which can improve my film trailer.

Media Pitch from ChloeKiely2

Research into similar products: Sinister Poster Analysis

Sinister Poster Analysis

• The background of the poster is quite dull and grey which contrasts to the blood red image which stands out more
• "From the producer of 'Paranormal Activity' and 'Insidious'" which shows the type of genre that the producer works on and makes us think it is going to be good if we have seen this films
• The focal point is the bold title "Sinister" which presents a supernatural impression as it is blurred out and in a dark colour
• The tagline "Once you seem him, nothing can save you" is underneath the title
• The main character is a young girl who is the innocent and vulnerable victim of horror genre
• Credit block is underneath the main image which includes production company logos and names of people who were involved in making the film
• "Coming soon" is written so doesn't give any detail which creates an excitement for the audience
•  The main picture is quite terrifying as it shows a pair of angry eyes in blood which creates connotation of danger
• The picture also shows the girl dragging the blood across the wall which could connote the demon possessing her
• The young girl is wearing white pyjamas and shows that she is quite innocent
• The background of the poster is the the cracks on the wall which connote decay
• The colours of the poster are red (connotes blood and death), white (connotes innocence, vulnerability and purity of the little girl who is the victim in the horror story) and black (darkness)

Research into similar products: Trailer analysis

Sound-

• The trailer starts with a non diagetic voiceover of a radio broadcasts which is discussing the murders of a local family which emphasises to us that it is a horror genre
• The music uses a soft piano music which is very typical of a horror trailer which creates suspense
• The sound of the projector still turning after the filmhas ran out builds up the suspense for us and could highlight that the time for the father is almost ups-

Mise en scene - 

• props - The photo of the family has the young girl circled on highlighting the innocence and vulnerability of the victim which is a typical convention for a horror film
• props - The red pen used on the photo connotes both blood and danger
• lighting - The low key lighting makes the audience focus on the box as it is a significant motif of the film and allows tension to be built up 
• location - the low key lighting also emphasises the isolation of the location as it is in the middle of nowhere which is quite typical for a horror movie location
• props - The fire used at the end and a s recurring motif throughout the trailer highlights the danger and could also connote hell

Camerawork -

•  High angle shot of young girl to connote that the murderer is sort of preying on her making her seem vulnerable innocent naive and powerless which is stereotypical to a victim
• Medium shot of parnents highlights a typical and normal family
• The zoom on the fathers face emphasises his emotion building up suspense for the audience
• Low angle (of policeman) to show that he holds a more authoritative figure and has all the power compared with a high angle (of the father) to contrast the two characters as the father is seen as more vulnerable
• The shot reverse shot of the Father and the dead children highlights his helplessness which causes tension to build for the audience

Editing -

• The slow pace of the trailer makes the family appear more innocent and normal
• The shots begin to become more fast pace allowing the audience to thing that something bad is going to happen
• Fast paced editing could reflect the frantic and scared mind of the father highlighting the impact that the video has had on

Drafting and Planning - initial plot for Trailer

My plotline for my trailer is split into four scenes. Throughout the whole trailer there will be the clock noise getting continuously louder until the alarm rings in the last scene.

1. 

PLOT =  The girl is running through the woods. She is looking behind her and stumbling over trees. She is crying hysterically and falls over a tree stump. She sees the killer approaching. She begins to whimper. 

LOCATION = Lickey hills

MISE EN SCENE = Her clothes are ripped and her hair is all messy. 

SOUNDS = All you can hear is a deep voice saying "tick tock" and ambient background sounds.

2. 

PLOT = There is a Tv appeal asking for any information about the whereabouts of the girl. There is a police officer with the parents. The parents are holding the missing person poster. 

LOCATION = Outside my house

SOUND = Parents are crying. The appeal:
                                                     Mother - "She's been missing for over two weeks.We are worried."                                                                     Father says "If anyone has any information please get in contact.                                                                                             We want her back home" 
                                                         Mother "We miss her"
                                                         Police Officer "This is not the only teenager to go missing in the                                                                                                   last few weeks. We are trying our hardest to find                                                                                                   them. Please help us get ________ back to her                                                                                                       parents."

CAMERAWORK = at the end of the scene, the camera is going to zoom into the missing person poster that the parents are holding and then zoom out into scene 3




3. 

PLOT = the camera zooms out from previous scene and the missing person poster is in a dark room with lots of other different missing people posters surrounded by a clock. The killer is stood looking at the wall.

LOCATION = Dark Room (Serial Killers house)

SOUND = The appeal is heard in the back (Voiceover) and the killer is laughing 

MISE EN SCENE = Low lighting and candles

4.

CAMERAWORK = The camera cuts back to the first scene with the girl on the floor. 

PLOT = The killer has a knife. The girl is on the floor. Black screen (Title comes on)

CAMERAWORK = Mid shot of an alarm clock

SOUND = Clock rings

PLOT = hand slams on top of a clock and goes to a black screen

Research into similar products: Horror poster Analysis

In the two previous blog posts, I have analysed two film trailers of Mama and The possession so within this blog post I am going to be looking the film posters for these two trailers.

Mama

• The poster has the name of a celebrity above the title to catch the audiences eye making the audience want to watch the film because that actor is in it
• The posters colour scheme is quite dull with blacks, browns and whites which is not quite typical as a horror film (Most horror films have colours red on it that represents blood or danger)
• The film also advertises another film by the same director "Presented by Guillermo del Toro creator of Pans Labryrinth" encourages the audience to go see both films and as it says the name of the director this can persuade the audience to watch it especially if the director has a good reputation
• The main image is of a young girl which is a typical protaganist as a horror film because she is weak and innocent and vulnerable
• The title "Mama" is quite simple and plain that works well with black and brown background colour
• There are pictures of butterflies that shows that they are quite important in the plot
• No release date so suggests its a teaser poster and not the official film poster

Big name celebrity "Jessica Chastain"/Title "MAMA"/Tagline "A MOTHER'S LOVE IS FOREVER"

The Possession

• Headline at the top is "BASED ON A TRUE STORY" which is used to potentially scare and show a sense of anticipation as it would make the film seem more creepier
• The main image is a focus of the main protaganist which is a young which is stereotypical of a horror film as the character is seen as quite innocent and vulnerable
• The colour scheme is quite dull which gives it a more scary feel to it
• The butterflies are the main focus in the image as it juxtaposes between the genre being a horror and the fact that butterflies are supposed to be quite innocent and harmless
• The tagline "FEAR THE DEMON THAT DOESN'T FEAR GOD" is put underneath the title to attract the audience
• The release date is also shown in a medium sized font so it doesn't distract from the title being the main focus but it allows the date to be noticable

The release date

The main image shows a girl screaming out butterflies creates an image of mystery and suspense for the audience as you dont really know what is going to happen

The tagline

The title

Research into similar products: Trailer Analysis

• Camerawork -

                                        

The long, birds eye view shot of the father and daughter highlights how they are quite clueless and carefree as they are both smiling and having fun which emphasises how clueless they are of what is to come later on in the film. This shows a clear contrast between the carefree and innocence of  this scene to the end of the trailer.

The long shot of the house is used to show the isolation of the house surrounded by the trees which is quite typical in a horror film

The family visit a car boot sale together where the protagonist young girl wears white accessories where the white colour denotes purity and vulnerability which in horror films is quite typical as the victim is usually innocent.

• Sound - The trailer starts with a soft piano sound to create a contrast between the genre as it creates a calm and normal atmosphere
• Sound - The diegetic sound of the mother talking to the father creates an atmosphere of a calm and normal lifestyle as she say some normal typical things like a mother would say ie "No Pizza"
• Lighting - Low key lighting which is a typical convention of a horror film trailer
• Sound - Non diegtic voiceover of the father saying "Whoever made this doesnt want anybody to open it" which highlights the box a having a sense of unknown and mystery
• Sound - The non diegetic music changes when the girl Emily opens the box as it shows a change in her lifestyle and normality when the significant event happens
• Editing - Fast paced editing highlights the distress and worry about Emilys change but also builds up tenion
• Sound - Non diegetic sound of the fork tapping the plate builds the tension up for the audience and is quite similar to a clock ticking
• Sound - The non diegetic voice over of the mother saying "Theres something in her" as it builds up a sense of mystery for the audience
• Mise en scene -

 

The family visit a car boot sale together where the protagonist young girl wears white accessories where the white colour denotes purity and vulnerability which in horror films is quite typical as the victim is usually innocent.

Research into similar products: Trailer Analysis

The panning long shot of the young girl in the corner of the room emphasises the vulnerable state of the child. This girl is hiding her face from the camera maybe showing that she isn't the main protagonist.

The high angle shot used shows the young girl to seem quite vulnerable and frightened. The filthy appearance of the girl would create a suspicion for the audience as they want to how she got to this state.

Thelow angleshot used shows how inferior the man is to the abandoned little girl which gives her a sense of fear and danger about her as she is supposed to be this really innocent and vulnerable girl but her characteristics have become sort of animalistic 

The medium shot of the girls bedrooms shows that everything seems typically quite normal and child like however this is  quite ironic as the audience know that the children are not typically children

This shot blurs out the two young girls in the background and makes clear the moth in the foreground which emphasises the moth is a major plot in the film

The long shot of the lone house emphasises the isolation of the house which is a typical convention of a horror genre

• Sound - The trailer starts with soft non diegetic music which is quite ironic as its a horror genre. The diegetic sound of the door creaking open is a quite typical convention. The soft piano sound implies the calm atmosphere which could build up the tension.
• Location - Major parts of the film trailer is located in the woods which is a typical horror movie location as it is very isolated
• editing - fast paced editing is used to create suspense for the audience
• Lighting - The low key lighting is used creating a sense of mystery and wonder as to what is to happen and the light flickering suggests that something is going to happen which emphasises the mystery and anticipation in the audience 

The lighting in the house is low key which is a stereotypical convention of a horror film but this also emphasises the creepiness of the house

Organisation: Genre

For my own film tr trailer I have decided to do a horror film genre. This may also have some thriller genre elements in it too. This is why in this blog post I decided to do further research into these two genres.

Horror Genre

The horror genre relies on scaring an audince into a sense of fear, pain and dread. Most horrors have a quite unsettling tone to them through the portrayal of an audiences worst fears such as ghosts, clowns and spiders. Supernatural events, evil, gore and violence are also included in many horror films. 

Elements of the horror genre:

• Iconography - Theses are images and symbols that occur in horror films such as; haunted houses, props (ie knives), blood, death, Grave yards and the good vs the evil
• Setting - Horror films are set normally in small places or isolated communities. Majority of the horror film is set in a dark pace or at night place such as haunted houses, night time and abandoned warehouses
• Narrative - Most horror films have quite similar narrations such as the good vs evil or a monster terrorises a group or gang. Narratives also include meeting a supernatural power. For example:in the film 'IT' the supernatural being of the clown Pennywise terrorises the town and the losers club.
• Characters - The main killer is normally a supernatural being or a male whereas the victim is usually a vulnerable young teenager (ie: in IT the clown attack the group of teens known as Losers club) or a female
• Themes - most horror films are quite similar as they have some similar themes such as the good against the evil.

Thriller Genre

Horror films are connected and are quite similar to the thriller genre. The aim of the thriller genre is to create suspension, tension and excitement for the audience.

Elements of the Thriller Genre:

• Settings - busy streets/urban/suburban areas
• Themes - violence is a central theme for most thrillers. Another theme is supernatural elements and events. Thrillers centre on injustice in society
• Characters - Often reveals workings of groups such a the police,army or government
• Narrative - The narrative shows loads of bad events leading to a build up of tension and suspense. Protagonists aim is to restore justice whilst the antagonist seek to destriy the justice
• Sound - Tension music to build up to reach a climax
• Editing - Lots of jump cuts which allows audience to be unaware of the main points of the film. Cross cuts are used to build suspense
• Examples of Films - Hunger Games, World War Z and Olympus has fallen

Research into Similar products: props in horror films

In most horror films, there are some props that are used to create a horror feel and build up the anxiety within the film.

1. Crucifixion and crosses - lots of horror films do tend to be formed on the basis around religion. Some horrors talk about devils and demons thus crucifixes are used to help release the devil from some bodies soul. These props are used in films such as - the exorcist.

2. Dolls - Many horror films may include old fashioned dolls as dolls are supposed to be quite innocent props as children play with them but in horrors, the innocence is subverted. These props are used in films such as Annabelle and Chucky (as the doll comes to live and ends up murdering the family).

3. Weapons (ie knives) - some weapons can make an audience feel more scared as the more harmful the weapon is, the more anxiety and tension is build up throughout the film. This prop can also allow the film to seem more thrilling and make an audience want to wafch more. These props are used in films such as Psycho (knife) or Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Chainsaw) or Scream (knife)

4. Headstones - these props are commonly used in horror films as they give the connotations of death and this builds up the fear for the audience as it makes death seem more likely to happen in the films

As I want my film to be a serial killer film that obviously kills people, the prop that will feature quite heavily in my trailer are weapons like a knive. This is the reason the film trailer will be seen as classified as an age rating of 15 because of the easily accessible weapon.

Research into target audience: Age Classification

For my own film trailer, It is essential to know the age rating of my film as it will help decide what can and cant be included in my film. This will also help me as it going to be featured on my film poster and on the film magazine as it is extra information needed for the audience.

In a film with an age rating of 12:

• Aggressive discriminatory language is not acceptable 
• Drug misuse must be used rarely and can not be glamorised 
• No detailed anti social behaviour that children may copy 
• No use of realistic weapons like knives 
• No dangerous behaviour that is open to being copied
• Moderate language
• Some nudity but only briefly and discreetly
• Sexual activity briefly and discreetly 
• Moderate physical threat 
• Moderate violence but no details
• No emphasis on blood or gore
• Sexual violence can be implied 

In a film with an age rating of 15:

• May be racist, homophobic discriminatory language
• Drug taking may happen
• No promotion of drug misuse
• Easily accessible  weapons may be acceptable although it doew depend on factors like context
• Strong language 
• Nudity in a sexual context but no details 
• Sexual activity portrayed but no detwil
• Verbal references to sexual behaviour
• Strong violence but no dwelling  on infliction of injury 

In a film with an age rating of 18:

These are films that can only be watched by viewers over the age of 18. Adults are free to chose for themselves their own film choice. These films may include extremities such as drug references, violence, sexual activity and language in an explicit way. However I do feel by giving my film this rating it would limit it as only adults csn watch the film.

Drafting and Planning: Potential Locations

Most horror film locations tend to be quite isolated, secluded and abandoned as this gives a quite dark, creepy and eery tone to the film trailer. In this blog, I will be analysing 5 potential horror film trailer locations that I could potentially use in my own film trailer. I shall also be trying to link these locations to real life films as these can help see what other films use these locations.

1. Haunted House

This is seen as a good potential location for a horror film trailer as on the outside it looks quite creepy and eery and inside it is similar because you don't really know what is inside. Haunted houses are atmospherical as they already have a personna of fear as it is haunted. You never know what you will find or experience when you go into the house.

This is the haunted house used in the horrror film 'IT'. It looks old, run down and eery. The grass is long and not cared for which gives it an abandoned feel to it. It is quite old fashioned and looks very old. The house is quite dark and gloomy looking. The front door doesn't have a very welcoming look to it. The

2. Forest

This is seen as a good potential horror film location as it brings about a sense of fear and mystery, as especially the deeper you go into the woods, the less you can see. In most horror films set in the wood (like Mama or A Cabin in the woods), the use of pathetic fallacy is used so the weather matches the location.

From the look of this wood, it looks quite gloomy and dark. The weather matches the location as it dark and foggy. This gives a sense of eeriness or mystery.

3. Church or Graveyard
4. Castle

Both a church and a castle have the same effect as each other. They are both seen as an isolating setting which allows the audience to feel alone and vulnerable so it seems unlikely that the characters will be saved which foreshadows events that could happen in the trailer. Churches also have graveyards which connote and foreshadows the death and also suggest dark theme. Castles are  similar to churches but much bigger. They are seen as quite mysterious places as they normally have lots of hidden rooms.

Churches and Graveyards are ideal locations for a horror film as they are known to be haunted and quite scary, eery and mysterious places. 

|Similar to a church, castles are normally in the middle of nowhere so are quite isolated, abandoned and mysterious places to be.

For my own film trailer, I am going to be using the location of a woods and a basement to present the serial killer and what he thrives off (which is time and clocks).

Research into similar products: Ancilliary products: film magazines

As well as the moving image product that we will have to create, we have to create two ancillary products which are a film poster and front cover of a film magazine. In this blog post, I am going to be analyse several film magazines so I can compile a list of the generic codes and conventions of film poster. A film magazine is used as a promotion method for a film. Film magazines include empire, total film and entertainment etc.

Magazines:

This has the masthead 'HorrorVille' and has a main image of Pennywise who is the main antaganist in the film IT. The lack of colour and dark lighting are used to emphasis the horror genre. The magazine also includes secondary images of what else to expect inside the magazine and secondary cover lines. As well as the main cover line that matches the main image and lets the reader know about the It film. The magazine also includes the generic codes and conventions of a magazine: price, bar code and date.

This has the masthead at the top of the magazine in big bold letters 'Empire' with the main cover image of the three main characters in Harry Potter. The characters are above the masthead which emphasises how important the three characters are. At the top of the magazine there is a pug that says 'Free! Spectacular Potter Photo Special'. There again is secondary images and secondary cover lines to emphasis that there is more to find inside. There is also a main cover line in bold that highlights to the reader the name of the film. 

Codes and conventions of a film magazine:

• The Masthead - this is an obvious convention for a film magazine as normally placed in the left third of the magazine. This tells the reader the company of the magazine and normally highlights what sort of things are inside. 
• The main image - this is normally a still from the film or a shot of the acores and highlights to the read amd gives them a general idea of what the film might be about.
• Anchorage text - this is placed near the main image and may give a quote from the actor, a character or director which gives extra insight into the film
• Pugs and Puffs - they use the words 'free' or 'exclusive' to entice a reader to buy the magazine
• Tagline - this is a famous quote that is featured on every edition that is vital to that company only
• Barcode 
• Date
• Website
• Price
• Main cover line - this will advertise the film
• Secondary images and secondary cover lines - these promote whats inside the magazine