Research and Planning: Podcast 1

This is my September Podcast. I think that I missed out a few things such as:

•  The questionnaire I created
•  The the interviews I did to create a larger insight into what I should include in my teaser trailer
•  The Facebook research to help my trailer analysis

But instead I have put clips of them in my podcast to show you that I have done them.

Research and Planning: Teaser Trailer Conventions

 This year we have to create a teaser trailer, a film poster and a film magazine. After doing research and planning for the last month, I now have a good idea of what a teaser trailer is and what is included. A basic definition of a teaser trailer would be a 1 minute insight into a new film, including plenty of action and peaks that persuades people to go and watch the movie. In my teaser trailer I will need to definitely include:

• The name of my trailer
• The release date of my trailer
• The production company
• Plenty of peaks
• A small insight to the storyline
• A voiceover or subtitles. 
• Maybe the certificate.  

This teaser trailer of Paranormal Activity is a good example of a trailer that would be easier to recreate. This is because the special effects aren't very advanced and we don't have access to camera's that are perfect quality. In addition, the trailer is still effective even though it doesn't include many clips. This is good since it means that I don't need to make my trailer really detailed to make it have a good effect.





This is the teaser trailer for Saw 3. This trailer is an example of something that I won't be able to create. This is because of the location that this film trailer has used and in addition what they had access to. For example the cave and the smashed car; I don't have access to these nor the ability to create such huge effects.

Research and Planning: Meeting 1

In media this year, we have many tasks that we need to carry out and also we need to deal with the Mise-En-Scene, Editing, Cinematography and Sound aspects of making our teaser trailer. People in our class have paired up and with this being the case, they get to split the tasks between them. I've chosen to work on my own this year. I feel as though I'm motivated enough to cover all four areas but I understand that it will be a challenge.

Research and Planning: Research For Target Audience.

 This is a print screen showing what IMDB think the top 20 horror films are. I found this selection really strange since most of the top 20 are older films from the 1900's and not from 2000 upwards. Whether this is because they have been out for a lot longer and people have had longer to vote, or whether the storylines in the past were generally better. This is surprising since I feel as though it's the special effects and picture quality that increases the tension in film.

On the other hand, I went on the 2010-2019 and the top rated film is a HORROR film which tells me that a lot of people nowadays feel as though horror was most successful. 

This is a print screen showing female votes on what the top 20 votes were. If we take a film like Inception for example we can see that it has been voted more popular by females than males since its came 3rd here and 12th on the males listing.

Research and Planning: Audience Theories

The Hypodermic Model. This theory suggests that the message that is being shown from the media, is directly received and accepted by the audience. People say its as though its like a needle that's going straight into the brain.

The Cultivation Theory. This theory suggests that the more exposure we get, the more we start to believe it. For example if we watch the news and it tells us constantly that there is lots of increasing crime, we will start to believe it.

The Desensitization Theory. This theory suggests that people nowadays are becoming too exposed to violence in the media and that we are becoming desensitized. For example years ago we had horror films like Dracula and now there's films like Saw and the horror has increased a lot.

The Copycat Theory. This theory states that copycat crimes are acts that are modeled on previous crimes and it's something in the media that we copy. For example the case study of "Nuclear submarine rampage sailor shot dead officer to copy video game Graft Theft Auto."

The Uses And Gratifications Theory. This focuses more on the audience and more on how we use media and not how the media effects us.

Research and Planning: Target Audience.

Here I have researched into what my target audience would be for my teaser trailer.

Research and Planning: Questionnaire

Today I made a questionnaire in class with useful questions that will help me when coming to make my teaser trailer. I only did 6 questions but as I carry on throughout the year I think I will do a couple more like this to help me develop my knowledge even further. The answers I got did help quite a bit as it let me see an insight on other peoples opinions which made a change instead of me just thinking about my own.

The questions I asked were:

• What is your favourite horror film? Why does this one stand out over others?
• Whats the scariest horror film you've watched? What features did it include to make it scary? (eg. low key lighting, fast editing etc) 
• What age and gender would you expect the villain to be in a horror film? What do you think works best and is more effective?
• What would you expect to see in a 12-certificate horror film, and what would you expect to see in a 18-certificate horror film? 
• Do you think that voice over's are more effective in a trailer? Or subtitles? Which would make you go and see the film more?
• What location is most effective in your opinion for a horror film and trailer?

 The results I got from these questions were quite varied. Therefore I think I'm going to print off more of my questionnaire's and give them out to more people since I only asked 10 people. The only graphs that I could make were the ones of the number of male/female interviewee's I had and another one of the age of them also.
From doing this questionnaire I now know that I need, in my teaser trailer, to:

• Make sure that I make the voice over sound freaky if I decide to use one.
• I need to use fast editing.
• I need to use low key lighting. 
• Make sure that the plot comes across really well. 
• Make sure that my trailer would be suitable for DVD, TV, Cinemas etc.

Research And Planning: Trailer Analysis 2

 TRAILER ANALYSIS 2

This is the second teaser trailer that I will be analysing. This one is called 'Mirrors' and was brought out in 2008 which has also been given a 15 certificate like 'The Grudge III' did. Alexandre Aja directed it and I chose this trailer to do because I thought that the lighting was effective and that again, it may help me have a larger insight into what I need to include in my horror teaser trailer. I also wanted to do a film that hadn't been made into a triology or sequel so that I had the slight contrast between both my analysis'.

GENRE

As I pointed out in my last analysis, Steve Neale's theory suggests that within every film there are differences and repetitions. The repetitions consist of the trailer being very alike a lot of others when it comes to stereotypical lighting and editing, although I dont think that theres as many jump cuts and fast editing in this one compared to my previous choice. In addition its again this idea of the unknown and something unreal and not logical that ends up being the thing that does the haunting and is classed as the villain and in quite a few films such as the grudge, the exorcist, the ring etc, it takes control of a younger child or teen, alike this one, from looking at the trailer. The differences on the other hand would be that the mirror is the main source of haunting which isn't that common. In addition to this Kiefer Sutherland is stereotyped to be seen in action films so it is different to see him in a film like this.

REPRESENTATION

In my opinion, from what I've seen of the trailer, I don't think that this trailer completely suggests that Laura Mulvey's theory is correct. I believe that for the first half of the trailer, this could be true since it's the Mum we see checking up on her son and it's her that we see getting scared and upset about this idea of something strange happening to her child and in her house. This suggests her helplessness and that she's weak. After saying this, the trailer then goes on to show the husband being concerned when he hears her scream and we also get to see him break down and get affected by whatever's going on which in my opinion is the complete opposite to how a guy would portray oneself.

NARRATIVE

The story behind this trailer is that the husband we see is an ex-cop and him and his family become the target of an evil force that uses mirrors around the house as it's way of getting into their heads. We can see throughout the trailer the innitial story idea that is occuring in this household. This is called the equilibrium which lets us see a little insight to the plot of the trailer. In this trailer, the distruption happens near enough at the beginning when we see the little boy move but the reflection does not and this immediately attracts the audience in. From then on we are bombared with peaks from the film which are shown by fast editing transitions which keep us on the edge of our seats.

AUDIENCE

This film is additionally aimed at people who are the age of 15 or over. Alike the last film that I looked at more closely, this one doesn't seem to be aimed at a specific gender and I think that it can be watched by any social class. The reason that it's a 15 is because of parts of scenes which include:

• Sex or Nudity
• Violence and Gore
• Foul Language
• Alcohol/Drugs
• Frightening and Intense scenes.

MEDIA LANGUAGE

Mise-En-Scene

• We can immediately tell that it's quite a modern house by how it is presented in the first shot of the trailer. In addition the car thats in the driveway doesn't look very old, and to have a car and have a house that size, the family must be quite well off.
• The lighting changes dramatically throughout the trailer. It starts off really sunny and bright in a open space outside suggesting a happy atmosphere, but as soon as the door opens and we see the reflection doing the complete opposite to the child, everything changes and begins to be shot in almost darkness.
• The facial expressions from the characters are generally quite tortured, especially the character of the Mother. The young boy on the other hand, constantly looks innocent which makes it more intense.

Editing

• When the regency logo disappears and we see the start of the movie trailer, it dissolves into a shot of the families house. This helps the flow start instantly, helping audience members to have a good impression of the first shot.
• It then straight cuts to the Mother opening her sons door. 
• A shot reverse shot has then been used on the Mother and son talking. This captures both people talking in conversation which helps us to relate to the characters by seeing their body language and facial expressions.
• I think that there is then a fade to black but because it is so quick it just looks like a flash of light flickering on and off so I can't be too sure. 
• Another dissolve has then been used to change the location in the house. This transition is again quick which adds tension and helps us follow the story line.
• Then a series of jump cuts are used which between the captions that start to appear on screen. This is when the peaks start to shine through.
• A fade to black has been used at 00.27 seconds when the shot of the cupboard has just been shown but it then quickly gets back to the action and commotion that is being caused.
• More jump cuts are then used to build the dramatic effect and tension again. 
• The trailer ends with a couple more jump cuts but also a couple of fairly fast edited straight cuts also. The flicker happens again and then it goes to black where the release date is shown. This may have been a fade but again because of the fast pace, I'm unsure

Sound

• A score is played in the background up until approx 00.28 seconds. Although it's not distinctive throughout the whole of it but it still gives the clip that edge that helps it remain spooky and abnormal.
• We have synchronous, diegetic dialogue that is heard at the very beginning also by the young child and his Mum. His voice is really soft and sounds cute which contrasts with how he is portrayed when the mirror takes over.
• A sound effect of what sounds like a trumpet is heard. It's an eerie noise and it is played to add emphasis to the young boy's reflection staying exactly where it is. In addition to this, a sound effect is also played which is of young children playing and laughing. This has been used very well as because it has been played where it is, it makes them sound almost patronizing.
• More dialogue and diegetic screams are then heard as well as non diegetic sound effects like a whooshing sound or someone breathing once, as the captions come on screen. In addition to this, banging is heard when the picture turns stencil like. 
• More laughing is then heard and the score has by this time gotten much louder. The male character is also yelling which makes it all sound hectic and intense.
• Everything then calms down as the boys voice is then changed at the end as though he has been taken over by this evil force until his Mother goes to touch him and then there's a big non diegetic roar and bang heard.

Cinematography

• The trailer starts with a wide shot of the surroundings. This lets us see the social class of the people we are going to meet and also lets us see whether we are watching a trailer for a film that is set in modern day or in the past. The camera is slightly tilting here as well.
• We then see a mid shot of the Mother, which turns into an over the shoulder shot of the young boy as the camera crabs around the corner of the door. It appears slightly at a high angle as though to show at this stage that the Mum has the higher authority.
• Here we see a long shot of the young boy to get an initial view of him and then when the camera reverses to an over the shoulder shot to show the Mum, we get to see her facial features for the first time also. 
• A mid close up has been used to show the horror on his Mums face when she see's the mirror reflection not moving.
• The camera then slowly zooms in to the reflection at a high angle which is strange since high angles are stereo typically known to be used when trying to show someones not powerful, which contrasts since we can instantly tell that the mirror has something to do with being the villain. 
• The camera also zooms for a split second on the wardrobe we see which suggests to us that there's something in there or that it signifies something unnatural. 
• An extreme close up has been used showing the door opening, and this with the sound that goes with it really makes it have a good effect.
• The framing appears to be really closed in on the husbands face when the camera shows a close up of him admitting that he's 'seeing bad things'. This adds suspense to the situation. The over the shoulder shot used a couple of seconds later is very effective too since not only does it allow both the character and the reflection to be in shot; it also allows us to see the distortion that has been made to his face. 
•  When the yelling begins, the shots turn to mid shots, allowing us to see their expressions and shifty body actions. The framing gets tighter also.
• I think that one of the last shots are really effective also, of the young boy saying 'Don't worry Mummy...etc' because we can really see the innocence on his face but because he is still placed in front of a mirror, we know that that's just an illusion. 

Research And Planning: Trailer Analysis 2 Ideas

I was struggling to think of an idea for my second teaser trailer analysis. Therefore I posted on facebook a status asking for people help. I got some very good feedback :)

 

After being on youtube to do some watching, I decided to go with the trailer of the film Mirrors. There was a lot to choose from, but when I went onto youtube, there weren't many teaser trailers that lasted about a minute; a lot were normal trailers at around 2 minutes 30 seconds.

Research and Planning: Trailer Analysis 1

TRAILER ANALYSIS 1

The first teaser trailer that I will be analyzing is the Grudge III which came out in 2009. It was rated a 15 and Toby Wilkins directed it. I think that looking into this trailer in more depth will give me a larger insight into the media language that horror films which will help me when making and directing my teaser trailer.

GENRE

Although this film is classed as a horror/thriller, the certificate is still only at a 15. This is probably because they want to be able to target a larger audience. According to Steve Neale's theory, he states that films are made up of repetition and differences. Repetition is present in this trailer. We see this because the stereotyped horror elements stand out clearly. For instance the classic soundtrack which builds up speed and sound as we watch to build up tension, and the fast editing that has been used. Also, the story line is fairly similar to a lot of horror films since there are victims and then the villain . In contrast to this, we see differences such as in 'The Grudge' trilogy, the villain is a female character which isn't usually the case within a lot of films.

REPRESENTATION

Laura Mulvey's theory is that everything on the other end of the camera is shown at a male's perspective. This trailer supports this, but doesn't at the same time. For example, in this trailer, all the victims are female apart from a couple of male characters that we see. This suggests the vulnerability and weakness that women have as apposed to the man shown who doesn't seem bothered about all the deaths that are occurring which supports the stereotype that men think they are more dominating and fearless. In contrast with Mulvey's theory, most men would expect a male character to be the villain, and in these films, the villain remains being female.

NARRATIVE

Alike all trailers, we can follow Todorov's theory. This is because in this trailer we see part of the equilibrium which shows the audience parts of what the film is about and what to expect. Then we see many occurances of distruption and peaks that are part of the film. These are what grab the audience's attention and makes them want to go out and buy the movie or go out to the cinema and watch it. Alike Todorov's theory no climax or ending is shown in the trailer, since it keeps people watching on the edge of their seat and gets the tension rising. The story line behind the Grudge III is generally just a carry on from the first two but new victims are used as they are trying to get rid of the villain.

AUDIENCE

The target audience for this film is for people over the age of 15. This is because of footage which contains:

• sex and nudity 
• violence
• gore
• frightening and intense scenes

I don't think a particular gender would watch this movie as there isn't very bias approach to specifically male or female. On the other hand, I think that this film, with it being the third, the audience will be similar to the previous 2.

MEDIA LANGUAGE

Mise-En-Scene

•  Most of the teaser trailer consists of footage which has been shot in low key lighting which is very stereotypical for a horror film. Throughout the trailer it builds up lots of tension and makes the audience stay on the edge of their seats. 
• A lot of locations that are shown aren't open. They show very isolated places such as houses/lifts and solitary rooms which makes you seem more involved with what's going on. In addition you feel as thought you're making a stronger connection with the characters and this has a bigger effect on you as it's as though it's brainwashing the audience.
• The facial expressions of most characters shown in the trailer give the impression of shock/disturbance and as though they are being tortured. This also is what is stereotyped of horror films since the facial expressions of characters in a comedy would be more positive and happy. 
• The costumes are modern and the setting of the house also shows that the latest film is modern day. Strangely though, the majority are dressed in white, even the villain where as usually there is a distinct contrast for example; good = white, bad = black. 

Editing

• The trailer starts with a straight cut from the starting green screen telling the audience that the trailer has been approved to a black screen. 
• It looks like a slight wipe has then been used to brush the next shot on screen. This difficult to make out since it jump cuts to white and back again first.
• A series of jump cuts are then used. These make the tension begin to build as it just pin points the intense parts. 
• A straight cut it used at 00.15 to show Sarah Michelle Gellar outside a house and then a fade to black has been used before straight cutting back. 
• After we see the hand mysteriously edging out of her head, a series of jump cuts begin again.
• At 00.35, another fade to black has been used but it happens really quickly so it's difficult to tell the transition for definate.
• 3 jump cuts then occur and it then dissolves to the young boy sat on the floor and again to the women in bed. This is again really fast but it keeps the pace going so that the audience are kept intruiged. 
• Straight cuts are used a couple of seconds later and then speed up and turn into jump cuts.
• At 00.52 another disolve is used which again keeps the flow and helps the audience follow the trailer better.
• After that the teaser trailer mainly consists of straight cuts and jump cuts. Having a mixutre emphasises certain parts and it creates a more intense atmosphere. 

Sound

• First the clip starts of with a voice over which is non diegetic sound, this is consistent throughout the clip and helps the audience understand what is going on more clearly. It also works very well with the captions that appear on screen.
• Then a mixture of diegetic and non diegetic sound begins as the jump cuts are being played. You have screaming from the characters that can be heard, but this is accompanied by sound effects which have been added on later which give it a tense atmosphere.
• After the second time the voice over has spoken, you hear more dialogue has been used but this time it acts as a voice in the characters head. This would be classed as asynchronous sound. 
• More non diegetic sound effects are then heard again. 
• Later on in the clip at about 00.30 some incidental music is played to build the tension.
• At around 00.35 the score begins which gradually gets louder and louder which is accompanied by diologue from the characters, the narrative voice over and additionally thriller sound effects like banging (these could be diegetic, I can't specifically tell) and zapping noises. This becomes loud at around 00.53 just before the sound effect of a cat screeching or a eerie door is heard. 
• Screaming from characters and the voice over then speak again around 1.06 and spooky non diegetic sound effects are used till the end of the clip to keep the tension alive. 

Cinematography

• In the first lot of jump cuts that we see most of the shots close ups since as they flick through, what the audience see are glimpses of strangers whilst the screaming can be heard. We also see a low angle mid shot of a youngish girl reaching our way. Although we can tell from the way she's shown, that she's not the villian and in fact would be quite vulnerable, I think a low angle has been used to make it look more as though she is reaching out of us, immediately engaging us with the trailer. 
• There is a slight zoom as we see the person in the shower.
• A high angle is shown of the shadow on the wall suggesting power and it instantly makes us feel worthless and helpless compared to it which again makes us feel as though we are part of the trailer in a way. 
• The camera quickly tilts to show Sarah Michelle Gellar as we see her at a mid close up so we can see her confused expressions clearly. This then changes to a wide shot showing a long shot of Gellar so the audience can visually see the difference in size between the character and the house. This makes her look really unable and unpowerful.
• The first time we see the villain move is when she comes down the stairs on her stomach. We see a mid shot here but the camera is slightly tilted at a low angle to show that she has the dominance.
• A close up is then used on the victims head as we see the hand appear out of it. This has been done for effect as it shocks us and keeps us watching. The framing is quite tight here as well. 
• When we see the girl in the lift, we can sort of class it as a two shot as we see the young posessed looking boy also in the clip in the reflection. 
• An extreme close up has then been used on the boys eye as it advertises the second film. We see here that the colours red and black have been used to suggest further danger and intense moments throughout the trailer.
• As more jump cuts are shown, we see a mixture of close ups of the villains face to shock us and then mid close ups of the victims to see their body language and facial expressions. These then for a couple of seconds turn into mostly head shots which have a really good effect when they flicker through. And we then see a mid close up of the victim as her turns around and we see how scared she looks.
• A long shot and a high angle have then been used to show her vulnerabilty and desperation for it all to stop. By showing this, it creates sympathy for the character but it also makes the audience want to see what happens if they haven't already seen the previous two films. 
• The camera slightly crabs upwards to show the hand reaching for the foot which is above her. The framing tightens and the camera focus' as a close up on both the hand and foot before going back to a mid shot of the young girl screaming.
• A wide shot is then used of a light corridor where we get to see the villain's whole body. The way the girl holds herself and the way she's presented shows that she's abnormal and haunted. 
• A mid close up is then shown of the hand coming round the door and is followed by more mid close ups by the latest victims in the 3rd film. 
• The framing then closes in on the young boy who is sat on the floor in a ball, and shows him as a mid close up so we can see the fright and how scared he is in his facial expressions. 
• A mid close up is then shown of the girl villain, as the jump cuts start, theres a slight low angel looking up at her to show power. 
• The camera then crabs the stairs as there is movement from the villain. Since the camera and base are moving as well as the character, it gives a more dramatic effect.
• When there is a shot of someone drowning in the bath, it has been taken at a slight high angle to show death or panic. This creates a more tense atmosphere and gets the audience asking more questions about what's going on.
• Theres a close up of the man in the car and his reaction as we see him move back and see the young ghost like boy sitting next to him. 
• The close up of the hatch we see with the brown haired lady and the villain in the room is a good shot as we can only see through that small gap which makes the scene look more intense as it appears like the framing is a lot tighter than it actually is.

Research And Planning: Audience Interviews

I recorded the interviews on a camera but a lot of people were too shy to have themselves videoed as they anwered the questions so they agreed that I could voice record them instead. First I went to someone of an adult generation and then secondly I targeted someone my age to get their opinion. By getting two different age ranges it varies the answers I get in return. Later on I also recorded an interview with my media teacher. I did this because I knew that she would probablly give me the most input since she has a huge knowledge on the topic.

Research And Planning: Interview Questions

Today we were supposed to start our analysis of 2 trailers but some of our computers internet weren't working. As a result of this, I thought of some questions to ask people in my college about horror films and about what they like to see in trailers that they watch. These were only a rough start as I haven't developed much insight so far, but the questions I have thought of will be a good start.

• What's your favourite horror film? Why?
• What's the scariest film you've watched? Why? 
• What do you look for in a horror film?
• What do you think of when I say horror?
• What makes you want to watch a film? 
• Where do you watch most trailers?
• Where do you watch most films? 
• Do the age certificates prevent you from watching a film? 
• What do you think is the difference between a teaser and normal trailer?

Research and Planning: Photoshop Challenge

Today our teacher set us a photoshop challenge to refresh our minds on how to work photoshop since we had been off college for over 2 months. Our task was to create a simple film poster which was the same genre as the trailer that we are going to be creating in the next few months.First we discussed as a group what we would normally find on a film poster and we came up with: 

• The title of the film.
• An image of something that can be associated with the film.
• A tagline.
• The release date or text saying 'Coming Soon.'
• Sometimes the certificate.
• Sometimes you see stars names at the top of the poster.
• The cast and crew in a particular font at the bottom of the poster. YOU NEARLY ALWAYS SEE THIS!
• The Director.
• We always see a logo of the studio it's made by. 
• Sometimes they include a website. 

I got a picture of a graveyard off the internet but because my genre is horror I edited the colour balance of this and changed the 'highlights'to red and magenta which gave it that redish tint to it which makes it look darker and more mysterious to how it did previously. The title has a red drop shadow on it which again sticks to that colour scheme. I also got a picture of a scary looking woman off google and blended her into the sky as though she was coming back from the dead which ties in with the title and tag line that I have included. As for the release date, I used the skew and perspective tools on Photoshop to adjust the text to make it look as thought it was on the gravestone.

Research and Planning: Regulation & Censorship

I'm thinking of doing a horror trailer. As a result this, I will make the actual film certificate a 18, which may be included on the poster, but the trailer I create I will cut down to a 15. I will do this because I want my trailer to be shown to as many people as possible to increase the synergy around the film. In addition, trailers will be shown on TV and I need to make sure it's appropriate for the people that may be watching. This may change depending on the footage that I end up shooting throughout the next few months.

 

I think an 18 will be an appropriate for my film because of the psychological aspects that will appear in it.On the other hand, as I develop my idea throughout the next few weeks, this may be a bit too high. 

UPDATE: It is now the 23/9/11 and I have decided that I'm going to aim my teaser trailer to 15-18 year old's. Therefore I'm going to make my film a 15!

Research And Planning: Pitch

Presentation for pitch

View more presentations from holsamlou1

I created this pitch to explore my idea's for a teaser trailer. I found that at the beginning of making the presentation, I didn't have a clue of what props, music etc I could use but by the end, as you can see I have a fair few ideas so I think this exercise was a helpful one!