Horror Trailer Storyboard

Monday 12 December 2011

Costume design for various characters

In a way of following the rules, our final girl should wear something that is definitely not provocative. Also try to stick to something that’s not blatant female clothing. Possibly a shirt with some jeans. Colour is important for this can help portray the personality of the character well.  For example, colours such as black or plain white wouldn’t show too much femininity.

For the villain, the use of gauze (thin materials such as silk, cotton or linen) would be a very good route to follow. Furthermore hessian (material for brown sacks) would be ideal for the villain’s mask, especially as we want to give it the anonymous effect. The sack material should only have one hole for the eyes, so that only one is showing.

The eye will play an important role for the look of the villain. There are different ways of making it look frightening. One way is using black makeup around it. However there are the YouTube videos on unzipped makeup which would be ideal to gain inspiration from, as the techniques used in these videos are very effective.

The news reporter’s dress code should be formal as it will bring more realism to the final product. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a suit but just something that looks smart. Props can be used as well (glasses).

• The girls at the party who are handed the drinks, can be wearing their usual clothing, but the most important thing to remember is that they should not look similar to the final girl, and that their clothing should contain some feminine elements to it, even if it is a ring or gold bracelet.

Use of Diegetic Sound

Definition: The sound source that can be heard by the characters within a movie.

Examples:

. Voices of characters
. Sound made by objects in the story
. Instruments coming from within the stroy (musical sounds)

Another way of looking at diegetic sound is that it is any sound that can be heard within the world of the movie.

Actual sound can also be recognised as diagetic sound.

It is also noted that diagetic sound can be on or off screen.

Research for diegetic sound is important as it plays a big part within the horror genre, as the use of sound is very much one of the conventions that makes the end product as scary as they are. A good example is Stepher King's 'IT' as the clown music would scare people who have phobia's of clowns. So the use of diegetic sound would be an extremely important factor when filming the trailer.

Tuesday 6 December 2011

Artificial Lighting

As a group we researched into different lighting. My lighting research has been put up (natural), and other members of my group have also researched their own ones. Below is the research undertaken on artificial lighting:

Artificial Lighting:

∙ Artificial lighting is any lighting that isn’t sunlight.
∙ Artificial lighting is lighting which is man-made, such as fluorescent, tungsten, mercury vapour, sodium vapour, halogen, compact fluorescent etc. It can be turned on and off at a flick of a switch.
∙ There are also very special types of artificial light for specific purposes such as infrared heat lamps, ultraviolet lights for plant growth and tanning.
∙ In photography, different light sources have a different colour temperature which can be compensated for with special filters or simulated with special lighting. A flash simulates the light of the sun for a fraction of a second.

Monday 5 December 2011

Natural Light Techniques




Lighting is extremely important in regards to filming as it will help light out a scene. I've researched the techniques that can be used for natural light:


One way of using natural light to an advantage is the use of diffusion. This is a type of paper which when used can soften any shiny light elements coming from natural light, on the actors faces.

The moonlight can be used to an advantage if there is any night time shooting. This can be done through the use of reflectors or large white cards. Although some artificial light would be needed to assist with the lighting, this way consists of bouncing the moonlight from different areas on to the scene.

Snow can be used as a good reflector. It may not be as effective as reflectors, however light can bounce of the snow and on to the scene. The snow is still able to give a descent light source for the scene.

Wetting the ground can help illuminate a scene. This is because water is good reflector of light and, on the street, any form of light such as sun light, street lamps or car lights.

When attempting to make a scene look very effective, the use of dusk or twilight can come into action. The reason for this is because it is at this time in which natural lighting for the use of film will be most effective as there will be a mixture of light and darkness. For example, a night scene will still look very realistic, as it will be dark and as there is a lot of natural light, it will help illuminate the set with an impressive glow.

Sunday 4 December 2011

Media Deep Learning Day Work

During our media deep learning day we were sent off to gain some practice with the equipment that would be used for our final horror trailers. My group and I decided to go by creating a horror spoof trailer, and the results were positive, as we not only got used to the equipment but also got a great end product.

Below are pictures of us carrying out the filming of the project:















Below is the end product, our spoof trailer:

Inspiring Horror Trailers

Stephen Kings's 'IT'


'Hide and Seek'


'The Omen'


'See No Evil'


'The Host' (Korean film)



Friday 2 December 2011

Possibe Names for the Horror Film

Below are a list of names that can be used for the horror film:

. Stealth
. Deceit
. Enigma
. Hush Hush
. Haunting
. Vengeance
. Conspiracy
. Hush Hush

Film Trailer Discussion



THE QUESTIONS BELOW WILL HELP GAIN A JIST ON WHAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE OUR HORROR TRAILER EXCITING:

How do we decide to go and watch a film at the cinema?

. Good reviews
. Friends want to go
. Hype
. How its advertised
. Cast
. Sequel
. Genre

What are the main jobs that film trailers have to do?

. Excite the audience
. Give audiences a preview
. Encourage people to see it
. Build on the anticipation
. Basic outline of the plot
. Show great scenes
. Show the cast

Why are film trailers shown in the cinema and on tv?

. Gives the audience opportunities to see the new films that will be released.
. Advertising - Taking advantage of the fact that there may be a lot of people at the cinema who they can then show it to.
. Show similar genre film, for marketing purposes

What other methods do film companies use to promote their films?

. Posters
. Leaflets
. Premieres
. Radio
. Internet
. Merchendising
. Images
. Music/Videos
. Contests
. Mobile Phone (Apps)
. Social Networking Sites

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Media Narritive for Horror Trailer

In 2011, University students Janet and Marilyn are getting ready for Fresher's Week at Uni. It's their first night out as independent 18 year olds without their parents telling them what to do. They go to one of the dorms which is already filled with other Uni students. One boy comes over and hands them both a drink with the rest of the party-goers chanting 'CHUG CHUG CHUG!' As the night goes on, Marilyn & Janet become more and more vulnerable, drinking and doing drugs.
After completing different tasks set by the older years, their last task to play a prank on one of the 'Fresher's'; a boy named Fred who is sitting alone watching everyone else drink. They take him to a closet where he is then blindfolded. Not knowing what they're doing, Fred can feel himself gasping for air. Fred is left calling out to whoever has wrapped him up, unable to unlock the closet door. His brother is also calling out to the pranksters. Not knowing who, or how many there are.
As Marilyn & Janet are getting reading to go to bed that night, there's a power cut all over the university. Janet still feels bad about playing the prank on Fred however, she believes that he'll be okay. As Marilyn & Janet drift off to sleep, Janet hears a loud bang in her dorm. With a flashlight being her only source of light, Janet walks outside, into the corridor hoping to find what made that loud noise. Unable to find a source, she returns back to her room. She then sees Marilyn lying with the covers, covering her head. As she pulls the covers down, she sees Marilyn’s face smeared in blood with the word ‘MURDERER’ written on her forehead. At first, Janet is confused by this allegation however, she remembers the prank she had played only a few hours ago. Automatically knowing that her friend is dead, she drops the torch, attempting to find anyone that can help her. A mysterious figure appears behind her, close behind.
News about the murders has spread across London over the past few days with other Londoners believing that it's 'just another Fresher's prank'. Christina Loomis (usually known as Chris) has just been accepted at the University of Woodsboro after asking to be transferred. Chris is a beautiful 18 year old who holds a dark secret that no one knows. Her secret haunts her every day. She too had carried out a sick prank a week before at her previous University. On that fateful night, she had been giving her best friend drinks (leading her to believe that it was 'just Coca Cola'. The morning after, her friend had died from alcohol poisoning. No one else knows but her.  By receiving word that the killer is still on the loose, Chris asks the registration office if she can transfer to another room after discovering that the two girls were killed in her dorm; room 13.
Later that night, she's starts unpacking her suitcase when she hears a knock on the door. A young boy named Charlie is standing at her door. When she opens the door, they start a conversation about the University. Being hospitable, he asks her if she wants to take a tour on campus. After agreeing, they walk along side by side talking about University life. After talking for some time, they come to a halt in the dorm 'common' room. Charlie tells Chris how a boy named Fred had died a while ago in 'this very room'; someone had played a prank and locked him away. Chris then starts reminiscing about her previous Uni and what had happened. Charlie seems upset by their conversation so, goes off to compose himself. When Charlie comes back, he tells her that the boy who had died was actually his brother. He then asks her if she knows what happened in her room a few days ago. Not knowing what he's talking about, she asks him to explain. After telling her what had happened, she reluctantly tells him that she wants to leave to go back to her room and rest. Charlie goes back to his dorm across the campus.
After going back to her dorm, Chris tries to go to sleep however, she keeps on seeing images of Charlie's brother being 'buried' somewhere in the University. However, the next image she sees is the dead carcass' face level to hers. As she drifts in and out of sleep, she hears someone whispering in her ear saying 'I know what you did.' Thinking it's Charlie she tells him to go away however, she's stunned when the mysterious person reveals that it's not Charlie. Jumping at the sound of this figure's voice, she tries to run out of her room into the dorm common room. As the mysterious figure continues to follow her, she finds a small closet in the common room. Trying hard not to blow her cover, Chris peaks through the keyhole to see if the killer is near. She finds a box of matches on the closet floor. As she ignites one of the matches, she nudges something, a life-size doll-like person that's staring at her. The person then mouthes out the word 'SURPRISE'. She screams out in terror and runs out of the cupboard with the wrapped up person close behind her. Just as she thinks she can escape, another wrapped up figure is running towards Chris in the other direction. With the two stopping right near her, Chris asks [during deep and heavy breaths] who they are. They both unravel their cloth to reveal that they're actually Charlie and his brother Fred. Chris then learns that Charlie had faked the death to scare the rest of the University and helped his brother to get revenge on whoever had: decided on the prank, who to play the prank on and who carried out the prank. Another detail was added on before he attempted to kill Chris; he would kill whoever played a prank that turned horribly wrong. With Chris questioning why they played the sick joke, they say that they wanted the rest of the University (and perhaps the rest of the country) that you shouldn't mess around. Charlie then goes onto say that he hates secrets. He then stabs Fred in the stomach. As Fred falls to the ground, Chris tries to run from Charlie however, he stops her in his tracks. He tells her how he killed Janet and Marilyn and he plans on killing her so he could be the only survivor in the massacre. Charlie, using the knife he had used to stab Fred then tackles Chris to the ground, pointing the knife at her heart. As she struggles to set herself free from his grip, she punches him. As Charlie drops the knife, holding his nose, she grabs the knife and climbs on top of Charlie.  She stabs him in the chest.
Chris is seen lying on the floor with the knife in her hand, in between Fred and Charlie as the police arrive on campus.
Chris is then left sitting in a white room; wearing an orange jumpsuit; looking at the camera.  

Monday 28 November 2011

BRITISH BOARD OF FILM CLASSIFICATION (BBFC)




The BBFC is an independent, self - financing and non profiting medcia content regulator. They are the company that are in control of labelling films with age ratings in the UK. They claim that there mission consists of the following:

. Protect the public, and especially children, from content which might raise harm risks.

. Empower the public, especially parents, to make informed viewing choices.

. Recognise and respect adult freedom of choice within the law.

. Respond to and reflect changing social attitudes towards media content through provocative public consultation and research.

. Provide a cost-effective, efficient classification service within our statutory remit.

. Work in partnership with the industry to develop innovative service models to provide content advice which support emerging media delivery systems.

. Provide an effective service to enforcement agencies.


Researching into the BBFC is important as they are the ones who provide the age certificates for films. By looking through their mission objectives, it would be interesting to see how our final product works with their targets and then base off our age certificate. 

As a group, we have decided to aim for an age certificate rating of 18+ as it will allow us to explore the depths of the horror genre, for instance, being allowed to put a lot of gore etc...

Wednesday 23 November 2011

Evaluation of my questionnaire results

The questionnaire that was created will help me gain a good idea on what can be done to make my horror film trailer as intimidating and as effective as possible.

Below is a further analysation and evaluation of the results from the questionnaire:

1. The first question is on gender, and I purposely chose to have an equal amount of people from both genders to do the questionnaire, to see the difference in results. It was interesting to see that the opinions were quite similar.

2. The age ratings differed but there was at least one person that fitted into each age slot. This works well as it gives a wide range of ideas from the different age groups, and in some areas it was noticeable such as the favourite horror films in which the person who was 40+ actually really enjoyed 'Nosferatu', whereas everybody else chose more modern horrors.

3. Most of the latest horror films see by the candidates were new such as 'Paranormal Activity 3', 'Insidious' and 'Red Riding Hood'. Infact the two films that have been out for some time were 'The Grudge' and  'Scream 4'. These films were chosen by the people who actually said that they didn't really enjoy horror films and so this question shows that horror is still a genre that is watched a lot, as most people who do like the genre still keep up with the latest films within the genre.

4. This question explored what scared people the most from a specific list. In fact from the list no one selected that the dark or heights scared them the most. It was a mixture of spiders, injections, blood and supernatural entities. Supernatural entities gained the most votes, however the others also had a fair amount of votes as well. This information will be useful when coming to conclude the different props and story elements for the trailer.

5. This question on what the different candidates favourite horror films were. Every candidate enjoyed different ones, which was good as it does shows the difference in taste between people. Furthermore it also shows how people like different styles of horror, which will be good as it can help me implement the different styles of horror within my horror trailer. Furthermore each candidate enjoyed the different horrors for different reasons. For example one said that they liked the story and another said that they liked the use of suspense. This is good as it shows that I should try and implement a lot of these elements within the trailer.

6. This question gave four options and asked what scared people the most in horror films. Out of the options of supernatural entities, fear of the unknown, monsters or human beings. Psychotic human beings seemed to frighten people the most and after that it was fear of the unknown. With these two as the most, it would be good to take into consideration in a possible route in using these factors. However supernatural entities and monsters also gained some votes and so this route can also be taken.

7. When asked about the weaponry that is the most frightening, every candidate mentioned the use of sharp objects being the most effective. Most of them mentioned a knife and few said a chainsaw, and so this could show that the use of a knife is quite vital and will have to be taken into serious consideration.

8. The main colours that were quoted in the questionnaire for a poster were black, red and white, This was not suprising as a lot of horror film posters do depict these colours. Furthermore the use of blood was also mentioned which would also be a good element for a poster.

9. Most of the candidates wrote that they enjoyed horror films, and it was only a few that didn't. The ones that did had different reasons for enjoying the horror films such as enjoying th story, liking the fact that it would scare them and enjoying the tension that the films built up. These are all vital traits in horror films and will definitely have to be implemented into the horror trailer.

10. The final question shows off the effect that horror has on people and when asked how the candidates preferred to watched horror films, every single one said with others in their house or at other friends houses. This was good as it shows the mental effects that horror films have on audiences. It also motivates me to make a horror trailer where people wish to watch it with others rather than on their own, as it will show off how frightening the horror film looks.

Questionnaire and results

1. Gender?
Male - 50%
Female - 50%

2. Age?
0-15 - 10%
16-25 - 40%
26-40 - 40%
40+ - 10% 

3. What is the latest horror film you have seen?
Paranormal Activity 3 - 40%
Insidious - 30%
Scream 4 - 10%
Red Riding Hood - 10% 
The Grudge - 10%

4. What frightens you the most from the following list?
Supernatural - 40% 
The Dark - 0%
Spiders - 20%
Heights - 0%
Blood - 20%
Injections - 30%

5. What is your favourite horror film?
Drag me to hell - The whole idea of the supernatural creature appearing every three days, petrifying the girl and drag her to hell was freaky.
Dark Water -  Did a brilliant job of building  suspense to a crucial point at the end.
Drag me to hell - Liked that it had a humorous element to it.
Halloween - Great Soundtracks and a good villain.
Nosferatu - Good because it was frigtening even though there was no speech.
Scream – Always on edge
Paranormal activity –  Scary when I thought it was real
The Ring – Liked the story line
Black Swan – Thrilling and freaky
Mirrors – Interesting concept

6. What frightens you most in horror films?
Fear of the unknown – 30%
Supernatural – 20%
Monsters – 10%
Human beings (psychotic) – 40%

7. What weapons do you find the most intimidating in a horror film?
100% - Every candidate mentioned a sharp weapon. It was between that of a knife and chainsaw.

8. When looking at a horror poster, what colours or icons do you expect to see?
Black, red and white were the most chosen colours and when it came to iconography, the candidates chose blood.

9. Do you enjoy horror films and if so why?
80% of the survey takers said that they enjoyed horror films whereas 20% admitted that they didn’t. The reasons for not enjoying it were simple such as, “I don’t like to be frightened” whereas people who enjoyed it liked it for different reasons. One person said, “I find it entertaining” and another person said, “The thrilling element is actually quite fun in a weird way”. In fact another person mentioned, “I like being scared. I also like to test if a horror film actually can frighten me”.

10. How do you prefer to watch horror films? By yourself, with others at home or at the cinema?
100%- Every candidate said they preferred to watch a horror film with friends in a gathering at home.

Tuesday 22 November 2011

What type of research will I be doing

I've decided to undertake the quantitative research type. The reasons for this is because it will allow me to find out different things about people in certain ways. For example, if I list answers to choose from out of things that scare them, then it is easier to find out by seeing what frightens people a lot from the most used villain types.

I have chosen to do a questionnaire however some of my question will have qualitative elements to it. For instance I may ask candidates to elaborate on certain things such as what their favourite horror film is and why

The reason I have decided to do a questionnaire in particular, is because it allows me to gather a great amount of research in small amounts of time. Furthermore questinnaires give quite a lot of information and there are many ways to get information from  people. For instance, websites such as Survey Monkey can be used for creating the questionnaire and distributing it to people. Questionnaires can also be distributed physically to people, who can then complete them.

Different approaches to research

Before carrying out my research, it is important to take into consideration the different types of research that can be carried out.

Research definition: In the broadsheet sense of the word, the definition of research includes any gathering of data, information and facts for the advancement of knowledge.

The main research types usually end up in two result types. This is quantitative and qualitative. A table below shows a more detailed explanation on the tyoe of results concluded from the two:

Result type
Definition
Examples
Quantitative
Draws conclusions from figures and numbers
.Closed question
.Questionnaires
.Polls
.Experiments
Qualitative
In depth answers allowing survey candidate to give info
.Open questions case study
.Interview