Blogger Backgrounds

Horror Trailer Storyboard

Monday, 28 November 2011

Schedule for Media Deep Learning Day.


Below is our schedule for the Media Deep Learning Day today:
P1: Get a camera introduction from Mr Varghese – showing us how to use the cameras effectively and correctly.
P2: Organise the storyboard – making sure all shots are in the correct place and have been approved by the whole group.
P3: Update any blog posts. Create posts on cast, costume, props, lighting and shot schedule.
P4: Film test shots for news report scenes in Norbury Park. After filming, create a parody of the newsreport.

P5: Edit shots and put together in Adobe Premiere Pro CS3.
P6: Continue editing. After completion, scan all shots into the computer to put onto blogs.

Sunday, 27 November 2011

Artificial Lighting.


Over the weekend, as a team we decided that we should research different lighting that could be used in the horror trailer. I decided that I was going to research Artificial Lighting. I discovered that:

- 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.


Examples of Artificial lighting:





















Sunday, 20 November 2011

Classifications & Conventions of Trailers.

Recently, we explored the conventions used within trailers and who the BBFC are.
BBFC: an independent, self-financing and not-for-profit media content regulator.

Their mission is to:
- protect the audience, and especially children, from content which might raise harm risks.
- empower the public, especially parents, to make informed viewing choices.
- recognise and respect the adult freedom of choice within the law.
- respond to and reflect changing social attitudes towards media content through proactive public consultation and research.
- provide a cost effect, 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.

As a group, we established that we wanted our target audience to be between 18 – 25 years olds so, we want our teaser trailer to be rated an ‘18’.


BBFC guidelines: this is what is allowed in an 18 rated piece of media:
- Nudity
- Sex scenes are allowed however they must not be too graphic i.e. pornography.
- Violence is allowed.
- Crude language is permitted.
- Use/abuse of drugs is accepted to some extent.

For my group, we have to consider how far we want to go with blood, gore and violence.

An example of a film that displayed too many graphic scenes and blood/gore and violence was: The Human Centipede II (The Full Sequence). On June 6th 2011, the BBFC rejected the sexually violent and potentially obscene DVD, which menat that it couldn’t be legally be supplied anywhere in the UK.
The decision was taken by the Director, David Cooke and the Presidential Team of Sir Quentin Thomas, Alison Hastings and Gerard Lemos.

Friday, 18 November 2011

Name Possibilities for Horror Trailer.

I recently had to think of 10 possible names for our Horror Trailer.
The possibilities I came up with are:
- Stealth (meaning: Cautious and surreptitious action or movement.)
- Hush-hush
- Deceit (meaning: a dishonest act.)
- Enigma (meaning: a person or thing that is mysterious/puzzling.)
- Conspiracy (meaning: the action of plotting or conspiring.)
- Knowing
- Hidden
- Unknown
- Haunting
- Vengeance (meaning: to get revenge.)

I’ve created a survey on http://www.surveymonkey.com/ asking my target audience what names ‘catch their eye’. So far, I’ve received some feedback however, I’m hoping more people will answer the question.


Survey link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PFWTS5J


*Updated November 20th 2011:
Recently, I came up with two more possible names for the teaser trailer:
- Buried Within
- Hoax

Wednesday, 16 November 2011

Narrative and How It Relates to Theories.


Title of film:
Hush Hush

Exposition
Development
Complication
Climax
Resolution


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.

How it relates to theories:

- In my opinion, our narrative relates to Todorov's Equlibrium Theory. Our narrative begins with an equilibrium/initial situation which then creates a disruption. Once the disruption has been resolved, a new equilibrium begins at the end of the narrative.






- Our narrative relates to the Final Girl Theory. However, we've played on the conventions of the 'Final Girl'. The Final Girl in films like Halloween and Scream are all innocent however, our Final Girl has 'killed' one of her best friends.
- Our narrative also relates to the Male Gaze as well. The Final Girl is treated as a sexualised object as she's in a vulnerable state.

Conventions in a Horror Trailer.

Here are some key conventions I’ll take into consideration when creating my teaser trailer:
- keys moments in the film
- ellipsis/ ellipses
- where it’s set
- music
- narration – voice over
- title of the film + release date
- names of the stars, directors, producers etc
- age restrictions
- production company
- onscreen text
- fades to black
- flashes
- enigma code (a hook)
- non-chronological events

Film Trailer Discussion.

When we were put into our groups, we were asked to discus what we would expect to see in trailers and what intrigues us to go and watch a film in the cinema. Here are the results:

We decide to go and see a film at the cinema because:
- good critic reviews
- friends want to go
- based on the hype
- how it’s advertised
- the cast involved
- could be a sequel
- adaptations
- based on a particular genre

The main jobs that film trailers do are to:
- excite the audience
- to give the audience a preview
- to encourage them to watch it
- build anticipation
- identify the genre
- basic understanding of the film
- best scenes in the movie
- who’s involved (the actors and actresses)

Film trailers are usually shown before films at the cinema/ before and during films on TV because:
- gives audiences an opportunity to see what’s coming out – similar to the genre
- people won’t leave the cinema until after the film
- to keep audiences entertained before the film starts

Other methods film companies use to promote films:
- posters
- leaflets/ magazines
- promotional tours (premiers, interviews etc)
- internet
- radio
- merchandising
- images
- music videos
- competitions
- mobile phone apps

Effective film trailers you’ve seen and reasons for their effectiveness:
‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’ – what excites me about this trailer is that at the beginning of the trailer, you don’t see anything but darkness and there’s complete and utter silence until the end of the trailer. You get to see a glimpse of the ‘horror’ within the film.