Trailer Conventions:
-Montage
-Release Date
-Titles
-Voiceover
-Production Company
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Research and Planning: Questionnaire Graphs
These are the graphs I made to document my audience research questionnaire. The charts have made it a lot easier and quicker to decide what things to include in our trailer.
- Most of the people we asked are female and this is our target audience so we got a good idea of what they want.
-The age range is mostly 17 and 18 year-olds which again is our main target audience.
-After doing our questionnaire we think that titles will be more effective in our trailer.
-We are going to have a male villain as we can show him believing that he is in a relationship with the victim.
- We are not going to reveal the villain and we will create tension and suspense through the cinematography, for example we will see footsteps and close ups of the villains face so we cannot make out his full indentity.
-A lot of the answers said that we should film our trailer in a forest, however it would be at night and filming in the dark in the woods could be dangerous.
-The female character will be the 'final girl'.
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Research and Planning: The Meeting
Today me and my group had our first proper meeting to discuss what our roles will be when making the trailer. I have chosen to be in charge of editing the trailer, Paige Lowe has taken the role of mise-en-scene and Alice Jones is going to be in charger of cinematography. We will all work together to create the sound for the trailer. My role will specifically include deciding what edit transitions to use beforehand and applying them to the trailer afterwards.
The group have decided that we are going to use our first plot idea and create a horror/thriller film about a mentally unstable male who is obsessed with a girl an begins to stalk her.
The group have decided that we are going to use our first plot idea and create a horror/thriller film about a mentally unstable male who is obsessed with a girl an begins to stalk her.
Monday, 24 September 2012
Research and Planning: Theories of Audience
The Hypodermic Needle Theory
Direct influence via mass media
The theory suggests that the media can influence a large scale of people to believe what the media desire. They 'inject' people to believe certain messages and values.
Cultivation Theory
It says that people come accept that the things they see on television is reality. It can adapt peoples views, hopes an fears.
Desensitization
Audiences are becoming more tolerant of sex, violence, drugs etc. due to the over exposure we get through the media.
Modelling or Copycat Theory
This theory suggests that people copy what we they in the media. Eg. murders, suicides etc.
Uses and Gratifications Theory
One influential tradition in media research is referred to as 'uses and gratifications' (occasionally 'needs and gratifications'). This approach focuses on why people use particular media rather than on content. In contrast to the concern of the 'media effects' tradition with 'what media do to people'
Direct influence via mass media
The theory suggests that the media can influence a large scale of people to believe what the media desire. They 'inject' people to believe certain messages and values.
Cultivation Theory
It says that people come accept that the things they see on television is reality. It can adapt peoples views, hopes an fears.
Desensitization
Audiences are becoming more tolerant of sex, violence, drugs etc. due to the over exposure we get through the media.
Modelling or Copycat Theory
This theory suggests that people copy what we they in the media. Eg. murders, suicides etc.
Uses and Gratifications Theory
One influential tradition in media research is referred to as 'uses and gratifications' (occasionally 'needs and gratifications'). This approach focuses on why people use particular media rather than on content. In contrast to the concern of the 'media effects' tradition with 'what media do to people'
Research and Planning: Regulation
Sunday, 23 September 2012
Research and Planning: Film Trailer Analysis 2
http://youtu.be/5GHz3C5coSI
'Disturbia'
Genre
Andrew Sarris says that each genre has a recognisable style that draws in an existing audience, this is the case with this film. It is a thriller/horror which involves a character with physciatric problems, an attractive female and a male hero. The trailer gives us a clear indication of what the genre is throughout due to the fast paced editing.
Representation
Each character is a stereoptype- The main character is a typical, trouble making teenager who has got into trouble with the police and put on house arrest. The female is your typical girl-next-door, the film could have been made without her but she brings in a male audience and adds to the plot to create a romance with in the film. Eventhough the characters are stereotypical they are put in an unstereotypical situation making the film very exciting. The murderer seems to be an average misunderstood 'creepy' neighbour at first glance however people's speculations are true and he is in fact a twisted killer. We can see that the 'male gaze' theory slightly comes into play during the beginning of the trailer as the as the main character who is male has his sights on a girl who is wearing a bikini.
Narrative
The main character could be an anti hero as he is in trouble with the police so seems to be unruly. We assume that he is the hero as he is the main male character but we do not see how he saves the day. The killer only seems to be killing women making them a passive part of the narrative, it is portraying them as week and unable to escape the killer as they die. The males are active as one is killing women showing that he has some kind of strength and the hero resolves the equilibrium in the end.
Audience
The main target audience of this film would be teen from the age of 16 to 19 as it involves characters of this age and also this is the type of activity teenagers would get involved in when they are trapped by boredom and they also crave to hear or see gossip. However, there is some thing a lot more serious than trivia gossip- there are twisted murders occurring which makes the film horrific and scary. I do not think that the audience have to stay active during the film as we seem to be contained in the same area with the characters through out the trailer watching their neighbours- there doesn't seem to be any puzzles or problems to solve which may make the film very easy and simple to watch.
Media Language
Cinematography: The shots are long at the beginning of the film to show how bored the character is as he is on house arrest, they them get faster as he becomes more entertained when he see's the girl sunbathing in her garden. We see point of view shots from the main character also showing that we are trapped in this small area with him, we cannot get any further than him.
Editing:
We see dissolves at the beginning of the trailer to show the passing of time as the character is bored. Mainly straight cuts are used showing that these murders inside the house are happening within a very normal quiet neighbourhood- no one would no what was happening if it wasn't for Kale being on house arrest.
Sound: Non diegetic sound at the beginning just seems normal and then becomes faster when the male first see's the girl which shows that he is less bored than before. Then the music seems to change completely as the trailer becomes darker and scarier as it progresses. The sound of Kale's tag is vivid as it disturbs him as he is about to progress for example, when he goes to kiss the female and when he attempts to catch the murderer.
Mise-en-scene: To show that murders are surprising to both the audience and the characters the film is set in a typical quiet neighbourhood.
'Disturbia'
Genre
Andrew Sarris says that each genre has a recognisable style that draws in an existing audience, this is the case with this film. It is a thriller/horror which involves a character with physciatric problems, an attractive female and a male hero. The trailer gives us a clear indication of what the genre is throughout due to the fast paced editing.
Representation
Each character is a stereoptype- The main character is a typical, trouble making teenager who has got into trouble with the police and put on house arrest. The female is your typical girl-next-door, the film could have been made without her but she brings in a male audience and adds to the plot to create a romance with in the film. Eventhough the characters are stereotypical they are put in an unstereotypical situation making the film very exciting. The murderer seems to be an average misunderstood 'creepy' neighbour at first glance however people's speculations are true and he is in fact a twisted killer. We can see that the 'male gaze' theory slightly comes into play during the beginning of the trailer as the as the main character who is male has his sights on a girl who is wearing a bikini.
Narrative
The main character could be an anti hero as he is in trouble with the police so seems to be unruly. We assume that he is the hero as he is the main male character but we do not see how he saves the day. The killer only seems to be killing women making them a passive part of the narrative, it is portraying them as week and unable to escape the killer as they die. The males are active as one is killing women showing that he has some kind of strength and the hero resolves the equilibrium in the end.
Audience
The main target audience of this film would be teen from the age of 16 to 19 as it involves characters of this age and also this is the type of activity teenagers would get involved in when they are trapped by boredom and they also crave to hear or see gossip. However, there is some thing a lot more serious than trivia gossip- there are twisted murders occurring which makes the film horrific and scary. I do not think that the audience have to stay active during the film as we seem to be contained in the same area with the characters through out the trailer watching their neighbours- there doesn't seem to be any puzzles or problems to solve which may make the film very easy and simple to watch.
Media Language
Cinematography: The shots are long at the beginning of the film to show how bored the character is as he is on house arrest, they them get faster as he becomes more entertained when he see's the girl sunbathing in her garden. We see point of view shots from the main character also showing that we are trapped in this small area with him, we cannot get any further than him.
Editing:
We see dissolves at the beginning of the trailer to show the passing of time as the character is bored. Mainly straight cuts are used showing that these murders inside the house are happening within a very normal quiet neighbourhood- no one would no what was happening if it wasn't for Kale being on house arrest.
Sound: Non diegetic sound at the beginning just seems normal and then becomes faster when the male first see's the girl which shows that he is less bored than before. Then the music seems to change completely as the trailer becomes darker and scarier as it progresses. The sound of Kale's tag is vivid as it disturbs him as he is about to progress for example, when he goes to kiss the female and when he attempts to catch the murderer.
Mise-en-scene: To show that murders are surprising to both the audience and the characters the film is set in a typical quiet neighbourhood.
Research and Planning: Facebook Feedback
After asking my friends for suggestions through a Facebook message I have decided to analyse the trailer for 'Disturbia' for my next post.
Research and Planning: Film Trailer Analysis 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-ugXe_xEXw
'Obsessed'- Trailer Analysis
Genre
This full length trailer gives a clear indication of what genre this film is. It is a thriller due to the suspense and action however the film can be quite frightening as situations similar to this can occur in reality but most of the time not on this scale. Carol Clover refers to the 'final girl' in films who confronts the killer in the end. The theory fits perfectly with this trailer as it is a thriller/horror, at the end we see the the villain being confronted by the victim's wife who is also being terrorised by the stalker who is obsessed with her husband. Also Andre Sarris' theory which is the idea that a genre has a recogniseable styles that drawa on an existing audience is proven in this trailer as the fast paced editing shows that the film includes action which is a common trait in thrillers.
Representation
Laura Mulvey's theory, 'The Male Gaze', suggests that we see characters in a film through a male's eyes. This may be the case in this film as in the beginning of the trailer we see the male character flirting with the female showing that he finds her attractive, then we see a shot of her walking out of the room from behind showing that the male character could be watching her walk out the room- we also see close ups of parts of her body showing that he could be looking at them. However, this could all be in the female's head as she has mental issues so we could be lead to believe that this is the case. The victim's wife (Beyonce) is not your stereotypical is housewife as she confronts the villian in the end however at the beginning of the trailer we are lead to believe that she is your typical stay-at-home mother as we see a shot of her greeting her husband after he returns from work. The male character fits his gender stereotype perfectly as he innocently flirts with his collegue without thinking about the consequences- in most cases this would be seen as harmless but as the female is mentally unstable she see's this as something different as she is not a typical woman. However, in some respects she is seen as a stereotype as she fits the roll of the seductive, sexual female.
Narrative
We could say that the wife is an anti-hero as she is portrayed as a housewife who lives for her family but in the end we see her become an active character at the end of the trailer as she confronts the villain. The male character can be seen as passive as he becomes a victim of a woman and she begins to control his life however he seems like the catalyst of the situation because he apparently flirted with her first. Todrov's theory is also present in this trailer however the equlibrium lasts about 7 seconds showing that it also may be short lived in the actual film, I think the distruption begins when both characters are in the elevator. We do not see the equlibrium resolved as it is only the trailer and the film would be ruined for the audience.
Audience
The audience can relate to this film to some extent as there is no fantasy element to it. Most people come across people who they find a bit odd but we also meet people who we assume are normal so we do not think about our actions when around them. I think that this links to the trailer making the audience have a connection with it however this is an extreme case of an everyday situation that can occur. The audience need to be active while watching the trailer as it is very fast paced and there is alot going on.
Media Language
Cinematography: We see shots at the beginning of the trailer of the city showing that it is a normal work day for the characters- they do not expect anything to be out of the ordinary. A bit later on in the trailer we see a shot of the woman's leg indicating that the male is looking in that area, then we see her walking out of a room from the back. I think that these shots are used to make the audience side with the female at the beginning of the film however these events could just be occuring in her head as we know that she is mentally unstable.
Editing: As this is a trailer os for a thriller/horror film the editing is fast paced as it is action packed and also a lot of detail needs to be fit in such a short amount of time. Jump cuts are used to show a passage of time and that parts are cut out as this isn't the full film.
Sound: Non-diegetic music is played all the way through the trailer to add dramatic effect to the sequence, it gets faster as it develops hinting that there is a very dramatic climax. The phrases used by the female are very normal and innocent at first, there is no need to assume that something is wrong with her and as the trailer progresses her phrases are also quite normal but when put into context we see that she is mentally ill.
Mise-en-scene: We can see that this family may be of middle class due to where they live and what they wear. Also, the fact that this occurs in a work place shows that situations like this can happen anywhere in real life.
'Obsessed'- Trailer Analysis
Genre
This full length trailer gives a clear indication of what genre this film is. It is a thriller due to the suspense and action however the film can be quite frightening as situations similar to this can occur in reality but most of the time not on this scale. Carol Clover refers to the 'final girl' in films who confronts the killer in the end. The theory fits perfectly with this trailer as it is a thriller/horror, at the end we see the the villain being confronted by the victim's wife who is also being terrorised by the stalker who is obsessed with her husband. Also Andre Sarris' theory which is the idea that a genre has a recogniseable styles that drawa on an existing audience is proven in this trailer as the fast paced editing shows that the film includes action which is a common trait in thrillers.
Representation
Laura Mulvey's theory, 'The Male Gaze', suggests that we see characters in a film through a male's eyes. This may be the case in this film as in the beginning of the trailer we see the male character flirting with the female showing that he finds her attractive, then we see a shot of her walking out of the room from behind showing that the male character could be watching her walk out the room- we also see close ups of parts of her body showing that he could be looking at them. However, this could all be in the female's head as she has mental issues so we could be lead to believe that this is the case. The victim's wife (Beyonce) is not your stereotypical is housewife as she confronts the villian in the end however at the beginning of the trailer we are lead to believe that she is your typical stay-at-home mother as we see a shot of her greeting her husband after he returns from work. The male character fits his gender stereotype perfectly as he innocently flirts with his collegue without thinking about the consequences- in most cases this would be seen as harmless but as the female is mentally unstable she see's this as something different as she is not a typical woman. However, in some respects she is seen as a stereotype as she fits the roll of the seductive, sexual female.
Narrative
We could say that the wife is an anti-hero as she is portrayed as a housewife who lives for her family but in the end we see her become an active character at the end of the trailer as she confronts the villain. The male character can be seen as passive as he becomes a victim of a woman and she begins to control his life however he seems like the catalyst of the situation because he apparently flirted with her first. Todrov's theory is also present in this trailer however the equlibrium lasts about 7 seconds showing that it also may be short lived in the actual film, I think the distruption begins when both characters are in the elevator. We do not see the equlibrium resolved as it is only the trailer and the film would be ruined for the audience.
Audience
The audience can relate to this film to some extent as there is no fantasy element to it. Most people come across people who they find a bit odd but we also meet people who we assume are normal so we do not think about our actions when around them. I think that this links to the trailer making the audience have a connection with it however this is an extreme case of an everyday situation that can occur. The audience need to be active while watching the trailer as it is very fast paced and there is alot going on.
Media Language
Cinematography: We see shots at the beginning of the trailer of the city showing that it is a normal work day for the characters- they do not expect anything to be out of the ordinary. A bit later on in the trailer we see a shot of the woman's leg indicating that the male is looking in that area, then we see her walking out of a room from the back. I think that these shots are used to make the audience side with the female at the beginning of the film however these events could just be occuring in her head as we know that she is mentally unstable.
Editing: As this is a trailer os for a thriller/horror film the editing is fast paced as it is action packed and also a lot of detail needs to be fit in such a short amount of time. Jump cuts are used to show a passage of time and that parts are cut out as this isn't the full film.
Sound: Non-diegetic music is played all the way through the trailer to add dramatic effect to the sequence, it gets faster as it develops hinting that there is a very dramatic climax. The phrases used by the female are very normal and innocent at first, there is no need to assume that something is wrong with her and as the trailer progresses her phrases are also quite normal but when put into context we see that she is mentally ill.
Mise-en-scene: We can see that this family may be of middle class due to where they live and what they wear. Also, the fact that this occurs in a work place shows that situations like this can happen anywhere in real life.
Research and Planning: 'House At The End Of The Street'
On Friday 21st September I went to see 'House At The End Of The Street' which is the latest horror film to hit the cinema. I used this as an opportunity to get inspiration for my coursework as I am also creating a horror/thriller fillm trailer. The film includes a lot of non-diegetic music to create suspense through out, also action scenes included hardly any sound to create an eerie and scarey atmosphere. I also payed attention to the character's in the film and saw that the villian was very portrayed as an outcast in his society- he is quiet and has had a troubled childhood which fueled his actions in the film. This may be a good idea to use in my trailer as the villian will have a lot of mental issues.
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Research and Planning: Photoshop Film Poster
This is my photoshop recap, I found this picture through Google images by searching 'possessed girl'. I then edited it by colouring in the eyes with black and then i darkened the skin on the face by changing the opacity of the colour. I then added more darker patches of grey/black onto the face, arms and dress to make the character more sinister and scary. The picture of the girl came with this background and i quite liked it so i decided to keep it and then put text on top of it. The font of the title and tag line is off dafont.com, 'Midnight' is duplicated and then overlapped to make it stand out more. The film's release date related to the film- it has the theme of 12 running through it and also suggests that the product will be very scary as we are facing our 'fears' at this time. Then we have the conventional film titles (eg. director/producer) at the bottom of the poster.
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
Research and Planning: Target audience interviews
-Stalker
-Massacre
2. What would be the best location for this?
3. What sort of sound effects should be in a horror film?
4. What makes the best horror film?
5. What colours do you associate with this genre?
6. What do you expect to see in the horror film?
7. Would you prefer a male/female villain? What makes a good killer/villain?
8. What type of music would you expect in this genre?
Research and Planning: Write up of interview questions
1. What plot would you prefer? Why?
-Stalker
-Massacre
2. What would be the best location for this?
3. What sort of sound effects should be in a horror film?
4. What makes the best horror film?
5. What colours do you associate with this genre?
6. What do you expect to see in the horror film?
7. Would you prefer a male/female villain? What makes a good killer/villain?
8. What type of music would you expect in this genre?
-Stalker
-Massacre
2. What would be the best location for this?
3. What sort of sound effects should be in a horror film?
4. What makes the best horror film?
5. What colours do you associate with this genre?
6. What do you expect to see in the horror film?
7. Would you prefer a male/female villain? What makes a good killer/villain?
8. What type of music would you expect in this genre?
Tuesday, 4 September 2012
Research and Planning: The Chase
The sequence begins with a POV shot that lasts around 30 second which in my opinion is too long for just one shot however you could say that it adds tension and suspense to what is about to occur. We then see a high angle shot of one of the chasers which could show that he is the less powerful of the two then we cut to a low angle shot showing that this person is more powerful. After this we have shots of the characters running up some stairs with close ups of their feet and we can also vividly hear the footsteps and as this is the only sound it adds tension. We then see cut to each of the chasers so we see medium shots of them both approaching the same area. Near to the end of the video we have the climax which is in slow motion to add a movie effect to the video and we can also see the severity of the jump. We then end with a series of shots where the male gets shot- we hear a gun shot, a 'doh' sound from the victim and an evil laugh from the killer. From a mise-en-scene point of view the sequence is not very good as we didn't have the equipment or time to make an effective action chase scene so the video is mostly set in a college main hall and the characters clothing is usual everyday wear. The editing is also very limited as there is only straight cuts, we could have put a fade at the end to show the ending of a life.
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