Research and Planning: Podcast

This is a podcast based on the work we have done in September, it is an overview of the work me and Kyle have covered.

Research and Planning: Teaser Trailer Conventions

A teaser trailer is something that is a shorter version of a full length trailer, the teaser trailer convention will consist of in most cases a montage of images, they have the name of the film being shown in the trailer, the release date, in some cases will have either  voice over or titles to explain what is taking place and they will also have the name of the production company in which has produced the film. Paranormal Activity is a good example of a teaser trailer I shall be able to make given that there are no special effects being used such as CGI this therefore us allowing to create a similar sort of teaser trailer.




A bad example of a teaser trailer in which will shall not be able to make due to the nature of the film being to graphic for us to create is Saw 3D, we shall also not be able to make a teaser trailer like this or a film like this given that there is a use of CGI which we do not have access to also the film is also filmed in 3D and so we shall not be able to do this. There is also a wide range of violence and death and we will find it very difficult to mimic this and make something similar to it.

Research And Planning: Audience Profile

This is a pie chart in which shows the people whom answered our questionnaire, the amount of males and females from the ages 16-18 and 18+.

Research and Planning: Completed Questionnaire

This is one of the completed questionnaires in which were answered by pupils, this has helped me in the making of my film trailer.

Research and Planning: Questionnaire

This is the questionnaire I shall be handing out to the pupils, this will help me in the making of my film trailer.

Research And Planning: Meeting 1

Me and my colleague Kyle Slater have had a meeting about what job roles we are both going to be doing and we have come to a decision in the recording of the film I myself shall be doing Cinematography and Editing and Kyle Slater shall be doing Mise-En-Scene and Sound.

Research And Planning: Target Audience Research

Here I went onto IMDB and looked up the most popular horror films, through looking at the top most popular Horror movies I found that one film in particular is similar to the film in which I shall be making, this film was The Cabin In The Woods.

Research and Planning: Target Audience on Prezi

Target Audience on Prezi

">

Target Audience on Prezi

I made a Prezi to show what the target audience would be for the film I am going to be making, the subjects I spoke about were age, gender, Socio-economic grouping, Psychographics and Educational backgrounds/education.

Research And Planning: IMDB Genre

Here I went onto IMDB to find the top 250 Horror films of all time, the one that was most similar to ours was Cabin in the Woods.

Research And Planning: Audience Theories

The hypodermic model
The "hypodermic needle theory" implied mass media had a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences. The mass media in the 1940s and 1950s were perceived as a powerful influence on behavior change.

Cultivation Theory
Cultivation theory is a social theory which examines the long-term effects of television. It means the more time people spend "living" 'watching TV' in the television world, the more likely they are to believe social reality portrayed on television.

Desensitisation
The process of reducing sensitivity of something, so that things that may have been seen as very bad many years ago are seemed as everyday things meaning things don't have an effect on people that they used to have.

Modelling or copycat theory
Something that gains a lot of attention in the media, will be copied by other people in order to get the same attention brought to themselves.

Uses and gratifications theory
The theory holds that audiences are responsible for choosing media to meet their needs. The approach suggests that people use the media to fulfill specific gratifications. This theory would then imply that the media compete against other information sources for viewers' gratification.

Research And Planning: Regulation And Censorship

 

 The film in which we shall be creating will be rated 15 the reason for this is due to the nature of the film and the content that shall be shown in the film. Graphic images may occur throughout the film along with bad language and violence this making the age rating of 15 appropriate. The film shall not be rated 18 due to there not being a vast amount of violence and bad language and scenes of nudity and sexual scenes.

The trailer of my film shall be rated a 12a and the reason for this is so that we are able to show the trailer throughout the day and on TV screens so the film can be well advertised, the trailer shall also be shown in the pictures when the adverts occur and this is another reason why the film trailer should be rated a 12a so that it can be shown in more screens appealing to a wider audience.

Research And Planning - Teaser Trailer Analysis

I have decided to analyse 'Paranormal Activity 2' Teaser Trrailer as this is based on the ideal trailer I want to produce, I will focus on the elements and discuss why they have used it. I have also decided to analyse a tesaser trailer as well as a full length trailer due to the fact of being uncertain on whether we should ourselves make a full length or a teaser trailer.

Genre
- Paranormal Activity 2 is a Horror film like the other trailer I have analysed Insidious the reason for my analysing two Horror films is because I myself am going to be making a trailer based on similar aspects that occur in two of the films.

Audience
The audience yet again, similar too Insidious will aim at attracting a 15+ audience due to the nature of the film and being able to include certain aspects which I wouldn't be able to include if I was to rate the film a 12a certificate, I shall also be aiming at attracting a 15+ audience is because they are attracted to the films in which come with a horror film such as the suspense, gore and violence that come with the films. The film shall attract both genders because the trailer shows a family which means it is family based and not a horror film that revolves around  group of woman. Films like this create a huge talking point between people who have seen it so this shall be another reasoning for people coming to see the film with their friends.

Representation
- The franchise Paranormal Activity are known for their trailers being different to the rest of trailers in which are made for Horror films as they show the response of the audience watching the films this having a positive effect on the people seeing the trailers as with them seeing a great response from the audience it makes the remaining people want to go and watch it for it to have the same effect on them.

Narrative
- Finding a theory to associate with a teaser trailer is very hard due to them only giving you very little hints of things that are going to take place in the film however through seeing the full length trailer of this film also I am able to say that I believe Todorov's theory is being used given that they want as at the beginning of the films things are okay and we have a disruption in the mid stage of the film and at the end things seem to be okay or a new equilibrium will occur of some sort.

Media Language: Cinematography
- At the beginning of the trailer we are shown a long shot down a dark corridor which is footage from the previous film as we see a person be thrown towards the camera immediately grabbing the audience's attention.
- The camera begins to zoom in towards the corridor indicating something is present in the dark area in which we cannot see however to add mystery to this the image begins to fade away as text is shown on the screen stating 'You demanded it' this indicating this film is going to be such a success as we wanted to see the first.
- We are yet again shown the response of the audiences reaction from the film that they are watching as we see a wide angle shot of the whole audience and there response to the film being shown on screen, this adds anticipation to the film and makes people want to come and watch it.
- A close up is then shown of a woman's face however she just appears on screen from no where making the audience jump and we see this through there reaction as the camera straight cuts to the audience.
- Wide angle shots are then shown of various areas of the house showing the darkness of the surroundings this is coming from the view of the cameras that are set up around the house, however a significant shot is in the babies bedroom as the dog lies on the floor asleep until we see a high angle shot of the dog barking at the door yet  nothing is there.
- The camera flicks through once again of the house however when the camera comes back to the room with the baby in a dark shadow is shown in the door where the dog was barking at in the figure of a woman however the face is blur indicating mystery and fright to the viewers.

Media Language: Sound
- The sound throughout the teaser trailer is very minimal however the sounds that we are able to hear are very significant as they make the audience jump as they are very loud and abrupt as the first sound we hear is of the person and the loud bang as they hit the camera, the second significant sound we hear is of the audiences reaction and finally the dog barking which goes silent and then a sudden loud noise as we see the woman in the door way.

Media Language: Editing
- The editing present in the teaser trailer are only straight cuts as we go from camera to camera to show the different areas of the house however each shot has its own significance as you are able to see things in the shots that make you jump and add to the suspense and jump factor.

Media Language: Mise-En-Scene
- Located in the house at all times with the lighting having a blue shade to it yet it is always dark making the scene more edgy to watch for the viewer, we are also seen in the cinema which is yet again dark however this time green to show that they are watching the film.

Research And Planning: Full length Trailer Analysis

I have decided to analyse 'Insidious' as this is based on the ideal trailer I want to produce, I will focus on the elements and discuss why they have used it.

Genre
The film above 'Insidious' is a Horror film, you are able to see this through the images, shot types and camera angles they use throughout the full length trailer, they aim to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the film with the twisted story line. For a Horror film to be successful these days you have to keep the audience on edge and entertained throughout.

Audience
The audience in which I will aim at attracting is 15+ due to the nature of the film and being able to include certain aspects which I wouldn't be able to include if I was to rate the film a 12a certificate, I shall also be aiming at attracting a 15+ audience is because they are attracted to the films in which come with a horror film such as the suspense, gore and violence that come with the films. The film shall attract both genders because the trailer shows a family which means it is family based and not a horror film that revolves around  group of woman. Films like this create a huge talking point between people who have seen it so this shall be another reasoning for people coming to see the film with their friends.

Representation
- We are lead to feel sympathetic for the child because we see him in the hospital bed with blood all over the sheets, we feel more sympathetic for the child because of his age.
- The family seem to be well off because of the size of the house they are living in and the lifestyle they are living, we see this through the representation of Mise-En-Scene.
- We see that the mother and father of the child are also effected by the happenings around them as the mother and father are worrying and scare of what is going on around them.

Narrative
I believe this full length trailer of Insidious is using Todorov's theory and the reasoning for this is due to the film for one being a Horror and the way in which Todorov's theory works then it fits in well with the film as the equilibrium of the film is when we see the child in the hospital and he is now in pain from the things that are taking place, with us knowing this through the trailer there is also a montage of small clips being played to give you an idea of the story. Although we do not see a new equilibrium in the trailer we have an idea that there will be one fitting in with Todorov's theory but with it only being a trailer they don't want to give the films ending away.

Media Language: Cinematography
- Trailer starts of with a medium close up of the dad of the child and this gives us a clear indication that the father plays a key role in the film.
- We are then shown a close up of a ticking machine and this is relevant to what is happening to the father at that current time as he seems to be in the room with somebody else.
- The camera then slowly zooms into a close up of the fathers face with his eyes shut this time indicating he may be going into some sort of hypnosis.
- A low angle shot is used on the house and also a long shot two show the outside of the house being a very bright place and this the viewers a bigger effect as it adds realism to the film as they are living in a normal home yet the happenings that occur inside are shown through the bright colors we see outside to then being in the home and the colors being faded and gloomy.
- A montage of short clips then take place with medium close ups of the family together to show that they are a family and things seem to be normal and nothing is going on, however we know that this isn't the case as at the ending of the short montage that takes place in the trailer we see the young boy climbing some ladders and a long shot is used as the child falls and the lighting in the room is very dark having multiple meanings and that the house isn't a bright place as at first sight it seems to be.
- A two shot is then used of the mum and dad with very worried facial expressions as the camera then turns to the child in the hospital bed as we see an over the shoulder shot showing the connection of the family however it also may mean that the child is very weak and this makes us feel sympathetic for him.
- We then have yet another close up of the mothers face showing the misery she is going through as she witnesses her child suffer.
- A high angle medium close is then used of a rocking horse moving and this now signifies to the viewer that the family are not alone in the house and in fact something else is amongst them.
- A low angle shot is used moments later as the mother stops the horse from rocking as it signifies the thing that is amongst them is a more powerful character than she is and she is now seen as a weak person.
- We then have an eye level shot of a shadow reflection on the wall as the young boy closes his door with very gloomy surroundings yet again indicating something else is amongst them.
- The shots continue to become darker and darker as we are now introduced to new people as the close ups of the cameras indicate some form of experiments are being performed to try and find what is amongst them in the house.
- We are then shown a close up of the father however this time there is a demon that is behind him and we see him hovering over the shoulder of the father yet his is oblivious to his presence.

Media Language: Sound
- At the beginning of the trailer the tempo of the music is unsettling as we hear the ticking of the instrument making the atmosphere uneasy however throughout the trailer the music becomes more unsettling as the tempo increases showing that things are getting worse for the family.
- A part in the trailer that is significant is when the mother is listing to the baby noise monitor and she can here a static noise in it yet the baby is sleeping upstairs and nobody else is in the room, this telling the viewer they are not alone.
- We then hear a roar of some sort as the mother put the baby monitor to here ear and this then gives a clear understanding for the mother and the viewers that the thing is making itself present, from here on out the music continues to become faster and louder as it becomes more tense for the family however the beat begins to slow down and become more meaningful as they try to begin to find out what is with them in the house.

Media Language: Editing
- Panning is used at the beginning of the trailer to show the house as a very nice place to live however as the trailer continues the editing increase in speed as montages are used to show you quickly what is going on however during the middle of the trailer quick straight cuts are used to indicate the tense atmosphere surrounding the film.
- Title frames are also present throughout the whole of the trailer and then appear after every short scene as this grabs the audience attention.

Media Language: Mise-En-Scene
- As you see in all horror films low key lighting is used throughout the trailer as this gives you an unsettling feeling and puts you on edge at the correct moments.
- The surrounding area of the house at first is during the day when things are fine however it soon turns to night as we are able to see this through things becoming a lot darker visually in the house, this makes the presence very unwelcoming and very scary for the viewer.
- The clothing the family wear is very gloomy and this adds to the mood of the surroundings given that they never wear any bright colored clothing.

Research and Planning: Poll Junkie

Research And Planning: The Pitch

Research And Planning: Photoshop Challange

My teacher set me a challenge to find out the knowledge I had on Adobe Photoshop and whether I was still able to use it at a good standard. I found out that in the process of completing this Photoshop challenge I was still able to use the tools very well as in the photo above I used the overlay tool and the opacity tool so that I was able to have the girl faded in the background so you could just about see her with the misty effect in the photo over the top of the girl to give it a horror aspect. I also used the filter render lens flare in the top right hand side of the image to also bring out the girl that was located in the photo as it lights up her face, I am also able to use text well and find fonts that are appropriate for the type of poster it is.

Resarch and Planning - Interview Questions

What makes a horror film to you?
What frightens you in a horror film?
Which one of these two plots do you prefer and why?
Would you watch a horror film with an age rating of 15?
In a horror film do you think it is more effective if there is large or small group of people?
What scenery do you think makes a horror film scary?
What is your favorite horror film and why?
Whats the difference between a full length trailer and a teaser trailer?

Research and Planning Audience Interviews

We Interviewed 3 different people questions based on what would be best when creating a Teaser Trailer or a Full length Trailer. Through the three people in which I asked I found that the majority of them wanted the same thing in a trailer and what they would expect and with them saying this it gave me a good understanding on what I was to include in the making of my Trailer.

Key Points I found from the interview:

- Suspense would be a good factor to include.
- I found that people would want an age rating of 15 so the trailer I make would have to evolve around this.
- A small group of people would be better to base the trailer around as it is more effective in making a horror trailer.
- The trailer should be based in a house.
- That I should make full length trailer as this would be more beneficial and also people have a good understanding on the difference between a teaser and a full length trailer.

Research and Planning: The Chase

I found that in the creating of this chase video the bad aspects that I came across were things such as background noise and the surroundings didn't fit in well with the clip, the camera was also very wobbly so that it would be better in using a bi pod in the making of my trailer due to this aiding reducing the wobble that is in this clip, there are also a lot of the same editing type; jump cuts and I believe a variety of clips should be used. There is also a reflection in part of the clip and this is not very professional so in the making of my clip we should look out for factors like this this is due to in experience in the filming however this can be improved on in the future. The slow motion that is used in the clip can also be improved on due to it stuttering and not free flowing.
Some of the good points that you come across in this trailer is that you are still able to see what the trailer is trying to show and you can see that somebody is following the female in the trailer and this gives you the idea of the chase, you are also able to see at the end although the female is being followed in the end she realises and turns on the person who is following her.

Reasearch and Planning - Genre

Horror

Horror films tend to be mainly all fictional due to their violent nature, this means they are not based on real life events and are made up. There are few films however that are said to be non-fictional which are based on true events such as the The Amityville Horror. Horror films tend to be aimed to a more mature and older audience due the the violence and graphic nature that occurs throughout the films, they tend to be either rated 15 or 18 dependent on how bad the violence is or language used. Horror films tend to have blood and violence throughout as they are trying to frighten the audience, horror films tend to be released at the same time of year; Halloween as this is most appropriate time of year however they are released throughout the year as well.

Comedy

Comedies are films aimed at a younger audience however they can also attract more of a teenage audience due to most comedies using bad and offensive language which would be inappropriate for younger people, they tend to be rated 15+. People enjoy watching comedies due to them making the audience laugh as they mean no offense with what they say as they are just portraying a light hearted message.

Action

Action films are the most popular genre of films due to people loving the fact that they tend to have a hero a villain and violence throughout, this keeps the audience entertained throughout the film as there is continuous action throughout, there are films like M:I:III and James Bond which are both franchises which already have a very large audience and due to this nature they tend to do the best when they are released as people will want to come and see the follow up of a film.

 Animated

 

Animated films such as Toy Story and Shrek are mainly aimed at a much younger audience due to the nature of the film, they attract an audience between 2 and 8 years this is due to the children believing the fantasy's that happen throughout the films and also the story lines, the films are very easy to understand tend to have no violence and bad language and are filled with bright colors so that the children are attracted to the films.